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THE 


NEW TESTAMENT 


OF 


OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. 


THE TEXT IN THE AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION : 


WITH 


A COMMENTARY AND CRITICAL NOTES: 


BY 


ADAM CLARKE, LL.D., FS.A., Ere. 


A NEW EDITION, CONDENSED, AND SUPPLEMENTED FROM THE BEST MODERN 
AUTHORITIES: 


BY DANTEL CURRY, LL.D. 


VOLUME II.—THE EPISTLES AND REVELATION. 


NEW YORE: 
a Τ ee a Ce ἜΤ ΤΙ i) 
Ὶ CINCINNATI: 

CRANSTON & STOWE. 
1884. 


COPYRIGHT 1884, BY 


ἘΞ ΕΞ ἘΠ᾿ Πα ΤῸ Π| ἘΞ i) tes) ἘΞ ἜΓ ΝΙ age 


NEW YORK. 


HDITOR’S PREFACE TO VOLUME IL 


OF THE 


Pe ViIisSHD HDITION. 


HE Preface to the first volume of the Revised Edition of Clarke's Commentary on 

the New Testament sets forth with sufficient fulness the principles which had been 
adopted respecting the whole work. -But the rules there indicated, as those according to 
which the revision of that volume had been made, have, from the necessities of the case, 
led to more considerable emendations and additions than seemed to be necessary in the former 
portion of the work. Butin respect to the editor's sympathies with the views and opinions 
of his author, all that is there said may be here repeated and emphasized; and the fidelity 
to the general doctrinal opinions of the original work has been honestly adhered to, not 
simply as a yoke, but gladly, as felicitously indicating the mind of the Spirit as revealed 
in the written word. But in bringing the work of expounding and illustrating the apos- 
tolical writings up to the higher plane on which biblical learning now stands, as compared 
with its position fifty years ago, very considerable modifications have seemed to be neces- 
sary, and wherever that has appeared they have been made. All these, however, it is be- 
lieved, have been made along the lines of the development of truth which the original 
work clearly marked out and pursued to a greater extent than had been done at that date 
by any other writer using the English language; for, as a biblical scholar and exegete, Dr. 
Clarke was at least a quarter of a century—perhaps twice that time—in advance of the 
learning of his age. But the regions in which he was a pioneer have since been thoroughly 
explored, and the results, constituting a rich store of scriptural learning, duly appropri- 
ated. The reviser has souglit to build the results thus obtained into the structure of evan- 
gelical and rational biblical theology, whose foundations he found so admirably made to 
his hands in the original. He therefore flatters himself that the now completed work of 
New Testament revision, while necessarily supplementary to the original, is in no import- 
ant particular out of harmony with its spirit and purport; and that whatever has been 
added is substantially of the same character with the primitive stock. To pervert an 
author’s meanings, while still utilizing his name and reputation, would savour of dishon- 
esty; while to reproduce error or suppress truth would indicate a lack of prudence at once 
dishonourable and unjust. 

The authorities drawn upon (indicated below) will be seen to be representative of the 
best and most scholarly Christian and biblical learning of the age, and at the same time 
free from any taint of the learned scepticism and the anarchical liberalism of a well known 
school of rationalistic biblical critics and expositors. It has been the design in every case 
to evade no difficult passage, to recognise all really obscure points, and to give the chief 
renderings of them by the best and most trustworthy critics and expositors; and when 
all these fail to give satisfactory solutions of the cases in hand, to honestly confess that the 

subject remains unexplained. Cases in point will be found in the matter of * tongues,” 
(1 Cor. xii, 10, xiv, 2, etc.,) and in the reasons rendered for the veiling of women in the 
public assemblies, ‘‘ because of the angels,” of which, with some others, no ΒΧΡΟΘΙΟΣ has 
given any satisfactory solution: and this is freely confessed. In other cases, in which it 
is evident that a false exegesis (which in some things has widely prevailed in past times) 


has engendered popular misconceptions of the sense of Holy Scripture, it has been thongs 
0 


EDITOR’S PREFACE TO VOLUME II. OF THE REVISED EDITION. 


best simply to give the true expositions without polemical discussions, and so permit the 
truth to work the needed corrections. Considering the word of Ged—and eminently the 
apostolical epistles—as a mine of untold richness as yet only partially developed, it has 
been a ruling purpose to detect and bring to light some of these hidden stores ; and where 
the gems of spiritual truth come to us in sensuous and materialistic coverings, the desigu 
has been to bring them to the light and to show their value. 

Special attention has been devoted to the Prefaces and Introductions to the several 
epistles. It was necessary that these should be brief and concise, and it was also desirable 
that they should present the literary history and the occasion of the writing of each 
episile; especially as these things tend to throw light upon the text. The results rather 
than the processes of inquiry are given; and as far as possible the time and place of the 
writing of each epistle,the people addressed, and the special occasion that called it forth, 
are considered. In these brief documents a large amount of valuable learning is given 
in a concise but comprehensive form, derived from the best sources; and while the infor- 
mation they give is necessary to the proper understanding of the several epistles, it is 
believed that for all non-professional students of the Bible they will prove sufficient helps 
in the matters of which they treat. For all others, distinct works, treatises, or manuals 
are required. 

In closing a work to which a large share of his time, for more than three and a half 
years, has been devoted, the editor would render devout thanks for the good Providence 
that has blessed him with health and strength for his work and enabled him to bring it to 
completion. The intimate mental and spiritual relations into which it has brought him to 
the divine word and its great Author have at once confirmed his faith and enlarged his 
appreciation of the inestimable value of the Holy Scriptures, and assured him, by a blessed 
experience, that Christ reveals himself to those who seek for him in the written word. 

10:10: 


AUTHORS AND WORKS USED IN THIS VOLUME. 


Avorn, Henry, D.D., (Dean of Canterbury:) The’ Luce, Dr. Frepertc: Com. on St. John’s Epistles. 


Greek Testament, with Notes. 
Barnes, Rev. Avsert: Notes on the New Testa- 


ment, 


Lunemann, Dr. G.: Commentary on Hebrews. 
Meyer, H. A. W.: Critical and Exegetical Com- 


mentary on New Testament. 


Braung, Kart, D.D.: Notes on Ephesians, Philip-, Moir, Karu B.: Hebrews, (in Lange.) 


pians, and Colossians, (in Lange.) 

Brown, Jonny, D.D.: Exposition of the Epistle to 
the Hebrews. 

ConyBEARE AND Howson: Life and Epistles of St. 
Paul. 

Cow.es, Henry, D.D., (Oberlin:) Mew Testament, 
with Notes. 

Kapiz, Joun, D.D.: Commentary on the Epistles to 
the Thessalonians. 

Ex.uicorr, Rr, Rey. C. J.: Commentary on Ephe- 
sians, I. and 11. Thessalonians, and the Pastoral 
Epistles. 

Farrar, F. W., D.D., (Canon of Westminster :) 
Life of St. Paul ; Early Days of Christianity. 
Fronmu cer, α΄, F. C,: Notes on 1. and IT. Peter, (in 

Lange.) 

Hurner, J. E., D.D., (successor to Meyer:) Tim- 
othy and Titus; James and John; Peter and Jude. 

Kenpricx, A, C.: Notes on Hebrews, (in Lange.) 


Lanor, J. P., D.D.: Commentaries. 
4 


Neanper, Dr. Aucustus: Planting and Training 
of the Church. 
OLSHAUSEN, Dr. 
Testament. 
Rippie, Rev. M. B., D.D.: Notes on Galatians, 
Ephesians, and Colossians, (in Lange.) 
“SPEAKER'S CoMMENTARY,” (various authors.) 


H.: Commentary on the New 


Stuart. Moses: Commentary on Romans, Hebrews, 


and Revelation. 
Tro.uck, Dr. Aucustus: Commentary on Romans. 
Turner, 5. H., D.D.: Motes on the Epistle to the 
Hebrews. 
Von OosterzEE, J. J., D.D.: Notes on 1. and II. 
Timothy, Titus, and James, (in Lange.) 
Watson, Rey. R.: Exposition on Romans. 
Westry, Rey. Joun: Notes on the New Testament. 
Wuepon, Rev. D.D.: Commentary on the New 
Testament. 
[The accentuation of the Greek is after the text 
of Westcott and Hort. ] 


PREFACE 


TO THE 


APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. 


oe .-.- 


ORE than one third of the New Testament is made up of epistles written by 
some of the apostles, most of which are addressed to particular local Churches, 
some to individuals, and some are in the form of circulars apparently designed to 
be used generally among the Churches for their instruction and edification. The 
use of this method of giving and receiving instruction, indicates a somewhat 
advanced stage of civilization as respects both the general diffusion of the knowl- 
edge of letters among the early Christians, and also the existence of facilities of 
travel and communication between the different parts of the Roman empire. It 
is well known, also, that epistolary writing had been in use among the Jews ever 
since the return from Babylon; and also, that it was customary among Roman 
officials in the provinces to keep up communication with the Imperial Goyern- 
ment by letters and reports detailing any matters of interest. In using this 
method, therefore, the apostles simply conformed to the usages of their times, 
and by so doing they conferred an incalculably valuable boon upon the Church, 
not only in the propagation and nurturing of infant churches, but also for the 
support and guidance of believers in all after times. 

The New Testament canon shows how largely epistles were used in the 
expansion and organization of the Church. Those which survive may be regarded 
as the representatives of a very large class, most of which are lost. But in the 
gospel history we hear nothing of such missives, nor indeed of any written 
memoranda. Our Lord appears to have taught only orally, not only because he 
was himself technically unlearned, but also, and eminently, because he would 
have his lessons wrought into the minds and hearts of his followers, as could be 
done only by personal communications. The wider extension of the Church in 
the time of the apostles, and the need of fuller and more formal presentations of 
the apostles’ doctrines and discipline, called for authoritative statements, in per- 
manent forms, that might be at all times accessible. The epistles of the New 
Testament are in their substance just what these conditions required, while in 
their form they are such as might be expected from men who were brought into 
contact with Greek and Roman customs, themselves belonging to a different race, 
and reproducing the imported style with only partial accuracy, (See M’Clintock 
and Strong.) 

The epistles usually begin with the name of the writer and that of the Church 
or person addressed, followed by a salutation full of Christian affection, accom- 
panied by words of prayer and praise to God and Christ. The letters themselves 
usually speak in the first person singular, though sometimes the plural is used, as 
including either the concurrent body of the apostolate, or the assent of the Christ- 
ians that were then associated with the writer. After these follows the substance 
of the letter, usually the elucidation of some great truth or doctrine, or the en- 
forcement of certain points of Christian discipline, with exhortations to the 
obedience of faith, and incitements to Christian fidelity and to the glorious hopes 
set forth in the Gospel; and last of all, there are personal salutations, abounding in 
declarations of Christian love and sympathy, and in most cases closing with 


. 


PREFACE TO THE APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. 


MPT Se A κ᾿ τ eS SNE Er se Ss Sed Bs Se Ὁ Ἐπ σέο. 
prayers and benedictions, Of St. Paul’s epistles, nine (besides Hebrews, which 
may or may not be Paul’s) are addressed to particular Churches; three, those to 
Timothy and Titus, commonly called “ pastoral epistles,” are semi-official letters 
of instructions to these two eminent ministers and gwasi apostles, respecting 
their official duties; and one, that to Philemon, seems to be only a personal note. 
Five epistles, one of James, two of Peter, one of John, and one of Jude, are 
styled catholic, or “ general,” having the form of circular letters to the Churches, 
and the second and third of John’s epistles seem to be personal letters. 

The eminence of St. Paul among the aposties, the extent and fruitfulness of 
his labours, and the volume of his contributions to the matter of the New Testa- 
ment, so making him the most conspicuous figure, after his Master, among the 
founders of the Church, seem to require at this place a brief sketch of his life and 
character. 

He was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, 
(probably about A. D. 5-10,) and bore the renowned Benjamite name, Savt, 
which in later life was changed to Paul, for what reason has not been satisfactorily 
ascertained, though such change of names was not unusual at that time. He 
inherited the condition and privileges of Roman citizenship; but whether this came 
to him as a citizen of Tarsus, which was a free city, or from his father, is not 
clearly determined. Of his home life, during his childhood and until he went 
to Jerusalem at probably twelve or thirteen years old, we have no account. His 
family seems to have been of some respectability and substance, and there is good 
reason to believe that the young Hebrew enjoyed the best advantages which the 
schools of the city afforded, and that in them he acquired the elements of the 
Greek language and literature. The family was of the sect of the Pharisees, 
and the home training of the child was no doubt in accordance with the rules 
of that “most straitest sect,” so that from the beginning his mind was affected 
by both the Jewish exclusiveness and the Grecian liberalism. 

At an early age he was transferred to Jerusalem, where probably he had rel- 
atives living, (Acts xxiii, 16,) and became a pupil in the training school of Jewish 
theology under the celebrated Gamaliel. According to the custom of his nation 
he was also apprenticed to the trade of, and became, a tentmaker. Under Ga- 
maliel he was initiated into the mysteries of rabbinical learning, traces of which 
may be found in all his methods of thought and reasoning. But on account 
of his early Hellenic culture, of the evident liberal tendencies of the mind of 
his instructor, and of his own mental tendencies, it could not be otherwise 
than that his character should be drawn toward broader views than those of the 
stricter rabbinical schools. He evidently had some acquaintance with Greek 
literature, though he was certainly not an exact Greek scholar. He was, beyond 
question, chiefly indebted to Gamaliel for the learning for which he was distin- 
guished, though all this was, no doubt, both modified and supplemented by 
subsequent studies and observations. His mind was characterized by both acute- 
ness and force; and if at first he reasoned narrowly, he formed decided opinions, 
and was always steadily and zealously faithful to ‘his convictions. IfLence, while 
he continued among his own people, he especially “ profited in the Jews’ religion; ” 
and when converted to a better faith, he, in the same spirit, “counted all things 
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.” As a Jew, he honoured 
his nation, venerated its doctrines and institutions and traditions, was character- 
istically zealous for their maintenance, and correspondingly averse to whatever 
seemed to threaten them with harm. Such a character, impelled by a keen, 
though misdirected, love of the truth, and zeal for his ancestral religion as he 
understood it, would naturally devote all his energies to his one dominant idea, 
and therefore he was “exceedingly mad” against the new sect of innovators, the 
Christians, and readily engaged in the service of the sanhedrin for its extirpa- 
tion. he same qualities of mind and heart, after his wonderful conversivn, 
made him the chief of apostles—the most strenuous propagator of the faith he had 
once sought to destroy. 


Paul’s three years’ seclusion in Arabia, followed by a fifteen days’ visit to Jeru- 
6 


PREFACE TO THE APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. 


salem and his escape thence, (evidently driven out by “false brethren,” who did 
not like his liberal notions respecting the ceremonial law,) and his retirement to 
Tarsus, where he continued, so far as is known, in entire seclusion, together make 
up a period of from seven to ten years between his conversion and his actual 
engagement in his apostolic labours.* The conflict between the conservative 
Jewish Christians—who insisted upon the perpetuation of the law of Moses and 
its imposition upon all Gentile converts—and those of the more liberal school, who 
demanded equal privileges in the Church for Gentile converts without observing 
the law, probably began to show itself soon after the day of Pentecost. It is 
clear that it was an element in the persecution that resulted in the martyrdom 
of Stephen. Peter had evidently ranked with the conservative party until the 
affair of Cornelius, and even after that he was slow to retain the lesson then 
taught him. But the conversion of a considerable number of Gentiles at Antioch 
and elsewhere, who were evidently unwilling to become Jews, led to the sending of 
Barnabas from Jerusalem, evidently to look after matters and correct all irreg- 
ularities. But Barnabas himself soon became a conyert to the new doctrine, and 
as the work demanded more labourers, he hastened “to Tarsus for to seek Saul,” 
who, coming to Antioch, entered at once into the active labours of his apostolate. 
Here he continued to labour for more than a year, evidently with remarkable re- 
sults; and either here or at Tarsus he must have had that wonderful vision 
of Christ to which he was accustomed to refer as in some way related to his 
apostolical calling and authority. Afterward Barnabas and Saul were formally 
commissioned by the Church at Antioch to go forth and preach the Gospel to the 
heathen, and in the account of this mission the name of Saul is changed to Paul. 
Nearly two years were given to this work, and everywhere the hand of the Lord 
was with them, and many converts were made; and then they returned again to 
Antioch. But as the number of the Gentile Christians by whom the rites of the 
Mosaic law were disregarded continued to multiply, the Judaizing party, of which 
some were found in all these parts, began earnestly to contend that all the Gentile 
converts must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, or else they could not 
be saved. This matter was brought to an issue at the famous conference at Jeru- 
salem, which resulted in a compromise, but yielded all the chief points for which the 
men of Antioch had contended. But, like most compromises, it concluded nothing, 
and from this time onward there were two parties in the Church, violently 
opposed to each other, one insisting on the perpetual authority of the law of 
Moses, and contending that there could be no salvation outside of it, and the other 
wholly discarding it, and claiming for all Gentile converts equal privileges with 
the Jewish Christians, without submitting to circumcision or observing the pre- 
scriptions of the ceremonial law; and this contest, in which Paul became the 
champion of the Gentile Christians, raged with much bitterness during the whole 
time of his ministry, of which probably he was himself indirectly a victim; and 
it ended only with the destruction of Jerusalem and the subversion of the Jewish 
State and Church together. ΤᾺ a0 

By keeping in mind Paul’s relations to this conflict about circumcision and 
the law, much that would otherwise be unintelligible in his epistles becomes 
plain. ‘The emissaries of the Judaizing party withstood him at every point, and 
seemed to be everywhere present. ΤῸ counterwork their designs in Galatia he 
wrote to the Churches of that province the epistle that bears its name, in a style 
and manner much more forcible than gentle. Both the epistles to the Corinthians 
recognise the disturbing presence of that controversy, and in the epistle to the 
Romans the entire subject is taken in hand, and discussed with such thorough- 
ness, that the whole theory of the Gospel—the way of salvation by faith in Christ 


as to precise times, but little better than 
D. 38, and his recall from Tarsus, by 
erably too early. Conybeare and 
and his recall in A. D, 43 or 44, 
The date given of his coming to 


* All attempts to fix the chronology of these events are, a 
conjectures. The dates in this work place Saul’s conversion In A. 
Barnabas, in A.D, 43; but the former date is probably very consid 
Howson suggest A.D. 39 or 40, which, again, is probably too late, 
which would allow him only about two years’ residence at Tarsus. 
Antioch is probably not very far from correct. 7 


/ 


PREFACE TO THE APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. 


Jesus—is there wrought out with a degree of fulness and force that is nowhere 
else equalled by any other, either inspired or uninspired, writing. The Epistle 
to the Hebrews (for, whether written by St. Paul, or not, it is eminently Paul- 
ine in doctrine, though Hebraistic in its imagery) directs the eye of faith away 
from all merely ritualistic observances to Christ, as the only and all-sufficient sac- 
rifice, to be apprehended and made available only by faith. Only by keeping 
in mind this great conflict, and Paul’s relations to it, and observing the direct 
antagonism of the Judaizers’ method of justification by the law of Moses, and the 
evangelical doctrine of justification by faith in God’s mercy through Christ’s sac- 
rifice, can his epistles be understood and appreciated. This was his great central 
truth, around which all other Christian doctrines become crystallized into a har- 
monious unity. The solidarity of the human race in Adam and in Christ 15. his 
basis for a universal atonement; the utter condemnation of the world, through 
sin, places Jews and Gentiles in the same state of death, from which there is a 
resurrection for any only in Christ; and the quickened and saved soul is made 
Christ’s freedman, to serve and please him in newness of life in all things. 

Paul’s three pastoral epistles, as they were designed for a different purpose 
from all the others, differ from them somewhat in their style and methods, though 
the sameness of their authorship is manifest in a variety of points. As personal 
letters, they have greater ease and freedom of address, and a kind of confidential 
unconcern of manner. And yet, because they are in some sense official letters 
from an apostle to his inferiors in position and juniors in years, who are also 
themselves charged with high responsibilities, they bear the signs of careful 
reserve and earnest purpose. Churches were to be organized, discipline admin- 
istered, the froward to be admonished, and the erring to be reproved and corrected, 
and for these delicate and difficult duties these epistles give the most important 
suggestions, which also are equally valuable in all later times. In giving these 
instructions the apostle also brings into view some of the deepest and most sacred 
doctrines of the Gospel, all of which are in complete accord with what is taught 
in his other and more directly doctrinal epistles. As personal letters, too, they 
have not a little of the charm of friendly unveilings of the writer’s deepest feel- 
ings and his most earnest spiritual aspirations. The second letter to ‘Timothy, 
which appears to have been written in the near prospect of death, is especially 
rich in these qualities, and, in the expressions of an exultant faith, a triumphant 
death-song worthy of its authorship. 

The epistles of the other three great apostles, James, Peter, and John, differ 
from those of Paul chiefly in their freedom from the immediate influence of this 
controversy. There is asubstantial unity, as to’ both doctrines and duties, among 
them all. James is cool, severe, and didactic, as became the position of the 
recognised chief ruler of the great mother Church at Jerusalem. Peter is char- 
acteristically fervid, deeply spiritual, and abounding in the graces of faith, hope, 
and charity. And John, leaning in spirit on the Master’s breast, is introspective 
and mystical, abounding in love, and yet equally characterized by a holy severity 
toward evildoers. Each has his own superficial’ peculiarities of literary style and 
modes of thought—just enough to indicate the individuality of each; but in their 
ruling qualities, their spiritual tones, and even in their dogmatic statements and 
implications, they are essentially harmonious among themselves, and also with 
their greater fellow apostle. These apostolical epistles were clearly a necessary 
addition in order to the completeness of the great system of doctrines and duties 
which should be for the Church, in all coming times, its safe and sufficient guide 
of faith and practice. The Old Testament shows only the light in its dawning 
before the rising of the “Sun of Righteousness,” bringing in the brightness of the 
Gospel day; these epistles present to us that brightness in the steady clearness of 
the pen day of the Gospel, “ the latter-day glory.” 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE 


TO 


fee ROMANS. 


HIS, the first of the Apostolical Epistles in the arrangement of the canon, is 

also, beyond all question, the first by virtue of the dignity and importance 
of its subject, and also for the ability of its discussions and the clearness of its 
demonstrations. ‘The common opinion of the Christian Church of all times is 
happily expressed by Luther, who declares in his preface, “This epistle is the 
true masterpiece of the New Testament, and the very purest Gospel, which is 
well worthy and deserving that a Christian man should not only learn it by heart, 
but also that he should daily deal with it, as with the daily bread of men’s souls.” 
Before proceeding to consider the text of the epistle, it may be profitable to con- 
sider some things incidental to it that may help to its better understanding, 


AUTHORSHIP OF THE EPISTLE. 


Saul (afterward called Paul, and renowned as “the apostle of the Gentiles”) 
was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, of Jewish parents, who possessed the 
rights of Roman citizens. (See the note on Acts xxii, 28.) When young, he was 
sent to Jerusalem for the purpose of receiving a Jewish education ; where he was 
put under the tuition of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, and was incorporated with 
the sect of the Pharisees, of whose system he imbibed all the pride, self-con- 
fidence, and intolerance. He at first distinguished himself as one of the most 
inveterate enemies of the Christian cause; but, being converted by a most singu- 
lar interposition of divine providence and grace, he became one of its most zealous 
promoters and successful defenders. That Paul was the author of the Epistle to 
the Romans is almost universally conceded. Neither the Judaizing sects of old, 
who rejected the Pauline Epistles as destitute of authority, nor the modern scep- 
tical critics, have doubted that this epistle was written by that apostle. The 
early Church Fathers are agreed in ascribing it to him, without any notable 
dissent. The internal evidence to the same effect is also clear beyond all 
question. 

TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 

Though this epistle is directed to the Romans, yet we are not to suppose that 
Romans, in the proper sense of the word, are exclusively meant ; but rather 
those who dwelt at Rome, and composed the Christian Church in that city. 
That there were among these Romans (that is, Gentiles) some who had been con- 
verted to the Christian faith, there can be no doubt; but the principal part of the 


Church in that city seems to have been formed from Jews, sojourners at Rome, 
9 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


and from such as were proselytes to the Jewish religion. [Some, and among 
them some of the highest authority, think the Church at that time consisted 
chiefly of converts from heathenism: and this opinion seems best to agree with 
many expressions and allusions in the epistle itself, in which its readers are fre- 
quently named as ἔθνα, heathen. Rome was at that time the universally recog- 
nised mistress and metropolis of the world. It was at the height of its greatness, 
with a population variously estimated at from one to three millions, and with 
unparalleled wealth, luxury, and profligacy. Nero, the sixth of the Cesars, him- 
self the incarnation of whatever is vile, was Emperor. ] 


THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH IN ROME. 


When or by whom the Gospel was first preached at Rome cannot be as- 
certained. Those who assert that St. Peter was its founder, can produce no solid 
reason for the support of their opinion. Had this apostle first preached the Gos- 
pel in that city, it is not likely that such an event would have been unnoticed in 
the Acts of the Apostles, where the labours of St. Peter are particularly detailed 
with those of St. Paul, which indeed form the chief subject of that book. Nor is 
it likely that the author of this epistle should have made no reference to this cir- 
cumstance had it been true. Those who say that this Church was founded by 
these two apostles conjointly have still less reason on their side ; for it is evident, 
from chapter 1, 8, etc., that St. Paul had never been at Rome previously to his 
writing this epistle. It is most likely that no apostle was employed in this im- 
portant work; but possibly the Gospel was first preached there by some of those 
persons who were converted at Jerusalem on the day of pentecost ; for we find, 
(Acts 11, 10,) that there were at Jerusalem “strangers of Rome, Jews and 
proselytes.” These, on their return, would naturally declare the wonders they had 
witnessed, and proclaim that truth by which they themselves had received salva- 
tion. [The Roman Church owed its origin, perhaps, to the believing Jews, who 
had returned or been attracted thither in the first days of Christianity ; but 
mainly to persons converted under Paul’s own preaching in other places. This 
conclusion is strengthened by the long list of salutations, in chapter xvi, to Chris- 
tian brethren and sisters with whose previous course in many cases he had been 
acquainted.— Afford. | 

PROBABLE DATE OF THE EPISTLE. 


[Concerning the time in which this epistle was written, there is not much differ- 
ence of opinion: it is most likely that it was written about A. D. 58, when Paul 
was at Corinth. (See chapters xv, 23-25, xvi, 23, with 1 Cor. i, 14; and Rom. 
xvi, 1, with 2 Tim. iv, 20.) Since the apostle, when he composed his letter, was 
on the point of conveying to Jerusalem the proceeds of a collection made in 
Macedonia and Achaia, (xv, 25-27,) and intended to journey thence by way of 

tome to Spain, (xv, 28; comp. Acts xix, 21,) we are thus directed to his last so- 
journ—of three months—in Achaia. (Acts xx, 3.)... We infer, therefore—even 
apart from the fact that the composition of swch an epistle presupposes a some- 
what lengthened and quiet abode—that it was written before Paul departed from 
Achaia. . . . Since, then, the recommendation of the deaconess Phebe from the 
Corinthian seaport, Cenchrea, (xvi, 1, 2,) as well as the salutation from his host, 
Gaius, (xvi, 23; comp. 1 Cor. i, 4,) points to no other city than Corinth, we may, 
beyond all doubt, conclude that it was written in that city. . . . The time of its 


composition accordingly falls in A. D. 59, (or late in A. 1). 58,) when Paul regarded 
10 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


his ministry in the East as closed, and was contemplating his field of labour in 
the West, of which Rome should be the centre and Spain the goal. See Meyer.] 


ITS OCCASION AND DESIGN. 


The immediate occasion of the writing this epistle may be easily collected from 
the epistle itself. It appears that St. Paul had been made acquainted with all the 
circumstances of the Christians at Rome, probably by Aquila and Priscilla, (see chap. 
xvi, 3,) and by other Jews who had been expelled from Rome by the decree of 
Claudius, (Acts xviii, 2 ;) and finding that they consisted partly of heathens con- 
verted to Christianity and partly of Jews who had, with many remaining preju- 
dices, believed in Jesus as the true Messiah, and that many contentions had arisen 
from the claims of the Gentile converts to equal privileges with the Jews and 
from the refusal of the Jews to admit these claims unless the Gentile converts 
became circumcised, he wrote to adjust and settle these differences. 

The primary object of the argumentative part of the epistle seems to be, as 
stated by Paley, “to place the Gentile convert upon a parity of situation with the 
Jewish in respect of his religious condition, and his rank in the divine favour.” 
In support of this point, it is shown that no man, of any description, can be justified 
by the works of the law—for this plain reason, that no man had performed them. 
It became, therefore, necessary to appoint another medium, or condition of justifi- 
cation, in which. new medium the Jewish peculiarity was merged and lost ; that 
Abraham’s own justification was antecedent to the law, and independent of it; 
that the Jewish converts were to consider the law as now dead, and themselves 
as married to another; that what the law in truth could not do, in that it was 
weak (ineffective) through the flesh, God had done by sending his Son ; and that 
God had rejected the unbelieving Jews, and had substituted in their place a society 
of believers in Christ, collected indifferently from Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, in 
an epistle directed to Roman believers, the point to be endeavoured after by St. 
Paul was, to reconcile the Jewish converts to the opinion that the Gentiles were 
admitted by God to a parity of religious situation with themselves, and that, too, 
without their being obliged to keep the law of Moses. 


ITS PURPORT AND SUBSTANCE. 


From a proper consideration of the design of the apostle in writing this epis- 
tle, and from the nature and circumstances of the persons to whom it was di- 
rected, much light may be derived for a proper understanding of the epistle it- 
self. When the reader considers that the Church at Rome was composed of 
Gentiles and Jews; that the latter were taught to consider themselves the only 
people on earth to whom the divine favour extended ; that they alone had a right 
to all the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom ; that the giving them the law and 
the prophets, which had not been given to any other people, was the fullest 
proof that these privileges did not extend to other nations ; and that, though it 
was possible for the Gentiles to be saved, yet it must be in consequence of their 
becoming circumcised, and taking on them the yoke of the law: and when, on 
the other hand, the reader considers the Roman Gentiles, who formed the other 
part of the Church at Rome, as educated in the most perfect contempt of J udaism 
and of the Jews, who were deemed to be haters of all mankind, and degraded 
with the silliest superstitions, and now evidently rejected and abandoned by 


that God in whom they professed to trust : it is no wonder if, from these oe 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


many contentions and scandals arose, especially at a time when the spirit of 
Christianity was but little understood, and among a people, too, who do not ap- 
pear to have had any apostolic authority ‘established among them to compose 
feuds and settle religious differences. [The object of our epistle was by no means 
the drawing up ἃ sy stematical statement of doctrine ; but, on the other hand, it 
is not to be restricted more specifically than by saying : Paul wished to lay before 
the Romans in writing, for their Christian edification, (chapter 1, 11; xvi, 25,) 
his evangelical doctrine, (the doctrine of the sole way of salvation given in Christ,) 
viewed in its full, specific character as the superseding of Judaism, in such a way 
as the necessities and circumstances of the Church demanded, and as he would have 
preached it among them had he been present in person. (Chapter i, 11.) The 
mode in which he had to accomplish tbis was determined by the circumstance, that 
he deemed it necessary for his object fully to set forth before the Roman Church, 
in a manner proportioned to the high importance of its position, this Gospel, as to 
which his disciples had already instructed them, in the entire connexion of its con- 
stituent fundamental principles. In no other letter has he done this so completely 
and thoroughly ; hence it is justly regarded as a grand scheme of his whole teach- 
ing, in the precise form which he held to be suitable for its presentation to the 
Romans.— Meyer. | 


IN WHAT LANGUAGE IT WAS WRITTEN. 


There have been some doubts concerning the language in which this epistle 
was written. John Adrian Bolten endeavoured to prove that St. Paul wrote it 
in Syriac, and that it was translated into Greek by Tertius. Others have thought 
that it must have been written originally in Latin, the language of the people to 
whom it was addressed ; “for although the Greek tongue was well known in 
Rome, yet it was the language of the great and the learned ; and it is more 
natural to suppose that the apostle would write in the language of the common 
people, as those were most likely to be his chief readers, than that of the great and 
the learned.” But it is evident that the Greek was a common language in Rome in 
the days of the apostle ; and that in writing in this language, which he probably 
understood better than he did Latin, he consulted the taste and propensity of the 
Romans, as well as the probability of his epistle being more extensively read in 
consequence of its being written in Greek. But, were these arguments wanting, 
there are others of great weight that evince the propriety of ἘΞ this lan- 
guage in preference to any other. The sacred writings of the Old ΠΕ τ 
were, at that time, confined to two languages, the Hebrew and the Greek. The 
former was known only within the confines of Palestine; the latter over the 
whole Roman empire: and the Latin tongue appears to have been as much con- 
fined to Italy as the Hebrew was to Judea. ‘The epistle, therefore, being designed 
by the Spirit of God to be of general use to the Christian Churches, not oniy 
in Italy but through Greece and all Asia Minor, where the Greek language was 

spoken and understood, it was requisite that the iaserantion® to be conveyed by it 
should be put in a language the most generally known ; and a language, too, which 
was then in high and in daily increasing credit. 


ARRANGEMENT OF THE EPISTLES IN THE CANON. 


In the arrangement of the several epistles nothing seems to have been con- 
sulted besides the length of the epistle, the character of the writer, and the im- 


ἀμ τὸς of the place to which it was sent. Rome, being the mistress of the 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


world, the epistle to that city was placed first. Those to the Corinthians, because 
of the great importance of their city, next. Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, 
and Thessalonica follow in graduated order. Timothy, Titus, and Philemon 
succeed in the same way: and the Epistle to the Hebrews, because the author of 
it was long in dispute, was placed at the end of the epistles of Paul, as being 
probably written by him. James, as Bishop of Jerusalem, precedes Peter ; Peter 
precedes John, as the supposed chief of the apostles ; and John, the beloved dis- 
ciple, Jude. The Book of the Revelation, as being long disputed in the Christian 
Church, was thrown to the conclusion of the New Testament Scriptures. 

Of the fourteen epistles attributed to St. Paul, (thirteen only of which bear 
his name,) this has been reckoned the first in importance, though certainly not in 
order of time; for there is every reason to believe that both the Epistles to the 
Thessalonians, that to the Galatians, those to the Corinthians, the first to Timo- 
thy, and that to Titus, were all written before the Epistle to the Romans. 


ITS STYLE. 


[As in general we can best apprehend and estimate the style of a writer in 
connexion with his character, so is it with the Apostle Paul. The attributes which 
especially characterize Paul’s originality as an author are, power, fulness, and 
warmth. If to these is added perspicuity of unfolding thought, we have all 
united which ennobles an orator. But fulness of ideas and warmth of feelings 
often bring with them a certain informality of expression ; the very wealth of 
the productive power does not always leave time to educate the thoughts which 
are born into the light—to arrange and select the feelings. Together with the ex- 
cellences above mentioned, something of this defect is found in the style of the 
great Apostle to the Gentiles. 

[The high claims of St. Paul to the reputation of eloquence were acknowledged 
by Christian antiquity. We have, also, an honourable testimony to the same effect 
from one of the most celebrated critics of heathen Rome, the fragment of Lon- 
ginus, where he ranks Paul with the first orators of ancient times, adding, however, 
the remark, that he appears more to persuade than to demonstrate. 

[ We have this question to ask ourselves: with what ideas, as to the ability of the 
apostle as a writer, ought the believing Christian to approach his works ? The Fa- 
thers themselves frequently confess that the whole character of Christianity for- 
bids us from seeking classical elegance in the outward style of the New Testa- 
ment:—as the Son of God appeared in his life on earth in a state of humiliation, so 
also the word of God .. . While, therefore, we cannot see that the believing Christ- 
ian is entitled to assume in him an academic correctness of syllogistic form, a 
conscious and perfect appreciation of adequacy of expression, reaching to the use 
of every particle, we cannot consent to accept an especially low estimate of the 
style of the apostle. 

[That the great apostle was no ordinary thinker—that he did not, after the man- 
ner of enthusiasts carried away by warmth of feeling, write down what he him- 
self did not understand—is beyond question ; but that all which hitherto has been 
accounted in him negligence or inaccuracy of expression proceeded from conscious 
intention of the writer, can neither be justly assumed nor convincingly shown,— 


Tholuck. | 


5 SOME MINOR CHARACTERISTICS. 


[1) Frequent and complicated antitheses, requiring great caution and discrimi- 


nation in exegesis. For often the different members of the antithesis are not to be 
13 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


taken in the same extent of meaning ; sometimes the literal and metaphorical 
significations are interchanged in a curious and intricate manner, so that perhaps 
in the first member of two antithetical clauses the subject may be literal and the 
predicate metaphorical, and in the second, vice versa, the subject metaphorical 
and the predicate literal. Sometimes, again, the terms of one member are to be 
amplified to their fullest possible, almost to an exaggerated, meaning; whereas 
those of the second are to be reduced down to their least possible, almost to a de- 
preciated, meaning. To retain such antitheses in a version or exegesis is, of 
course, generally speaking, impossible ; the appropriateness of the terms depends 
very much on their conventional value in the original language. Then comes the 
difficult task of breaking up the sentence, and expressing neither more nor less 
than the real meaning under a different grammatical form ; an attempt almost 
always sure to fail even in the ablest hands. 

[2) Mrequent plays upon words, choice of words from their similarity of sound. 
Much of the terseness and force of the apostle’s expressions is necessarily lost in 
rendering them into another language, owing to the impossibility of expressing 
these paronomasie ; and without them, it becomes exceedingly difficult to ascer- 
tain the real weight of the expression itself ; to be sure that we do not give more 
than due importance in the context to a clause whose aptness was perhaps its 
chief characteristic, and on the other hand, to take care that we do not overlook 
the real importance of clauses whose value is not their mere aptness, but a deep 
insight into the philosophy of the cognate words made use of, as exponents of 
lines of human thought ultimately convergent. 

[3) Accumulation of prepositions, often with the same, or very slightly different, 
meanings. That this is a characteristic of St. Paul’s style there can be no doubt ; 
and the difficulty created by it is easily obviated if this be borne in mind. The 
temptation of an expositor is to endeavour to give precise meaning and separate 
force to each preposition, thereby exceeding the intention of the sentence, and dis- 
torting the text by elevating into importance clauses of comparative indifference. 

[4) The frequency and peculiarity of his parenthetical passages. The difticulty 
presented by this characteristic is, in few words, that of disentangling with pre- 
cision such clauses and passages. The danger is twofold: 1) lest we too hastily 
assume an irregular construction, not perceiving the parenthetical interruption ; 
2) lest we err on the other hand, which has more commonly been the ease, in assum- 
ing the existence of parenthetical clauses where none exist. St. Paul’s parentheses 
are generally well marked to the careful observer ; and it must be remembered 
that the instances of anacoluthon and irregular construction are at least as fre- 
quent : so that we are not, for the sake of clearing up a construction, to throw in 
parentheses, as is often done, to the detriment of the sense.—A/ford. | 


SYNOPSIS OF THE EPISTLE. 


[Were I to select a motto which would, in a single brief sentence, designate 
the substance of what this epistle contains, it should be taken from the apostle 
himself : Χριστὸς ἡμῖν δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμός, (Christ our justification and 
sanctification.) 

[The first five chapters exhibit Christ as the author and efficient cause of our 
justification, After an appropriate and affectionate introduction, (chapter i, 
1-16,) the apostle proceeds to show that the Gentiles had universally transgressed 
the law of God which was written on their hearts, because they had indulged in 
a pon variety of sins which they knew to be wrong. (Chapter i, 17-32.) He 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


next proceeds to show that the Jews were even more guilty still, inasmuch as 
they had sinned against more light and more distinguished privileges, (Chapter 
ii, 1-3, 19.) He now draws the conclusion from these premises, that justifica- 
tion by deeds of law—that is, on the score of merit or on the ground of perfect 
obedience—is impossible; for, inasmuch as all men have sinned against the law of 
God, all are under its condemnation, and therefore grace or mercy only can save 
them from perishing. This grace is vouchsafed only through Christ, and has 
been procured by his sufferings and death in behalf of sinners. (Chapter iii, 
20-31.) 

[The Old Testament also teaches the same doctrine of gratuitous justification, 
and that this should be extended to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. (Chap- 
ter iv, 1-25.) The happy fruits of such a state of justification—peace with God, 
support and consolation in the midst of trials and sufferings, a hope which maketh 
not ashamed and never can be disappointed, are next described. (Chapter v, 1-11.) 
And that it is perfectly proper and becoming on the part of God to extend those 
blessings to all, both Jews and Gentiles, is strikingly taught by the exhibition of 
the fact, that all have been made to share in the evils which flowed from the apostasy 
of our original progenitors. (Chapter v, 12-19.) Even in those cases where sin 
has exhibited its greatest power, the grace of the Gospel is made to triumph over 
it. (Chapter v, 20, 21.) Thus is Curist, our JUSTIFICATION, set forth by the 
apostle. 

[He next comes to exhibit Curist, our Sancrirication. This important topic 
he introduces by discussing the objection raised against the doctrine of gratui- 
tous justification, namely, that it tends to encourage sin. We shows, in the first 
place, from various considerations, the incongruity and impossibility of this. 
(Chapter vi, 1-23.) He then proceeds to contrast a state of grace, and the means 
and motives to holiness which it furnishes, with a legal state; and to show that 
in the latter the sinner has no hope of maintaining a holy character, while in the 
former he is abundantly furnished with the means of doing it ; consequently that 
a state of grace, so far from encouraging men to sin, affords them the only hope 
of their being able to subdue and mortify sin. (Chapter vii, 1-8, 17.) 

[The apostle then, as he had before done at the close of his discussion respect- 
ing justification, (chapter v, 1-11,) goes on to show the consolation which the 
Gospel affords, under the various troubles of the present life, (chapter viii, 18—27;) 
and in the sequel he concludes, as in the former case, with exultation in the cer- 
tainty of future and eternal glory to all who truly love God. (Chapter viii, 
28-39.) The part of the epistle properly doctrinal concludes with the eighth 
chapter. 

[Chapter ix discusses the objection raised against the dealings of God with his 
creatures, when he makes some of them the distinguished subjects of his mercy, 
and passes by others. Chapter x confirms still further, by various considerations, 
and particularly by texts cited from the Old Testament, the idea that the Jews 
who remain in unbelief are and must be cut off ; and therefore that this is not a 
new or strange doctrine. Chapter xi continues to urge the same subject ; but at 
the close deduces from it the cheering consolation, that even the rejection of the 
Jews will be made a great blessing to the world, as it will be the occasion of sal- 
vation being sent to the Gentiles. And if their r¢gection be attended with conse- 
quences so important, then surely their reception again will fill the world with its 
happy fruits. 


[The rest of the epistle is hortatory, and is adapted specially to warn the 
15 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


Church at Rome against certain errors to which, in their circumstances, they were 
peculiarly exposed ; to avoid pride and envious distinctions, etc., and to conduct 
themselves kindly, affectionately, and peaceably. (Chapter xii, 1-21.) Next, they 
are exhorted to a quiet and orderly demeanour toward the civil authorities, (chap- 
ter xiii, 1-7 ;) and next, to observe the great law of love toward all men. (Chap- 
ter xiii, 8-14.) And yet further, the Gentile Christians are admonished to respect 
the scruples of their Jewish brethren respecting eating meat offered to idols, ete., 
(chapter xiv, 1-15 ;) and on the other hand, the Jews are admonished that their 
Gentile brethren have equal rights and privileges with themselves, under the gos- 
pel dispensation. (Chapter xv, 8-13.) The writer then expresses his good hopes 
concerning them all, his kind and tender regard for them, and his purpose in re- 
spect to visiting them. Lastly, he subjoins the salutations of various Christians 
who were with him; cautions them against those who seek to make divisions among 
them; and concludes with a doxology.—Stuat. | 


ANALYSIS OF THE EPISTLE. 
I. Tux Inrropvction, (i, 1-15.) 
a. Address of the Epistle, (i, 1—7.) | ὃ. The Writer’s Motives, (i, 8-15.) 


II. Tue Doctrine: “The Righteousness of God by Faith,” (i, 16—viii, end.) 


a. The Theme, (i, 16, 17.) ὁ. The Universality of Righteousness by Faith, iii, 
ὁ. The Universal Need of Righteousness, (i, 18-- 21-v, end.) 
iii, 20.) α΄. The Sanctification of Believers, (vi—viii, end.) 


III. Tue Docrrine ReconciLep witu IsRaew’s UNBELIEP, (ix—xi, end.) 
. Mourning for Israel, (ix, 1-5.) jf. The Paradox Explained, (ix, 80-33.) 


a 
6. God’s Promise has not Failed, (ix, 6-13.) g. The Cause of Israel’s Stumbling, (xi, 1-4.) 
c. Nor is there any Injustice in God, (ix, 14-18.) | A, The Testimony of Moses, (x, 5-10.) 
d. God’s Willmay not be Questioned, (ix, 19-21.) |“ 2. The Righteousness of Faith is offered to all, 
e. God’s Justice and Mercy Vindicated, (ix, but Rejected by Israel, (xi, 11-21.) 

22-29.) j. The Restoration of Israel, (xi, 22 to end.) 


IV. Exnorrations ΤῸ CuristrAn Dotrxs, (xii—xv, 13.) 


a. Duties toward God and toward Men, (xii,| ὁ. Special Exhortations to Mutual Forbearance 
xiii.) 1 between Christians, (xiv, 1-xv, 13.) 


V. Conciusion, (xv, 13, to end.) 


a. The Writer’s Motives and Prospects, el 6. Concluding Salutations, (xvi, 1, to end.) 
ne 14-33.) —Speaker’s Commentary. 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


er B, ROM ANS. 


CHAPTER I. 
Pee a servant of Jesus Christ, *called to 
be an apostle, separated unto the gospel 
of God, 2 (¢ Which he had promised afore 4 by 


@ Acts 92. 21; 1 Cor. 1. 1: Gal. 1.1; 1 Tim.1. 11; 2. 7: 2 Tim. 
1. 11.— Acts 9, 15; 13. 2; Gal. 1. 15. —ecSee on Acts 26. 6; 
Titus 1. 2. 


NOTE#S ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ—The word 
δοῦλος, servant, properly means one who is the en- 
tire property of his master. Paul felt he was not 
his own, and that his life and powers belonged to 
his heavenly Owner, and that he had no right to 
dispose of or employ them but in the strictest sub- 
serviency to the will of his Lord. “I am wholly 
the Lord’s ; and wholly devoted, in the spirit of sae- 
rificial obedience, to the constant, complete, and 
energetic performance of the divine will.” [The 
meaning of the title, “servant of Jesus Christ,” is 
not to be derived from the condition of the Greek 
slaves; its Hebrew origin is clearly seen when St. 
James (chapter i, 1) calls himself “a servant of 
God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” In the Old 
Testament, “servant of God,” or “servant of Je- 
hovah,” is applied to all worshippers of the true 
God, (Deut. xxxii, 36, ete.,) but more emphatically 
to those who are specially called to God’s service.— 
Speaker's Commentary.| Called to be an apostle 
—(This title was not conferred on Paul by the word 
of the Holy Spirit, (as in Acts xiii, 2,) but in virtue of 
his special call by the Lord in person.—A/ord. | 
The word ἀπόστολυς, apostle, signifies (in its ordinary 
use) simply a messenger or envoy; but here it 
means an extraordinary messenger ; one sent by God 
himself to deliver the most important message on 
behalf of his Maker; that is, to preach the Gospel 
to the nations. The word κλητὸς, called, signifies 
here the same as constituted, and should be joined 
with ἀποστολος, as it isin the Greek, thus: Pav, 
a servant of Jesus Christ, a constituted apostle, ete. 
As it is likely that no apostle had been employed in 
founding the Church of Rome, and there was need 
of much authority to settle the matters that were 
there in dispute, it was necessary he should show 
them that he derived his authority from God, and 
was immediately delegated by him to preach and 
write, as he was now doing. Separated unto the 
gospel—Set apart and appointed to this work, and 
to this only; as the Israelites were separated from 
all the people of the earth to be the servants of 

Vor. Il.—2 


his prophets in the holy Scriptures,) $ Con- 
cerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, ¢ which 
was ‘made of the seed of David according to 
the flesh; 4 And ¢declared" to be the Son of 


αἱ Chap. 3. 21; 16. 26; Gal, 3, 8. é Matt. 1, 6,16; Luke 1, 22; 
Acts 2. 30; 2 Tim. 2. 8. —7'John 1. 14; Gal. 4, 4.—g Gr. deter- 
mined,.—h Acts 13, 33. 


God. (See Lev. xx, 26.) [The divine call at Da- 
mascus was the crisis of St. Paul’s life which de- 
termined his future course; henceforward he was 
“ἃ chosen vessel to bear Christ’s name before the 
Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel.”— 
Speaker's Commentary. | 

2. Which he had promised afore—Both in 
the Zaw and in the prophets God showed his purpose 
to introduce into the world a more perfect and 
glorious state of things; which state was to take 
place under the Messiah. 

3. Concerning his Son—[TIlepi, in respect to, that 
is, promised by the prophets about, Christ.] [The 
news of salvation God had previously promised 
through his prophets; ... they also foretold this, its 
future proclamation.—eyer.| The Gospel relates 
every thing concerning the conception, birth, preach- 
ing, miracles, passion, death, resurrection, and as- 
cension of Jesus Christ. According to the flesh 
—[Kara σάρκα. Flesh is here used exactly as in 
John i, 14, to signify that whole nature, body and 
soul, of which the outward visible tabernacle of the 
“flesh” is the concrete representation to our 
senses.] [The words ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυεὶδ cast a 
hint back at the promise just spoken of... . They 
also serve to show, that even on his human side his 
descent had been fixed in the line of him who was 
Israel’s anointed and greatest king.—<A//ord. | 

4. And declared to be the Son of God—See 
the note on Acts xiii, 88. The word ὁρεσθέντος, in 
this place, signifies such a manifest and complete ex- 
hibition of the subject as to render it indubitable. 
The resurrection of Christ from the dead was a 
manifest proof of our Lord's innocence, the truth 
of his doctrine, and the fulfilment of all that the 
prophets had spoken concerning him. With pow- 
er—'Ev δυνάμει, with a miraculous display of di- 
vine energy. [Manifested by power (to be) the 
Son of God.] Some apply the word here to 
the proof of Christ’s sonship; as if it were said 
that he was most manifestly declared to be the 
Son of God with such powerful evidence and argu- 
ment as to render the truth iiresistible. Accord- 

17 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ, 58, 
Year of Rome, +11. 


ROMANS. 


Paul’s salutation of the Church 
at Rome, 


God with power, according ‘to the Spirit of 
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 
5 By whom we have received grace and 
apostleship ! for ' obedience to the faith among 
all nations, "for his name: 6 Among whom 
are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7 To 
all that be in Rome, beloved of God, ° called to 
be saints: ? Grace to you, and peace, from God 
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. $ First, 
«1 thank my God through Jesus Christ for you 
all, that your faith is spoken of throughoué 


the whole world. 9 For *God is my witness, 
‘whom I serve "with my spirit in the gospel 
of his Son, that ἡ without ceasing | make men- 
tion of you always in my prayers; HO ἡ Mak- 
ing request, if by any ineans now at length [ 
might have a prosperous journey * by the will 
of God to come unto you. I For 1 long to 
see you, that »Il may impart unto you some 
spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established ; 
42 That is, that I may be comforted together 
with you by *the mutual faith both of you 


i Heb. 9, 14.—* Chap. 12. 3: 15. 15; 1 Cor. 15.10; Gal. 1.15: 
2.9: Eph. 3. 8.—/ Or, to the obedience of fuith.—m Acts 
6.7; chap, IK. 26.—w Acts 9, 15.—oChap. 9, 24; 1 Cor. 1, 23 
1 Thess. 4. 7.—~p 1 Cor, 1, 3; 2 Cor. 1. 2; Gal. 1. 3.—@1 Cor. 
1.4; Phil. 1.3; Col, 1.3,4; 1 Thess, 1.2; Philem. 4. 


ing to the Spirit of holiness—[Kara πνεῦμα ἁγι- 
ὡσύνης, the Spirit of Christ himself, in distinction 
from his flesh, a spirit to which holiness belongs as 
an essence.—A/ford.| By the resurrection from 
{of] the dead—[Christ’s rising was a resurrection 
of the dead, (plural,) because in him the germinal 
hope of mankind received a first fulfilment. Others 
had been raised by prophets of old, and by Christ 
himself, but only to die again. “Christ being 
raised from the dead dieth no more.”—Speaker’s 
Commentary.| (The resurrection of Christ was: 1) 
A work performed in the spirit world, (hades,) where 
he displayed his power over death by coming out 
of that state. 2) This was done in his twofold 
character—God-man, and so his triumph over death 
was in our nature. 3) As Christ in his Messiahship 
is not only a man, but Man—the Head and repre- 
sentative of the whole race—his resurrection was 
his‘ public act for all mankind. We are risen to- 
gether with Christ. ] 

5. By [through] whom — [The words “Jesus 
Christ our Lord,” in verse 8, are misplaced, and 
should follow the end of verse 4. (See Revised 
Version.)] [Δι᾿ οἷ", through whom, denotes nothing 
else than the medium; nowhere, not even in Gal. 
i, 1, the causa principalis, (the chief or real cause.) 
The view of the apostle is, that he had received 
“grace and apostleship” through the mediation 
of Christ. — Meyer.j Grace and apostleship 
—[Xdpw καὶ ἀποστολὴν, is to be taken as (first) a 
designation of general grace, (that of calling and 
the forgiveness of sins,) and (second) of particular 
grace, (his election to be an apostle )—Olshansen. ] 
For obedience to the faith—[Iu order to bring 
about “obedience to the faith ” (acceptance of and 
submission to the Gospel) among all the nations. ] 
For his name—|By his grace, and for his glory.] 

6. Are ye also the called—Ye Romans (as well 
as others) are all ¢nvited to believe in Christ Jesus, 
for the salvation of your souls; and to you, with 
the rest, my apostolical mission extends. [By add- 
ing this description of those whom he addresses, 
St. Paul, while asserting his own authority, at the 
same time recognises their position as being already 
members of Christ’s Church.—Speaker’s Commen- 
tary. | 

7. Toall... beloved of God—[ As reconciled 
with God through Christ they are “beloved of 
God,” and as those who have become separated 
from the world (by their divine calling) and conse- 
erated to God, they are called “ saints.” — Meyer. | 
[This calling is both objective and subjective, the 
former as proceeding from God to men; the latter, 
as becoming a quickening and renewing power in 
the souls of those who hear and accept the heavenly 

18 


r Chap. 16. 19; 1 Thess. 1. 8. sCh:p. 9. 1; 2 Cor. 1. 235 
Phil. 1, 8; 1 Thess. 2. d. t Acts 27. 23; 2 Tim. 1, 3.—t2 Or, 72 
my spirit, John 4. 23, 24; Phil. 3. 3. a1 Thess. 3. 10 — 
γι) Chap. 15. 23,32; 1 Thess. 3. 10.—da James 4, 15.—y Chap. 
15, 29.—< Or, in you. a Titus 1.4; 2 Pet. 1.1. 


calling.| Called to be saints—KAnrvic ἁγίοις, to 
all that bein Rome, constituted saints; for they had 
already received the Gospel grace, and were formed 
into a Christian Church. Grace to you—X«pi¢ 
ὑμῖν; may you be partakers of the divine favour, 
the sowrce whence every blessing is derived. [X«apzc, 
grace, is the disposition, the subjective feeling in 
God and Christ, which the apostle wishes to be en- 
tertained toward and shown to his readers; peace, 
εἰρήνη, is the actual result which is produced through 
the manifestation of the grace. ... The specifically 
Christian element in this salutation lies in the ref- 
erence to “God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ.”—WMeyer. | 

8. First, I thank my God—From this to the 
end of verse 17 is given the preface, in which the 
apostle endeavours to conciliate the goodwill of 
the Christians at Rome, and to prepare their minds 
for his reproofs and exhortations. Your faith is 
spoken—KarayyéAzderat, is celebrated “ through- 
out the whole world,” in every place where the 
Christian religion is professed, through all parts of 
the Roman dominions; for in this sense we should 
understand the words, “the whole world.” 

9. For God is my witness—|There could be no 
other witness to his practice in his secret prayers 
but God. ... Thus calling God to witness is no un- 
common practice with Paul.—A/ford.]}—Whom I 
serve with my spirit—Aarpetw, whom 1 worship 
with the profoundest religious reverence. Probably 
St. Paul opposes, in this place, the spiritual wor- 
ship of the Gospel to the external, or what some 
call the carnal, worship of the Jews. Mine is not 
a religion of ceremonies, but one in which the life 
and power of the Eternal Spirit are acknowledged 
and experienced. [The serving God in his spirit 
was a guarantee that his profession was sincere, 
and that the oath just taken was no'mere form, 
but a solemn and earnest appeal of his spirit, (his 
conscience before God.)—A/ford. ] 

10, Making request, etc.—By this we see how 
earnestly the apostle longed to see Rome. It had 
long been a subject of continual prayer to God, that 
he might have a prosperous journey to, or rather 
meeting with, them. That he had a prosperous 
meeting with them, we cannot doubt; that he had a 
disastrous journey to them, chapter xxvii of the 
Acts fully proves. 

11. Some spiritual gift—[St. Paul hopes that 
in Rome, as elsewhere, his personal ministry may be 
attended with some gift of God’s Holy Spirit, that 
may confirm and strengthen his brethren in the 
principles and practice of the Christian life —Speak- 
er’s Commentary. | 


12, That I may be comforted together with 


Pan! asserts the Gorpel to be the 
power of God unto salvation, 


CHAPTER I. 


A. Μ. 4069. A. D. 58 


Year of Rome, #11. 


nae ne ee 
and me. 13 Now I would not have you igno- | as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the 


rant, brethren, that "oftentimes I purposed to 
come unto you, (but © was let hitherto,) that I 
might have some ‘fruit “among you also, even 
aus among other Gentiles. #4 ‘I am debtor 
both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; 
both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, 
_ bChap, 15. 23.—cSee Acts 16.7; 1 Thess. ὃ, 18.—d Phil. 
4. 17. —e Or, in youw.—f | Cor. 9. 16.—g Psa. 40. 9,10; Mark 
you—He here. with great address, intimates that 
he longs for this opportunity, as well on his own ac- 
count as on theirs, and to show them that he arro- 
gates nothing to himself; for he intimates that it 
will require the action of both their faith and his 
own to bring to them the blessings to which he refers. 

13. But was let [hindered] hitherto—[The na- 
ture of the hinderances is explained afterward, 
(chapter xv, 22;) here the apostle only alludes to 
them in a brief parenthesis, lest he should seem to 
have changed his purpose lightly, and so hastens 
to the motive of his oft-intended visit— Speaker's 
Commentary.| That Imight have some fruit, 
etc.—[By this fruit the apostle meant nothing for 
himself, but only acquisition for the kingdom of 
God, which still, under the influence of pure love, 
he regards as his own gain. , . . In the term “ fruit,” 
καρπὸν, he has in mind the image of the sower (and 
especially of the reaper. )— Olshausen. | 

14. Tam debtor both to the Greeks, and to 
the Barbarians—The apostle considers himself, 
by his apostolical office and call, under obligation 
to preach the Gospel to all people, as far as the 
providence of God might open his way. 

15. Tam ready to preach—IIpd@vyov, I have 
a ready mind. was only prevented by the provi- 
dence of God from visiting you long ago. His time 
is best; in the mean time I write, by his direction, 
to comfort and instruct you. 

16,I am not ashamed of the gospel of 
Christ—This text is best illustrated by Isa. xxviii, 
16; xlix, 25, quoted by the apostle, chapter x, 11: 
For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on 
him shall not be ashamed; that is, they shall neither 
be confounded, nor disappointed of their hope. [In 
the presence of all the glory of Rome, its pomps 
and luxuries and victories, the apostle was not 
ashamed of the Gospel, however mean its origin, or 
foolish its character, in men’s estimation, the reason 
for which he immediately adds:] [Td εὐαγγέλιον, 
not the work or business of conveying the message, 
but the message itself_—Meyer.] It is the power 
of God unto salvation—Aitvayi¢g yap Θεοῦ ἐστιν. 
[This expression asserts more than that the Gospel 
s ‘a powerful means in the hands of God,” and 


is 
is based on the fact that it is the living self- 
manifestation and effluence of God, as ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, 
(the word of God. )—Meyer.| The almighty power 
of God accompanies this preaching to the souls of 
them that believe; and the consequence is, they 
are saved; and what but the “ power of God” can 
save a fallen, sinful soul? [Παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, 
to every one believing. The universality implied in 
the word παντὶ, (all,) the condition necessitated in 
the πιστεύοντι, (believing,) and the δύναμις Θεοῦ, 
(power of God,) acting εἰς σωτηρίαν, (unto, or to- 
ward, salvation,) are the great subjects treated of 
in the former part of this epistle.... This ex- 
presses more than merely “ justification by faith,” 
which is in fact only a subordinate part of the great 
theme—only the condition necessitated by man’s 
sinfulness for his entering into the state of salva- 


gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16 For 
ΕΤ am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: 
for it is the power of God unto salvation to 
every one that believeth; ‘to the Jew first, and 
also to the Greek. 17 For «therein is the 
righteousness of God revealed from faith to 


8 38: 2 Tim. 1. 8——Al Cor. J. 18: 15. 2.——i Luke 2, 30-32: 
2.41 Acts 3. 26; 13. 26,46; chap. 2. 9, ----- Chap. 3. 31. 


tion; whereas the argument extends beyond this, 
to the death unto sin, and life unto God, and carry- 
ing forward of the sanctifying work of the Spirit 
from its firstfruits even to its completion.— 
Alford.| To the Jew first, and also to the 
Greek—Though God’s salvation has hitherto been 
apparently confined to the Jewish people, yet it 
shall be so no longer, for the Gospel is sent both to 
Gentiles and Jews; God having put no difference 
between them; and Jesus Clirist having tasted death 
for every man. 

17. For therein—In the Gospel of Christ. Is 
the righteousness of God—(God’s methiod of sav- 
ing sinners. [Δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ, is the justification 
which God bestows, or of which God is the author; 
that state of pardon and acceptance which is the re- 
sult of mercy proffered in the Gospel, and dispensed 
on account of the atonement made by Christ, . . . 
It is regarded as something which belongs to men. 
... A State or condition of which God is the au- 
thor or giver.—Sfuvart.| Revealed from faith 
to faith—Shown to be by faith, and not by the 
works of any law; for Abraham was justified by 
faith before even the law was given. And thus 
the faith of the old covenant led on to the faith 
of the new covenant, which shows that salvation 
has been by faith from the call of Abraham to 
the present time. [’Ex πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, from 
faith, as the condition or subjective ground of 
Justification, to faith, for increase of faith. [As 
this plan of salvation is the subject-matter of the 
gospel, so in this gospe/ that which previously, though 
prefigured by the justification of Abraham, was an 
unrevealed mystery, (μυστήριον) namely, righteous- 
ness from God, is revealed, (ἀποκηλύπτεται,) inas- 
much as the gospel makes known both the accom- 
plished work of redemption itself, and the means 
whereby man appropriates the redemption, namely, 
faith in Christ, which, imputed to him as right- 
eousness, (chapter iv, 5,) causes man to be regarded 
and treated by God, out of grace, (δωρεών, chapter 
iii, 24,) as righteous, (δίκαιος ;) so that he, like one 
who has perfectly obeyed the law, is certain of the 
Messianic bliss destined for the righteous, (δέκαιοι.) 
The so-called active obedience of Christ is not in- 
cluded in the meritorious cause of the divine justi- 
fication, but is to be regarded as the fulfilment of 
a preliminary condition necessary to the death of 
Jesus, so far as the justification of man was ob- 
jectively based on the latter. Without the com- 
plete active obedience of Christ, (lis sinlesssness,) 
his passive obedience could not have that merite- 
rious cause. (2 Cor. v, 21.)—Meye r.] The just 
shall live by faith—This has been understood 
two ways: 1) That the just or righteous man can 
not live a holy and useful life without exercising 
continual faith in our Lord Jesus: which is strictly 
true; for he only who has brought him into that 
state of salvation can preserve him in it; and he 
stands by faith. 2) It is contended by some able 
critics that the words of the original text should be 
pointed thus: ‘O δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως, sh 

9 


A, Μ. 4962, A. 1. 58. 
Year of Rome, #11. 


faith: as it is written, |The just shall live by 
faith. 2&8 "For the wrath of God is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and un- 
righteousness of men, who hold the truth in 
unrighteousness; 19 Because " that which 
may be known of God is manifest °in them ; 


ROMANS. 


\ The existence and power of God 
made kuown by his works. 


for PGod hath showed ἐξ unto them. 20 For 
athe invisible things of him from the creation 
of the world are clearly seen, being under- 
stood by the things that are made, even his 
eternal power and Godhead ; ‘so that they 
are without excuse: 2% Because that, when 


1 Hab. 3. 4: John 3. 36: Gal. 3. 11; Phil. 3. 9; Heb. 10. 38.— 
m Acts 17. 30; Eph. 5. 6; Col. 3. 6.—2 Acts 4. 17. 


ὁ Or, to them.—p John 1. 9.—gq Psa. 19. 1, ete.; Acts 14. 17; 
17. 27.—™ Or, that they may be. 


The just by faith shall live; that is, he alone that 
js justified by faith shall be saved: which is also 
true; as it is impossible to get salvation in any 
other way. This last meaning is probably the true 
one, as the original text in Hab. ii, 4, speaks of 
those who believed the declarations of God when the 
Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, and, having acted 
comformably to these, escaped with their lives. 


18. For the wrath of God is revealed—The 
apostle has now finished his preface, and comes to 
the grand subject of the epistle; namely, to show 
the absolute need of the Gospel of Christ because 
of the universal corruption of mankind; which was 
80 great as to incense the justice of God, and call 
aloud for the punishment of the world. 1) He 
shows that all the heathen nations were utterly cor- 
rupt, and deserved this threatened punishment. 
And this is the subject of the first chapter, from 
verse 18 tothe end. 2) He shows that the Jews, not- 
Witiistanding the greatness of their privileges, were 
no better than the Gentiles ; and therefore the wrath 
of God was revealed against them, also. This sub- 
ject he treats in chapter ii, and chapter iii, 1-19. 
5) He returns, as it were, on both, (chap. iii, 20-31,) 
and proves that, as the Jews and Gentiles were 
equally corrupt, they could not be saved by the 
deeds of any law; that they stood equally in need of 
that salvation which God had provided; that both 
were equally entitled to that salvation, for God was 
the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews. By 
ὀργὴ Θεοῦ, the wrath of God, we are not to under- 
stand any uneasy passion in the divine mind; but 
the displeasure of his righteousness, which is ex- 
pressed by the punishments inflicted on the wiagodly 
—those who retain not God in their knowledge— 
and on the unrighteous—those whose lives are profli- 
gate. As, in the Gospel, the righteousness of God 
is revealed for the salvation of the ungodly, so the 


the wrath of God is revealed against the workers of 


iniquity. Those who refuse to be saved in the way 
revealed by bis mercy, must be consumed in the 
way revealed by his justice. [The revelation of the 
judicial vengeance of God against sin was contained 
in the traditional law of the Gentiles, sometimes 
called natural law, confirmed and illustrated by the 
course of God’s moral government. — Watson. ] 
[ Wrath is an affection of the personal God, having 
a necessary connexion with his love. The wrath 
of God, the reality of which is indisputable as the 
very pre-supposition of the work of atonement, is 
in its energy, the love of the holy God (who is 
neither neutral nor one-sided in his affection) for 
all that is good, as antagonistic to all that is evil. ... 
From heaven—The dwellingplace and throne of 
God is designated as the place from which the reve- 
lation of the wrath of God issues. ... It descends 
from heaven, as a divine matter of fact.— Meyer. | 
Ungodliness—’AcéBerav, atheism, polytheism, and 
idolatry of every kind. Unrighteousness—’AWv- 
Kav, everything contrary to strict morality; all 
viciousness and profligacy of conduct. Who hold 
20 


the truth in unrighteousness—[’AA7@evay, is that 
truth which the light of nature taught respecting 
the eternal power and Godhead of the Creator.— 
Stuart.| This may be spoken of the Gentiles in 
general, who either did know, or might have 
known, much of God from the works of creation, 
as the apostle intimates in the following verses. 
But Rosenmiiller, and some others, contend that 
the word κατεχεῖν, here, does not signify to old, 
but to Ainder; and that the passage should be trans- 
lated, who through maliciousness hinder the truth ; 
that is, prevent it from taking hold of their hearts 
and from governing their conduct. This is certainly 
a very usual acceptation of the verb κατεχεῖν, these 
men hindering, by their vicious conduct, the truth 
of God from being propagated in the earth. Of 
men who hold back the truth in iniquity— 
[Who, possessing enough of the germs of religious 
and moral verity to preserve them from abandon- 
ment, have checked the development of this truth 
in their lives, ἐν ἀδικίᾳ, in the love and practice of 
sin.—A/ford. | 


19. That which may be known of God—Dr. 
Taylor paraphrases this and the following verse 
thus: “Although the Gentiles had no written reve- 
lation, yet what may be known of God is every- 
where manifest among them, God having made a 
clear discovery of himself to them. For his being 
and perfections, invisible to our bodily eyes, have 
been, ever since the creation of the world, evidently 
to be seen, if attentively considered, in the visible 
beauty, order, and operations observable in the con- 
stitution and parts of the universe ; especially his 
eternal power and universal dominion and proyi- 
dence ; so that they cannot plead ignorance in ex- 
cuse of their idolatry and wickedness. 

20. The invisible things of him—God’s invis- 
ible perfections are manifested by his visible 
works, and may be apprehended by what he has 
made; their immensity showing his omnipotence ; 
their vast variety and contrivance his omniscience ; 
and their adaptation to the most beneficent pur- 
peses his infinite goodness and philanthropy. His 
eternal power —’Aidio¢ αὐτοῦ δύναμις, that all- 
powerful energy that ever was, and ever will exist; 
so that, ever since there was a creation to be sur- 
veyed, there have been intelligent beings to make 
that survey. And Godhead—Oevérye, his acting 
as Godin the government and support of the uni- 
verse. His works prove his being; the government 
and support of these works prove it equally. Cvrea- 
tion and providence form a twofold demonstration of 
God, first, in the perfections of his nature; and, sec- 
ond, in the exercise of those perfections. [Θειότης, 
divinity, (not godhead, which would be Θεότης.) The 
fact that the Creator is divine—is of a different na- 
ture from ourselves, and accompanied by distinct 
attributes, and those of the highest order—which 
we call divine. See Alford.] [The θειότης, is the 
totality of that which God is, as a Being possessed 
of divine attributes, as θεῖον, the collective sum of 


Paul’s description of the debased 
state of the Gentile world. 


they knew God, they glorified Aim not as God, 
neither were thankful; but ‘became vain in 
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was 
darkened. 22 ' Professing themselves to be 
wise, they became fools, 28 And changed 
the glory of the uncorruptible "God into an 
image made like to corruptible man, and to 
birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping 
things. 24 ¥ Wherefore God also gave them 
up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their 
own hearts, * who dishonour their own bodies 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4069, A. Ὁ, 58, 
Year of Rome, 51], 


*between themselves: 25 Who changed » the 
truth of God ‘into a lie, and worshipped and 
served the creature * more than the Creator, 
who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this 
‘ause God gave them up unto "vile affections: 
for even their women did change the natural 
use into that which is against nature: 27 And 
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use 
of the woman, burned in their lust one toward 
another; men with men working that which 
is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that 


82 Kings 17. 15; Jer. 2. 5; Eph. 4. 17, 18.—z¢Jer. 10, 14.— 
u Deut. 4. 16, etc. ; Psa. 106. 20; Isa. 40. 18,25: Jer, 2. 11; Ezek, 
8. 10; Acts 17. 24.—v Psa, 51. 12; Acts 7. 42; Eph. 4. 15, 19; 
2 Thess. 2. 11, 12. 


101 Cor. 0. 18 : 1 Thess. 4. 4; 1 Pet. 4, 3.—a Lev. 18, 22,— 
y\ Thess, 1.9; 1 John 5, 20.-—<z Isa. 44, 20: Jer. 10. 14: 12. 95. 
Amos », 4.-—a Or, rather.—U Lev. 18, 22,23; Eph. ὅ. 12: 
Jude 10, 


divine realties. ...The efernal power, this aspect 
of his θειότης, which comes into prominence at first 
and before all others, and the divinity of God in 
its collective aspect, are rationally perceived and 
discerned by means of his works.— Meyer. | 

21. Because that, when they knew God— 
When they thus acquired a general knowledge of 
the unity and perfections of the divine nature, they 
glorified him not as God. Wherefore God, in pun- 
ishment for their sin in thus turning his truth into 
a lie, suffered even their mysteries (cultus) to de- 
generate into an odious sink of vice and immorality ; 
giving them up unto all uncleanliness and vile af- 
fections. They glorified him not—They did not 
‘give him that worship which his perfections required. 
[The expression, did not glorify him as Gon, is em- 
phatic. They were not ignorant of his existence ; 
their poets and other writers sometimes said noble 
things respecting him, ... but their imaginary deities 
wholly displaced the Supreme God in their thoughts, 
so that he was neither trusted nor worshipped.— 
Watson. | 

22. Professing themselves to be wise—This 
is most strikingly true of all the ancient philoso- 
phers, whether Greeks or Romans, (Indians or Chi- 
nese,) as their works which remain sufficiently 
testify. The word φάσκοντες, signifies not merely 
the professing, but the assumption, of the philosophic 
character. Became fools—[This becoming fool- 
ish must be understood as something se/f-incurred, 
produced through the conceit of independence. . . . 
Heithenism is ποῦ the primeval religion from which 
man might gradually have risen to the knowledge 
of the true God, but is, on the contrary, the result 
of a falling away from the known original revela- 
tion of the true God in his works.— Meyer. ] 

23. And changed the glory, etc.—The finest 
representation of their deities was in the human 
figure; and on such representative figures the sculp- 
tors spent all their skill. And when they had 
formed their gods according to the human shape, 
they endowed them with human passions; and as 
they clothed them with attributes of extraordinary 
strength, beauty, wisdom, ete., not having the true 
principles of morality, they represented them as 
slaves to the most disorderly and disgraceful pas- 
sions ; excelling inirregularities the most profligate 
of men, as possessing unlimited powers of sensual 
gratification. And to birds—As the eagle of Ju- 
piter among the Romans, and the ἐδ and hawk 
among the Egyptians; which were all sacred uni- 
mals. Fourfooted beasts—As the apis or white 
ox among the Egyptians ; from which the idolatrous 
Israelites took their golden calf. The goat, the 
monkey, and the dog, were also sacred animals 
among the same people. Creeping things—Such 


as the crocodile, and scarabaus, or beetle, among the 
Egyptians. [St. Paul is here describing the origin 
of actual idolatry.... The statues of the gods of 
Greece by which he was surrounded at Corinth may 
have been in his mind as he wrote, but idols in hu- 
man form were common in all heathen countries, 
and the apostle is here giving a view of the origin, 
and growth of idolatry in general, not (merely) a 
des cription of any particular form of it existing in 
his time.— Speaker's Commentary. | 

24. God... gave them up, etc.—[As a penal 
retribution for their apostasy.—Meyer.] They had 
filled up the measure of their iniquities, and God, by 
permitting them to plunge into all manner of irreg- 
ularities, thus, by one species of sin, inflicted pun- 
ishment on another. [Because they had perversely 
shut their eyes against the rational evidences of 
the divine Being, they were now left without the in- 
ward illumination and spiritual quickening of the 
divine Spirit—given up to uncleanness] [As sin 
begets sin, and darkness of mind deeper darkness, 
grace gives place to judgment, and the divine wrath 
hardens men, and hurries them on to more fearful 
degrees of depravity.—A/ford.| Dishonour their 
own bodies—Probably alluding here to what is 
more openly expressed, verses 26 and 27. Be- 
tween themselves—’Ev ἑαυτοῖς, of themselves, of 
their own free accord; none inciting, none impe lling. 

25. Changed the truth of God into a lie—In 
the place of the trve worship of God, they estab- 
lished idolatry. In various places of Scripture 
idols are termed J/ies. (Isa. xliv, 20; Jer. x, 14; 
and xiii, 25.) The true God was known among the 
primitive inhabitants of the earth; those who first 
became idolaters literally changed the truth of God 
into a lie; they did know the true God, but they 
put édo/ls in his place. 

26. For this cause God gave them up, etc.— 
Their system of idolatry necessarily produced all 
kinds of impurity. How could it be otherwise, when 
the highest services of their worship were adultery, 
fornication, and prostitution of the most infamous 
kind? Of the abominable evils with which the apos- 
tle charges the Gentiles in this and the following 
verse, [Ilatiy ἀτιμίας, lust of infamy, stronger than 
ἄτιμα πάθη. a setting forth the status of the soul, 
spoken of first, as being the most revolting to na- 
ture—(see Alford.)] a multitude of proofs could be 
produced from their own writings. 

27. Receiving in themselves that recom- 
pense, etc.—[The apostle treats this dria (de- 
bauchment) into which they fell, as a consequence of, 
a retribution for, their departure from God into 
idolatry with which, in fact, it was closely connected. 
This shame, and not its (natural) consequences, Which 
are not here treated of, is the ἀντιμισθία (retribu- 

21 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Paul’s description of the debased 
state of the Gentile world. 


recompense of their error which was meet. | biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boast- 
2s And even as they did not like “ἴο retain| ers, inventors of evil things, disobedient to 
God in their knowledge, God gave them over | parents, 32 Without understanding, covenant- 
to 4a reprobate mind, to do those things *which | breakers, ‘ without natural affections, implaca- 


are not convenient ; 
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, cov- 
etousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, 
debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Back- 


29 Being filled with al) | ble, unmerciful: 82 Who, δ knowing the judg- 


ment of God, that they which commit such 
things are » worthy of death, not only do the 
same, but 'have* pleasure in them that do them. 


c Or, to acknowledge.—d Or, a mind void of judgment. 
—e Kph. 5. 4. —/ Or, unsociable. 


g Chap, 2. 2.—/ Chap. 6. 21.—7 Or, consent with them.— 
& Psa. 50. 18; Hos. 7. ὃ. 


tion) of their πλάνη, their aberration from the 
knowledge of God, which they received.—A/ford. ] 

28. They did not like to retain God—It 
would, perhaps, be more literal to translate οὐκ 
ἐδοκίμασαν, THEY DID NOT SEARCH fo retain God in 
their knowledge. Here we see the hand of a just 
and avenging God; they abused their powers, and 
God deprived them of the right use of these powers. 
{They neglected this because they had no liking to 
the subject, were averse to a truth so holy, and 
reproving to their vices. Thus the infidelity and 
ignorance are traced to the heart, its true source in 
all ages.— Watson. | 

29. Being filled with all unrighteousness— 
᾿Αδίκιᾳ, every vice contrary to justice and right- 
eousness. Frornication—lIlopveia. Some of the best 
MSS. omit this reading ; and others have ἀκαθάρσιᾳ, 
uncleanness. Wickedness—llovypia, malignity. 
Covetousness—II/evvetia, the intense love or lust 
of gain. Mlaliciousness—Kakia, malice, ill-will, 
(badness for its own sake.) Full of envy—6o- 
νου, “pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight 
of excellence or happiness in another.” Murder 
--Φόνου, killing, mortal hatrcd. Debate—Epzooc, 
contention, discord. Deceit—Aoiov, lying, falsity, 
prevarication, imposition. Malignity—KakonOiac, 
bad customs, founded in corrupt sentiment, pro- 
ducing evil habits, supported by general usage. It 
is generally interpreted, a malignity of mind, which 
leads its possessor to put the worst construction on 
every action; ascribing to the best deeds the worst 
motives. Whisperers — Ψψιθυριστάς, secret de- 
tractors; those who, under pretended secrecy, carry 
about accusations against their neighbours, whether 
true or false ; blasting their reputation by clandes- 
tine tittle-tattle. This word should be joined to the 
succeeding verse. 

30. Backbiters—Karadd2ovc, detractors, slan- 
derers. Haters of God—QOeoarvyeic, contemners 
of sacred things, maligners of providence, scorners, 
ete. Despiteful— -Ὑϑριστάς, stormy, boisterous, 
abusing both the characters and persons of those 
over whom they have power. Proud—'Yzepndd- 
νους, arrogant; magnifying themselves at the ex- 
pense of their neighbours. Boasters—’Aafovac, 
self-assuining, vain-glorious. Inventors of evil 
things—’Egeupetag κακῶν, inventors of debasing 
rites. Those who have invented destructive cus- 
toms, rites, fashions, ete., the orgies of Bacchus, 
the mysteries of Ceves, the Lpercalia, feasts of 
Bona Dea, ete. Multitudes of which evil things, de- 
structive and abominable ceremonies, are to be 
found in every part of the heathen worship. Dis- 
obedient to parents—Though filial affection was 
certainly more recommended and cultivated than 
many other virtues, yet there are many instances 
on record of the grossest violation of this great 
branch of the law of nature. 

31. Without understanding — ᾿Λσυνθέτους, 
destitute of capacity for spiritual things, Cove- 


99 
<< 


nant-breakers — ᾿Ασυνθέτους, persons who could 
be bound by no oath, because, properly speak- 
ing, they had no God to witness or avenge their 
misconduct. As every covenant or agreement is 
made as in the presence of God, so he that opposes 
the being and doctrine of God is incapable of being 
bound by any covenant ; he can give no pledge for 
his conduct, Without natural affection—’Ao- 
τόργους, without that attachment which nature 
teaches the young of all animals to have to their 
mothers, and the mothers to have for their young. 
The heathens, in general, have made no scruple to 
expose the children they did not think proper to 
bring up, and to despatch their parents when they 
were grown old or past labour. Implacable— 
᾿Ασπόνδους. It was customary among all nations to 
pour out wine as a libation to their gods, when 
making a treaty. This was done to appease the 
angry gods, and reconcile them to the contracting 
parties. The word here shows a deadly enmity; 
the highest pitch of an unforgiving spirit; in a 
word, persons who would not make reconciliation 
either to God or mon. Unmerciful—Avehenpovac; 
those who were incapable, through the deep-rooted 
wickedness of their own nature, of showing mercy 
to an enemy when brought under their power, or 
doing any thing for the necessitous, from the prin- 
ciple of benevolence or commiseration. 

32. Who, knowing the judgment of God— 
Atkaiwpa, the grand rule of right which God has 
revealed to every man, the knowledge of which he 
has, less or more, given to every nation of the 
world. In the worst states of heathenism this 
great principle has been acknowledged; but, 
through the prevalence of corruption in the heart, 
this law, though acknowledged, was not obeyed; 
and the corruption increased so that those were 
highest in repute who had cast off all restraints of 
this kind ; so that they even delighted in them; 
συνευδοκοῦσι, highly applauded, and gladly associa- 
ted with those transgressors; which argues the 
very highest pitch of moral depravity. , 

[This view of the pagan world is part of the apos- 
tle’s great argument. He lays it down that the 
Gospel is a divine provision for man’s salvation ; 
that every sinful man needs it, because “the wrath 
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodli- 
ness of men;” and that the whole Gentile world 
needed it, because they were all actually offenders, 
and as such worthy of death. This is the connex- 
ion of this black catalogue of pagan immoralities 
with his argument.— Watson. ] 

The world’s need of just such a display of merey 
and goodness, as is shown in the inearnation and 
death of God’s Son, is seen in the deep-rooted and 
widely extended corruption and profligacy of the 
nations of the earth. Of these the apostle gives a 
most affecting and distressing picture. Almost 
every trace of original righteousness had been 


The condemning sin in others, does 
not excuse it in the condemner, 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4062. A.D. 58, 
Year of Rome, #11. 


CHAPTER II. 

HEREFORE thou art * inexcusable, O man, 
whosoever thou art that judgest: " for 
wherein thou judgest another, thou condem- 
nest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the 
same things. 2 But we are sure that the judg- 
ment of God is according to truth against them 
- which commit such things. 8 And thinkest 
thou this, O man, that judgest them which do 


aChap. 1. 20.— 02 Sam. 12. 
6 Chap. 9. 23; Eph. 1. 1: 2. 4, 7.— 


a 


84, 6.—/ Isa. 30. 18: 2 Pet. 3. 9, 15. 


5-7; Matt. 7. 
7 Chap. 


3. 23.—e Exod. 


obliterated. The proofs of God’s eternal power and 
providence, so manifest in the creation and preser- 
vation of the universe, were wholly disregarded. A 
yain philosophy, without right, principle, or end, 
was substituted for those divine truths which had 
been disclosed originally to man. Their hearts 
were contaminated with every vice which could 
blind the understanding, pervert the judgment, cor- 
rupt the will, and debase the affections and pas- 
sions. This was proved in the most unequivocal 
manner, by a profligacy of conduct which had de- 
based them far below the beasts; and the apostle 
here gives a list of their crimes, every article of 
‘which can be proved from their own history and 
their own writers; crimes which, even bad as the 
world is now, would shock common decency to de- 
scribe. [And these were the accepted opinions of 
the wisest and most renowned of the teachers of 
heathen antiquity.]| Thus, they became vain in their 
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; 
and professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 

By all this we see what the world was, and what 
it would have continued to be, had not God sent a 
divine revelation of his will, and established a pub- 
lie ministry to proclaim and enforce it. Were man 
left to the power and influence of his fallen nature 
he would be, in all places of his dispersion on the 
earth, what the apostle describes in the last three 
verses of this chapter. 

Reader, magnify God, who has called thee from 
such deep darkness to the marvellous light of the 
glorious Gospel of his Son; and walk as a child of 
the light and of the day, in whom there shall be no 
cause of stumbling. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 
[Having shown (chapter i, 18-32) that the Gen- 
tiles were for their sins obnoxious to the divine 


could not condemn the Gentiles for their wicked- 
ness without at the same time condemning them- 
selves. The “unrighteousness” of the Gentiles 
was flagrant and obvious, while that of the Jews 
was more subtle, and needed to be more carefully 
characterized ; accordingly we have the detailed ac- 
count of Gentile wickedness held forth as a mirror, 
in which the true character of Jewish unrighteous- 
ness might be clearly seen. In both cases the de- 
sign was to set in a strong light the universal sin- 
fulness of mankind, so making “ justification” im- 
possible except as an act of pure grace on the part 
of God, the righteous Judge. And so, by demon- 
strating the universality of the condemnation, he 


1,2: John & 9.— | 


| ing to his deeds.— Speake r’s Commentary.) 


prepares the way to bring fully into view “ God's | 


such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt 
escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest 
thou ‘the riches of his goodness and “ forbear- 
ance and *longsuffering: ‘not knowing that the 
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 
5 But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, 
€treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the 
day of wrath and revelation of the righteous 
judgment of God; 6 "Who will render to 


a Deut. 32. 34: James 5. 3.—A Job #4. 1: Psa. 62, 12; Prov. 
24. 12; Jer. 17. 10; 32. 19: Matt. 16. 27; chap, 14, 12; 1 Cor, 3. 8; 
4 Cor. d. 10; Rev. 2. 33; 20, 12; 22. 12, 


righteousness ”—needed equally by all, and adapted 
equally to the wants of Jews and Gentiles. ] 

1. Therefore—[A.d, referring back to the main 
tenor of the whole previous exposition. . . as set- 
ting forth the moral condition of heathenism, in re- 
spect toits inexcusableness. Thou art inexcus- 
able—A manifest glancing back to chapter i, 20. 
Before the mirror of this Gentile life of sin all 
excuse vanishes from thee, O man who judgest, 
for this mirror reflects thine own conduct, which 
thou thyself therefore condemnest by thy judg- 
ment.—Meyer.] Wherein thou judgest—|'Ev © 
κρίνεις, by the very thing as to which thou judgest 
another, etc. The same things done by Jews 
and Gentiles, though not identical in form, were so 
in spirit and essentia! character. ] 

2. We are sure that the judgment of God, 
etc.—God is righteous and impartial, and will pun- 
ish sin without respect for the person of the sin- 
ner. ‘Transgression in a Jew is not less criminal 
than iniquity in a Gentile. 

8. And thinkest thou this, O man—|Here the 
apostle approaches nearer to the Jews, (whom he 
had not yet named.) They considered that because 
they were the children of Abraham they should be 
saved. (See Matt. iii, 7-9.-—A/ford.] 

4. Or—["H, in case thou hast not this illusion. ] 
Despisest thou—[The despising the divine good- 
ness is the contemptuous unconcern as to its holy 
purpose, which produces as a natural consequence 
security in sinning.—JMeyer.] Not knowing— 
᾿Αγνοῶν, not considering that this goodness of God, 
which has so long manifested itself in forbearance 
and long-suffering. Leadeth thee to repentance 
—Was designed to accomplish this blessed end; 
which thy want of consideration and acknowledg- 
ment has rendered hitherto ineffectual, This was 
a maxim among the Jews themselves; for in Sy- 
nopsis Sohar it is said: The holy blessed God delays 
his anger against the wicked, to the end that they may 
repent and be conve rted. 

5. But after—In consonance with. Thy hard- 
ness—Occasioned by thy long course of iniquity. 
And impenitent heart—Produced by thy hard- 
ness, through which thou art callous to the calls and 
expostulations of conscience. Treasurest up— 
Continuest to increase thy debt to the divine jus- 
tice. Against (ἐν, in) the day of wrath—[The day 
of indignation or punishment.—Stuart. | [The rev- 
elation of God’s character as a righteous Judge 
will'consist in his rendering to every man accord- 
The 
treasure of wrath, in this verse, is opposed to the 
riches of goodness, in the preceding. As surely as 
thou despisest or neglectest to improve the RICHES 
of God's Goopykss, so surely thou shalt share in the 
TREASURES of his wratH. The punishment shall be 

roportioned to the merey thou hast abused. 

6. Who will render—God, in the day of judg- 

23 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 511. 


ROMANS. 


Impartiality of God in his 
judgments of men. 


every nan according to his deeds: % To them] first, and also to the "Gentile: 


18 For °there 


who by patient continuance in well doing seek | is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as 


for glory and honour and immortality, eternal 
life: & But unto them that are contentious, 
and ido not obey the truth, but obey unright- 
eousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribula- 
tion and anguish, upon every soul of man that 
doeth evil; of the Jew * first, and also of the 
1Gentile; 10 ™But glory, honour, and peace, 
to every man that worketh good: to the Jew 


many as have sinned without law shali also 
perish without law; and as many as have 
sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 
13 (For pnot the hearers of the law are just 
before God, but the doers of the Jaw shall be 
justified. 2&4 For when the Gentiles, which 
have not the law, do by nature the things con- 
tained in the law, these, having not the law, 


i Job 34, 13: chap. 1. 15; 2 Thess, 1. 8——A Amos 3. 2; Luke 
12. 47.48; 1 Pet. 4. 17.—UGr. Greek.—-m | Pet. 1. 7.—~2 Gr. 
Greek. 


ὁ Deut. 10.17: 2 Chron. 19. 7; Job 34. 19; Acts 10. 34: Gal. 
2. 6; Eph. 6. 93; Col. 3. 25; 1 Pet. 1. 17,» Matt. 7. 21; James 
16 55. 23.95; 1 Jalin’s: 7. 


ment, will reward or punish every man according 
as his life and conversation have been. According 
to his deeds—Kord τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. [Ἔργα in- 
cludes all the developments which a man makes of 
himself, whether by outward or inward actions.— 
Stuart.| [The verb, ἀποδώσει, will render, has two 
sets of objects: first, efernal life, (verse 7,) and 
glory, honour, and peace, (verse 10;) and second, én- 
dignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish (verses 
8,9.) All these will he render, to each according to 
his character and conduct. ] 

7. To them, etc.—In this manner will God, in 
the great day, dispense punishments and rewards: 
1) He will give eternal life to them who, in all the 
trials and difficulties of the present state have per- 
severed in well doing—seeking for and expecting— 
glory, honour, and immortality. 

8. But unto. . .contentious—2) He will mani- 
fest his indignation, and inflict wrath on all who are 
contentious—who obstinately dispute against the 
truth, and obey unrighteousness. 

9, 10. The Jew first—As possessing greater 
privileges, and having abused greater mercies. 
Also... of the Gentile—Who, though he had 
not the same advantages, had what was sufficient 
for his state; and, having sinned against them, 
shall have punishment proportioned to his demerit. 
Every man that worketh good—That lives in 
a conscientious obedience to the known will of God, 
whether he be Jew or Gentile, shall have glory, 
honour, and peace; that is, eternal blessedness. 

11. For there is no respect of persons with 
God—As tliere is no respect of persons wifh God 
in (the final) judgment, so there can be none in the 
previous administration of his saving blessings. 
He that will be condemned for his unrighteousness 
will be condemned on the ground that he had suf- 
ficient grace afforded him for the salvation of his 
soul ; and his condemnation will rest on the simple 
principle that he abused the grace which was suf- 
ficient to save him by acting in opposition to its 
dictates and influence [This remark serves as the 
transition to what follows, not merely as the con- 
firmation of what went before. As to what preceded, 
it asserts that though the Jew has had great ad- 
vantages, he shall be justly judged for his use of 
them, not treated as a favourite of Heaven: as to 
what follows, it introduces a comparison between 
him and the Gentile to show how fairly he will be, 
for those greater advantages, regarded as πρῶτος 
(first) in responsibility.—A/ford. ] 

12. For as many as have sinned without 
law—[?Avopuwc, beyond the purview of (the) lav, (of 
Moses.) The Gentiles were not without law, though 
they had not the law of Moses, and could not 
therefore be judged by it, but their own unwritten 
and universally present law, against which all who 
have sinned must be “ judged”—condemned.| In 

24 


the law— Under the (Mosaic) law. [It is on that 
very undeniable assumption, that all who have hada 
law given shall be judged by that law, that the apos- 
tle constructs his argument, asserting it with regard 
to the Mosaic law in the case of the Jews, and 
proving that the Gentiles have had a law given to 
them in the testimony of their consciences, (their 
moral intuitions.) — Alford.] [Νόμος, throughout 
signifies (he law of Moses, even when without the 
article; except where the absence of the article 
corresponds to a logical indefiniteness, (as in verse 
14, last clause,) and even there not a law, but /aw. 
—Alford.| 

13. For not the hearers of the law, ete.— 
Where God has given a ldaw—a divine revelation— 
he requires obedience to that law; and only those 
who have been doers of the law—who have lived 
according to the light and privileges granted in that 
revelation—shall be justified. 

14. For when the Gentiles, which have not 
the law, etc.—Nor does it follow that the Gen- 
tiles, who have not had a divine revelation, shall 
either perish because they had it not, of their un- 
righteous conduct pass unpunished because their 
not having this revelation might be considered as 
an excuse for their sins. Do by nature the 
things contained in the law—Do, without this 
divine revelation, through that light which God im- 
parts to every man, the things contained in the 
law—act according to justice, mercy, temperance, 
and truth, the practice of which the revealed law 
so powerfully enjoins. These... are a law unto 
themselves—When the Gentiles which have not 
the law, do, by the influence of God upon their 
hearts, the things contained in the law, they are a 
law unto themselves; that light and influence 
serving instead of a divine revelation. That the 
Gentiles did really do the things contained in the 
law, in reference to what is termed natural justice, 
and made the wisest distinctions relative to the 
great principles of the doctrine of civil g1GnTs and 
WRONGS, every one conversant with their writings 
will admit. [The Gentiles had not the law, but they 
had /aw, (natural intuitions of right,) whose moral 
purport was the same with that of the law, and 
this law of righteousness their consciences duly 
recognised, so devolving upon them just moral re- 
sponsibilities.] Much stress has been laid on 
the word, φύσει, by nature, in verse 14, as if the 
apostle designed to intimate that natwre, indepen- 
dently of the influence of divine grace, possessed 
such principles as were sufficient to guide a man 
to glory. But certainly the term cannot be so un- 
derstood here. I rather think that the sense given 
to it in Surcer’s Thesaurus, (vol. ii, col. 1475,) reipsa, 
reverd, CERTAINLY, TRULY, is its sense here; for 
when the Gentiles, which have not the law, φύσει 
ποιῇ, TRULY, or in effect, vo the things contained in 


Neither Jews nor Gentiles can 
escape the judgment of God. 


are a. law unto themselves: 14 Which show 
the work of the law written in their hearts, 
4their conscience also bearing witness, and 
their thoughts "the mean while accusing or 
else excusing one another;) 26 ‘In the day 
when God shall judge the secrets of men t by 
Jesus Christ “according to my gospel. 17 Be- 
hold, »thou art called a Jew, and  restest in 


q Or, the conscience witnessing with them. r Or, be- 
tiveen themselves.—-s Eccles, 12. 14; Matt. 25.31; John 12, 48; 
chap. 3. 6; 1 Cor, 4.5; Rev. 20. 12,--- John ὅ, 22; Acts 10. 42: 
Ne 5 aN 4. 1,8; 1 Pet. 4. 5.—w Chap. 16. 25; 1 Tim. 1. 11; 

im, 2. 8 


the law, ete. This seems to be its sense in Gal. 
iv, 8: When ye knew not God, ye did service to 
them which (φύσει, CERTAINLY,) are no gods ; that is, 
are false gods, Suicer quotes Cyril of Alexandria, 
(sub Anathematismo iii, in Actis Ephesinis, p. 212, 
speaking of the union of the two natures in Christ, 
calls this wrion φυσικῆν, natural ; that is, says he, 
ἀληθῆ, true, or real. He adds, that the word should 
he thus understood in Eph. ii, 3: We were by na- 
ture, φύσει, children of wrath; and says, φύσει ἀντὶ 
τοῦ ἀληθῶς. Φύσει is here used for ἀληθῶς, TRULY: we 
were TRULY, INCONTESTABLY, the children of wrath, 
even as others. That is, like the rest of mankind, 
we have all sinned and come short of the glory 
of God, und, consequently, are exposed to punish- 
ment, Some think that this text refers to the 
natural corruption of man; but, although it is true 
that man comes into the world corrupt, and that 
all men, since the fal/, are very far gone from origi- 
nal righteousness, yet it is not c/ear that the text 
in Eph. ii, 8, speaks of any other thing than the 
effects of this degeneracy. 

15. Which show (manifest, demonstrate) the 
work of the law—[ Conscientiousness is a mani- 
festation of the moral law in the heart.]— The 
phrase, written in their hearts, is here opposed to 
the Jewish laws, which were written on tables of 
stone. The Jews drew the maxims by which their 
conduct was regulated from a divine revelation; the 
GenTILEs theirs from what God, in the course of 
his providence and gracious influence, had shown 
them to be right, useful, and necessary. And with 
them this law was well known and affectionately 
regarded. It was from this true light, enlighten- 
ing the Gentiles, that they had so many wise and 
wholesome laws; laws which had been among them 
from time immemorial, and of which they did not 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4062. A.D. 58 
Yeur of Rome, 511," 


the law, *and makest thy boast of God, 
Is And yknowest his will, and **approvest 
the things that are more excellent, being in- 
structed out of the law; 19 And *art confi- 
dent that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, 
a light of them which are in darkness, 20 An 
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, 
‘which hast the form of knowledge and of the 


w Matt. 3. 9; John & 33; ch. 9. 6, 7: 2 Cor. 11. 22.—2 Micah 
3. 11; chap, 9, 4.—a Isa, 45. 25; 48.2: John 8. 41, μ Deut, 
4.8; Psa, 147. 19, 90. ----- Or, triest the things that differ,— 
a@ Phil. 1. 10, b Matt. 15, 14; 23. 16, 17, 19, 94: John 9, 84, 40, 
41.—c Chap. 6. 17; 2 Tim. 1. 13; 3. δ. 


accusing and excusing are to be taken absolutely, 
and no object should be understood. } 

16. In the day when God shall judge—{ /n 
that day. This frequently recurring clause is 
usually referred to the great day of final judgment ; 
it, however, not unfrequently has a more immediate 
and direct application to God’s rectorial dealings 
with men in the present life.] And all this shall 
be further exemplified and proved in the day when 
God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ; 
which judgment shall be according to my gospel— 
according to what I am now laying down before 
you, relative to the impartiality of God and his 
righteous procedure in judging men, not according 
to their opinions or prejudices, not according to 
revelations which they never possessed, but accord- 
ing to the various advantages or disadvantages of 
their political, religious, or domestic situation in 
life. 

17. Behold, thou art called a Jew—| Jit if 
thou art styled a Jew, or, if thou, a Jew. Two oppo- 
site persons have been kept in contrast; the one 
having the law, and the other having a law; the 
latter has been recognised as a Gentile, the for- 
mer is now named as a-/ew. The apostle now ad- 
dresses his discourse to this latter; as a repre- 
sentative of a class whose self-righteousness and 
pride of position he proceeds to expose and deery. 
And restest in the law—The word ἐπαναπαύῃ 
implies the strongest confidence of safety and se- 
curity. Thou reposrst thy whole trust and confidence 
in this law. And makest thy boast of God— 
The word καυχᾶσαι implies the idea of exulting in 
any thing, as beinga proper object of hope and de- 
pendence. Referred to Gop, it points out that me is 
the sure cause of hope, dependence, joy, and hap- 
piness. As if the apostle had said; You rejoice in 


know the origin. As if the apostle had said: And | God as the object of your hope and dependence ; 


this point, that they have a law and act according to 
it, is further proved from their conduct in civil af- 
fairs; and fromthat correct sense which they have of 
natural justice in their debates, either in their courts 
of law or in their treatises on morality. All these 
are ample proofs that God has not left them with- 
out light; and that, seeing that they have such cor- 
rect notions of right and wrong, they are account- 
able to God for their conduct in reference to these 
notions and principles. Their thoughts the 
mean while, ete.—[Judgments or reflections, the 
self-judging voices of the conscience, which being 
corrupted by sinful desires are often divided, 
thought against thought in inner strife accusing, or 
perhaps excusing.| One another—[Meraci ἀλλή- 
λων, between each other, at mutual intervals, alter- 
nately; that is, in successions—first one kind of 
thoughis, that is, approbation; then another kind, 
that is, disapprobation —Stwart.] [** One another,” 
refers to thoughts by way of épposition; the terms 


you praise and magnify him; you account it your 
greatest honour that ne is your God, and that you 
worship him. 

18. Knowest his will—Hast been favoured 
with a revelation of his own will, immediately from 
himself. The things that are more excellent— 
Τὰ διαφέροντα, the things that differ; that revelation 
which God has given of himself makes the nicest 
distinctions between right and wrong; between 
vice and virtue; for all these blessings ye acknowl- 
edge to receive from your law, being instructed, 
κατηχούμενος, catechized, in the knowledge of divine 
things, [through the public reading and exposition 
of it in the synagogue.— Meyer. | 

19. And art confident, etc.—In consequence of 
all these religious advantages, ye believe that ye 
are able to teach others, and to be guides and 
lights to the bewildered, darkened Gentiles, who 
may become proselytes to your religion. 

20. An instructor of the foolish, etc.— Ye 

25 


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Yeur of Rome, 811. 


truth in the law. 28 ¢Thou therefore which 
teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? 
thou that preachest a man should not steal, 
dost thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest a man 
should not commit adultery, dost thou commit 
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, ¢dost 
thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou that ‘mak- 
est thy boast of the law, through breaking the 
law dishonourest thou God? 24 For the name 
of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles 
through you, as it is § written. 
cumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the 
law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy 


d Psa. 50. 16, etc.; Matt, 23. 3, etc.—e Mal. 3. 8.—7 Verse 
17.—g 2 Sim. 12. 14; Isa. 52. 5; Ezek. 36, 20, 23,— / Gal. 5. 3. 
— Acts 10, 34, 35.— . Matt. 12. 41, 42. 
believe the Gentiles to be babes or fools as com- 
pared with yourselves; that ye alone possess the 
only true knowledge: that ye are the only favour- 
ites of Heaven; and that all nations must look up 
to you as possessing the only form of knowledge, 
μόρφωσιν τῆς γνώσεως, the system of eternal truth 
derived from the law. [Verses 19, 20 describe, 
with a reference to the Jewish presumption and dis- 
position to proselytize not to be mistaken, the in- 
fluence which these Jews, in virtue of their theoretic 
insight, fancied they exercised over the Gentiles. 
The accumulated designations of the same thing 
lend lively force to the description.— Weyer. | 

21. Thou therefore — That the Jewish priest- 
hood (and the people generally) was exceedingly 
corrupt in the time of the apostle, and that they 
were so long before, is fully evident from the sa- 
cred writings and from Josephus. The high-priest- 
hood was a matter of commerce, and was bought 
and sold like other commodities. The rapine 
of Eli’s sons had descended through all their gen- 
erations. Dr. Whitby well observes, that of all 
these things mentioned by the apostle the Jewish 
doctors were notoriously guilty; and of most of 
them they were accused by our Lord. 1) They said 
and did not ; and laid heavy burdens upon others, 
which they would not touch with their own fingers. 
(Matt. xxili, 3, 4.) 2) They made the house of 
God a den of thieves, (Matt. xxi, 13 ; John ii, 16.) 
3) They were guilty of adultery by unjust divorces. 
(Matt. xix, 9.) 4) Their polygamy was scandalous. 
As to idolatry, they were saved from it [outwardly] 
ever since the Babylonish captivity; but to this 
suvceeded sacrilege, as is most evident in the prof- 
anation of the temple, by their commerce trans- 
acted even within its courts; and their teaching the 


people that even their aged parents might be left | 


to starve, provided the children made a present to 
the temple of that which should have gone for their 
support. Even their own writers acknowledge 
that there were great irregularities and abominations 
among the rabbins. 

24. For the name of God is blasphemed, ete. 
—([This statement, that the Jew by his transgres- 
sion of “the law” dishonours “the God” who 
gave it, is now confirmed and explained in language 
borrowed from Isaiah lii, 5, but applied in a new 
sense. The prophet means, that because God’s 
people are suffered to fall under the oppression of 
their enemies, these last hold his name in contempt. 
St. Paul’s meaning is, that the vices and sins of the 
Jew make his religion and his God contemptible in 
the sight of the heathen.—Speaker’s Commentary. | 

τ For circumcision verily profiteth— 

6 


ROMANS. 


25 » For cir-)| 


Mere outward conformity to religious 
rites of no sp ritual advantage, 


circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 There- 
fore, ‘if the uncircumcision keep the righteous- 
ness of the Jaw, shall not his uncircumcision 
be counted for circumcision? @% And shall 
not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it 
fulfil the law, "judge thee, who by the letter 
and circumcision dost transgress the law? 
28 For'he is not a Jew, which is one out- 
wardly; neither 7s that circumcision, which is 
outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, 
πὶ which is one inwardly; and "circumcision 7s 
that of the heart, °in the spirit, and not in the 
letter ; P whose praise és not of men, but of God. 


Z Matt. 8. 9: John 8.39: chap. 9. 6,7; Gal. 6. 15; Rev. 2. 9. 
— m1 Pet. 3. 4.—7 Phil. 3. 3: Col. 2. 11. o Chap, 7. 63 
2 Cor. 3. 6.—p 1 Cor. 4. ὃ; 2 Cor. 10. 18; 1 Thess, 2. 4. 


[Not in itself, but in the benefits of the covenant of 
which it was the seal.] 10 is a blessing to belong to 
the Church of God and wear the sign of the cov- 
enant, provided the terms of the covenant are com- 
plied with. But if thou bea breaker of the law 
—If thou do not observe the conditions of the 
covenant, the outward sign is both without mean- 
ing and without effect. This was a maxim of the 
rabbins themselves ; for they allowed that an apos- 
tate or ungodly Israelite must go to hell, notwith- 
standing his circumcision. Uncircumcision— 
᾿Ακρυβυστία, the state of uncircumcision, Gentilism, 
not within the covenant. | 

26. Therefore, if the uncircumcision, etc.— 
If the Gentile be found to act according to the 
spirit and design of the law, his acting thus 
uprightly, according to the light which God has 
afforded him, will be reckoned to him as if he were 
circumcised and walked agreeably to the law. 

27. And shall not uncircumcision, which is 
by nature—<And shall not the Gentile, who is ἐκ 
φύσεως, according to the custom of his country— 
who is, by birth, not obliged to be circumcised? If 
it fulfil the law—lIf such a person act according 
to the spirit and design of the law ; judge, κρινεῖ, 
condemn. thee, [rise up in judgment against,” see 
Matt. xii, 41-42,] who, whilst thou dost enjoy the 
letter,—the written law,—and bearest in thy body 
the proof of the circumcision which it requires, 
dost transyress that law. 

28. For he is not a Jew—Not a genuine mem- 
ber of the Church of God, who has only an outward 
profession. Neither is that circumcision—Cir- 
cumecision is a rite which represents a spiritual 
thing, namely, the change and purification of the 
heart. (See Jer. iv, 4, 6, 10; ix, 26; Ezek. xliv, 7, 9.) 

29. But he is a Jew—A true member of the 
Church of God. Which is one inwardly—W ho 
has his heart purified, according to what God has 
uniformly prescribed by his prophets ; see above ; 
for cireumeision is of the heart, in the spirit, ἐν 
πνεύματι, by the Spirit of God, who is the author of 
all spiritual affections and holy purposes ; or, every 
thing here is to be understood spiritually, and not 
literally ; for without holiness none please God, 
and without holiness none can see him. [True 
Judaism resides not in that which is external, but 
in the hidden world of the interior. ... He is not 
a Jew who is so (only) openly; that is, not he who 
shows himself to be a Judean in external, visible 
exhibition, is a genuine Jew, answering to the (di- 
vine) idea.—Meyer.] Whose praise is not of men 
—[The true praise (ἔπαινος) in such a case must 
come from him who sees in secret.— Alford.] 


The apostle shows the poise advantage 
enjoyed by the eis AA er δ τιόνι 


Εἴ Mie Yh III. 
ILAT advantage then hath the Jew? or 
what profit ds there of circumcision? 
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that *un- 
to them were committed the oracles of God. 
8 For what if "some did not believe? «shall 


a Deut, 4. 7, 8; Psa. 147. 19,29: chap. 3, 18; 9. 4.—d Chap. 
10. = Heb. 4. 2. 


Such a one is a true Israelite, w ric ais in a con- 
formity to the spirit of his religion ; his country- 
men may praise him because he is a ‘steady profes- 
sor of the Jewish faith ; but Gop praises him be- 
cause he has entered into the spirit and design of 
the covenant made with Abraham, and has got the 
end of his faith, the salvation of his soul. 


1. What the apostle says in the preceding chap- 
ter, concerning the Gentiles doing by nature the 
things contained in the law, if properly considered 
would lead certain persons from forming erroneous 
judgments concerning the divine dispensations. We 
are not to suppose “that God is not to be found 
where his written word does not appear; nor that 
the salvation of the nations yet unblessed with the 
‘light of the Gospel is impossible. God has never 
confined himself to any one particular way of com- 
municating his salvation, any more than he has 
confined his saving grace ‘to one people. His word 
is an indescribable blessing; but that word be- 
comes effectual to salvation when accompanied by 
the power of the Holy Spirit. It was that Spirit 
which gave the word originally; and that same 
Spirit can speak without this word. It is through 
his influence alone that the Gentiles do the things 
contained in his own law; and it is not to be won- 
dered at that the work is the same, both in the law 
and in the heart, when it has proceeded from the 
same Spirit. 

2. God therefore will judge all nations according 
to the use or abuse they have made of this w ord, 
whether it was written in the heart or written on 
tables of stone. 

8. As he is no respecter of persons, all nations 
are equally dear to him; and he has granted, and 
will grant, to them such discoveries of himself as 
have been and will be sulficient for their salvation. 

4. His word is an infinite blessing; and he has 
given it to one people that they may be the means 
of conveying it to another. Europe, and especially 
Christian Europe, possesses the BrsLe; and God re- 
quires Europe to send the Bible throughout the 
earth. If this be not done, through their neglect, 
the Gentile nations will not be (indiscriminately) 
destroyed by a merciful God; yet the Europeans 
will have a most solemn and awful account to ren- 
der to their Judge, so far as they have hidden the 
heavenly light under their own bushel. The Gen- 
tiles are now learning from the written law [and by 
the voice of the missionary] more fully and sav ingly 
what the Spirit of God had before written on their 
hearts; and it seems as if the kingdom of God 
were now about to come with all-conquering power. 

5. [It still remains to be determined, as matter of 
fact, whether to any appreciable extent they who 
have not the “law”—God’s word—do really obey the 

. dictates of their own better natures. The motives 
that are clearly revealed in the Gospel seem to be 
necessary to enable men to subject their hearts and 
lives to the requirements of their own better in- 
tuitions. ] 


CHAPTER III. 


A. Μ. 4062. A. TD, 53. 
Year of Kome, 811. 


their unbelief make the faith of God without 
effect? 4 ¢God forbid: yea, let ¢God be true, 
but ‘every man a liar; as it is written, ¢ That 
thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and 
mightest overcome when thou art judged. 
ῷ ‘But if our unrighteousness commend the 


c Num, 23. chap. 9, 6: 11.29; 2 Tim. 


E 2. 13.—d Job 40. 8, 
—e ΤῊΝ 3. 33.—J Psa, 62.9; . 4. 


110. 11.—g Psa. 51. 4 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

[The apostle having shown in the first chapter 
(verses 18-32) the condition of sin and guilt in 
which the whole Gentile world was found, “and in 
the second chapter (entire) proved that the Jews 
themselves were also subject to the same condem- 
nation because of their personal unrighteousness, 
notwithstanding their outward relations to the Old 
Testament, now brings clearly into view the need 
of some other way by which men might be saved, 
though only a /egal justification is as yet spoken of. 
In the next chapter, after answering certain objec- 
tions that were sure to arise in Jewish minds, the 
apostle proceeds to establish the universality of 
human guilt, (verses 9-18,) and then (verses 19-31) 
brings fairly into view the way of salvation by 
grace, through faith, 1 

As the first nine verses assume the form of a dia- 
logue between the apostle and a Jew, I shall give 
the speakers with their questions and answers, to 
make the whole the more intelligible to the reader. 

1. Jew. What advantage then hath the 
Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision 
—a<s if he had said: You lately allowed (chapter 
ii, 25) that circumcision verily profited ; but if our 
being in covenant with-God raises us no higher in 
the divine favour than the Gentiles ; if the virtuous 
among them are as acceptable as any of us; nay, 
and condemn our nation, too, as no longer deserving 
the divine regards, wherein lies the superior honour 
of the Jew? and what benefit can arise to him from 
his being vested in the privileges of God’s peculiar 
people ? 

2. ApostLE: Much every way—The Jews, in 
reference to the means and motives of obedience, 
enjoy many advantages beyond the Gentiles ; and 
principally because ¢o them were committed the 
oracles of God—that revelation of his will to Moses 
and the prophets, containing a treasure of excel- 
lences, with which no other part of the world has 
been favoured, though they (the Jews) have most 
grievously abused these privileges, 

3. Jew: For what—Ti γάρ, what then, if 
some did not believe, etc. Tf some of the Jewis sh na- 
tion have abused their privileges, and acted con- 
trary to their obligations, shall their wickedness 
annul the promise which God made to Abraham, 
that he would, by an everlasting covenant, be a God 
to him and to his seed after him? (Gen. xvii, 7.) 
Shall God, therefore, by stripping the Jews of their 
peculiar honour, falsify his promise to the nation, 
because some are bad men? 

4. ApostLE: God forbid—M» γένοιτο, Jet it not 
be, far from it, by no means. Yea, let God be 
true, but every man a liar, ete. ae e must ever 
maintain that God is true, and that if, in any case, 
his promise appear to fail, it is because the condi- 
tion on which it was given has not been complied 
with, [or else that our conception of the manner of 
its fulfilment has been faulty. ] 

5. Jew. But if our unrighteousness commend 
the righteousness of God — [Since, πον the 
7 


A. Μ. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Paul proves from the Scriptures, that 
all men are alike under sin. 


righteousness of God, what shall we say? Js 
God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? ("I 
speak as a man) 6 God forbid: for then' how 
shall God judge the world? 7 For if the 
truth of God hath more abounded through my 
lie unto his glory; why yet am [ also judged as 
asinner? αὶ And not rather, (as we be slan- 
derously reported, and as some affirm that we 
say,) «Let us do evil, that good may come? 
whose damnation is just. 9 What then? are 
we better than they? No, in no wise: for 
we have before 'proved both Jews and Gen- 
tiles, that "they are all under sin; 10 As it 


is written, "There is none righteous, no, not 
one: 18 There is none that understandeth, 
there is none that seeketh after God. 42 They 
are all gone out of the way, they are together 
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth 
good, no, not one. 13 °Their throat 7s an 
open sepulchre; with their tongues they have 
used deceit; P the poison of asps is under their 
lips: £4 4Whose mouth és full of cursing 
and bitterness: 5 ‘Their feet are swift to 
shed blood: 416 Destruction and misery are 
in their ways: 4&7 And the way of peace 
have they not known: 18 * There is no fear 


A Chapter 6. 19: Gal. 3. 15.—z Gen. 18. 25; Job 8, 3; 34. 17. 
—k Chapter 5, 20; 6. 1, 15. ——l Gr. charged, chap. 1. 23, etc. ; 
2. 1, etc. 


mm Verse 23; Gal. 3, 22.—n Psa. 14. 1-3; 53. 1.——o Psa. 5. 9; 
Jer. 5. 16.— /p Psa. 140. 3.—g Psa. 10. 7.—7 Prov. 1. 16; Isa. 
59. 7, Siam ΒΕ obs Le 


unbelief of a part of the Jews would not make void 
the truthfulness of God, but, on the contrary, it 
should be triumphantly justified, may it not be said 
that this unrighteousness allthe more clearly brings 
out the righteousness of God, and therefore may 
not be righteously punished by God? The more 
wicked we are, the more his faithfulness to his an- 
cient promise is to be admired. And if so, would 
not God appear unjust in taking vengeance and 
casting us off? I speak as a man—T(This is said 
(parenthetically, aside) by Paul, to excuse a suppo- 
sition bearing with it an aspect of inconsistency or 
impiety ; not implying that he speaks in the person 
of another, but that he puts himself into the place 
of the generality of men, and uses arguments such 
as they would use. — A/ford.] [The apology in- 
volved in these words is applicable to only what 
goes before, not to what follows.— Meyer. | 

6. ApvostLe: God forbid —My7 γένοιτο, by no 
means. God cannot be unjust; were he, he could 
not be qualified to judge the world, nor inflict that 
punishment on the unfaithful Jews to which I refer. 

7. Jew: For if the truth of God, etc.—But 
to resume my reasoning (see verse 5:) If the faith- 
fulness of God in keeping his promise made to our 
fathers is, through our unfaithfulness, made far 
more glorious than it otherwise would have been, 
why should we then be blamed for that which must 
redouixl so much to the honour of God ? 

8. ArostLte: And not rather, etec.—And why 
do you not say, seeing you assume this ground, that 
in all cases we should do wickedly, because God, by 
freely pardoning, can so glorify his own grace ? 
This is a most impious sentiment, but it follows 
from your reasoning ; it has, indeed, been most in- 
juriously laid to the charge of us apostles, who 
preach the doctrine of free pardon, through faith, 
without the merit of works ; but this is so manifest 
a perversion of the truth that a just punishment 
may be expected to fall on the propagators of such 
a slander. 

9. Jew: What then—After all, have not we 
Jews a better claim to the privileges of the king- 
dom of God than the Gentiles have? Aposrie: 
No, in no wise—For I have already proved that 
both Jews and Gentiles are under the guilt of sin; 
that they are equally unworthy of the blessings of 
the Messiah’s kingdom; and that they must both, 
equally, owe their salvation to the mere mercy of 
God. (From this, to the end of the 20th verse, the 
apostle proceeds to prove his assertion, that both 
Jews and Gentiles were all under sin; and, that he 
might enforce the conviction upon the heart of the 
Jew, he quotes his own Scriptures.) 

28 


10. As it is written—[The- quotations (verses 
10-18) are taken from the Septuagint, with certain 
variations partly due to quotations from memory, 
and partly intentional, for the purpose of defining 
the sense more precisely. The arrangement is such 
that testimony is adduced for—l) The state of sin 
generally : (10-12:) 2) The practice of sin in word 
(13, 14) and in deed: (15-17:) and 3) The sinful 
source of the whole—A/eyer.] There is none 
righteous—This is true, not only of the Jews but 
of the Gentiles ; of every soul of man, considered in 
his natural and practical state. 

12. They are all gone out of the way— 
Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, they have all diverged from the 
right way ; the Jews, in forsaking the law and the 
prophets ; and the Gentiles in acting contrary to 
the law which God had written on their hearts. 
They are together become unprofitable— 
Ἠχρεώθησαν, good for nothing. He views the whole 
mass of mankind as slain and thtown together, to 
putrefy in heaps. This is what is termed the cor- 
ruption of human nature; they are infected and 
infectuous. There is none that doeth good—In 
verse 10 it is said, Zhere is none righteous; here 
There is none that docth yood; the first speaks gen- 
erally, the second, specifically. If there be no right- 
eousness within, there will be no acts of goodness 
without. 

15. Their throat is an open sepulchre—|The 
open sepulchre is an emblem of perdition, to which 
their throat, as the instrument of their speech, is 
compared. —A/ford. | 

14. Whose mouth is full of cursing, ete.— 
[Δρᾶς καὶ πικρίας, poisonous imprecations. | 

15. Their feet are swift to shed blood—They 
proceed hastily and with alacrity to deeds of 
violence. : 

16. Destruction and misery are in their 
ways—Destruction is their work, and misery to 
themselves and to the objects of their malice is the 
consequence of their impious and murderous con- 
duct. 

17. And the way of peace have they not 
known—They neither have peace in themselves, 
nor do they suffer others to live in quiet; they are 
breeders and fomentors of discord. 

18. There is no fear of God before their 
eyes—This completes their bad character; they 
are downright atheists, at least practically such. 
They fear not God’s judgments, although his eve is 
upon them in their evil ways. There is not one ar- 
ticle of what is charged against the Jews and Gen- 
tiles here that may not be found justified by the 
histories of both in the most ample manner. And 


None can obtain justification 
with God by works of law, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4962. A.D. 58, 
Year vf Rome, $11. 


of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know 
that what things soever ' the law saith, it saith 
to them who are under the law: that “every 
mouth may be stopped, and * all the world may 
become * guilty before God. 20 Therefore 
xby the deeds of the law there shall no flesh 


be justified in his sight: for ¥ by the law is the 
knowledge of sin. 22 But now the right- 
eousness of God without the law is manifested, 
“being witnessed by the law “and the proph- 
ets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which 
is ¢by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon 


tJohn 10, 34; 15. 25.—z Job 5, 16: Psa. 107. 42: Ezek. 16. 8; 
Polly 1, 20: 2. 1.—vn Chap. 2. 2; verses 9, 23.—20 Or, subject 
to the judgment of God,—~a Psa. 143. 2; Acts 13, 39; Gal. 2. 16; 


3.11: Eph, 2.8 9: Titus 3.5.—y Chap. 7. 7.—2 Acts 15. 11; 
chap. 1.17; Phil. 3.9; Heb. 11. 4, ete.—a John ὃ. 48: Acts 
26. 22.—/) Chap. 1. 2; 1 Pet. 1. 10.—c Chap. 4, throuzhout., 


what was true of them in those primitive times is 
true of them still. With very little variation, these 
are the evils in which the vast mass of mankind de- 
light and live. [The passages (10-18) are quoted 
from different psalms, and the last from Isaiah, 
(chapter lix, 7, 8;) but it is clear that they were 
understood by St. Paul as not only moral descrip- 
tions of the Jews of a particular age or class, but 
of these persons as man, wicked and unrenewed, 
and so equally descriptive of men in general, 
either as to the tendencies of their nature, or their 
actual overt acts. These passages, though applied 
primarily to specific cases, are in such genera! terms 
as naturally makes them of universal application 
to “the children of men.” In the last quota- 
tion, taken from Isaiah, it seems upon the face of 
the passage, that, from complaining of the wicked- 
ness of his people, the prophet is carried out to 
expatiate upon the wickedness of human nature, or 
of men in general; at least so he was evidently un- 
derstood by the apostle, who was, independent of 
his inspiration, a better judge of the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures than some who have attempted to correct his 
reasoning on this particular.—R. Wasson. | 

19. What things soever the law saith— 
Either the term “law ” must here mean the Jewish 
writings in general, or that rule of moral conduct 
which God had given to both Jews and Gentiles ; to 
the former in their own Scriptures ; to the latter in 
that law written in their hearts by his own Spirit, 
and acknowledged in their written codes, and in 
their pleadings in every civil case. Now, according 
to this great law, this rule of moral conduct, wheth- 
er given in a written revelation, as to the Jews, or 
by the secret inspiration of his Spirit, as in certain 
cases to the Gentiles, every mouth must be stopped, 
and the whole world, πᾶς ὁ κόσμος, both Jews and 
Gentiles, stand convicted before God; for all man- 
kind have sinned against this law. [Here the whole 
Old Testament—the law, prophets, and psalms is 
included in ὁ νόμος. This law speaks (λέγειν certain 
things, authoritatively to those who are under the 
law, (Jews primarily, as they have the law, and Gen- 
tiles also, since they have the same law in their 
hearts. chapter i, 19, 20,) so that (iva) every mouth 
may be stopped, for if the Jew's mouth is shut, and 
his vaunting in the law taken away, then much 
more the Gentiles, and the whole world, πᾶς ὁ κόσμος, 
becomes (in character, subjectively) guilty before 
God. See Alford.] [By the law, the apostle 
means the Jaw of God in its manifestation, whether 
to Jews or Gentiles; the sense obliges us to this 
general interpretation.— Watson.] [It is the pur- 
pose of St. Paul to show that no man whatever can 
be justified by the works either of the Jewish law 
or any other. Πᾶσα σὰρξ, like ὁ κόσμος, cannot 
but be understood universally; and what follows, 
Sor by the law is the knowledge of sin, is plainly a 
universal proposition.— Bishop Middleton.| [Ὕ πό- 
δικος γένηται, may be (adjudged) guilty; the law does 
not constitute guilt, but detects and declares it. ] 

20. Therefore by the deeds of the law— 


On the score of obedience to this moral law, there 
shali no flesh, ob πᾶσα σὰρξ, no human being, be jus- 
tified ; none can be accepted in the sight of God. 
By the law is the knowledge of sin—It ascer- 
tains what sin is; shows how men have deviated 
from its righteous demands; and so passes sentence 
of condemnation against all who have broken it. 

21. But now the righteousness of God— 
God’s method of saving sinners is now shown, by the 
Gospel, to be through his own mere mercy, in 
Christ Jesus. Without the law—Without any 
right or claim which might result from obedience 
to the Jaw; and this is evidently what was in- 
tended by God from the beginning; for it ἐκ wit- 
nessed by the law and the prophets: the rites and 
ceremonies of the one, and the preachings and pre- 
dictions of the others, all bearing testimony to the 
great design of God, and to the absolute necessity 
there was for the sacrifice and salvation which God 
has provided. 

22. Even the righteousness of God—That 
method of saving sinners which is not of works, but 
by faith in Christ Jesus; and it is not restrained to 
any particular people, as was the (Mosaic) law and 
its privileges ; but is unto all mankind in its inten- 
tion and offer, and it becomes effectual to them 
that believe; for God hath now made no difference 
between the Jews and the Gentiles. [Arxatonry 
δὲ Θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως. The righteousness (justifica- 
tion) of God (not subjectively, but of his procur- 
ing) through faith (in the subject, ordained as a 
condition, a sine gua non, The Greek δικαιοσύνη, 
and the Hebrew Mp sy, are taken sometimes for 

TT: 


“virtue” and “ piety,” which men possess or strive 
after, sometimes imputatively for “‘ freedom from 
blame,” or “ justification.” The latter meaning is 
most usual with Paul. Δικαιοσύνη is that which is 
so in the sight of God, (chapter ii, 13,) the result of 
his justifying forensic judgment, or imputation. 
(Chapter iv, 5.) It may certainly be imagined that 
a man might obtain justification by fulfilling the 
law; in that case his righteousness is an ἰδία, (chap- 
ter x, 3,) a righteousness of the law. (Phil. iii, 9.) 
But it is impossible for him to obtain a “right- 
eousness of his own,” which at the same time shall 
avail before God. (Verse 20; Gal. ii, 16.) The 
Jews not only have not fulfilled the law (verses 9-19) 
but could not fulfil it. (Chapter vii, 14.) The Gen- 
tiles likewise have rendered themselves obnoxious 
to the divine wrath. (Chapter i, 24-32.) God has 
ordained’ that the whole race should be included 
(adjudged) in disobedience. Now if a man is to be- 
come righteous from being unrighteous—this can 
only happen by God’s grace—because God declares 
him righteous, assumes him to be righteous, &- 
καιοΐ; (verse 24; Gal. iii, 8:) δικαιοσύνη is not only 
negative, “ fo acquit,” but also positive, “ to declare 
righteous; but never to make righteous by trans- 
formation or imparting of moral strength, by which 
moral perfection may be attained. Justificatio 


must be taken as the old Protestant dogmatists 
29 


A. M. 4062, A. D. 58. 


Yeur of Rome, ἈΠ], 


ROMANS. 


Justification to be obtained only by 
faith in Christ’s redemption. 


all them that believe; for ‘there is no differ- 
ence: 28% For ¢all have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified 
freely ‘by his grace sthrough the redemp- 
tion that isin Christ Jesus: 28 Whom God 
hath “set forth ‘to be a propitiation through 


faith "in his blood, to declare his righteous- 
ness '!for the "remission of "sins that are past, 
through the forbearance of God; 26 To de- 
clare, 7 say, at this time his righteousness: 
that he might be just, and the justifier of 
him which believeth in Jesus. 2% ° Where 


@ Ch. 10. 12; Gal. 3. 28; Col. 8,.11.—e Ver. 9; ch. 11. 32; Gal. 
8. 22.——f Ch. 4. 16; Eph, 2. 8; Titus 3 5, 7.—-g Matt. 20. 28; 
Eph. 1.7; Col. 1. 14; 1 Tim. 2.6; Heb. 9. 12: 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19. 


h Or, foreordained, ἡ John 2, 2; 4. 10.— Col. 1. 20,— 
ὁ Acts 13. 38, 39; 1 T.m.1. 15.—m Or, passing over.—n Acts 
17. 80; Heb. 9. 15.——o Ch. 2. 17, 23; 4.231 Cor. 1. 25,31; Eph. 2. 9. 


rightly took it, “sensu forensi,” that is, imputa- 
tively. God justifies for Christ's sake, (verse 22,) 
on condition of faith in him as Mediator; the re- 
sult of his justification is δικαιοσύνη ἐκ πίστεως, and 
as he imparts it freely it is “the righteousness 
(justification) of God, (his, because he is its author. ) 
This justification is certainly an objective act of 
God; but it must (will! also be subjectively appre- 
hended, as its condition (faith) is subjective. [Ὁ is 
the acquittal from guilt, and (is followed by) cheer- 
Sulness of conscience, attained through faith in God's 
grace in Christ, the very frame of mind which 
would be proper to a perfectly righteous man—if 
such there were—the harmony of the Spirit with 
God, peace with God.” (Chapter v, 1.) [Quoted by 
Alford from De Wette on chapter i, 17.] 

23. For all have sinned—<And consequently 
are equally helpless and guilty; and, as God is no 
respecter of persons, all human creatures being 
equally his offspring, and there being no reason why 
one shouid be preferred before another, therefore 
his endless mercy has embraced all. [As this re- 
mark of the apostle is a universal one, and is used 
for the development of the doctrine of the univer- 
sal grace of God in Christ, the fact upon which it 
is based, that is, that all have sinned, (juaprov,) 
must also be universal. The ‘all,” in this case, 
is the aggregate human race, which, in some way, 
has become involved in the universal curse of 
sin, by reason of their relations to the original act 
of sinning.| And come short of the glory of 
God—Kaui ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, failed 
of attaining the glory of God; all have sinned, and 
none can enjoy God’s glory but they that are holy; 
consequently both Jews and Gentiles have failed in 
their endeavours to attain it, as by the works of 
any law no human being can be justified. 

24. Being justified freely by his grace— 
[The participle δικαιούμενοι, referring to πάντες, 
(all,) in the preceding verse, introduces the accom- 
panying relative, which here comes into view with 
their coming short of the glory of God; that is, 
they receive justification in the way of a gift, 
(dwpeav.) See Meyer.] Through the redemption, 
ὠπολυτρώσεωις, the ransom price, which is in the 
sacrifice of Christ Jesus. The original is com- 
pounded of ἀπο, from, and λύτροω, 1 redeem, and 
properly means the price laid down for the redemp- 
tion of a captive. It here means the liberation 
purchased by the blood-shedding of Christ. We 
have REDEMPTION, ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐ- 
τοῦ, THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, ac- 
cording to the riches of his grace. (Eph. i, 7; 
Col. i, 14.) Schleusner remarks: ‘No man cer- 
tainly can deny that this word properly means the 
redemption of a captive, (whether he may have been 
taken in war or in any other way,) which is pro- 
cured by the payment of a price.’ That the word 
also means any deliverance, even where no price is 
paid down, nobody will dispute; but that it means 
redemption by a price laid down, and the redemp- 

80 


tion of the soul by the price of the death of Christ, 
the above scriptures sufficiently prove. 

25. Whom God ‘hath set forth — Appointed 
and published, (not ¢o be, but as reality,) a propitia- 
tion, ἱλαστήριον, the mercy seat, or place of atone- 
ment; [an expiatory sacrifice. — Watson.] The 
mercy seat was the lid or cover of the ark of the 
covenant, where God was manifest in the symbol of 
his presence between the cherubim; therefore the 
atonement that was madein this place was properly 
made to God himself. [‘‘ Hath set forth,” manifested 
historically in his incarnation, sufferings, and ex- 
altation.— Alford.| Through faith in his b’ood 
—This shows what we are to understand both by 
the ἀπολυτρώσις, redemption, and the ἐλαστήριον, 
propitiation; namely, that they refer to the sacri- 


ficial death of Jesus Chirist, as the afoncment made, 


and the price paid down, for the redemption of the 
souls of men. To declare (for the exhibition of) 
his righteousness—Eic¢ ἔν deviv, for the manifes- 
tation of his righteousness ; his method for saving 
sinners, by sending Jesus Christ to make an atone- 
ment for them. [To vindicate that character for 
justice which might seem, owing to the suspension 
of God’s righteous sentence on sin in foimer ages 
of his forbearance to be placed in question; to 
show, that though he did not then fully punish for 
sin, and though he did then set forth inadequate 
means of (subjective) justification, yet he did both, 
not because his justice was slumbering, nor because 
the nature of his righteousness was altered, but be- 
cause he had provided a way whereby sin might be 
forgiven, and he might (still) be just. Observe, 
πάρεσις is not forgiveness, nor remission, (as in 
(E. V.) but passing over, or overlooking, which is 
the work of forbearance, whereas forgiveness is the 
work of grace, (absolute and final.)—<A/ford. | 

26. To declare, I say, at this time—Here we 
learn that God designed to give the Gospel of his Son, 
the most evident displays both of his justice and 
mercy. Of his justice, in requiring a sacrifice in 
order to his giving salvation to a lost world; and 
of his merey, in providing the sacrifice which his 
justice required. Thus, because Jesus'was an atone- 
ment, a ransom price, for the sin of the world, 
therefore God can, consistently with his justice, par- 
don every soul that believeth in Jesus. This is the 
full discovery of God’s righteousness—of his won- 
derful method of magnifying his law and making 
it honourable ; of showing the infinite purity of his 
justice, and of saving a lost world. 

Hitherto, from the ninth verse, the apostle had 
gone on without interruption, proving that the Jew 
and Gentile were alike in a state of guilt and con- 
demnation, and that they could be saved only by the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The Jew, find- 
ing his boasted privileges all at stake, interrupts 
him, and asks :— 

27. Jew: Where is boasting then—‘H καύ- 
anotc, this glorying of ours? Have we nothing in 
which we can trust for our acceptance with God? 


Justification is by faith, without 
the works of the law. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4062. A, Ὁ. £8. 


Year of Rome, 911, 


It is excluded. By what 
law? of works? Nay; but by the law 
of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude P that 
a man is justified by faith without the deeds 
of the law. 29% Js he the God of the Jews 
only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, 


7) Acts 13. 38, 39; verses 20-22; chap. 8.3; Gal. 2. 16, 


is boasting then? 


Nothing accruing to us from our circumcision and 
being in covenant with God? ApostLe: It is ex- 
cluded—’EsexAcio6y, it is shut out. [The Gospel 
leaves no place for glorying, except in the cross 
of Christ. (Gal. vi, 24.)] Jew: By what law— 
By what rule or reason is it shut out? by the law 
of works? AprostLE: Nay — Not by the law 
of works; glorying is not cut off or shut out by 
that; it stands in full force as the rule of life. 
The law of works grants no pardon; it requires 
obedience, and threatens the disobedient with death. 
But all glorying in the expectation of salvation 
through your own obedience is excluded by the 
law, the doctrine, of faith; faith alone in the mercy 
of God, through the propitiation made by the blood 
of Jesus. (Verse 25.) 

28. Therefore we conclude, etc.—Seeing that 
all have sinned, that all are guilty and helpless; 
that no one can deliver his own soul ; and that God, 
in his endless merey, has opened a new and living 
wau into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (Heb. x, 19, 
20, ete.,) therefore we conclude (λουγιεζόμεθα, we prove 
by fair, rational consequence) that a man—any man 
—is justified—is received into the divine favour, 
through faith in Christ's blood, without the deeds of 
the law, which [as no sinful man can possibly ren- 
der them] never could afford, either to Jew or Gen- 
tile, a ground for justification; because [also as 
matter-of-fact] both have sinned against the law 
which God has given them; and, consequently, for- 
feited all right and title to the blessings which the 
obedient might claim. 

29. Is he the God of the Jews only—Do not 
begin to suppose that because you cannot be justi- 
fied by the works of the law, and God has in his 
mercy found out a new method of saving you, that 
therefore this merey shall apply to the Jews exclu- 
sively. Is not God thé maker, preserver, and re- 
deemer, also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gen- 
tiles also, as much as of the Jews; for all have 
equally sinned ; and God is alike merciful to all. 

30. Seeing it is one (the same) God—’Exeizep 
εἷς ὁ Θεός. The meaning is, it is one and the same 
God who Shall justify—pardon — the circumcision, 
the believing Jews, by faith, and the uncircumeision, 
the believing Gentiles, by the same faith; as 
there is but one Saviour and one atonement provided 
for the whole. It is fanciful to suppose that the 
apostle has one meaning when he says, ἐκ πίστεως, 
By faith, and a different meaning when he says, διὰ 
τῆς πίστεως, THROUGH faith. Both the prepositions 
are to be understood in precisely the same sense ; 
only the addition of the article τῆς, in the last case, 
extends and more pointedly ascertains the meaning. 
It is one and the same God who shall justify the 
believing Jews by faith, and the believing Gentiles, 
διὰ τῆς πίστεως, by THAT SAME faith. [Too much 
stress must not be laid on the difference of the two 
prepositions. ... the former expresses the ground 
of justification, generally taken; the latter, the 
means whereby the man lays hold on justification, 
διὰ τῆς πίστεως, bu his faith. Alford. | 

31. Do we then make void the law through 


of the Gentiles also: 80 Seeing ὁ ἐξ is one 
God, which shall justify the circumcision 
by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 
31 Do we then make void the law through 
wags God forbid: yea, we establish the 
aw. 


q@ Chap. 10. 12,13; Gal, 3. 8, 20, 28. 


faith-—1) By “law,” here, we may understand the 
whole of the Mosaic law, in its rites and ceremonies ; 
of which Jesus Christ was the subject and the end. 
All that law has respect to him; and the doctrine 
of faith in Christ Jesus which the Christian religion 
proclaimed, established the very claims and de- 
mands of that law, by showing that all was accom- 
plished in the passion and death of Christ; for, 
without shedding of blood, the Jaw would allow of 
no remission; and Jesus was that Lamb of God 
which was slain from the foundation of the world, 
in whose blood we have redemption, even the re- 
mission of sins. 2) We may understand by “ law,” 
also, the moral law—that which relates to the 
regulation of the conduct of men. This law also 
was established by the doctrine of salvation by 
faith; because this faith works by love, and love 
is the principle of obedience; and whosoever re- 
ceives salvation through faith in Christ, receives 
power to live in holy obedience to every moral pre- 
cept ; for such are God’s workmanship, created anew 
in Christ Jesus, unto good works; in which they 
find it their duty and their interest incessantly to 
live. [We may safely say that the apostle never 
argues of daw, abstract, in the sense of a system of 
precepts—its attributes or its effects—but always of 
THE LAW, concrete, the law of God given by Moses, 
when speaking of the Jews, as here ; (he law of God, 
in as far as written in their consciences, when speak- 
ing of the Gentiles: and when including both, the 
law of God generally, his written as well as his un- 
written will.—<A/ford. } 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

The apostle—having proved in the foregoing chap- 
ter that neither Jews nor Gentiles have a right to 
the blessing of God’s peculiar kingdom otherwise 
than by grace, which is as free for the one as the 
other—in this chapter advances a new argument to 
convince the Jew: and to show the believing Gen- 
tile, in a clear light, the high value and strong se- 
curity of the mercies freely bestowed on them in 
the Gospel ; and at the same time to display the 
scheme of divine providence as laid in the counsel 
and will of God. His argument is taken from 
Abraham's case: Abraham was the father and 
head of the Jewish nation; God took him, and 
through him his posterity, into his special covenant, 
and bestowed upon them many extraordinary bless- 
ings above the rest of mankind. It ix also evident 
that Abraham was not justified by any obedience 
to law, or rule of right action, but, in the only way 
in which a sinner can be justified—by the mercy of 
the Lawgiver. Now, this is the very same way in 
which the Gospel saves the believing Gentiles, and 
gives them a part in the blessings of God's cove- 
nant. Why, then, should the Jews oppose the Gen- 
tiles ? especially as the Gentiles were actually in- 
cluded in the covenant made with Abraham; for 
the promise (Gen. xvii, 4) stated that he should be 
the father of many nations, The covenant having 
been made with Abraham, as the head or father of 


many nations, all in any nation who stood Peg the 


A. Μ΄. 4062. A. Ὦ. 58. 


ROMANS. 


Abraham was justified. not by 
works but by faith, 


Year of Rome, 511. 
CHAPTER IV. 

HAT shall we say then that » Abraham 
\ our father, as pertaining to the flesh, 
hath found? 2 For if Abraham were 'justi- 
fied by works, he hath whereof to glory; but 
not before God. 3 For what saith the Scrip- 
ture? ¢Abraham believed God, and it was 


αἰρὰ ὅ]. 2; Matt. 3.9; ae 33, Eb 2 Cor. 11. 22.—b Chap. 


. 20, 2 27, 28, 


counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now 
4to him that worketh is the reward not reck- 
oned of grace, but of debt. & But to him 
that worketh not, but believeth on him that 
justitieth ¢the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
righteousness. © Even as David also describ- 
eth the blessedness of the man unto whom 


6 Gen, 15. 6; Gal. 3. 6; kets mt Chap. 11. 6.——e Josh. 


same religious praia with him were his seed, and 
with him interested in the same covenant. But 
Abraham stood by faith in the faithfulness and 
mercy of God; and upon this footing the believing 
Gentiles stand in the Gospel. Therefore, they are 
the seed of Abraham, and included in the covenant 
and promise made to him. 

To all this the apostle knew well it would be ob- 
jected that it was not faith alone that gave Abraham 
aright to the blessings of the covenant, but his obe- 
dience to the law of circumcision; and this, being 
peculiar to the Jewish nation, gave them a peculiar 
interest in the Abrahamic covenant ; and that, con- 
sequently, whoever among the Gentiles would be 
interested in that covenant ought to embrace Ju- 
daism, become circumcised, and thus come under 
obligation to the whole law. With this objection 
the apostle a dexterously introduces his argu- 
ment, (verses 1, 2,) and shows, that according to 
the Scripture account Abraham was justified by 
faith, (verses 3-5;) explains the nature of that 
justification by a quotation out of the Psalms, 
(verses 6-9;) proves that Abraham was justified 
long before he was circumcised, (verses 9-11 1) that 
the believing Gentiles are his seed, to whom the 
promise belongs as well as to the believing Jews, 
(verses 12-17;) and lastly, he describes Abraham’s 
faith, in order to explain the faith of the Gospel. 
(Verses 17-25.) 

Jew: What shall we say then that Abra- 
ham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, 
hath found —The κατὰ σάρκα, pertaining to the 
flesh, must here refer to Abraham’s circumcision ; 
on which the Jew would found his right to peculiar 
blessings. [Kara Peas, in verse 1, corresponds 
with ἐξ ἔργων, in verse 2, and stands in opposition to 
κατὰ πνεῦμα. Abraham’s justification, as presented 
in the words of Scripture, had an earthward side, 
it was κατὰ σάρκα, whether that term is taken to 
refer to his circumcision or to his natural pa- 
ternity of the covenant people. It had also a 
spiritual side, of which the other was only the sym- 


bol, and this the apostle now seeks to bring clearly | 


into view.| We may, therefore, suppose the Jew 
arguing thus: But you set your argument on a 
wrong footing, namely, the corrupt state of our na- 
tion; whereas we hold our peculiar prerogative 
from Abraham, who is our father; and we have a 
right to the blessings of God’s peculiar kingdom 
in virtue of the promise made to him; his justifi- 
cation is the ground of ours. 

2. For if Abraham were justified by works, 
he hath whereof to glory—[Ilere the sentence 
should close, and what follows should be taken as 
part of the answer to be rendered to the objection 
proposed.| But not before God—These words 
contain the beginning of the answer to the argu- 
ments of the Jew, as if Paul had said: Allowing that 
Abraham might glory in being called from heathen- 
ish darkness into such marvellous light, and exult 
in the privileges which God had granted to him; 

32 


yet this glorying was not, before God, a reason 
why those privileges should be granted ; the glory- 
ing itself being a consequence of these very privi- 
leges. [To men these things might seem to be 
grounds for exultation, but not before God, who un- 
derstands their essential worthlessness. | 

3. For what saith the Scripture—The scrip- 
tural account of this transaction (Gen. xv, 6) is 
decisive ; for there it is said, Abraham believed God, 
and it was counted (ἐλογίσθη, it was reckoned to him) 
for righteousness, (εἰς δικαιοσύνην, for Justification.) 
[Tending to and resulting in justification.} Abra- 
ham believed God—[It was not the act of be- 
lieving that was reckoned to him as a righteous act, 
on account of which perfect righteousness was laid 
to his charge, but, that the fact of his trusting God 
to perform his promise introduced him into the bless- 
ing promised, ... Abraham could not, in the strict 
sense of the words, be justified by faith in Christ; 
nor is it necessary to suppose that he directed his 
faith forward to the promised Redeemer in person; 
but in so far as God’s gracious purpose was re- 
vealed to him he grasped it by faith, and that 
righteousness which was implied, so far, in it, was 
imputed to him. ... He believed implicitly, taking 
the promise, with all it involved and implied, as true. 

. Thus his faith was accounted to him for right- 
eousness.—<A/ford. | 

4. Now to him that worketh is the reward 
not reckoned of grace, but of debt — There- 
fore, if Abraham had been justified by works, the 
blessings he received would have been given to 
him as a reward for those works, and consequently 
his believing could have had no part in his justifi- 
cation. 

But to him that worketh not—[T6 δὲ μὴ 
ἐργαζομένῳ, to the not working, a transition from 
the example of Abraham to the case of the (any) 
Christian who believes in God’s justification 
through Christ, — Zholuck:] [which justification 
is given to the undevout, τὸν ἀσεβῆ, the. hitherto 
ungodly ; who has, however, become πεστεύοντι, 
believing, ἐπὶ τὸν Stxatoovra, on him justifying 
(who justifies) the ungodly. To all such faith is 
counted, λογίζεται, (is put into the reckoning,) εἰς, 
(not instead of, but as contributing to,) δικαιυσύνην, 
the state of gracious acceptance with God, through 
Christ. This is the whole of the great evangel- 
ical doctrine of justification by faith.] It is nee- 
essary to observe here, in order to prevent confu- 
sion and misapprehension, that although the verb 
δικαιόω has a variety of senses in the New Testa= 
ment, yet here it is to be taken as implying the 
pardon of sin—receiving a person into the favour of 
God. It is also necessary to observe, that our 
translators render the verb λογέζομαι differently in 
different parts of this chapter. It is rendered 
counted, (verses 3, 5;) reckoned, (verses 4, 9, 105) 
imputed, (verses 6, 8, 11, 22, 23, and 24.) Reck- 
oned is probably the best sense in all these places. 

6. Even as David also, etc.—David (in Psa. 


Abraham was justified by faith 
before he was circumeised. 


God imputeth righteousness without works, 
7 Saying, ‘Blessed are they whose iniquities 
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 
® Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will 
not impute sin. 9 Cometh this blessedness 
then upon the circumcision only, or upon the 
uncireumcision also? for we say that faith 
was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was 
in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in 
circumcision, but in uncircumcision. BB And 
she received the sign of circumcision, a seal of 
the righteousness of the faith which he had yet 
being uncircumcised: that "he might be the 


J Psa. 32.1, 2.—g Gen. 17. 10.— A Luke 19. 9; verses 12.16; 
xal. 3. 7. i Gen. 17. 4, etc.; Gal. 3. 29... 


xxxii, 1, 2) gives the true notion of this way of 
justification, that is, by faith, without the merit of 
works, where he says— 

7. Blessed are they whose iniquities are 
forgiven — That is, the man is truly happy whose 
iniquities, αἱ ἀνομίαι, (unlawfulnesses, see 1 John 
iii, 4,) [which may be either of the heart or the /ife, 
inward or ouiward,{ whose transgressions of law are 
forgiven. Whose sins, ai ἁμαρτίαι, his innumer- 
able deviations from the strict rule of truth and 
righteousness, are covered—entirely removed out of 
sight, and thrown into oblivion. 

8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord 
will not impute sin—To whose charge God does 
not reckon sin; [ἀνομία ard ἁμαρτία are here 
synonymous, and, therefore, “ forgiven,” “ par- 
doned,” and “not imputed,’ must be equivalent in 
meaning. The Revised Version, in violation of its 
own rules, has in this place, for ai ἀνομίαι, iniqui- 
ties ; but in 1 John iii, twice, ἡ ἀνομία is correct- 
ly translated /awlessness, |. 

9. Cometh this blessedness . . . upon the 
circumcision only—[Is this blessing then pro- 
nounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncir- 
eumcision also ?—Revised Version.] If this pardon, 
granted in this way, is essential to happiness, then 
is it the exclusive privilege of the Jews? | This 
cannot be; for, it is by the mere mercy of God, 
through faith. But if God offer it to the cireum- 
cision, not because they have been obedient, for 
they also have sinned, but because of his mere 
mercy, then of course the same blessedness may be 
offered to the Gentiles who believe in the Lord 
Jesus. And this is evident; for fuith was reck- 
oned to Abraham for righteousness. (His own 
_merits were not taken into the aecount,) but he e- 
lieved God, and his faith was reckoned to him εἰς 
δικαιοσύνην, in reference to his justification; God 
accepted his faith in the place of obedience, (mak- 
ing no account of “ works.”’) 

10. How (πῶς, under what circumstances) was it 
then reckoned—In what circumstances. Was this 
blessing bestowed upon Abraham when he was cir- 
cumcised, or before ? 
in uncircumcision—[Ilistorically and chronolog- 
ically, Abraham’s justification preceded his cirewm- 


“ * “ . | 
cision, and, therefore, the former could not have | ἷ : 
' made to Abraham, [and by virtue of the law of cir- 


Abraham for justification, as we read, (Gen. xv, 6,) | cumcision, | then faith is made void—is entirely use- 


depended on the latter.] Faith was reckoned to 
but circumcision was not instituted till about four- 
teen or fifteen years after. (Gen. xvii, 1.) 

11. And he received the sign of circum- 
cision, a seal, etc.—So far was obedience to the 
law of circumcision from being the reason of his 

Vou. 11.-- ὃ 


CHAPTER IV. 


Not in circumcision, but > 


A. M. 4062. A.D. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


father of all them that believe, though they be 
not circumcised ; that righteousness might be 
imputed unto them also: 2 And the father 
of circumcision to them who are not of the 
circumcision only, but who also walk in the 
steps of that faith of our father Abraham, 
which he had being yet uncircumcised. 12 For 
the promise, that he should be the ‘heir of the 
world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, 
through the law, but through the righteous- 
ness of faith. 14 For if they which are of 
the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the 
promise made of none effect: 15 Because 
'the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, 
k Gal. 8. 18.----2 Chap. 8. 20; δ. 18, 9: 7. 8.10, 11; 1 Cor, 15. 56; 
2 Oor. 3. 7,9; Gal. 3. 10,19; 1 John 3, 4, 


justification, that he not only received this justifi- 
cation before he was circumcised, but he received 
the sign of circumcision asa seal of the pardon 
which he had before actually received. And thus 
he became the father—the great head and repre- 
sentative—of all them that believe; particularly 
the Gentiles, who are now in precisely the same 
state in which Abraham was when he received the 
merey of God. The whole of the apostle’s argu- 
ment, in this fourth chapter, proves that believing 
Gentiles—that is, men of all races—are the seed of 
Abraham, to whom, as well as to himself, the 
promise was made; and that the promise made to 
him is the same in effect as that promise which is 
now made to all men. It is the Abrahamic cove- 
nant in which we now stand; and circumcision 
was a seal or sign of the gospel covenant (pro- 
phetically set forth.) 

12. And the father of circumcision—lIle is 
the head and representative of all who walk in the 
steps of his faith; who seek for justification by 
faith only, and not by the works of the law, Since 
the covenant was made with Abraham while he 
was a Gentile, he became the representative of the 
Gentiles, and they primarily were included in that 
covenant, and the Jews were brought in only con- 
sequentially. [This 12th verse is closely connected 
with what goes before, and is still under the 
government of the clause ‘hat he might be. (Verse 
11.}} [ Abraham is the Sather of the Faithful. But 
the triumph, and (the) recognition of that faith 
whereby he was constituted so, was not during his 
circumcision, but during his uncircumcision ; there- 
fore, the faithful, his descendants, must not be con- 


fined to the circumcised, but must take in the uncir- 


cumcised also.— Alford. ] 

13. For the promise, that he should be the 
heir of the world—Abraham is here represented 
as having all the world given to him as his inheri- 
tance; because in him all nations of the earth are 
blessed. All men are, therefore, interested in the 
Abrahamic covenant; and every person, now that 
the covenant is fully explained, has the privilege 
of claiming justification through faith, by the blood 
of Christ, in virtue of this original grant. 

14. For, if they which are of the law be 
heirs—If the Jews only are heirs of the promise 


less, and the promise, which was made to faith, is 
made of none effect. [If the inheritance is by the 
law, it cannot be by faith, the two methods mutu- 
ally exclude each the other.] 
15. Because the law worketh wrath—For 
33 


A. M. 4062. A. TD. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is 
of faith, that ἐΐ might be ™by grace; "to the 
end the promise might be sure to all the seed ; 
not to that only which is of the law, but to 
that also which is of the faith of Abraham; 
°who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is 
written, PI lave made thee a father of many 
nations,) 4 before him whom he believed, even 
God, "who quickeneth the dead, and calleth 
those ‘things which be not as though they 
were: 28 Who against hope believed in hope, 
that he might become the father of many na- 


ROMANS. 


Justification secure to all the 
spiritual seed of Abraham, 


tions, according to that which was spoken, 'So 
shall thy seed be. 89. And being not weak i in 
faith, “he considered not his own body now 
dead, when he was about a hundred years old, 
neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 
20 He staggered not at the promise of God 
through unbelief : but was strong in faith, giv- 
ing elory to God; 2H And being fully per- 
suaded, that what he had promised, vhe was 
able also to perform. 22 And therefore it 
was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now 
“it was not written for his sake alone, that it 


m Chap. 3. 24.——n Gal. 3. 22.-—o Isa. al. 9. chap. 9. &— 
p Gen. 17. d.—dgq Or, like unto him. r Chap. 8. ‘ll; Eph, 
2 1,a.—® se € eS) 9. "ὁ: 1 Cor. 1 285 1 Pet. 2, 10. 


“law,” νόμος, any ἫΣ or rule of duty. No law 
makes provision for the exercise of mercy, for it 
worketh wrath, ὀργὴν, punishment, for the disobe- 
dient. “Law” necessarily subjects the transgres- 
sor to punishment. [The idea of “law” and the 
idea of penal justice are correlative, because it is 
impossible to conceive of man except as a trans- 
gressor. — Tholuck.| Where no law is — [The 
purpose of the apostle here is not to deny the ex- 
istence of the law of God written in the heart, be- 
fore Moses, but to show that no promise of inheri- 
tance can be by the law. ... If we conceive a state 
in which the law, whether written or unwritten, 
should be altogether absent, (as in the brute crea- 
tion,) there would be no trans: ford. | 
[But no such case is possible. The clause is a neg- 
ative assertion, that because of the universality of 
sin, παράβατις, the universality of daw, of which 
sin is the transgression, is also assur ned.] 

16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be 
by grace—On this account the promise is merci- 
fully grounded, not on obedience to a law, but on 
the infinite goodness of God: and thus the promise 
as sure to all the seed—to all, [all men, without dis- 
tinction,] both Jews and Gentiles, who believe in 
Christ Jesus. All the seed necessarily compre- 
hends all mankind. Here it should be observed that 
faith and grace mutually and necessarily infer each 
other. For the grace and favour of God, in its 
own nature, requires faith in us; and faith on our 
part, in its own nature, supposes the grace or fa- 
vour of God. And it is of faith, that it might be 
by grace: grace, being the mere good will of the 
donor, is free and open to all whom he chooses to 
make the objects of it: and the divine wisdom ap- 
pointed faith to be the condition of the promise ; 
because faith is, on our part, the most simple prin- 
ciple, bearing an exact correspondence to grace, 
and reaching as far as that can extend. 

17. Asitis written, I have made thee a father 
—Abraham, as a father of many nations, is as such 
related to the covenant of God made with him. (Gen. 
xvii, 4,5.) [This verse is closely joined to the pre- 
vious one. The promise, as it stands, refers solely to 
the numerous bodily progeny of the patriarch. In so 
far, however, as his bodily progeny founded the the- 
ocracy, and were subservient to the reception of all 
nations of the earth into the covenant originally 
made with Abraham, Paul had good ground to say 
that the promise, even in a higher sense, had met 
its accomplishment.— Tholuck.| God, who quick- 
eneth the dead, ete.—[A general description of 
God’s almighty creative power, (see 1 Tim. vi, 13,) 
applied particularly to the matter in hand, the dead- 
ness of the generative power of Abraham himself, 

34 


~Gen. 15. 5.=——~wGen. 37. 173 12. 11; Heb. 11. 11, 12. 
© Psa. 115.3; Luke 1. 37, 43; Heb. 11. 19.—w Chap. 1d. 43 
1 Cor. 10. 6, 11. 


which was quickened by God.— A/ford.] And call- 
eth (names or speaks of) those things which be 
not as though they were—|This he did in this 
present case with regard to the seed of Abraham, 
which did not as yet exist.—A/ford.| [Probably 
there is here no reference to the resurrection of 
the body. ] 

18. Who against hope believed in hope— 
Though, in the ordinary course of things, Abraham 
had not the least foundation of hope, yet he be- 
lieved that he should be the father of many nations, 
according to that which was spoken; namely, that 
his posterity should be like the stars of heaven for 
multitude, and like the dust of the earth. 

19. He considered not his own body now 
dead—This was certainly a wonderful degree of 
faith. The promise stated that it was in his pos- 
terity that all the nations of the earth were to be 
blessed ; but he had, as yet, no child by Sarah, and 
he was one hundred years old, and Sarah was 
ninety; and, added to the utter improbability of 
her bearjng at that age, she had ever been barren 
before. And yet he believed, he staggered not at the 
promise, (verse 20,) though everything was unnat- 
ural and improbable; but he was strong in fuith, 
and, by this almost inimitable confidence, gave glory 
to God. It was to God’s honour that his servant 
put such unlimited confidence in him; and he put 
this confidence in him on the rational ground that 
God was fully able to perform what he had prom- 
ised. [Abraham did indeed feel and expréss the 
difficulty, (Gen. xvii, 17,) but his faith overcame it, 
and he ceased to regard it. But most probably Paul 
here refers only to Gen. xv, 5, 6, where his belief was 
implicit and unquestioning.—A/ford. | 

21. And being fully persuaded—lII/7podopy- 
θεὶς. His soul was full of confidence that God was 
able to fulfil his promise, and his truth would not 
allow it to fail. 

22. And therefore it was imputed to him 
for righteousness—Abraham’s strong faith in the 
promise was reckoned to him for justification ; for 
itis not said that any righteousness, either his own 
or that of another, was imputed or reckoned to him 
for justification; but “it,” that is, his faith in God, 
His faith was fully persuaded of the most merciful 
intentions of God’s goodness; and this, which in 
effect (but not in form) laid hold on Jesus Christ, 
the future Saviour, was the means of his justifica- 
tion; being reckoned unto him in the place of per- 
sonal righteousness. 

23. Now it was not written for his sake 
alone—The fact of Abraham’s believing is not re- 
corded as a mere circumstance in the ‘patriarch’s 
life intended to do lim honour; see below. 


Christ’s resurrection a pl 
the believer’s justification. 


was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, 
to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe 
*on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from 


α Acts 2. 24; 13. 3°.—y Isa. 53, 5, 6: chap, 3. 25: ὃ 


δ: 8. 85: 
2 Cor. 5. 21; Gal. 1.4; Heb. 9. 28; 1 Pet, 2. 24 


: 3.18, 


24. But for us also—The mention of this cir- 
cumstance has a much more extensive design than 
merely to honour Abraham. It is recorded as the 
model according to which God will save both Jews 
and Gentiles. If God will our salvation, it must 
be by faith; and faith contemplates his promise, 
and his promise comprehends the Son of his love. 

25. Who was delivered for our offences— 
Who was delivered up to death as a sacrifice for 
our sins. And was raised again for our justifi- 
cation—Our reconciliation to God, and giving us a 
title to that eternal life into which he has entered 
in our human nature, as the firstfruits of the res- 
urrection of mankind. [Our Lord was delivered up 
(to death) dca, for, or on account of, our sins, that 
is, because we had sinned. He was raised up, (from 
the dead,) dia, for, or on account of, our justifica- 
tion, that is, not because we had been, but that we 
might be, justified.—A/ford. ] 


1. [This important and comprehensive passage, 
(verse 25,) clearly shows the ‘nseparable connexion 
between Christ's death and Christ's resurrection, as 
also the connexion between the remission of sins and 
justification to a new life. By his atoning death 
Christ has abolished the guilt, (redeemed believers 
from its penalty, iii, 25,}and secured our pardon and 
peace ; and hence it (Christ’s death) is generally rep- 
resented as the ground of our justification, (δικαέω- 
σις,} that is, the non-imputation of sin, (chapter iii, 
24; v, 9.) But without the resurrection, the death of 
Christ would be of no avail, and his grave would be 
the grave of allour hopes. (1 Cor. xv, 17.) A gospel 
of a dead Saviour would be a miserable failure and 
delusion. The resurrection is the victory of right- 
eousness and life over sin and death... . In the 
next place, as the resurrection is the actual triumph 
of Christ, so it is also the necessary condition of the 
appropriation of the benefits of his death. It is 
only the risen Saviour whd can plead our cause at 
the mercyseat, and send the Holy Spirit to reveal 
him, and to apply the benefits of the atonement to 
believers. As little as the death and resurrection, 
can we separate the effects of both,—the remis- 
sion of sins and the new life in Christ. The sin- 
ner cannot be buried with Christ without rising with 
him as a new creature; the death of the old Adam 
is the birth of the new, and the life of the new pre- 
supposes the death of the old.—P. Schaff.] 

2. From a careful examination of the divine 
oracles it appears that the death of Christ was an 
atonement or expiation for the sin of the world: 


For him hath God set forth to be a proririation | 


9 


through ἙΛΊΤῊ in HIS BLOOD. (Chapter iii, 25.) For 
when we were yet without strength, in due time 


CHAPTER IV. 


Christ piep For the uNcopiy. (Chapter v,6.) And. 
when we were ENEMIES, we were RECONCILED fo God | ’ ’ 
|} death of a transgressor—for such only forfeit their 


by the peatH of his Son. (Verse 10.) Jn whom owe 
have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the FORGIYE- 
Ness of sins. (Eph. i, 7.) 
GIVEN HIMSELF FOR US, a7 OFFERING agg a@ SACRI- 
FICE fo God for a sweet-smelling savour. TEph. v, 2) 
In whom we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, 
the FORGIVENESS OF sins. (Col. i, 14.) And hav- 
ing made peace THROUGH the BLOOD of his Cross 
«ον tm the Bopy of HIS FLESH through DEaTH. 


Christ hath loved us, and | 


| 
| 


A. M. 4962. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


the dead; 25 » Who was delivered for our 
offences, and * was raised again for our jiisti- 
fication. 


eS te ee VS 
21 Cor. 15. 17; 1 Pet. 1, 21. 


(Col. i, 20, 22.) Who Gave HIMSELF A RANSOM for 
all. (1 Tim. ii, 6.) Who Gave HIMSELF For Us, that 
he might repeEm us from all iniquity. (Tit. it, 14.) 
By which will we are sanctified, through the orren- 
NG of the ΒΟΡῪ of Jesus Clorist. (Heb. x, 10.) So 
Christ was once OFFERED TO BEAR ΤΙΣ SINS of many, 
Heb. ix, 28. (See also Eph. ii, 13, 16; 1 Pet. i, 18, 
19; Rev. v, 9.) But it would be transcribing a very 
considerable part of the New Testament to set 
down all the texts that refer to this most important 
and glorious truth. 

3. The doctrine of justification by faith, which 
is so nobly proved in the preceding chapter, is one 
of the grandest displays of the merey of God to 
mankind. It is so very plain that all may compre- 
hend it; and so free that all may attain it. What 
more simple than this? Thou art a sinner, in con- 
sequence condemned to perdition, and utterly un- 
able to save thy own soul. All are in the same 
state with thyself, and no man can give a ransom 
for the soul of his neighbour. God, in his merey, 
has provided a Saviour for thee. As thy life was 
forfeited to death because of thy transgressions, 
Jesus Christ has redeemed thy life by giving up his 
own ; he died in thy stead, and has made an atone- 
ment to God for thy transgressions; and he now 
offers thee the pardon he has thus purchased, on 
the simple condition that thou believe that his death 
is a sufficient ransom and oblation Sor thy sin; and 
that thou bring it as such, by confident faith, to the 
throne of God, and plead it in thy own behalf there. 
When thou dost so, thy faith in that sacrifice shall 
be imputed to thee for righteousness ; that is, it 
shall be the means of receiving that salvation 
which Christ has bought by his blood, 

4. The doctrine of the imputed righteousness of 
Christ, as held by many, will not be readily found 
in this chapter, where it has been supposed to ex- 
ist in all its proofs. It is repeatedly said that 
FAITH is imputed for righteousness; but in no place 
here, that Christ's obedience to the moral law is im- 
puted to any man. The truth is, the moral law 
was broken, and did not now require obedience (as to 
the sinner ;) it required this before it was broken ; 
but, after it was broken, it required death. Kither 
the sinner must die, or some one in his stead; but 
there was none whose death could have been an 
equivalent for the transgressions of the world but 
Jesus Curist.* Jesus, therefore, died ror man; 
and it is through his b/ood, the merit of his passion 
and death, that we have redemption; and not by 
his obedience to the moral law in our stead, Our 
salvation was obtained at a much higher price. 
Jesus could not but be righteous and obedient ; 
this is consequent on the immaculate purity of 
his nature; but his death was not a necessary con- 
sequent. As the law of God can claim only the 
right to life—it is the greatest miracle of all that 
Christ could die, whose life was never forfeited. 
Here we see the indescribable demerit of sin, that it 
required such a death; and here we see the stupen- 
dous merey of God in providing the sacrifice ve- 
quired. It is therefore by Jesus Christ’s death, or 
obedience unto death, that we are saved, and not by 
his fulfilling any moral law. That he fulfilled the 

35 


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Year of Rome, 811. 


CHAPTER V. 
NEREFORE «being justitied by faith, we 
have *peace with God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ: 2% ¢By whom also we have ac- 


ROMANS. 


Peace with God the result of 
Justifying faith. 


cess by faith into this grace ‘wherein we 
stand, and © rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
3 And not only so, but ‘we glory in tribula- 
tions also ; ¢ knowing that tribulation -worketh 


a Isa. 32.17; John 16, 33: ch. 3 28,30. Eph. 2.14; Col 1. 20, 
—c John 10. 9; 14. 6; Eph, 2. 183.3. 12; Heb. 10. 19.—d 1 Cor, 


moral law we know; without which he could not 
have been qualified to be our mediator; but we 
must take heed lest we attribute to his (active) obe- 
dience (which was the necessary consequence of his 
immaculate nature) that which belongs to his pas- 
sion and death. These were free-will offerings of 
eternal goodness, and not even a necessary conse- 
quence of his incarnation. 

5. This doctrine of the imputed righteousness of 
Christ is capable of great abuse. To say that 
Christ’s personal righteousness is imputed to every 
true believer is not scriptural; to say that he has 
fulfilled all righteousness for us, or in our stead, if 
by this is meant his fulfilment of all moral duties, is 
neither scriptural nor true; that he has died in our 
stead, is a great, glorious, and scriptural truth ; 
that there is no redemption but through his blood, 
is asserted beyond all contradiction in the oracles 
of God. But there are a multitude of duties which 
the moral law requires which Christ never fulfilled 
in our stead, and never could. We have various 
duties of a domestic kind which belong solely to 
ourselves, in the relation of parents, husbands, 
wives, servants, ete., in which relations Christ never 
stood. He has fulfilled none of these duties for 
us, but he furnishes grace to every true believer to 
fulfil them to God’s glory, the edification of his 
neighbour, and his own eternal profit. The salvation 
which we receive from God’s free mercy, through 
Christ, binds us to live in a strict conformity to the 
moral law; that law which prescribes our manners, 
and the spirit by which they should be regulated, 
and in which they should be performed. He who 
lives not in the due performance of every Christian 
duty, whatever faith he may profess, is either a 
vile hypocrite or a scandalous Antinomian. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 


Ἰ 

In the former chapter, the apostle having proved 
that the believing Gentiles (that is, all men) are 
justified in the same way with Abraham, and are 
included with him in the promise and covenant, he 
judged this a proper place to produce some of the 
chief of those privileges and blessings as to which 
the Christian can glory, in consequence of his justifi- 
cation by faith. And he produces three particulars 
which, above all others, were adapted tothis purpose: 
1) The assured hope of eternal life, as to which the 
law was defective. 2) The persecutions and suf- 
ferings to which Christians were exposed; but he 
shows that these had a happy tendency to estab- 
lish the heart in the hope of the Gospel. 8) An 
interest in God, as our Gop and Farurr. These 
are the singular privileges belonging to the Gospel 
state, wherein true Christians may glory, as really 
belonging to them, and greatly redounding, if duly 
understood and improved, to their honour and 
benefit. 

1. Therefore being justified by faith—The 
apostle having proved that justification is by faith, 
now he proceeds to show the effects produced in the 
hearts of the believers who enter into its provisions. 
We are “justified”—have all our sins pardoned 

36 


15. 1.—e Heb. 3. 6.—/ Matt. 5. 11,12; Acts ὅ. 41; 2 Cor. 12. 10; 
Phil. 2.17; James 1. 2, 12; 1 Pet. 3. 14.—g James 1. 3. 


—‘through faith””—as the divinely ordained con- 
dition. We have peace with God—[Eipjvyv 
πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν expresses the state of reconciliation, 
(opposite to the former state of condemnation,) in 
consequence of the removal of God’s wrath, and 
(through) the satisfaction of his justice by the sae- 
rifice of Christ, who is our “ peace.” ... This objec- 
tive condition of peace (also) implies, as a necessary 
consequence, (accompaniment,) the subjective peace 
of the soul, which flows from the experience of 
pardon and reconciliation.—Lange.] “Peace” is 
generally the  firstfruits of our justification. 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ—His passion 
and death being the sole (meritorious) cause of our 
reconciliation to God. 

2. By whom...we have access—TIIpooayu- 
γὴν ἐσχήκαμεν, we had this access. [Grammatically 
this access is spoken of as something past, but what 
follows shows its indefinite continuity.] It was only 
through Christ that we could at first approach God; 
and it is only through him that the privilege is 
continued to us. We are not brought to God for 
only an interview, but to remain with him; to he of 
his household; and, by faith, to behold his face, 
and walk in the light of his countenance. Into 
this grace—This state of favour and acceptance. 
Wherein we stand—Having firm footing, and a 
Just title through the blood of the Lamb to the full 
salvation of God. And rejoice in hope of 
the glory of God—[Kavyaueta denotes the ex- 
pression of a joyous consciousness of blessedness 
with reference to the objective ground of blessed- 
ness. ... The ground of the glorying of Christians 
is not the glory of God, but the Horr of the glory of 
God, ἃ joyous anticipation of beholding (and _par- 
ticipating in) the glory.—Lange.| We exult in be- 
ing introduced by Jesus Christ to the divine pres- 
ence; his blood having been shed and sprinkled 
for this purpose. We are in the peace of God, and 
we are happy in the enjoyment of that peace, and 
have a blessed foretaste of eternal glory. Thus we 
have heaven upon earth, and the ineffable glories - 
of God in prospect. 

3. And not only so—Ov μόνον δέ, but more- 
over. But we glory (rejoice) in tribulations 


also—All the sufferings we endure for the testi- 


mony of our Lord are so sanctified to, us by his 
grace that they become powerful instruments of 
increasing our happiness. [The apostle knew the 
sweet uses of adversity; he knew that ‘ Christ 
nourishes his Church by suffering,” (Jeremy Taylor,) 
and that “the chastening of the Lord” is a disci- 
pline by which his children are prepared for glory. 
Therefore, looking through the clouds to the bright- 
ness beyond, he says, ‘“‘ we rejoice also in tribula- 
tions:” and he justifies this boast by an appeal 
to Christian experience.—Speaker’s Commentary. | 
Tribulation worketh patience—‘Yrouovy, en- 
durance under trials. A metaphor taken from re- 
fining metas. We find that the tribulations through 
which we pass are the means of exercising and in- 
creasing our patience—our meek forbearance of in- 
Juries received or persecutions experienced, on ac- 
count of the Gospel. 


Jesus died to reconcile to God 
the ungodly, 


patience; 4 "And patience, experience: and 
experience, hope: 6 'And hope maketh not 
ashamed; because the love of God is shed 
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which 
is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4062. A.D. 58 
Year of Rome, 811. 


without strength, 'in due time ™Christ died 
for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a right- 
eous man will one die: yet peradventure for a 
good inan some would even dare to die, ὦ But 
“God commendeth his love toward us, in that, 


h James 1. 12.—i Phil. 1. 20.— 4:2 Cor. 1.22: Gal. 4.6; Eph 
1. 13, 14. —2 Or, according to the time, Gal. 4. 4. 


4. And patience, experience—Aoxijjv, full 
proof by trial, of the solidity of our Christian state, 
and the faithfulness of our God. In such cases 
we have the opportunity of putting our religion 
to the test; and by every such test it receives the 
deeper sterling stamp. The apostle uses here, also, 
a metaphor taken from the purifying, refining, and 
testing of silver and gold. Experience, hope 
—[The “hope” existed before the experience; nev- 
ertheless, the more the Christian has become tried, 
the more also will hope consciously possess him.— 
Meyer. | 

5. And hope maketh not ashamed—[ 7/i/s 
“hope” shames not—disappoints not—‘mocks not;” 
but stays the soul on God.] Our hope is founded on 
the goodness and truth of God ; and our experience 
shows us that we have not misapplied it, nor ex- 
ercised it on wrong or improper objects. Because 
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts 
—([The divine love, effectually present in the heart 
through the Holy Spirit, is to the Christian con- 
sciousness of faith the sure pledge that we do not 
hope in vain, and so as to be put to shame at last, 
but that God will, on the contrary, fulfil our hope. 
—Meyer.| This love is the spring of all our ac- 
tions ; it is the motive of our obedience; the pvrin- 
ciple through which we love God; it is his own; 
and every flame that rises from this pure and vig- 
orous fire must be pleasing in his sight: it con- 
sumes what is unholy; refines every passion and 
appetite; sublimes the whole, and assimilates all 
to itself. The Holy Ghost comes with it; by his 
energy it is diffused and pervades every part; 
and by his light we discover what it is, and know 
the state of grace in which we stand. Thus we 
are furnished to every good word and work; have 
produced in us the mind that was in Christ; are 
enabled to obey the pure law of our God in its 
spiritual sense, by loving him with all our heart, 
soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbour—any 
and every soul of man—as ourselves. This is, or 
ought to be, the common experience of all believers 
in Christ. 

6. For when we were yet without strength 
—[While yet dead in sin, not having the forces 
of the true spiritual life, which we could only re- 
ceive through the Holy Ghost. The sinfulness is 
purposely described as weakness, need of help, in 
order to characterize it as the motive for the love 
of God interfering to save. — Meyer.] The apos- 
tle points out the previous condition of these sub- 
jects of the grace of the Gospel: 1) They were 
ἀσθενεῖς, without strength ; neither able to resist 
sin, nor do any good: utterly devoid of power 
to extricate themselves from the misery of their 
situation. 2) They were doéBecc, ungodly ; with- 
out either the spirit or the Anowledge of the true 
God; they had not God in them; were not par- 
takers of the divine nature: Satan lived in, ruled, 
and enslaved their hearts. 3) They were ἁμαρτωλοί, 
sinners, (verse 8,) [wicked, obnoxious to the conse- 
quences of sin; guilty and exposed to punishment. } 
4) They were ἐχθροὶ, enemies, (verse 10,) persons 


m Chap. 4. 25: verse 8,——n John 15. 13; 1 Pet. 3.18; 1 John 
3. 10; 4. 9, 10, 


who hated God and holiness; and acted in con- 
tinual hostility to both. Though every man brings 
into the world the seeds of all these evils, yet it is 
only by growing up in him that they acquire their 
perfection—nemo repente fuit turpissimus—no man 
becomes a profligate at once ; he arrives at it by de- 
grees ; and the speed he makes is proportioned to 
his circumstances, means of gratifying sinful pas- 
sions, evil education, bad company, ete. These 
make a great diversity in the moral states of men: 
all have the same seeds of evil—nemo sine vitiis 
nascitur—all come defiled into the world; but all 
have not gone to the same extent in cultivating 
these seeds. Besides, as God’s Spirit is continually 
convincing the world of sin, righteousness, and judg- 
ment, and the ministers of God are seconding its 
influence with their pious exhortations—as the Bible 
is in almost every house, and is less or more heard 
or read by almost every person—these evil seeds are 
receiving continual blasts and checks, so that, in 
many cases, they have not a vigorous growth. 
These causes make the principal moral differences 
that we find among men; though in evil propensi- 
ties they are all radically the same. In due time 
Christ died for the ungodly—{Now on neven 
was the time for saving the ungodly ; NOW oR 
NEVER was the acequed (propitious) time, (2 Cor. 
vi, 2;) and God’s love did not permit the right time 
for this salvation to elapse, but sent Christ to die 
for them the sacrificial death of atonement,— 
Meyer.) Ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν, he died wsteap of 
the ungodly, (see also verse 8, and Luke xxii, 19.) 
The body of Christ, τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διδόμενον, which 
is given FOR you; that is, the life that is laid down 
in your STEAD. In this way the preposition trip 
is used by the best Greek writers. 

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will 
one die—[The greatness of this love, of Christ's 
death on behalf of the impious, (ἀσέβεις,) is brought 
out by showing that there is none such among men, 
nay, that such self-sacrifice—not unexampled where 
a good man, one loving his fellow men, and loved 
by them, is to be 1rescued—is hardly found to occur 
on behalf of the pious and just.—A/lford.] Per- 
adventure for a good man scme would even 
dare to die—This is the truly benevolent man, 
whose life is devoted to the public good: for such 
a person, peradventure, some who have had their 
lives perhaps preserved by his bounty, would even 
dare to die: but such cases may be considered 
merely as possible: they exist, it is true, in ro- 
mance; and we find a few rare instances of friends 
exposing themselves to death for their friends, 
(See the case of Jonathan and David; Damon and 
Pythias, Val. Maz., lib. iv, ο. 7; Nisus and Eurya- 
lus, Virgil.) And our Lord says, (John xv, 13:) 
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends. This is the utmost 
we can expect among men. 

8. But God commendeth his love, etc. — 
Συνέίστησι. God hath set forth this act of infinite 
mercy Most conspicuously, so as to recommend it 
to the notice and admiration of all, [and by it to 

37 


A. M. 4062. A. D. 58. 
Year of Rome, $11. 


ROMANS. 


Reconcil'ation with God effected 
by the death of Jesus. 


while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
9 Much more then, being now justified Ὁ by his 
blood, we shall be saved Pfrom wrath through 
him. 10 For aif, when we were enemies, τ we 
were reconciled to God by the death of his 
Son: much more, being reconciled, we shall be 
saved sby his life. 11 And not only 80, but 


| 


we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, by whom we have now received the 
"atonement. 22 Wherefore, as ‘by one man 
sin entered into the world, and * death by 
sin; and so death passed upon all men, * for 
that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law 
sin was in the world: but ¥sin is not imputed 


eChapter 3. 25; Eph. ὃ. 13; Heb. 9, 14; 1 John 1. (ae 
py Chapter 1. 18; | Thess. 1. 10.—gq Chapter 8. 32. r2 Cor, 
5. 18,19; Eph. 2. 16; Col. 1. 20, 21.—s John 5. 26; 14. 19; 2 Cor. 
4,10, 11. 


persuade men to be saved]. While we were yet 
sinners—We were neither righteous nor good; but 
impious and wicked. (See the note on verse 6.) 
[ But he (that is, God) gives proof of (establishes) 
his (own) love (as distinguished from that of men, 
in verse 1,) toward us, in that, while we were yet 
(ἔτι, opposed to νῦν, in the next verse) sinners, 
(and opposed to the just and good in verse 7) Christ 
died for us. ] 

9. Much more then, being now justified— 
If Jesus Christ, in his endless compassion toward 
us, gave his life for ours while we were yet ene- 
mies, being now justified by his blood—by his death 
on the cross, and thus reconciled to God, we shall 
be saved from wrath—from punishment for past 
transgression—through him ; by what he has thus 
suffered for us. 

10. For if, when we were enemies — (See 
under verse 6.) We were reconciled—[If we 
were reconciled to God when enemies (that is, 
if in such a case God prepared a way of recon- 
ciliation for us) by a dying Saviour, much more, 
a fortiori, shall we, being thus reconciled, attain 
salvation by a living one.—Stwart.] We shall be 
saved by his life—For, 1) as he died for our 
sins, so he rose again for our justification; and 
his resurrection to life, was a victory for 8. 
2) This may also be understood of his life of inéer- 
cession: for it is written, He ever trvera to make 
INTERCESSION for us, (Heb. vii, 25.) Through this 
life of intercession at the right hand of God we 
are spared and blessed. 3) Our salvation implies 
the renovation of our nature and our being re- 
stored to the image of God ; so, σωθησόμεθα ἐν τῇ 
ζωῇ αὐτοῦ may be rendered: we shall be saved 1N 
his life ; the life of God in the soul of man, which 
is a condition of salvation. 4) The example also 
of the life of Christ is a means of salvation. He 
hath left us an example that we should follow his 
steps: and he that followeth him shall not walk 
in darkness, but shall have the light of ure. (John 
viii, 12.) 

11. We also joy (καυχώμενοι, we exult, or glory) 
in God, etc.—God is reconciled to us, and we are 
reconciled to him: the enmity is removed from our 
souls. He, for Christ’s sake, through whom we have 
received the atonement, καταλλαγὴν, the reconcilia- 
tion, has remitted the wrath, the punishment which 
we deserved: and now, through this reconciliation, 
we expect an eternal glory. 

12. Wherefore, as by one man— [“ Where- 
fore,” διὰ τοῦτο, referring to the preceding state- 
ments and discussions.| [‘ By one man,” (Adam,) 
single and singular in his position, and so presented 
as τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος, the type of the “ com- 
ing” Man, the one greater man, (Christ.)—Schaff. ] 
[The apostle regards the man as involving generic 
succession and transmitting the corrupt seed of 
sin; not the woman; but when he speaks of the 
personal share which each had in the transgression 

38 


t Chap. 2. 173 3. 29, 30; Gal. 4. 9. u Or, reconciliation, 
ver. 10; 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19. ® Gen. 3.6: 1 Cor. 15. 21.—2e Gen. 
2.17; chap. 6. 23; 1 Cor. la. 21. a Or, in whom.—y Chap. 
4, 15: 1 Jobn 8. 4. 


(1 Tim. ii, 14) he says, Adam was not deceived, 
but the woman being deceived was in the trans- 
gression.— A/ford.| May we not understand the 
“ane man,” ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου, to include both Adam 
and Eve, whose original oneness, and their con. 
currence in the transgression, and their joint par- 
entage of the human race, are the phenomena cf 
that solidarity of humanity upon which this whole 
argument depends ?] in entered into the world 
—[Though used with the article, it is manifest 
that ἡ ἁμαρτία is here employed in a generic sense, 
comprehending in its meaning both sinful acticns 
and affections. If Adam was created so as to be 
upright, and was pure and holy (in his nature) 
until his fall, then sin commenced (in the world, 
that is, the human race) with his fall—sin of any 
kind—sin either in affection or action. ‘“ Entered,” 
Εἰσῆλθεν, the first entiance or the commencement of 
sin (εἰς τὸν κόσμον) into (among) the world of man- 
kind is here designated. Kai διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, and 
through sin, through the instrumentality of sin, 
or by reason of it, (that is, its entrance,) θάνατος, 
dcath, also entered, clearly implying that the death 
here spoken of was not an original appointment, 
but a visitation brought upon mankind through the 
incoming of sin. Whether or not the death of the 
body is here at all spoken of, it is very evident the 
spiritual death (the lapsing of the soul into the 
state of moral atrophy, which the apostle so often 
calls death) is here intended, including, of course, 
eternal death as a direct consequence. See Stuart. | 
Death passed upon all men—All human beings 
partook in the consequences of Adam’s sin. He 
propagated Ais like ; and, with the rudiments of 
his own nature, propagated those of his moral 
likeness. [And death following after sem, passed 
unto all men.] For that all kave sinned—All 
are born with a sinful nature; and the seeds of 
this evil soon vegetate, and bring forth correspond- 
ing fruits. There has never been one instance of 
an immaculate human soul (except the Son of man) 
since the fall of Adam. Every man sins, and sins, 
too, after the similitude of Adam’s tyansgression. 
[Ἐφ᾽ ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον.) For that, ete.—[Some 
would render ἐφ᾽ ᾧ, IN WHOM: so proving by it ihe 
doctrine of the participation of all men in the 
original act of sin. But to this there are decided 
grammatical as well as doctrinal objections. By 
the usual laws of interpretation these words must 
be rendered because, or for that. All mankind, be- 
cause of their divinely ordained relations to Adam, 
have become involved in the evil consequence of his 
sin, and are, in the judgment of God, treated as 
sinners, (not only in the condemnation, but also 
and eminently in the provisions for their salvation 
in Christ.) See Stuart.] 

13. For until the law sin was in the world 
—\s death reigned from Adam to Moses, so also 
did sin. Now, as there was no written law from 
Adam to that given to Moses, the death that pre- 


The reign of spiritual death replaced 
_ by that of spiritual life. 


when there isnolaw. 14 Nevertheless death 
reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them 
that had not sinned after the similitude of 
Adam’s transgression, 7who is the figure of 


#1 Cor, 15. 


vailed could not be the breach of that law; for sin 
is not imputed when there is no law, and death is 
the penalty of sin. Therefore, men are not sub- 
jected to death for their own personal transgres- 
sions, but for the sin of Adam; as, through his 
transgression all come into the world with the 
seeds of death and corruption in their own nature ; 
[that is, all are by nature morally depraved and in 
a condition of spiritual death.] All are sinful—all 
are mortal—and all must die. 

14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam 
to Moses—[This assertion of the apostle entirely 
contradicts the individualistic view of man, that each 
(person) is a separate creation from God, existing 
solely in his own exclusive responsibility, and affirms 
the view that all are evolved by God’s appointment 
from an original stock, and though individually re- 
sponsible, are generically involved in the corrup- 
tion and condemnation of their original.—A//ord. | 
Who is the figure of him that was to come— 
Adam was the figure, τύπος, the type, pattern, or 
resemblance of Him who was to come ; that is, of the 
Messiah. The correspondence between them ap- 
pears in the following particulars: 1) Through 
Adam, as the spring and fountain of the human 
race, sin became diffused through the world, so 
that every man comes into the world with sinful 
propensities: for by one man sin entered into the 
world, and death by sin; and so death passed 
upon all men. (Verse 12.) Through Christ, as its 
spring and fountain, righteousness becomes diffused 
through the earth; so that every man is made par- 
taker of a principle of grace and truth; for he is 
the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh 
into the world. (John i, 9.) 2) As in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Cor. 
xv, 22.) For, since by man came death, by man 
came also the resurrection of the dead. (Verse 21.) 
8) As in or through Adam guwi/é came upon all 
men, 850, through Christ, the free gift comes upon 
all men unto justification of life. (Verse 18.) 
These seem to be the chief instances in which a 
similitude exists between Adam and Christ. [This 
clause is inserted on the first mention of the name 
Adam, the one man of whom he has been speaking, 
to recall the purpose for which he is treating of him, 
as the figure, τύπος, of Christ, τοῦ μέλλοντος, of him 
of the then future. (The firs, and not any other, 
advent of Christ is here referred to.) See Alford.] 
[ Up to (the time of) the law there was sin in the world, 
(men were naturally depraved and committed actual 
sins—not were accounted sinners because of Adam’s 
sin. The apostle reminds of the historical fact that 
there was sin in the world during this period.) But 
sin is not reckoned (as transgression) where there is no 
law. The vight sense of ἐλλογᾶται is reckoned, set 
down as transgression. In the case of those who 
had not the written law, ἁμαρτία is not formally 
reckoned as wapdBusic, set over against the com- 
mand; but in a certain sense, (chapter ii, 9—-16,) 7 
is reckoned, and they are condemned for it.—A/- 
ford.) |The distinction drawn by Alford (as above) 
between ἁμαρτία and παράβασις appears somewhat 
forced and unnatural. As here used the two terms 
appear to be of the same import, in respect to the 


CHAPTER V. 


A. Μ. 4062, A.D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 5/1, 


him that was to come. 15 But not as the of- 
fence, so also is the free gift: for if through 
the offence of one many be dead, much more 
the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which 


21, 22, 45, 


indicated ethical character of the subject and the 
resultant legal relations. (1 John iii, 4.) If we 
read until (from Adam down to that date) the (pro- 
mulgation by Moses of) law there was sin in the 
world, we must also concede that there was aw in 
the world as well, for so much is implied in the ex- 
istence of sin in the world; for sin cannot exist in 
the absence of law ; but the then existing law was 
not the law given by Moses. The existence of sin 
in the world during the pre-Mosaic period implies 
the contemporaneous existence of law, for sin 
(which cannot exist unrecognised by the Judge) 
is not imputed where there is no law, (and con- 
versely, where it is imputed there must be law.) 
Though the law of Moses was not yet given, there 
was /aw in the world nevertheless, during all that 
period ; and the sin that was in the world was the 
transgression of that law; the reigning of death 
from Adam until Moses (a measure of time) im- 
plies the prevalence of sin during that period, for 
this death (whether natural or spiritual death, or 
both, are here to be understood) is unquestionably 
the result—wages—of sin. But the sins of those 
who were thus without the written law was not, 
of course, after the likeness, ὁμοιώματι, the simili- 
tude, had not the form and conditions, of Adam’s 
sin. | 

15. But not asthe offence, so also is the free 
gift—[The trespass, παράπτωμᾷ, and the gift, χάρι- 
ona, have many points in common, but in other points 
they are contrasts. The influence proceeding from 
Adam is sin and destruction; that from Christ, 
holiness and felicity. They agree, in that both 
kingdoms originate in a single person, the first 
Adam and the second being each the head and 
founder of an entire race. The difference is, 
(verse 16,) that when Adam fell, he had before him 
(in posse) a pure and uncontaminated progeny, upon 
which his sin operated so perniciously as to con- 
stitute them all sinners. On the other hand, Christ 
has the entire race, with its innumerable sinners, 
before him, and by his perfect obedience (unto 
death) not only does away [makes provisions for 
doing away] the whole consequences of that orig- 
inal sin, but restores afresh the δικαίωσις ζωῖς, 
that is, the justification which brings in the perfect 
divine and blessed life. See Tholuck.] For if 
through the offence of one many be dead— 
That the οἱ πολλοὶ, the many of the apostle, here 
means all mankind, needs no proof; (the whole 
argument requires that sense.) And if the many, 
that is, all mankind, have died through the offence 
of one; certainly, the gi/t by grace, which abounds 
unto τοὺς πολλοὺς, the many, by Christ Jesus, must 
have reference to every human being ; for it is 
most evident that the same persons are referred to 
in both clauses of the verse. If the apostle had 
believed that the benefits of the death of Christ had 
extended only to a select number of mankind, he 
never could have used the language he has done 
here. Though, in the first clause, he might have said, 
without any qualification of the term, throwgh the 
offence of one, MANY are dead ; in the second clause, 
to be consistent with the doctrine of particular re- 
demption, he must have said, the grace ast 


A. M, 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 511. 


is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded 
“unto many. 4&6 And not as it was by one 
that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment 
was by one to condemnation, but the free gift 
is of many offences unto justification. 17 For 


ROMANS. 


Judgment came by one offence; the 
free gift is of many offences, 


if »by one man’s offence death reigned by one; 
much more they which receive abundance of 
grace and of the gift of righteousness shall 
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) £8 There- 
fore, as ¢by the offence of one judgment came 


a Isa, 53. 11; Matt. 20. 28; 26. 28. 


b Or, by one offence.—c Or, by one offence. 


and the gift by grace, hath abounded unto somr. As 
by the offence of one judgment came upon ALL men 
to condemnation ; so, by the righteousness of one, the 
Sree gift came wpon some to justification, (verse 18.) 
As, by one man’s disobedience, MANY were made sin- 
ners ; 80, by the obedience of one, shall some be made 
righteous, (verse 19.) As in Adam att die; so, in 
Christ, shall somn be made alive, (1 Cor. xv, 22. 
But neither the doctrine nor the thing ever entered 
the soul of this divinely inspired man. Hath 
abounded unto many — That is, Christ Jesus 
died for every man; saving grace is tendered to 
every soul; and a measure of the divine light is 
actually communicated to every heart, (John i, 9.) 
And, as the grace is offered, so it may be received ; 
and hence the apostle says, (verse 17,) They which 
receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of right- 
eousness, shall reign in life by Christ Jesus. |‘ Hath 
abounded,” in the sense that it was not limited to 
a reversal of the effects of Adam’s sin: it did not 
restore in the same form that which had been lost 
in Adam, but bestowed far more and better gifts. 
... To those who will accept the grace, it brings 
both greater abundance of grace here, and the sure 
hope of glory hereafter.—Speaker’s Commentary. | 

16. And not as it was by one that sinned— 
The judicial sentence that followed Adam’s sin 
(that is, death and expulsion from paradise) took 
its rise from his ove offence alone, and terminated 
in condemnation; but the free gift of God in Christ 
takes its rise also from the many offences which 
men, in a long course of life, have personally com- 
mitted; and the object of this grace is to justify 
them freely, and bring them to eternal life. [The 
one sinning, ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήσαντος, is Adam, here pre- 
sented in respect to his ove act of disobedience ; 
the gift, τὸ δώρημα, is Christ’s work, shown in con- 
trast. Through the former has come upon men 
the judgment to condemnation; through the latter, 
justification from the penal consequences of many 
(all) offences, with all the consequent blessings of 
salvation. | 

17. Death reigned by one—[“ Death (spirit- 
ual) reigned:” under its tyranny man’s free agency 
is destroyed. The justified shall themselves reign 
in life; for life eternal (spiritual) is the element in 
which man’s personal and conscious activity shall 
find its glorious development. The blessing here 
promised is far more than the restoration of what 
was lost through Adam ; it is promised, therefore, 
not to all unconditionally, but to those who accept 
that gift of righteousness which is offered to all. 
—Speaker’s Commentary. | 

If we carefully compare verse 15 with verse 17, 
we shall find that there is a correspondence between 
meptoceiav, the abounding, (verse 17,) and ἐπε- 
ρίσσευσεν, hath abounded, (verse 15:) between τῆς 
δωρεᾶς τῆς δικαιοσύνης, the gift of righteousness, 
that is, justification, (verse 17,) and ἡ δωρεὰ ἐν χάριτι, 
the gift by yrace, (verse 15;) therefore, if we under- 
stand the abounding of grace, and the gift of justifi- 
cation, (verse 17,) we shall understand the grace of 
God, and the gift by grace which hath abounded un- 
to the many, (verse 15.) Butthe abounding of grace, 

40 


and the gift of justification, (verse 17,) is that grace 
and gift which is RECEIVED by those who shall 
reign in life. Reigning in life is the consequence 
of receiving the grace and gift. Therefore, receiv- 
ing the grace is a necessary qualification on our 
part for reigning in life; and this necessarily im- 
plies our believing in Christ Jesus as having died 
for our offences, receiving the grace so freely offered 
us, using the means in order to get more grace, 
and bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit. “ Re- 
ceive’? must here have the same sense as in Matt. 
xiii, 20, “ΗΔ that heareth the word, and anon with 
joy receiveth it:” and John i, 12, “ But as many as 
received him, to them gave he power to become the 
sons of God:” also John iii, 11, and many others. 
18. Therefore, as by the offence of one, etc. 
—The Greek text of this verse is as follows: “Apa 
οὖν ὡς Ov ἑνὸς παραπτώματος εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους 
εἰς κατάκριμα, οὕτως καὶ OV ἑνὸς δικαιώματος εἰς πάν- 
τας ἀνθρώπους εἰς δικαίωσιν ζωῆς ; which, literally 
rendered, stands thus :— 76} 7076, as by one offence 
unto all men, unto condennation ; so likewise, by 
one righteousness unto all men, to justification of 
life. This is evidently an elliptical sentence, and 
its full meaning can be gathered only from the con- 
text. He who had no particular purpose to serve 
would, most probably, understand it, from the con- 
text, thus :— Therefore, as by one sin all men came 
into condemnation ; so also by one righteous act all 
men came unto justification of life ; which is more 
fully expressed in the following verse. Through 
the disobedience of Adam a sentence of condem- 
nation to death passed upon all men; so, by the 
obedience of Christ unto death, his one grand act, 
the sentence was so far reversed that death shall 
not finally triumph. Justice must have its due; 
and therefore all die, (are spiritually dead.) The 
mercy of God, in Christ Jesus, shall have its due 
also; and therefore all shall be (spiritually quick- 
ened and) put into a salvable state, (and potentially 
saved.) Thus both justice and mercy are magnified ; 
and neither is exalted at the expense of the other. 
The apostle uses three remarkable words in these 
three verses: 1) Δικαίωμα, justification, (verse 16.) 
2) Δικαιοσύνη, which we render righteousness, (verse 
;17,) but is best rendered justification, as expressing 
that pardon and salvation offered to us in the Gos- 
pel. (See the note on chapter i, 16.) 8) Δικαίωσις, 
which is also rendered justification, (verse 18.) 
Δικαίωμα signifies, among the Greek writers, the 
sentence of a judge acquitting the innocent, condem- 
ning and punishing the guilty ; but in the New 
Testament it signifies whatever God has appointed 
or sanctioned as a law. The second word, δικαι- 
oovvy, I have explained at large in chapter i, 16, 
already referred to. The third word, δικαίωσις, is 
used by the Greek writers, almost universally, to 
denote the punishment inflicted on a criminal, or 
the condemnatory sentence itself; but in the New 
Testament, where it occurs only twice, (Rom. iv, 25, 
he was raised for our justification, δικαίωσιν, and 
chap. v, 18, unto justification of life, δικαίωσιν ζωῆς,) 
it evidently signifies the pardon and remission of 
sins, and seems to be synonymous with δικαίωμα. 


By one man’s sin all became sinners; by 
one man’s obedience all may be saved. 


CHAPTER V. 


A, M. 4062. A.D, 88, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


upon all men to condemnation; even so ¢by 
the righteousness of one the sree gift came ὁ up- 
on all men unto justification of life. 19 For 
as by one man’s disobedience many were made 
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many 
be made righteous. 20 Moreover ‘the law 


32; 


αἱ Or, by one righteowsness.—e John 12. Heb. 2. 9. 


entered, that the offence might abound. But 
where sin abounded, grace did much £more 
abound: 28 That as sin hath reigned unto 
death, even so might grace reign through 
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 


J John 15, 22; chap. 3. 90: 4, 15: 7.8; Gal. 3. 19,23. —g Luke 
7. 47; 1 Tim. 1. 14. 


19. For, as by one man’s disobedience, etc. 
—[Owing to the identity of human nature, (the so/- 
idurity of the race,) by means (reason) of the 
inward discord in the mind of Adam, with whom 
the race was involved, sin and its consequences 
were entailed upon all. By means of the holiness 
of the secdnd Head of the race, and in virtue of 
the spiritual communion and oneness of believers 
with him, the δικαιοσύνη is entailed upon them, 
which shall be still more clearly displayed in the 
life to come.— Tholuck. | 

20. The law entered, that (iva) the offence 
might abound—The law (of Moses) entered in, 
(παρεισῆλθεν.) This I understand of the temporary 
or limited use of that law, which was, so far 
as its rites and ceremonies are considered, con- 
fined to the Jewish people, and to them only 
till the Messiah should come; but considered 
as the moral law, or rule of conscience and life, 


it has in its spirit and power been _ slipped 
in—introduced into every conscience, that sin 
might abound—that the true nature, deform- 


ity, and extent of sin might appear; for by 
the law is the knowledge of sin: for how can the 
finer deviations from a straight line be ascertained 
without the application of a known straight edge ? 
Without this rule of right, sin can only be known 
in a sort of general way. It was necessary that 
this law should be given, so that the true nature of 
sin might be seen, and that men might be the bet- 
ter prepared to receive the Gospel, finding that 
this law worketh only wrath; that is, denounces 
punishment on all who have sinned. Now it is 
wisely ordered of God that wherever the Gospel 
goes there the law goes also; entering everywhere, 
that sin may be seen to abound, and that men may 
be led to despair of salvation in any other way, or 
on any terms but those proposed in the Gospel of 
Christ. Thus the sinner becomes a true penitent, 
and is glad, seeing the curse of the law hanging 
over his soul, to flee for refuge to the hope set 
before him in the Gospel. But where sin 
abounded—Whether in the world or in the heart 
of the individual, being discovered by this most 
pure and righteous law, grace did much more 
abound; not only pardon for all that is past is 
offered by the Gospel, but also the Holy Spirit, in 
the abundance of his gifts and graces, is communi- 
cated, so as to prepare the receiver for an exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory. Thus “where sin 
abounded, grace did much more abound.” 

21. That as sin hath reigned unto death— 
As extensively, as deeply, as universally, as “ sin,” 
whether implying the act of transgression or the 
impure principle from which the act proceeds, or 
both. “Hath reigned: ” subjected the whole soul, 
and all its powers and faculties, “unto death,” ¢em- 
poral, spiritual, and eternal; even 80, as extensively, 
deeply, and universally might grace reign—filling 
the whole earth, and pervading, purifying, and 
refining the whole soul—through righteousness 
—through this process of free salvation by the 


blood of the Lamb, and by the principle of holiness 
inwrought in the soul by the Holy Ghost, unto 
eternal life—the proper object of an immortal 
spirit’s hope. Where God is, and where he is 
seen AS HE Is, by Jesus Christ our Lord, as 
the cause of our salvation, the means by which it 
is communicated, and the source whence it springs. 
Thus we find that the salvation from sin here is as 
extensive and complete as the guilt and contami- 
nation of sin. Here is glorying: ‘“‘Unto him that 
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own 
blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto 
God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion 
for ever and ever. Amen.” 


ADDITIONAL NOTE. 
(Verses 12-21.) 

12-18. [This section is difficult in proportion 
to its depth, grandeur, and world-historical com- 
prehensiveness. Only a mind of the very highest 
order, to say nothing of inspiration, could con- 
ceive such vast thoughts, and compress them with- 
in so few words. The beginning, the middle, and 
the end of history are here brought together in 
their representative moral powers and _ principles. 
Paul deals with religious truths and facts, which are 
much broader and deeper than the after-thoughts 
of our logic and theology, and cannot be forced 
into the narrow limits of particular schools and 
schemes.... The section is not a mere episode, 
but a progress in the argument from the doctrine 
of justification to the broader doctrine of a /ife 
union of the believer with Christ, which prepares 
the way for the doctrine of sanctification in chap- 
ter vi, and of glorification in chapter viii. Like a 
skilful physician, the apostle goes not only to the 
root and fountainhead of the evil, but also to the 
root and fountainhead of the cure. In bold anti- 
thetical contrasts, and on the basis of a vital, or- 
ganic union of humanity, both in the order of 
fallen nature and the order of redeeming grace, 
he presents the history of the fall by the first, and 
the redemption by the second, Adam. Adam and 
Christ are the two representative heads of the 
whole race, the one the natural, the other the super- 
natural, (by divine decree ;) from one the power of 
sin and the power of death have proceeded upon 
all men through their participation in (or relation to) 
his fall; from the other, righteousness and life have 
come upon all on condition of faith, or a living 
apprehension of Christ. But the gain by the re- 
demption greatly surpasses the loss by the fall. 

The main stress (of the argument) lies on the 
idea of life in its progress from Christ to the be- 
liever. The same parallelism between the first and 
the second Adam, but with exclusive reference to 
the contrast of death and the resurrection, occurs 
in 1 Cor. xv, 21, 22, 45-48, which should be kept 
in view. It is impossible to understand this section 
from the standpoint of a mechanical and atomistic 
conception of humanity and of sin, such as sierra 


A, M. 4062, A. D. 58, 
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Waar a 


CHAPTER VI. 


shall we τὸν then? Shall we 


ROMANS. 


Justification by faith in Christ furnishes 
no ground for immorality, 


continue in sin, that grace may abound ? 
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are "dead 


Suan 3. 8; verse 15, 


bd Ver. 11; chap. 7.4; Gal. 2.19; 6. 14; Col. 3.3; 1 Pet: 2. 24. 


ism and cognate systems maintain. On the sur- 
face, all things appear separate and isolated; in 
the hidden roots, they are united. It is character- 
istic of all deep thinking to go back to principles 
and general ideas. Pal evidently views the human 
race as an organic unit. Adam and Christ sustain 
to it a central and universal relation, similar to that 
which the fountain sustains to the river, or the root 
to the tree and its branches. Adam was not merely 
an individual, but the natural (and divinely ordained) 
head of the human family, and his transgression was 
not an isolated act, (beginning and terminating in 
himself, ) but (itjaffected the whole race which sprang 
from his loins ; just as the character of the tree will 
determine the character of the branches and fruits. 
So it is with Christ He calls himself emphatically 
the—not a—Son of Man, the universal, normal, 
absolute MAN, the representative head of regener- 
ate humanity, which is from heaven, heavenly, as 
Adam’s fallen humanity is of the earth, earthy. 
(1 Cor. xv, 47,48.) Both were tried and tempted 
by the devil, the one in the garden of innocence, 
the other in the desert; but the one succumbed, 
and dragged his posterity into the ruin of the fall, 
while the other conquered, and became the author 
of righteousness and life to all who embrace him. 
Christ has gained far more for us than Adam lost, 
namely, eternal reunion with God, in the place of 
the temporary (and conditional) union of untried 
innocence. The resurrection of humanity in Christ 
is the glorious solution of the dark tragedy of the 
disastrous fall of humanity in Adam.—P. Scuarr 
in Lange. | 


(Synopsis of the Section. Verses 12-21.) 


[I. The principle of sin and death became im- 
manent (hereditary) in humanity. (Verses 12-14.) 
1) Sin and death proceeded from Adam’s παράβασις 
(transgression) upon all (his race) under the form of 
an ethical appropriation by all,—that is, by each 
individual. (Verse 12.) 2) Death (also so pro- 
ceeded) as revealer of the improperly apprehended 
sin, from Adam to Moses, or to (μέχρι, till) the law, 
not by the law. (Verses 13, 14.) 

Il. The opposing principle of the gift of grace 
and of the new life made immanent (spiritually 
hereditary) in humanity. (Verses 15-19.) 1) The 
actually manifested contrast in the effects of the 
two principles. (a) The contrast between the ae 
tual and the natural effects according to their 
quantitative extension to persons; or the contrast 
in its personal relation. (Verse 15.) (ὁ) The con- 
trast between the positive effects, according to the 
qualitative intensity of judgment and justifica- 
tion; or, the contrast 7m its essential relation. 
(Verse 16.) 2) The contrast in the potential and 
prospective effects of the two principles. (a) The 
contrast between the enslavement of all personal 
life by impersonal (merely personified) death, and 
the future glory of the pardoned, immortal, and 
reigning personalities in the new life. (Verse 17, 
at the same time a proof for verse 16.) (6) The 
contrast in all its ideal magnitude: One condemna- 
tion came upon all men, because of the power of 
the fall of one man ; so, by the righteousness of one, 
can all men attain to the justification of life, (that 
is, not merely justification of faith.) (Verse 18.) 


3) The contrast in the final effects disclosed by the 
Gospel. By the effect of one man’s disobedience 
the many are represented, in the light of the Gos- 
pel, as sinners exposed to the judgment; finally, 
by the obedience of one, the many are to be repre- 
sented as righteous in the judgment. (Verse 19.) 

Ill. The co-operation of the law for the finished 
revelation of sin and for the communication of the 
finished revelation of the grace of justification. 
(Verses 20, 21.) 1) The law is designed to effect 
directly the developing process of sin (its manifes- 
tation) to historical completion, in order to effect 
indirectly that revelation of grace which far pre- 
ponderates over the development of sin. (Verses 
20, 21.) See Lange. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 


The apostle, having proved that salvation must 
come through the Messiah and be received by faith 
only, proceeds in this chapter to show the obliga- 
tions under which all men are laid to live a holy 
life, and the means and advantages they enjoy for 
that purpose. This he does, not only as a thing 
highly and indispensably necessary in itself, but also 
to confute a calumny which appears to have been 
gaining ground even at that time, namely, that the 
doctrine of justification by faith, through the grace 
of Christ Jesus, rendered obedience to the moral 
law useless; and the more evil a man did, the 
more the grace of God would abound to him in his re- 
demption from that evil. That this calumny was 
then propagated we learn from chap. iii, 8; and 
the apostle defends himself against it in the 81st 
verse of the same chapter, by asserting that his 
doctrine, far from making void the law, served to 
establish it. But in this and the two following 
chapters he takes up the subject in a regular, 
formal manner, and shows that the principles of 
the Christian religion absolutely require a holy 
heart and a holy life, and make the amplest pro- 
visions for both. 

1. Shall we continue in sin—We may imag- 
ine that these were the words of a believer who, 
having as yet received but little instruction, might 
imagine, from the manner in which God had 
magnified his mercy in blotting out his sin on 
his simply believing on Christ, that should he 
even give way to the evil propensities of his 
own heart, his transgressions could do him no 
harm now that he was in the favour’of God. We 
find that, indeed, eighteen centuries after this, per- 
sons have appeared, not merely asking such a 
question, but defending the doctrine with all their 
might ; and asserting in the most unqualified man- 
ner “that believers were under no obligation to 
keep the moral law of God; that Christ had kept 
it for them; that his keeping it was imputed to 


them; and that God, who had exacted it from 
him who was their surety and representative, 


would not exact it from them.’ These are the An- 
tinomians who once flourished in this land, and 
whose race is not yet utterly extinct. 

2. God forbid—M? γένοιτο, let it not be; let 
not such a thing be mentioned !—Kither of these is 
the meaning of the Greek phrase, which is a strong 
expression of dissent and disapprobation: and is 
not properly rendered by our God forbid! [Neither 


Baptism figures death to sin, 
and spiritual life in Christ. 


to sin, live any longer therein? 


CHAPTER VI. 


3 Know ye| ness of life. 


A. Μ. 4962. A.D. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


5 “For if we have been planted 


not, that “50 many of us as “ were baptized in- | together in thie: likeness of his death, we shall 


to Jesus Christ ὁ were baptized into his death ? 
4 Therefore we are ‘buried with him by bap- 
tism into death: that like as Christ was 
raised up from the dead by "the glory of the 
Father, ‘even so we also should walk in new- 


Gal. 


3. 27.—d Or, are.—el Cor. 15. 299.—/ Col. 2. 12, 
wee Chap. 8. 11; 1Cor. 6. 14; 2 Cor. 18. 4.-----ἡ John 2. 11; 
. 1, 


be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 
6 Knowing this, that !our old man is cruci- 
fied with Aim, that “the body of sin might be 
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve 
sin. VY For "he that is dead is °freed from 


{ Gal. δι 15; Eph. 4. 29-24; Col 3. 10.—k Phil. 3. 10, il. Ἐπ 
168]. 5. 20; 5. 24; ἃ 14τ Epb. 4.22: Col. 3. 5, 9—m Col, & NL. 
—n 1 Pet: 4. 1.—o Gr. justified. 


the divine name, nor any word answering to “ for- 
bid,” is found in the original. The nearest English 
equivalent is the phrase No, No! an imperative nega- 
tion.]| How shall we, that are dead [have died] 
to sin—The phraseology of this verse is common 
among Hebrews, Greeks, and Latins. To pig to a 
thing or person is to have nothing to do with it or 
him, to be totally separated from them: and to 
live to a thing or person is to be wholly ὁ given up to 
him or it, to have the most intimate connexion with 
them. [‘ How?” implying not a physical i impossi- 
bility, but a moral contradiction.—Speaker’s Com- 
mentury.| (“Died to sin,’—an acknowledged fact 
in the Christian life, which precludes (renders un- 
suitable and fatally dangerous) our persisting in our 
sin.— A/ford. | 

3. Know ye not, ete.—[Lest the phrase, ‘“ died 
to sin,” (verse 2,) should seem strange and unintel- 
ligible, the apostle checks himself and explains it ; 
yet even in his mode of doing this he implies that 
his readers ought not to need an explanation.— 
Speaker's Commentary.) Baptized into his death 
—(Baptism in the early Church, and always, was the 
recognised symbol and sign of the new life in Christ ; 
and as life in Christ implied death to (in respect to) 
the world, so baptism truly signifies death to the 
world and life in Christ ; and hence it is called “ the 
washing of regeneration,” which is further explained 
as “the: renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus iii, 5.)] 
[The death of Chri ist, here named, is not merely the 
death of the individual Jesus, but the death which, 
in principle or power, comprehends all mankind, 
and which absolutely separates the old world and 
the new world.—Lange. | 

4. We are buried with him by baptism into 
death—The convert from heathenism at his bap- 
tism was supposed to throw off his old Gentile 
state as he threw off his clothes, and to assume a 
new character, as the baptized generally put on 
new or fresh garments. Possibly the apostle al- 
ludes to this mode of immersion; though in the 
next verse our being incorporated into Christ is de- 
noted by our being “planted, or rather, grafted, to- 
gether in the likeness of his death. [Εἰς τὸν θάνατον 
must be closely connected with βαπτίσματος (bap- 
tism) into the death of Christ for the appropria- 
tion of its full benefit, viz., the remission of sins 
and reconciliation with God.—Schagf.] The grand 
point is, that this baptism represents our death to 
sin and our obligation to walk in newness of life; 
without which, of what use can it or any other 
rite be? Raised up from the dead by the... 
Father—From this we learn, that as it required 
the glory of the Father—that is, his glorious energy, 
to raise up Christ from the dead, so it requires the 
same glorious energy to quicken the dead soul of a 
sinner and enable him to walk in newness of life. 
[The power of Christ’s resurrection, of which God 
Is the author and man the subject, is revealed and 
experienced by the energy of the Holy Spirit.] 

5. For if we have been planted together— 


Σύμφυτοι γεγόναμεν. Here we find a metaphor both 
beautiful and expressive. When the seed or plant 
is inserted in the ground, it derives from that 
ground all its nourishment, and all those juices 
by which it becomes developed. The death of 
Jesus Christ is represented as the cause whence 
his fruitfulness, as the author of eternal salvation 
to mankind, is derived; and genuine believers are 
represented as being planted in his death, and grow- 
ing out of it. It is by his death that Jesus Christ 
redeems a lost world; and from that vicarious 
death believers derive that pardon and holiness 
which makes them so happy in themselves and so 
useful to others. This sacrificial death is the soil 
in which they are planted; and from which they 
derive their life, and fruitfulness, and final glory, 

6. Our old man is crucified with him—This 
seems to be a further extension of the same meta- 
phor. When a seed is planted in the earth, it ap- 
pears as if the whole body of it perished. A\\ seeds, 
as they are commonly termed, are composed of 
two parts: the germ, which contains the rudiments 
of the future plant: and the lobes, or body of the 
seed, which by their decomposition in the ground, 
become the first nourishment to the extremely fine 
and delicate roots of the embryo plant, and sup- 
port it till it is capable of deriving grosser nour- 
ishment from the common soil. The body dies 
that the germ may live. The principle of life 
which Jesus Christ has implanted in us is to be 
brought into full effect, vigour, and usefulness by 
the destruction of the body of sin. The old man— 
our wicked, corrupt, and fleshly se//—is to be eruci- 
fied ; to be as truly slain as Christ was crucified ; 
that our souls may as truly be raised from a death 
of sin to a life of righteousness as Christ was 
raised from the dead, and afterward ascended to 
the right hand of God. Jesus Christ took on him 
our nature—the likeness of sinful flesh, (chap. viii, 
3;) and through his death alone an atonement was 
made for sin, and the way laid open for the vivify- 
ing Spirit to have the fullest access to, and the 
most powerful operation in, the human heart. 
Here, Christ dies that he may be a quickening 
Spirit to mankind. Our body of sin is destroyed 
by this quickening Spirit, that henceforth we should 
live unto him who die@ and rose again. From all 
which we may learn that the design of God is to 
counterwork and destroy the very spirit and soul 
of sin, that we shall no longer serve it—dov/ every, 
no longer be its slaves. Nor shall it (that is, in- 
dwelling sin) any mure be capable of performing 
its essential functions than a dead body can per- 
form the functions of natural life. 

7. He that is dead is freed from sin—Ar#r- 
kaiwrat, literally, is justified from sin : rf is freed 
or delivered from its power. [In verse 6, (as in 
John viii, 34,) the sinner is regarded as a servant 
or slave, who is crucified and dies (to sin) with 
Christ, in order that he may no longer be enslaved 
to sin. This view of the believer's relation to sin 

43 


A. Μ. 4962. A.D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


sin. & Now Pif we be dead with Christ, we 
believe that we shall also live with him: 

9 Knowing that 4 Christ being raised from the 
dead dieth | no more; death hath no more do- 
minion over him. 2&0 For in that he died, 
rhe died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, 
‘he liveth unto God. ΕΠ Likewise reckon ye 
also yourselves to be tdead indeed unto sin, 
but “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 12 * Let not sin therefore reign in your 
mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts 
thereof. 43 Neither yield ye your Ν᾽ members 
as *instruments of unrighteousness unto sin : 


ROMANS. 


In the Gospel, men are not under 
the law, but under grace, 


but ¥ yield yourselves unto God, as those that 
are alive from the dead, and your members as 
instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For 
zsin shall not have dominion over you: for ye 
are not under the law, but under grace. 
15 What then? shall we sin, * because we are 
not under the law, but under grace? God for- 
bid. 416 Know ye not, that "to whom ye yield 
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are 
to whoin ye obey; whether of sin unto death, 
or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But 
God be thanked, that ye were the servants of 
sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart «that 


p2Tim. 2. 11.——-g¢ Rev. - 18, -—7? Heb. 9, 27, 28.—s Luke a Chap, 7.5; Col. 3.5; James 4. ib ee, ‘Chap. ΠῚ Δ ΕΓ Pet. 
on 38. eer ahs alt Gal 3 . 19,—vwv Psa. 19. 13; 119. 183.—— | 2. 24; 4. 2 ae Chap. 7. 4, 6: 8. ay ral. ὅ. 18. a) ae 9.213 
WwW Gr. ArMs, OV, WEAVONS. . 34: John 8.34; 2 Pet. 2. 19. ¢ 2 Tim. 1. 13. 
is now (here) confirmed by the general maxim that | the ee as means of temptation.] It is 


death puts an end to all bondage, (and dying to sin 
effects our emancipation from its power.)—Speak- 
ers Commentary. | 

8. Now if we be dead with Christ—[Being in 
Christ we are dead to sin, (verses 5-7;) and being 
thus—by dying to sin—brought into vital union with 
Christ—who is a quickening Spirit—we become par- 
takers of his (spiritual) life, which is also eternal. | 

9. Christ being raised from the dead dieth 
no more—[The risen Christ is ‘alive for ever- 
more.” (Rey. i, 18.) Since his memorable victory 
over death, (primarily in hades,) death has had no 
power over him. He has the keys of death and 
hades, and his triumph over death is our assurance 
that “as he lives we shall live also ””—in him.] 

10. He died unto [for] sin once—[This dying 
is related, in some way, to sin. What that relation 
is must be gathered from the context or the nature 
of the case. Christ’s dying “to sin,” (with refer- 
ence to it,) must mean that he died in order 
to diminish (destroy) its power or influence. 
*Egaras,—for once, or rather, once for all,—to die 
no more. Christ always lived “to God,” even 
while among men; but not in that high and pecu- 
liar sense which is here meant in reference to his 
state of exaltation. See Stuart. | 

11. [Now follows (verses 11-14) an exhortation 
to realize this state of death unto sin and life unto 
God, in Christ.]| Reckon ye also yourselves to 
be dead—[Consciously and practically recognise 
your state of death as to sin.j Live as truly unto 
God as Christ lives with God. 

12. Let not sin therefore reign—[Sin is repre- 
sented as a ruler, or tyrant, who has the desires 
of the mind and members of the body under~his 
control; so that by influencing the passions he 
governs the body, the natural self. Against this 
dominance of sin, the believer should be perpetu- 
ally on his ouard, lest by the way of the naturally 
innocent, but liable to be perverted, animal and 
psychological desires, ἐπιθυμίαις, (dusts,) sin should 
again obtain a victory in him.] That ye should 
obey it in the lusts thereof—Air7 ἐν ταῖς 
ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ. This clause is wanting in many. 
of the most ancient and reputable MSS. and Ver- 
sions, [but is retained without a question by the 
best modern critics. | 

13. Neither yield ye your members—[Do 
not allow your members, τὰ μέλη, (organs,)—| not 
only the external (material) parts of the body, 
(person,) but also the internal, even the affec- 
tions themselves, (Zurretin,)| to become the in- 
struments of sin, though they may be used by | 

41 


no sin to be tempted; the sin lies in yielding. 
While the sin exists only in Satan’s solicitation it 
is the devil’s sin, not ours; when we yield, we 
make the devil’s sin our own; then we ENTER INTO 
temptation. Yield yourselves unto God—Let 
God have your wills; keep them ever on_ his 
side; there they are safe, and there they will be 


active. Satan cannot force the will, and God will 
not: it is essential to its being that it be free. 


And your members as instruments, etc.—Let 
soul and body be employed in the service of your 
Maker ; let him have your hearts, and with them 
your heads, your hands, your feet. Think and de- 
vise what is pure, speak what is true, and use all 
your powers for edifying. 

14. Sin shall not have dominion over you 
—|[Power over sin is the invariable result of God’s 
converting grace ; this is here presented both as a 
fact designed for assurance, and as an incentive 
to watchfulness.] Ye are not under the law 
—That law which exacts obedience without giving 
power to obey ; that condemns every transgression 
and every unholy thought without providing for 
the extirpation of evil or the parden of sin. But 
under grace—Ye are under the merciful and be- 
neficent dispensation of the Gospel, which, though 
it requires the strictest conformity to the will of 
God, has also, in the death of Christ, provided par- 
don for all that is past, and grace to help in every 
time of need. [Ye are not under a /egal dispen- 
sation, but a gracious one.—Stuart.| [The bless- 
edness of this gracious freedom from all legal ex- 
action is used as ἃ motive to devotion to the service 
of God (Verse 2.)] 

Shall we sin because we are not under 
the law—Shall we abuse our high and holy call- 
ing because we are not under that /aw, but are un- 
der the Gospel, which offers free pardon to the 
penitent and believing? Shall we sin because 
grace abounds? This be far from us! 

16. To whom ye yield yourselves — If you 
are the servants of Christ, you may not give way 
to sin. Sin is the service of Satan; righteous- 
ness the service of Christ. If ye sin ye are the 
servants of Satan, and not the servants of God. 
ee end unto which the servant of sin is brought 

“death ;” not‘here bodily death, but eternal death. 
ἘΠ is here used in the special sense of 
‘obedience to God,” and the end of such obedience 
is that “righteousness ”’ which is equivalent to life 
eternal, (i, 17,) and stands opposed to ‘ death.’— 
Speaker's Commentary. | 

17, But God be thanked, that ye were the 


The wages of sin is death, but the 
gift of God is eternal life. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 406%, A. D. 58. 
Year of Rome, #11. 


form of, doctrine 4 which was delivered you. 
18 Being then *made free from sin, ye became 
the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak-af- 
ter the manner of men because of the infirm- 
ity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your 
members servants to uncleanness and to iniq- 
uity unto iniquity; even so now yield your 
members servants to righteousness unto holi- 
ness. 20 For when ye were ‘the servants 


d Gr. whereto ye were delirered,.—e John 8. 32; 1 Cor. 
7. 22: Gal. 5.1; 1 Pet. ἃ. 16.—/Jobn ἃ. 34.—g Gr. to right- 
€OUSNESS. 


of sin, ye were free *from righteousness. 
28 What fruit had ye then in those things 
whereof ye are now ashamed? for ‘the end of 
those things is death. 22 But now «being 
made free from sin, and become servants to 
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the 
end everlasting life. 23 For 'the wages of 
sin is death; but ™the gift of God is eternal 
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 


h Chapter 7, 5,—i Chapter 1. 32.—& John 8, 32,—/ Gen- 
esis 2. 17; chapter 5, 12; James 1. 15.—m Chapter 2. 7; 4. 17, 
21; 1 Peter |. 4. 


servants of sin—This verse should be read thus: 
But thanks be to God, that, although ye were the 
servants of sin, nevertheless ye have obeyed from the 
heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto 
you, or, that mould of teaching into which ye were 
east. [The apostle does not thank God that they 
were sinners; but that, although they were such, 
they had now received and obeyed the Gospel—that 
the condition of bondage is past.—Meyer.] In 
view of the whole ease, viz., that they once were the 
servants of sin, but now are devoted to Christian 
obedience, Paul thanks God. ... The true solution 
of the (apparent) difficulty consists in taking the 
whole phrase together; for then the meaning is 
conveyed which might well excite the mind of the 
apostle to gratitude.—Stwvart.] That form of doc- 
trine—Tvzov διδαχῆς may imply generally the doc- 
trines of the Gospel, which are a type or species of 
the greater category of doctrines found among 
men; or it may mean more specifically the special- 
ly Pauline doctrines, to assert and illustrate which 
seems to be the purpose of this epistle. See Meyer.] 

18. Being then made free from sin—’F:Acvfe- 
ρωδέντες is aterm that refers to the manumission 
of a slave. They were redeemed from the slavery 
of sin, and became the servants of righteousness. 
Here both sin and righteousness are personified : 
sin can enjoin no good and profitable work ; right- 
eousness can require none that is unjust or in- 
jurious. 

19. I speak after the manner of men—This 
phrase is often used by the Greek writers to 
signify what was easy to be comprehended ; what 
was level with common understandings, delivered 
in a popular style. Because of the infirmity 
of your flesh—I make use of metaphors and 
figures connected with well-known natural things— 
with your trades and situation in life —because of 
your inexperience in heavenly things, of which ye 
are only just beginning to know the nature and 
thenames. Servants to uncleanness, etc.—These 
different expressions show ‘how deeply immersed in 
and enslaved by sin these Gentiles were before 
their conversion to Christianity. Several of the 
particulars are given in the first chapter of this 
epistle. [The atrocity of the sinful practices from 
which they had been rescued should now serve as a 
stimulus to a higher and holier Christian life. (See 
chap. xii, 1, 2.)] 

20. Ye were free from righteousness—These 
two services are incompatible: if we cannot serve 
God and mammon, surely we cannot serve Christ 
and Satan. We must be either sinners or saints ; 
God’s servants, or the devil’s slaves. I know not 
whether it be possible to paint the utter prevalence 
of sin in stronger colours than the apostle does 
here by saying, they were FREE from righteousness. 
It seems tantamount to that expression in Genesis, 
(chap. vi, 5,) where, speaking of the total degener- 


acy of the human race, the writer says, “ Every 
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually.” They were all corrupt; they 
were altogether abominable: there was none that 
did good ; no, not one. 

21. What fruit had ye then in those things 
—God designs that every man shall reap benefit 
by his service. What benefit have ye derived 
from the service of sin? Whereof ye are now 
ashamed — Ye blush to remember your former 
life. It was scandalous to yourselves, injurious to 
others, and highly provoking to God. The end 
of those things is death—Whatever sin may 
promise of pleasure or advantage, the end to which 
it certainly tends is the destruction of body and 
soul. 

22, But now being made free from sin—As 
being free from righteousness is the finished char- 
acter of a sinner, so being “made free” from the 
dominion of sin is the invariable character of a 
genuine Christian. And become servants to 
God—tThey were transferred from the service of 
one master to that of another: they were freed 
from the slavery of sin, and engaged in the service 
of God. Fruit unto holiness—Holiness of heart 
was the principle, and righteousness of life the 
fruit. 

23. For the wages οὗ sin is death—Death 
spiritual and eternal; everlasting perdition. Every 
sinner earns this by long, sore, and painful service. 
[The award of perdition is given only as wages— 
something earned, merited—by him who receives it.] 
But the gift of God is eternal life—A man may 
MERIT fell, but he cannot merit heaven. The 
apostle does not say that the waGes of righteous- 
ness is eternal life ; but that this eternal life, even 
to the righteous, is τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, THE gra- 
cious Girt of Gop. And even this gracious gift 
comes ἐλ rough Jesus Christ our Lord. He alone has 
procured it; and it is given to all those who find 
redemption in his blood. The word ὑψώνια, which 
we here render wages, signified the daily pay of a 
Roman soldier. So every sinner has a daily pay, 
and this pay is death; he has misery because he 
sins. [The reader cannot help remarking here the 
antithesis between eternal life, ζωὴ αἰώνιος, and 
death, ϑάνατος. How can the latter be temporal ? 
What comparison would this make between the 
two members of the antithesis ?—Stwart.] [Ἔν 
Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, x. τ. Δ. Christ our Lord must be 
kept steadily in view, as he through whom we have 
redemption and grace. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIL 
The apostle having, in the preceding chapter, 
shown the converted Gentiles the obligations they 
were under to live a holy life, addresses himself 
here to the Jews, who might hesitate to embrace 
the Gospel, lest, by this means, they wee re- 


A. Μ. 4962. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Christians are dead to the law 
but united t» Christ. 


CHAPTER VII. 

ΤΥ ye not, brethren, (for I speak to 

them that know the law,) how that the 
law hath dominion over a man as long as he 
liveth? 2 For «the woman which hath a hus- 
band is bound by the law to her husband so 
long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, 
she is loosed from the law of her husband. 
8 So then 'if, while Aer husband Jiveth, she be 
married to another man, she shall be called an 


adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is 
free from that law; so that she is no adulter- 
ess, though she be married to another man. 
4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become 
«dead to the law by the body of Christ ; that 
ye should be married to another, even to him 
who is raised from the dead, that we should 
‘bring forth fruit unto God. & For when we 
were in the flesh, the *motions of sins, which 
were by the law, ‘did work in our members 


ΟἹ Cor. 7. 39.—}b Matt. 5.32.—c Ch. 8.2; Gal. 2. 19; 5.18, Eph. 


2. 15; Col, 2, 14, —d Gal. 5. 22. —e Gr. passions. —/Ch. 6.13, 


nounce the Jaw, which might appear to them as a 
renunciation of their allegiance to God. That the 
law was insufficient for their justification had been 
proved in chapters iii, iv, and v; that it is insuffi- 
cient for their sanctification is to be shown in this 
chapter. The discourse is introduced by showing 
that a believing Jew is discharged from his obliga- 
tions to the (ceremonial) law, and is at liberty to 
come under another and much happier constitution, 
namely, that ot the Gospel of Christ. (Verses 1-4.) 
In the 5th verse the apostle gives a general deserip- 
tion of the state of a Jew in servitude to sin, con- 
sidered as under mere law. In the 6th verse he 
gives a stummary account of the state of a Christ- 
ian, aud the advantages he enjoys under the Gos- 
pel. Upon the 5th verse he comments, from verse 
7 to the end of the chapter, and upon the 6th verse 
he comments in chap. viii, 1-11. 

In explaining his position in the 5th verse the 
apostle shows: 1) That the law reaches to all the 
branches and latent principles of sin. (Verse 7.) 
2) That it subjected the sinner to death, (verses 
§-12,) without the expectation of pardon. 3) He 
shows the reason why the Jew was put under it. 
(Verse 13.) 4) He proves that the law, consid- 
ered as a rule of action, though it was spiritual, 
just, holy, and good in itself, yet was insufficient 
for sanctification, or for freeing a man from the 
power of inbred sin. For, as the prevalency of 
sensual appetites cannot wholly extinguish the 
voice of reason and conscience, a man may ac- 
knowledge the law to be holy, just, and good, and 
yet his passions reign within him, keeping him in 
the most painful and degrading servitude, while 
the law supplied no power to deliver him from 
them, (verses 14-24,) as that power can only be 
supplied by the grace of Jesus Christ. (Verse 25.) 

1. Know ye not—H ἀγνοεῖτε, or, Are you un- 
aware; if the latter, then you would need to be 
taught.] For I speak to them that know the 
law—| We may not infer from these parenthetical 
words that the majority of the Roman congrega- 
tion was composed of Jewish Christians. . . . The 
apostle might (safely) designate his readers gener- 
ally as γινώσκοντες Tov νύμον, and predicate of 
them an acquaintance with the law.—Meyer.| As 
long as he liveth—Law does not extend its in- 
fluence to the dead. In either case, when the sub- 
ject is dead, the Jaw has no force. [The (personi- 
tied) law is lord over the man who is subject to it, 
so long a time as he liveth.—Meyer. 

2. For the woman which hath a husband— 
A married woman is bound to her husband while 
he lives; but when her husband is dead she is dis- 
charged from the law by which she was bound to 
him alone. [Death is the only way of escape from 
the dominion of daw. ] 

3. So then if, while her husband liveth— 
The object of the apostle’s similitude is to show that 

46 


each party is equally bound to the other; but that 
the death of either dissolves the engagement. So... 
she is no adulteress, though she be married to 
another—|[ Being entirely loosed from the bonds of 
her former marriage by the death of her husband, 
she is now at liberty to be married to another man. | 

4. Wherefore, my brethren—This is a paral- 
lel case. You were once under the law of Moses, 
and were bound by its injunctions; but now ye 
are become dead to that law—a less offensive mode 
of speech than, the law, which was once your hus- 
band, is dead ; so that now, as a woman whose 
husband is dead is freed from the law of that hus- 
band, and may legally be married to another, so- 
God, who gave the law under which ye have hith- 
ertu lived, designed that it should be in force only 
till the advent of the Messiah; that advent has 
taken place, the /aw has consequently ceased, and 
now ye are called to take on you the yoke of the 
Gospel, and lay down the yoke of the law. That 
ye should be married to another— The object 
of Godin giving the law was to unite you to Christ. 
And as Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead, he 
has also procured the resurrection of mankind. That 
we should bring forth fruit unto God—We 
who believe in Christ have, in consequence of our 
union with him, received the gifts and graces of 
the Holy Spirit; so that we bring forth that fruit 
of holiness unto God which, without this union, it 
would be impossible for us to produce. Here is a 
delicate allusion to the case of a promising and nu- 
merous progeny from a legitimate and happy mar- 
riage. [So then, ὥστε, (inference both from verse 1, 
the general fact, and verses 2 and 3, the example,) 
my brethren, ye also (as well as the woman in my 
example, who is dead to the law of her husband) 
were sluin to the law, (crucified, see Gal. ii, 19, 20,) 
by means of, διά, the (crucified) body of Christ, 
[through Christ crucified, that you should become] 
attached (married) to another, (even) to him who 
was raised from the dead.—Alford.| [The figure 
here used is somewhat mixed and imperfect, since 
the liberated person is both the dead and the sur- 
vivor; its value as an argumentative illustration is 
not, however, thereby impaired. | 

5. For when we were in the flesh—’Ev τῇ 
σαρκί. When we were without the Gospel, in our 
carnal and unregenerated state. The motions of 
sins, which were by the law—Ta παθήματα 
τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, the passions of sins, the evil propen- 
sities to sins. These παθήματα, propensities, consti- 
tute (are the motions of) the fallen nature ; they 
are the disease of the heart, the pollution and cor- 
ruption of the soul. [Which were by the law. The 
law (chap. v, 20, vi, 14) was the mad/tiplier of sin. 
To this thought the apostle now recurs, and con- 
trasts the state under the law, in this respect, with 
that of the believer in Christ—Alford.]| Did 
work in our members—[The evil propensity acts 


. 


The law the revealer and strength 
of sin. 


Eto bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now 
we are delivered from the law, ® that being dead 
wherein we were held; that we should serve 
‘in newness Of spirit, and not in the oldness of 
the letter. @ What shall we say then? Js the 


g Chap. 6. 21; Gal. 5,19; James 1. 15.—-/” Or, being dead to 
that, chap. 6.2; verse 4.——7 Chap. 2, 29; 2 Cor. 3. 6. 


“ι 


ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν, in the whole psychological system, 
applying their perverting and depraved stimulus to 
every part by which to excite them toaction. The 
same in sense as σῶμα θνητόν, (vi, 12,) dead body. 
Μέλη (members) is used as an equivalent for σῶμα, 
because the members of the body are its eflicient 
agents.—Stuart.| To bring forth fruit unto 
death—Whien the apostle says, the motions of sin 
which were by the law, he points out a most striking 
and invariable characteristic of sin, namely, its re- 
bellious nature; it ever acts against law, and most 
powarfully against known law. Because the law 
requires obedience, therefore it will transgress. 
The law is equally against evil passions and evil 
actions, and both these exert themselves against it. 

6. But now we are delivered from the law 
—We, who have believed in Christ Jesus, are de- 
livered from that yoke by which we were bound, 
which sentenced every transgressor to perdition, 
but provided no pardon even for the penitent, and 
no sanctification for those who are weary of their 
inbred corruptions.. That being dead wherein 
we were held—To us believers in Christ this 
commandment is abrogated; [the method of salva- 
tion by the works of the law is superseded ;] we 
are transferred to another constitution; that law 
which kills ceases to bind us; it is dead to us who 
have believed in Christ Jesus, who is the end of 
the law for justification and salvation to every one 
that believes. [The law was utterly unable to ef- 
fect our renewal and sanctification ; nay, it did but 
aggravate our guilt and condemnation, instead of 
delivering us from them.— Stwart.| That we 
should serve in newness of spirit—We are now 
brought under a more spiritual dispensation : now 
we know the spiritual import’ of all the Mosaic pre- 
cepts. The oldness of the letter—The merely 
literal rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices are now 
done away; and the newness of spirit, the true in- 
tent and meaning of all, are now fully disclosed. 
We serve God now, not according to the old literal 
sense, but in the true spiritual meaning. [Paul, 
disregarding the abnormal phenomena (of the 
παλαιότητι γράμματος, the old things of the letter,) 
contemplates the Christian life as it is constituted 
in accordance with its new, holy, and lofty nature 
—étv καινότητι πνεύματος. If it is otherwise, it has 
fallen away from its specific nature, and is a 
Christian life no longer.— Meyer. ] 

7. Is the law sin ?—The apostle had said, (verse 
5,) the motions of sins, which were by the law, did 


bring forth fruit unto death ; and now he antici- | és 
| —perhaps here the ἐε nth commandment, (verse 7,) 


yoo: 


pates an objection, “ Is therefore the law sin ?” To 
which he answers, as usual, μὴ γένοιτο, by no 
means. Law is only the means of disclosing this 
sinful propensity, not of producing it. The mil- 
lions of motes which appear in the sun's beams 
were not introduced by the light: they were there 
before, only there was not light enough to make 
them manifest. So the evil propensity was there 
before, but the spiritually dead soul did not dis- 
cover it. [To this objection (of the legalist) the 
apostle replies, and shows that while the law is the 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. Μ. 4042. A.D. 58, 
Year of Kome, 811, 


law sin? God forbid. Nay, *I had not 
known sin, but by the law: for I had not 
known ' lust, except the law had said, "Thou 
shalt not covet. S$ But “sin, taking occasion 
by the commandment, wrought in me all man- 


k Chap. 8. 20, 1 Or, concn piscence.—m ¥Exod, 20, 17: Deut, 
5. 21; Acts 20. 35; chap. 13. 9.—n Chap. 4. 15; 5. 20, 
= » 


oceasion of greatly aggravating our guilt and con- 
demnation, still the fault lies in ourselves and not 
in the law—for that is altogether worthy of appro- 
bation and obedience as “holy, just, and good.”— 
Stuart.) I had not known sin, but by the law 
-- Τὸ the false notion just rejected, St. Paul now 
opposes his own experience of the real effect of 
the law, which is to expose sin in its true nature. 
Through law, διὰ νόμου, (without the article,) law 
in respect to its broadest sense. Two kinds of 
knowledge are here expressed by two different 
Greek verbs: the former (ἔγνων) is applied to the 
abstract, metaphysical notion of sim, the latter 
(jdevv) to the sensible experience of strong and 
perverse desire as a fact first brought under ob- 
servation.— Sp. Com.] 

It is not likely that a dark, corrupt human heart 
ean discern the will of God. His /aw is his will. 
It recommends what is just and right; and forbids 
what is unjust and wrong. If God had not revealed 
himself by this law, we should have done precisely 
what many nations of the earth have done, who 
have not had this revelation — put darkness for 
light, and sin for acts of holiness. While the hu- 
man heart is its own measure it will rate its work- 
ings according to its own propensities ; for itself is 
its highest rule. But when God gives a true insight 
of his own perfections, to be applied as a rule (with 
sacred authority) both of passion and practice, then 
sin is discovered, and discovered, too, to be exceed- 
ingly sinful. So strong propensities, because they 
appear to be inherent in our nature, would have 
passed for natural and necessary inclinations ; and 
their sinfulness would not have been discovered if 
the law had not said, Zhou sha/t not covet; and 
thus determined that the propensity itself, as well 
as its outward operations, is sinful. The law is the 
straight edge which determines the degree of ob/ig- 
uity in the crooked line to which it is applied. 

[Perhaps this lust clause may be understood to 
favour the widely prevalent notion that attributes to 
man a perverse disposition to do wrong for tls ovwn 
sake ; to transgress because the law forbids. So 
one of the old Latin poets : ‘ Being admonished, he 
becomes the more obstinate; and his fierceness is 
irritated by restraints. Prohibitions become incen- 
tives to greater acts of vice."—Ovid. (Sce Prov- 
erbs ix, 17.)} 

8. Sin, taking occasion by the command- 
ment—[* Occasion,” ἀφορμὴν, means, material, ap- 
paratus, God's commandments, évroan,—the spe- 
cific application of the general principles of the law, 


supplies the opportunities and means of sinning, 
κατειργάσατο, (brought ahout, caused to be.) in me, 
all manne) of coveting. Restrained appetites are in- 
tensified, both by prohibitions and unlawful oppor- 
tunities.} Thus the very prohibition, as we have 
already seen in the preceding verse, becomes the 
instrument of exciting the evil propensity ; for, al- 
though a sinner has the general propensity to do 
what is evil, yet he seems to feel an unpremeditated 
delight in transgressing known law. All wes 
i 


A. M. 4062. A. D.58. 
Year of Rome, 511. 


ROMANS. 


Spiritual death the resnlt, not 
of the law, but of sin. 


ner of concupiscence. For ° without the law 
sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the 
law once: but when the commandment came, 
sin revived, and I died. 849. And the com- 
mandment, P which was ordained to life, I found 
to be unto death. ΠΑ For sin, taking occasion 
by the commandment, deceived me, and by it 


"ΟἹ Cor. 15. 56.——p Lev. 18,5; Ezek. 20, 11, 13,21; 2 Cor. 3. 7. 


slew me. 42 Wherefore q the law is holy, 
and the commandment holy, and just, and 
good. 48 Was then that which is good made 
death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it 
might appear sin, working death in me by 
that which is good; that sin by the command- 
ment might become exceeding sinful. 14 For 


a Psa. 19. 8; 119. 38, 1273 1 Tim. 1. & 


of concupiscence—It showed what was evil and 
forbade it: and then the principle of rebellion, 
which seems essential to the very nature of sin, 
rose up against the prohibition; and he was the 
more strongly incited to disobey in proportion as 
obedience was enjoined. Thus the apostle shows 
that the law had authority to prohibit, condemn, and 
destroy ; but no power to pardon sin, root out en- 
mity, or save the soul. ᾿Εἰ πιθυμία (concupiscence) sig- 
nifies simply strong desire of any kind; but in the 
New Testament it is generally taken to signify ir- 
regular and unholy desires. For without the 
law sin was dead—|For while I was without 
the knowledge of the law sin was (relatively) 
dead; neither so apparent, nor so active; nor was 
I under the least apprehension of danger from it.— 
Wesley.] [‘‘ Sin,” ἁμαρτία, (especially signifying 
the sin of the heart, stm, (singular and comprehen- 
sive, rather than sds, specific sinful actions, ) with- 
out prohibitory commandments, would be compara- 
tivcly inoperative. That the apostle could not mean 
to be understood in an absolute sense is plain from 
chapters i, ii. In the absolute sense, the time never 
has been, and never can be, when men are without 
the law. The heathen, who have no (written) law, 
are a law unto themselves.” See Stuart. ] 

9. I was alive without the law once—/[ Paul 
seems to be speaking of his own experience, but in 
such a way as to illustrate the spiritual condition of 
all the unregenerate. The period (the “‘ once”’) dur- 
ing which he was ‘without the law,” covers all 
the time, whether of childhood or adult life, before 
the law began its work within him,—before the deep- 
er energies of his moral nature were aroused. “I 
was alive’ (not merely dived, but lived and flour- 
ished) “‘ without the law,” (the law having no recog- 
nised place in my moral existence.) But when 
the commandment came, (not was enacted, but 
came to me, [subjectively ]|—*t was brought home to 
me,”) si sprang into life-—I was spiritually con- 
vinced of sin,—that I was a sinner in life and char- 
acter, and that conviction carried with it the sen- 
tence of death. See Alford.] ["E@ov may express 
a State of self-security without conscious guilt ; d7é- 
θανον, the condition of detected sinfulness and con- 
demnation. | 

10. And the commandment—Meaning the law 
in general. Which was ordained (intended) to 
life—The rule of righteousness, teaching those stat- 
utes which if a man do he shall live inthem. (Lev. 
xviii, 5.) I found, by transeressing it, (by reason of 
my conviction of my own sin and guilt,) to be unto 
death—For it only presented the duty and laid down 
the penalty, without affording any strength to resist 
sin or subdue evil propensities. 

11. Sin, taking occasion—For “sin,” (the sin- 
ful propensity within me,) having found occasion, 
ἀφορμὴν, (see verse 8,) by means of the command- 
ment, τῆς ἐντολῆς, (the specific requisition of the 
law,) deceived me. ['lhere isa plain reference to 
the tempter deceiving Eve, which was accomplished 
by means of (with reference to) the commandment, 


exciting doubt of and objection to it, and lust after 
the forbidden thing; and by it slew me; brought 
me into the state of misery and death mentioned in 
verse 10.— Alford.| And by it slew me— 
Brought me into condemnation to death. Subjected 
me to that death which the law denounced against 
transgressors. It is well known to scholars that 
the verb ἀποκτείνειν signifies not only to slay or kill, 
but also to make wretched. Every sinner is not only 
exposed to death because he has sinned, and must, 
soon or Jater, die; but he is miserable in both body 
and mind by the influence and the effects of sin. 
[A state of spiritual death is the direct and insep- 
arable result of disobedience, in heart’ and life, 
which is the very essence of ἁμαρτία, sin. 

12. Wherefore the law is holy—aAsif he had 
said, to soothe his countrymen, to whom he had been 
showing the absolute insufficiency of the law either 
to justify or save from sin: I do not intimate that 
there is anything improper or imperfect in the law 
as a rule of life; it prescribes what is holy, just, 
and good. The Law, (here used in its highest sense,) 
which comes from (is the mind of) the holy, just, 
and good Gop, and is designed to regulate the whole 
(inward spirit and) outward conduct, is holy ; and 
the commanpMENT. Thow shalt not covet, (a part for 
the whole,) which is to regulate the heart, is not 
less so. All is excellent and pure; but it neither 
pardons sin nor purifies the heart; and because it 
is holy, just, and good, it condemns transgressors 
to death. 

13. Was then that which is good made 
death unto me—The apostle answers: God for- 
bid ! μὴ γένοιτο, by no means: it is not the law that 
is the cause of your death, but sin ; it was sin which 
subjected us to death by the law justly threatening 
sin with death: which law revealed detects the pres- 
ence of sin, sets it forth in its own colours; which 
when we saw it subjected us to death by a law per- 
fectly holy, just, and good; that sin, by the law, 
might be represented what it really is: καθ᾽ ὑπερ- 
βολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ---δγν in hyperbole—an EXCEEDING 
Great and deadly evil. No man can have a true no- 
tion of sin but by means of the law of God. And 
it was one design of the revelation of the law to 
show the abominable and destructive nature of sin, 
as well as to be a rule of life. Aman can have that 
just notion of the demerit of sin which produces re- 
pentance, and shows the nature and necessity of 
the death of Christ, only as the law is applied to 
his conscience by the light of the Holy Spirit. It 
is only then that he sees himself to be carnal, and 
sold under sin; and that the law and the command- 
ment are holy, just, and good. Nor do we find that 
true repentance takes place where the moral law is 
not preached and enforced. Those who preach only 
the Gospel to sinners (mercy without righteousness) 
at best only heal the hurt of the daughter of my 
people slightly. The law, therefore, is the grand in- 
strument in the hands of a faithful minister to 
alarm and awaken sinners; and he may safely show 
that every sinner is under the law, and consequently 


The struggle of an enlightened 
but unregenerate mind. 


we know that the law is spiritual; but I am 
carnal, ‘sold under sin. 25 For that which I 


r1 Kings 21. 20,25; 2 Kings 17. 17. 


under the curse, who has not fled for refuge to 
the hope held out by the Gospel: for, in this sense, 
also, Jesus Christ is the END of the Law for justifi- 
cation to them that believe. 

14. For we know that the law is spiritual 
—This is a general proposition, and probably, in 
the apostle’s autograph, concluded the above sen- 
tence. ‘The law is not to be considered as a system 
of external rites and ceremonies ; nor even as a rule 
of moral action : it is a spiritual system ; it reaches 
to the most hidden purposes, thoughts, dispositions, 
and desires of the heart and soul; and it reproves 
and condemns everything, without hope of reprieve 
or pardon, that is contrary to eternal truth and 
rectitude. But Iam carnal—[St. Paul having com- 
pared together the past and present state of be- 
lievers, that in the flesh (verse 5) and that in the 
spirit, (verse 6,) in answering two objections, Js 
then. the law sin? (verse 7,) and, Js the law death ? 
(verse 13,) interweaves the whole process of a man 
reasoning, groaning, striving, and escaping from the 
legal to the evangelical state. This he does from 
verse 7 to the end of the chapter. Sold under 
sin—Totally enslaved: slaves bought with money 
were absolutely at their master’s disposal.— Wes/ey. | 

[In this and the following verses the apostle states 
the contrariety between every man, while without 
Christ, and the law of God. Of the latter he says, 
it is spiritual ; of the former, “I (as a specimen 
sinner) am carnal, sold under sin.” Of the carnal 
man, in opposition to the spiritual, never was a 
more complete or accurate description given. The 
expressions, in the flesh and after the flesh, (verse 
5, and chapter viii, 5, 8, 9, etc.,) are of the same 
import with the word carnal in this verse. To be 
in the flesh, ov to be carnally minded, solely respects 
the wnregenerate element in the soul. While unre- 
generate, a man is in a state of death and enmity 
against God. (Chapter viii, 6-9.) This is the car- 
nal man. Such a man has no authority over the 
lusts of the flesh: reason has not the government 
of passion. The work of such a person is fo make 
provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 
(Chapter xiii, 14.) He minds the things of the flesh, 
(chapter viii, ὅ 1) he is at enmity with God. In re- 
spect to all these things the spiritual man is the re- 
verse ; he lives ina state of friendship with God 
in Christ, and the Spirit of God dwells in him; his 
soul has dominion over the lusts of the flesh; his 
passions are compelled to submit to the government 
of reason, and he, by the Spirit, mortifies the deeds 
of the flesh; he mindeth the things of the Spirit. 
(Chapter viii, 5.) These two characters are there- 
fore placed in direct opposition to each other. It is 
his carnal state that he is about to describe, in op- 
position to the spirituality of God’s holy law, when 
he says, But Jam carnal. Although there may be, 
after justification, the remains of the carnal mind, 
which will be less or more felt till the soul is com- 
pletely sanctified, yet the man is never denominated 
from the inferior principle, which is under control, 
but from the superior principle, which habitually 
prevails. Whatever epithets are given to corrup- 
tion or sin in Scripture, opposite epithets are given 
to grace or holiness. By these different epithets are 
the unregenerate and regenerate denominated, From 
all this it follows that the epithet “ carnal,” which 

Vou. IL—4 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. M. 4062. Α. Ὁ. 53, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


do, I ‘allow not: for ‘what 1 would, that do 1 
not; but what I hate, that dol. 2&6 If then 


tGal. 5, 17. 


8 Gr, knove, Psa. 1. 6. 


is the characteristic designation of an unregenerate 
man, cannot be applied to St. Paul after his conver- 
sion; nor, indeed, to any Christian in that state, 
But the word “carnal,” though used by the apostle to 
signify a state of death and enmity against God, is 
not sufficient to denote all the evil of the state which 
he is describing. The expression, “ sold under sin,” 
is one of the strongest which the Spirit of God uses 
in Scripture to describe the full depravity of fallen 
man. It implies a willing slavery: “ Ahab has sold 
himself to work evil.” (1 Kings xxi, 20.) And of the 
Jews it is said, in their utmost depravity, “ Behold, 
for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves.” (Isaiah 
1,1.) “They forsook the holy covenant, and joined 
themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mis- 
chief.” (1 Mace. i, 15.) Now, if the word “ car- 
nal,” in its strongest sense, had been sufliciently 
significant of all he meant, why add to this charge 
another expression still stronger ? We must there- 
fore understand the phrase, “sold under sin,” as 
implying that the soul was employed in the drudgery 
of sin; that it was sold over to this service, and had 
not power to disobey this tyrant until it was re- 
deemed by another. And if a man be actually sold 
to another, and he acquiesce in the deed, then he 
becomes the legal property of that other person. 
Sin is here represented as a person; and the apostle 
compares the dominion which sin has over the man 
in question to that of a master over his legal slave. 
Universally through the Scriptures man is said to be 
in a state of bondage to sin until the Son of God 
make him free; but in no part of the sacred writ- 
ings is it ever said that the children of God are 
“sold under sin.” Christ came to deliver the law- 
ful captive, and take away the prey from the 
mighty. Whom the Son maketh free, they are free 
indeed. Then they yield not up their members as 
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; for sin 
shall not have the dominion over them, because the 
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made 
them free from the law of sin and death, (See chap- 
ter vi, 18, 14; viii, 2.) [Does the apostle mean 
to designate himself specially and peculiarly, or 
does he include others with himself? Others, cer- 
tainly, are included, understand him as you please. 
If he speaks of himself while under the law, he 
means by a point of reasoning to include all others 
who are in the same condition. If he speaks of him- 
self as a Christian, he means in the same manner 
to include all other Christians, who, of course, must 
have a similar experience. .. . Whatever ground of 
exegesis one takes as to chapter vii, in general, the 
principle that Paul speaks of himself only as an ex- 
ample of what others are in like circumstances, 
must of course be admitted.— Stuart. ] 

15. For that which I do, I allow not, ete.—[The 
apostle seems to divide the person thus in bondage 
into two selves, namely, the νοῦς, (the rational soul,) 
or ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος, (the inner man,) (verses 22, 25.) 
and the σῶμα, (body,) σάρξ, (flesh,) or carnal part of 
his nature. In the latter dwell the passions and af- 
fections which sway the ἄνθρωπος σαρκικὸς, (the 
earnal man); in the former is still a portion of the 
image of God, (James iii, 9, 1 Cor. xi, 7,) which 
(when awakened by the Spirit) discerns and cannot 
but approve the holy and perfect will of God.— 
Stuart.] [The apostle here seizes upon a w a 


A. Μ. 4962, A. D. 58, 
Year of Rome, $11. 


ROMANS. 


The struggles of an enlightened, but 
unregenerate, mind. 


Ido that which I would not, I consent unto 
the law that 7 is good. 1% Now then it is 
no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in 
me. £8 For I know that "in me (that is, in 


my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will 
is present with me; but Aow to perform that 
which is good I find not. 89 For the good 
that I would, I do not: but the evil which I 


wu Genesis 


6.5; &.21. 


stage in the development of the spiritual life, clearly 
differentiated on the one side from the deadness of 
the soul to all spiritual things in its native carnality, 
that is, the natural man, which entirely fails to see or 
feel spiritual realities, and specifically the true spir- 
itual estate of the subject himself, (1 Cor. ii, 14,) and 
yet on the other hand, is held in the mastery of in- 
dwelling sin. The point contemplated is, that when 
the divine Spirit has come to the soul to quicken it 
into spiritual consciousness, and at the same time 
to convince the man of sin,—his own personal sin- 
fulness and guilt before God, (John xv, 8,) in the 
light of the Holy Spirit—the awakened reason and 
conscience detect the ethical excellence of the di- 
vine law, and intellectually approve of it, and at 
length the witt—the self-poised soul—determines 
to that side of the pending issue. But the law of 
the fallen nature (the ἄνθρωπος capKixdc,—the car- 
nal or natural man) is still dominant, and _practi- 
cally forbids what the reason and conscience ap- 
prove and the will prefers. These two opposing 
forces in the soul are the adverse I and I, of the 
apostle,—the awakened conscience, striving inef- 
fectually against the domination of the “ carnal 
mind.” The condition of completed self-despair in 
this struggle is seen in verse 24, which is immedi- 
ately followed by the suggestion of the way by 
which the sin-enchained soul, that cries out for 
help, finds deliverance,—through Jesus Christ our 
Lord.—Stuart.| The man who now feels the galling 
dominion of sin says, What Iam continually laboring 
at 1 allow not—od γινώσκω [do not acknowledge to 
be right, just, holy, or profitable. But what I 
hate, (disapprove,) that do I—I am a slave, and 
under the control of a tyrannical master : I hate his 
service, but am obliged to work his will. [The ex- 
periences which Paul here delineates force them- 
selves so strongly upon every man who has be- 
come sensible of the moral dissonance of his na- 
ture, that it is not necessary to suppose that the 
apostle exaggerates the matter.—Zholuck.| | En- 
lightened heathens, both among the Greeks and 
Romans, had the same kind of religious experience. 
The whole spirit of the sentiment is well summed up 
and expressed by St. Chrysostom. If we lust after 
any thing which is afterward prohibited, the flame 
of this desire burns the more fiercely. 

10. If then I do that which I would not, ete. 
—Knowing that the law condemns it, and that there- 
fore it must be evi/. I consent unto the law—I 
show by this circumstance that I acknowledge the 
Jaw to be good. [If I do evil unwillingly and with 
dislike, I, in my moral will and conscience, consent 
to the law that forbids the evil, and affirm “ that it 
is good.” —Sp. Com.]} 

17. Now then it is no more I—It is not that 
I which is of the reason and conscience, but that of 
sin—corrupt and sensual inclinations—that dwelleth 
in me—has the entire domination over my reason, 
darkening my understanding, and perverting my 
judgment; for which there is condemnation in the 
law, but no cure. So we find that there is a prin- 
ciple in the unregenerate man stronger than reason 
itself ; a principle which is, properly speaking, not 
of the choice, but acts as the ord and tyran¢ of the 

50 


soul. This is inbred and indwelling sin—the seed of 
the serpent; by which the whole soul is darkened, 
confused, perverted, and excited to rebellion against 
God, [and led captive by the devil. (2 Tim. ii, 26.)] 
[It is now almost universally admitted that the ex- 
pressions “now” and “no more” are not temporal, 
(historical,) distinguishing the speaker’s present con- 
dition from his former state before grace, but logi- 
cal; compare 1 Cor. xiv, 6; xv, 20; Romans vii, 
20; xi, 6; Gal. iii, 18.— Lightfoot. | 

18. For I know that in me, ete.—I have 
learned by experience that in an unregenerate man 
there is no good. There is no power by which the 
soul can be brought into the light ; no principle by 
which it can be restored to purity; fleshly appetites 
alone prevail ; and the brwfe runs away with the man. 
[The flesh, here, signifies the whole man as he is 
by nature.— Wesley. | Flor to willis present with 
me—Though the whole soul has suffered indescrib- 
ably by the FALL, yet there are some faculties that 
appear to have suffered less than others; or rather, 
have received larger measures of the supernatural 
light, because their concurrence with the divine prin- 
ciple is so necessary to the salvation of the soul. 
Even the most unconcerned about spiritual things 
have understanding, judgment, reason, and will. [The 
immediate antithesis is simply the better desire, the 
ego longing to be better; powerless, however, in 
every case, until escaping from the law to Christ.— 
fiddle.| [The ἐγώ is not yet the new man of the 
spirit; it is the better self as an awakened moral 
will, from which the aim is removed and the way 
stopped up by the accustomed (inborn) propensity 
of the flesh.—Lange.] Not only is the soul ineapa- 
ble, of itself, of any truly religious act; but what 
shows its fall in the most indisputable manner is, its 
enmity to sacred things. Let an unregenerate man 
pretend what he pleases, his conscience knows that 
he hates religion ; his soul revolts against it ; his ear- 
nal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither 
indeed can it be. There is no reducing this fell 
principle to subjection ; it is sin, and sin is rebell- 
ion against God; therefore sin must be destroyed, 
not subjected ; if subjected, it would cease to be sin, 
because sin is opposition to God; hence the apostle 
says, most conclusively, it cannot be subjected, that 
is, it must be destroyed, or it will destroy the soul 
for ever. ' 

19. The good that I would, I do not—Here, 
again, the will is contemplated as on the side of God 
and truth. [The power of sin has been shown in 
verses 15-17, from the inability of the true self to 
hinder what it disapproves; the same is shown now 
from the inability of the true self to carry out into 
action what it desires.—Sp. Comment.] But the 
evil which I would not—Under the power of the 
Holy Spirit the will becomes opposed to evil. Nay, 
it is often found even among the unregenerate on 
God’s side, while the whole sensual system is against 
him.—It is not the wit that leads men astray; but 
the corrupt Passions which oppose and oppress the 
will. The plain state of the case is this: the soul 
is so completely fallen that it has no power to do 
good till it receive that power from on high. But 
it [may have (by the gift of the Spirit)] power to see 


The struggle of an enlightened, 


but unregenerate, mind. 


would not, that Ido. 20 Now if I do that [ 
would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin 
that dwelleth in me. 218 I find then a law, 
that, when I would do good, evil is present 
with me. 22 For I ‘delight in the law of 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. M. 4069, Α. 1), 58, 
Year of R me, S11, 


God after *the inward man: 23 But *I see 
another law in my members, warring against 
the law of my mind, and bringing me into cap- 
tivity to the law of sin which is in my mem- 
bers. 24 O wretched man that Iam! who 


Ὁ Psa. 1. 2.—202 Cor. 4. 16; Epb. 3. 16; Col. 3, 9, 10. 


aw Gal. 4, 11.- Chap. 6. 13.19. 


good, to distinguish between that and evil, to ac- 
knowledge the excellence of this good, and to will 
it, from a conviction of that excellence ; but further 
it cannot go. Yet, in various cases, it is solicited 
and consents to sin; and because it is will, that is, 
because it is free, it must necessarily possess this 
power ; and that although it can do no good unless it 
receive grace from God. Thus God, in his endless 
merey, has endued this faculty with a power in 
which, humanly speaking, resides the salvability of 
the soul; and without this, the soul must have 
eternally continued under the power of sin, or been 
saved as an inert, absolutely passive machine ; which 
supposition would go as nearly to prove that it was 
as incapable of vice as it was of virtue. 

20. It is no more I—My will is against it; my 
reason and conscience condemn it. But sin that 
dwelleth in me—The principle of sin, which has 
possessed itself of all my carnal appetites and pas- 
sions, and thus subjects my reason and domineers 
over my soul. Two principles are continually con- 
tending in me for the mastery: my 7veason, on which 
the light of God shines, to show what is evil; and 
my passious, in which the principle of sin works, to 
bring forth fruit unto death. This strange self-con- 
tradictory propensity led some of the ancient philos- 
ophers to imagine that man has two souls, a good 
and a bad one. Thus, in Xenophon’s Life of Cyrus, 
we find Araspes, a Persian nobleman, accounting 
for some misconduct by saying: “Ὁ Cyrus, I am 
convinced that I have two souls; if I had but one 
soul, it could not at the same time pant after vice 
and virtue; wish and abhor the same thing. It is 
certain, therefore, that we have two souls: when 
the good soul rules, I undertake noble and virtuous 
actions ; but when the bad sou! predominates, I am 
constrained to do evil. All I can say at present is, 
that i find my good soul, encouraged by thy pres- 
ence, has got the better of my bad soul.” [There 
is evidently a progress in thought ; but this progress 
is perceptible only in the case of the awakened to 
produce the cry of verse 94, This verse (20) spec- 
ifies also the real author of these actions of the man 
against his will; it is sin dwelling in him;—the ha- 
bitual life of sense,—odps. This, in its obscurity, 
he now renounces in his consciousness: in his ἢ 
But now to a certain degree, and apparently a for- 
eign personality with a foreign (alien) law, arises 
fn him against the awakening personality of the in- 
ner man. But the condition is not in itself, as vet, 
more hopeful. ‘The progress is still toward wretch- 
edness despite, or even because of, the better design. 
Lange and Riddle.] 

21. I find then a law—I am in sucha condition 
and state of soul, under the power of such habits 
and sinful propensities, that, when I would do 
good—when my will and reason are strongly bent 
on obedience to the law of God, evil is present 
with me, κακὸν παράκειται, evil is at hand, it lies 
constantly before me. That as the wi// to do good is 
constantly at hand, (verse 18.) so the principle of 
rebellion exciting me to sin is equally present ; but, 
as the one is only will or desire, without power to 
do what is willed, or to perform what is desired, sin 


continually prevails. The word νόμος, law, in this 
verse, must be taken as implying any strong or con- 
firmed habit, συνήθεια, as Hesychius renders it, un- 
der the influence of which the man generally acts; 
and in this sense the apostle most evidently uses it 
in verse 23. 

22. I delight in the law of God after the in- 
ward man—Every unregenerate man who receives 
the Bible as a revelation from God, must acknowl- 
edge the great purity, excellence, and utility of its 
maxims, ete., though he will find that without the 
grace of our Lord Jesus he can never act according 
to those heavenly maxims; and without the merey 
of God, can never be redeemed from the curse en- 
tailed upon him for his transgressions. To say that 
the inward man means the regenerate part of the 
soul is supportable by no argument. Ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρω. 
πος, and ὁ ἐντὸς ἄνθρωπος, especially the /atter, 
are expressions frequently in use among the purest 
Greek ethic wyiters to signify the soul or rational 
part of man, in opposition to the body of flesh. [Ac- 
cording to Paul the ἔσω dvtpwror, (the inward man,) 
denotes not so much the spirit in general, as more 
especially the disposition, the religious and moral 
sense, the inward ἀλήθεια, (the truth,) of chapter i, 12, 
and the ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος (hidden 
man of the heart) of 1 Peter iii, 4. Paul 
speaks of a two-fold ego,—both of which must Le 
ascribed to the Spirit, (namely, the awakened state, 
verse 22, and the saved estate, verse 25.) — 7ho- 
luck.| Though it may be said that it is impossible 
for an unawakened man to delight in the law of 
God, yet every true penitent approves the moral 
law, longs most earnestly for a conformity to it, 
and feels that he can never be satisfied till he awakes 
up after this divine likeness; and he hates himself 
because he feels that he has broken it, (is net con- 
formed to it in spirit,) and that his evil passions are 
still in a state of hostility to it. 

23. But I see another law in my members 
—Though the reason and conscience constantly tes- 
tify against sin, yet as long as help is sought only 
from the law, and the grace of Christ in the Gospel 
is not received, the remonstrances of reason and con- 
science are rendered of no effect by the prevalence 
of sinful passions, (the dominance of indwelling 
sin,) which, from repeated gratifications, have πὸ- 
quired all the force of contirmed habit, and give 
law to the whole man. Warring against the law 
of my mind—|’Avricrparteviyevov, — carrying on 
war. The other law in the members is actively hor. 
tile against the law of the mind; and it is also sue- 
cessful in the conflict. Capturing me, αἰχμαλωτί.- 
Covra,—making a prisoner of me,—either to be en- 
slaved or slain.| This is the consequence of being 
overcome: he is now in the hands of the foe, as 
the victor’s lawful captive. Sin and corruption have 
a final triumph; and conscience and reason are 
taken prisoners, laid in fetters, and sold for slaves, 
Can this ever be said of a man in whom the Spirit 
of God dwells, and whom fhe law of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus has made free from the law of 
sin and death? (Chapter viii, 2. 

24. O wretched man that I am, ΕΣ 

ὃ 


A. M, 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, *11. 


ROMANS. 


The struggle over Freedom from 
condemnation in Christ. 


shall deliver me from ¥ the body of this death ? 


25 11 thank God through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the 


law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 


CHAPTER VIII. 
WERE is therefore now no condemnation 
to them which are in Christ ‘Jesus, who 
“walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 


y Or, this body ef death ὅ------ 1 Cor. 1. 57. 


a Verse 4; Gal. ὃ. 16, 25. 


affecting account is finished more impressively by 
the groans of the wounded captive. Having long 
maintained a useless conflict against innumerable 
hosts and irresistible might, at last, wounded and 
taken prisoner, he cries out in self despair: “Ὁ 
wretched man!” ete. We may naturally suppose that 
the ery of such a person w ould be, Wretched man 
that Iam! who shall deliver me fr om this dead body 7 
[τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ϑανάτου τούτου, equivalent to σῶμα 
ϑάνατον, and oup§,—that embodiment of spiritual 
wickedness in the unrenewed soul which is itself a 
state of spiritual death, and which is rapidly has- 
tening to irrecoverable ruin. ] A body—a whole mass 
of sin and corruption—was bound to his soul with 
chains which he could not break; and the mortal 
contagion, transfused through his whole nature, was 
pressing him down to the bitter pains of an eternal 
death. He now finds that the /aw can afford him 
no deliverance ; and he despairs of help from any 
human being; but while he is emitting his last, or 
almost expiring, groan, the redemption by Christ 
Jesus is proclaimed to him. He sees then an open 
door of hope, and he immediately, though but in the 
prospect of this deliverance, returns God thanks for 
the hope which he has of salvation through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

25. I thank God through Jesus Christ—This 
is an answer to the almost despairing question in 
the preceding verse. Thus we find that a case of 
the kind described by the apostle in the preceding 
verses, whether it were Ais own before he was 
brought to the knowledge of Christ, particularly 
during the three days that he was at Damascus, 
without being able to eat or drink, in deep peni- 
tential sorrow; or whether he personates a phari- 
saic yet conscientious Jew, deeply concerned for his 
salvation: I say, we find that such a case can be 
relieved by the Gospel of Christ only: and that no 
scheme of redemption can be effectual to the salva- 
tion of any soul but that laid down in the Gospel 
of Christ. Though all means be used which human 
wisdom can devise, gwi/t will still continue wnean- 
celled ; and inbred sin will laugh them all to scorn, 
prevail over them, and finally triumph. And this 
is the very conclusion to which the apostle brings 
his argument in the final clause. So then with 
the mind I myself serve the law of God 
—The sum of what has been advanced, concern- 
ing the power of sin in the carnal man, and the 
utter insufficiency of all human means and legal ob- 
servances to pardon sin and expel the corruption of 
the heart, is this: that the very same person, the 
αὐτὸς ἐγώ, the same 7, while without the Gospel, un- 
der the killing power of the law, will find in himself 
two opposite principles: the one subseribing to and 
approving the law of God; the other, notwithstand- 
ing, bringing him into captivity tosin. His inward 
man—his rational powers and conscience, will assent 
to the justice and propriety of the requisitions of 
the law; but his flesh/y appetites—the law in his 
members, will war against the law of his mind, and 
continue, till he receives the Gospel of Christ, to 
hold him in the galling captivity of sin and death.” 

1. That all that is said in this chapter of the carnal 
man, sold under sin, did apply to Saul of Tarsus, no 

52 


man can doubt: that what is here said can ever 
be with propriety applied to Paul the Apostle, who 
can believe? Of the former, all is natural; of the 
latter, all here said would be monstrous and absurd. 

2. But it is supposed that the words must be un- 
derstood as implying a regenerate man, because the 
apostle says, “1 delight in the law of God;” and 
‘“ With the mind I myself serve the law of God.” 
These things, say the objectors, can be spoken 
only of a regenerate man, such as the apostle then 
was. But when we find that the former verse speaks 
of a man who is brought into captivity to the law of 
sin and death, some other meaning of the words 
used must be found, [The Christian state is indeed 
one of warfare, but in no case may we hold that 
capture and enslavement to the enemy is even a 
contingency, except where there is infidelity to the 
trust confided to each.] The very genius of Chris- 
tianity demonstrates that nothing like this can, with 
propriety, be spoken of a genuine Christian. 

3. It must be allowed, that whatever was the 
experience of so eminent a man, Christian, and 
apostle, as St. Paul, it must be a very proper stand- 
ard of Christianity. But his whole life, and the ac- 
count which he immediately gives of the Christian’s 
privileges in the succeeding chapter, prove that he, 
as a Christian and an apostle, had a widely differ- 
ent experience; and demonstrates that the Christ- 
ian religion not only is well calculated to perfect all 
preceding dispensations, but that it, and it alone, 
affords salvation to the uttermost to all those who flee 
for refuge to the hope that it sets before them. The 
assertion that “every Christian, howsoever advanced 
in the divine life, will and must feel all this inward 
eonflict,” is alike untrne and dangerous. That many 
Christians, and probably sincere ones, do feel more 
or less of this, may be readily granted; but that 
they must continue thus is nowhere intimated in 
the Gospel of Christ. We should take heed how 
we make our experience, marred and dwarfed by our 
unbelief and unfaithfulness, the standard for the 
people of God, and lower Christianity to our most 
reprehensible and dwarfish state: at the same time 
we should not be discouraged at what we thus feel, 
but apply to God, through Christ, as Paul did; and 
then we shall soon be able, with him, to declare, to 
the eternal glory of God’s grace, that the law of 
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hak made us free 
from the law of sin and death. This is the in- 
heritance of God’s children; and their salvation is 
of me, saith the Lord. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. 


1. There is therefore now no condemna- 
tion—To do justice to St. Paul’s reasoning, this 
chapter must be read in the closest connexion with 
the preceding. There we have seen the unavailing 
struggles of an awakened sinner who sought par- 
don and holiness from that law which he was con- 
scious he had broken; and in which he could find 
no provision for pardon, and no power to sanctify. 
This conviction having brought him to the very 
brink of despair, and being on the point of giving 
up all hope, he hears of redemption by Jesus 
Christ, thanks God for the prospect he has of sal- 


What the law could not do for man, 
the Lord Jesus hus atlected, 


Jesus had made me free froin “the law of sin 
and death. 8% For ¢what the law could not 
do, in that it was weak through the flesh, 
‘God sending his own Son in the likeness of 
sinful flesh, and ¢ for sin, condemned sin in the 
flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law 


b John 8, 36; ch. 6. 18,22; Gal. 2. 19: 5. 1.—el Cor, 15. 45: 
2 Cor. 3. 6.—d Chap. 7. 24, 25 6 Acts 13. 39; chap. 3. 20; 
Heb. 7. 18,19; 10.1, 2, 10, 1 —<— ia Cor, 5. 21; Gal. 3. 13. — 
g Ov, by a sacrifice for sin. 


vation, applies for and receives it; and now mag- 
nifies God for the unspeakable gift of which he 
has been made a partaker. 

The last chapter closed with an account of the 
deep distress of the penitent; this one opens with 
an account of his salvation. The “therefore now,” 
in the text, must refer to the happy transition 
from darkness to light, from condemnation to par- 
don, which this believer now enjoys. To them 
which are in Christ Jesus—|'o those who are 
truly and spiritually united to Carist. The ground 
of this idiom (ἐν Χριστῷ) is the spiritual union which 
exists between the Head of the Church and its 
members.—Stuart.| Who walk not after the 
flesh, ete.—This clause is wanting in the principal 
MSS., Versions, and Fathers. Griesbach has ex- 
cluded it from the text. [It is rejected by nearly 
all modern critics, and it is not used in the Revised 
Version.] The thing itself, however, is included 
in the being in Christ. It was probably added by 
some copyist, and it is most likely taken from the 
fourth verse. 

2. For the law of the Spirit of life—The 
Gospel of the grace of Christ, which is not only a 
law or rule of life, but affords that sovereign 
energy by which guilt is removed from the con- 
science, the power of sin broken, and its polluting 
influence removed from the heart. The law was a 
spirit of death, by which those who were under it 
were bound down, because of their sin, to con- 
demnation and death. The Gospel proclaims Jesus 
the Saviour; and what the /ew bound unto death, 
11 looses unto life eternal. [The word νόμος, (law,) 
here, will be best understood by referring back to 
chap. vii, 21, 23, 25, where the word means, a rue, 
dictate, or domination. As νόμος ἁμαρτίας (the law 
of sin) means the dictate of (indwelling) sin, so its 
opposite, νόμος πνεύματος, must mean the dictate 
of the Spirit, that is, the influences of the Holy 
Spirit, which direct and control our inclinations. 
. . . The apostle does not mean to say that Christ- 
ians who are under the influences of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus must be without sin, but that 
they are freed from the predominating power of sin- 
ful inclinations.—Stwart.| [We (bondslaves, lawful 
captives) escape from the law which condemns but 
cannot emancipate, and through faith enter info 
Christ—accept his law, (Matt. xi, 29, 30,) and find 
our liberty iz him.] 

3. For what the law could not do—The law 
could not pardon; the law could not sanctify; the 
law could not dispense with its own requisitions ; 
it is the rule of righteousness, and therefore must 
condemn unrighteousness, This is its unalterable 
nature. Had there been perfect obedience to its 
dictates, instead of condemning, it would have 
applauded and rewarded ; but as the flesh—the 
carnal and rebellious principle—had prevailed, and 
transgression had taken place, it was rendered 
weak, inefficient (not adapted) to undo this work of 


A. M. 4062. A.D, 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For ‘they 
that are after the flesh do mind the things of 
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, 
k the things of the Spirit. 6 For! "to be car- 
nally minded is death; but "to be spiritually 
minded is life and peace. % Because °r the 


h. Verse 1.—7 John 3. 6; 1Cor. 2. 14.—Gal δ. 2. 25.— 
¢Chap. ὃ. 21; verse 13; Gal. 6. 8.——m Gr. the minding of the 
Slesh: so verse 7.—n Gr, the minding 47 the Spirit.— 


or, the minding of the flesh. —p James 4. 4. 


the flesh, and bring the sinner into a state of par- 
don and acceptance with God. [To ddtvatov—the 
thing impossible, of the law. The construction is 
a nominative pendent, in opposition tothe follow- 
ing sentence, and especially its last clause, caTéxpive 
τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ capxi—condemned sin in the 
flesh. This the law could not do, except it con- 
demned the sinner also, It was powerful to con- 
demn the guilty, but impotent to save.] God 
sending his own fon in the likeness of sinful 
flesh— Did that which the law could not do, that 
is, purchased pardon for the sinner, and brought 
every believer into the favour of God. All this is 
effected through the incarnation of Christ. He in 
whom dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily 
took upon him the likeness of sinful flesh, that is, 
a human body like ours, in its essential manhood, 
but not sinful as ours; and for sin, καὶ περὶ 
ἁμαρτίας, and as a SACRIFICE FOR SIN, (this is the 
sense of the word in a multitude of places,) con- 
demned sin in the flesh—condemned that to death 
and destruction which had condemned us to both, 
Condemned sin in the flesh—‘Ihe design and 
object of the incarnation and sacrifice of Christ 
was to condemn sin, to have it executed and 
destroyed ; not to folerate it, or to render it subser- 
vient to the purposes of his grace, but to anni- 
hilate its power, guilt, and being in the soul of 
a believer. 

4. That the righteousness of the law might 
be fulfilled in us—That the guilt might be par- 
doned through the merit of that sacrifice; and 
that we might be enabled, by the power of his own 
grace and Spirit, to walk in newness of life; and 
thus the righteousness, the spirit, and purpose of 
the law is fulfilled in us, through the strength of 
the Spirit of Christ, which is here put in opposi- 
tion to the weakness of the law through the flesh. 

5. For they that are after the flesh—And 
here is the great distinction between the unregen- 
erate and genuine Christians: the former are “af- 
ter the flesh "—are under the power of the car- 
nal, rebellious principle, and consequently mind— 
ὁρονοῦσιν, relish—the things of the flesh: the 
things which appertain merely to the present life ; 
having no relish for spiritual and eternal things. 
But they that are after the Spirit—They who 
are regenerated, born of the Spirit, being redeemed 
from the influence and law of the carnal mind, 
relish the things of the Spirit; they are spiritually 
minded. And this, which in these apostolic times 
distinguished between the carnal sinner and the 
spiritual believer in Christ, is the grand mark of 
distinction between the natural man and the real 
Christian now. The former is earthly minded, and 
lives for this world ;* the latter is spititually minded, 
and lives for the world to come. 

6. For to be carnally minded is death—To 
live under the influence of the carnal mind is 
to live in a state of deadness to spiritual things, 
53 


A. M. 4062, A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 511. 


ROMANS. 


The unrenewed man dead to God, 
the regenerated is alive to him. 


carnal mind 7s enmity against God: for it is 
not subject to the law of God, 4 neither in- 
deed can be. 5 So then they that are in the 
flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in 
the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that ‘the 
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man 


have not “πὸ Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
his. 19 And if Christ be in you, the body és 
dead because of sin; but the Spirit ds life be- 
cause of righteousness. EH But if the Spirit 
of thim that raised up Jesus from the dead 
dwell in you, "be that raised up Christ from 


. 14.—§7 1 Cor. 3. 16; 
Phil. i. 10. 


θ. 19. 
Pets 1. 


ql Cor, 2 sobs 3. 34; Gal. 4. 6; 


t Acts 2. 2 5:  θον, 6. 14; 2 Cor. 4 14; 


and of condemnation, and consequently liable to 
death eternal: whereas, on the contrary, he who is 
spiritually minded has the life and peace of God 
in his soul, and is in full prospect of life eter- 
nal. [To φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς θάνατος, the mind 
(thoughts, cares and aims) of the flesh, (the natu- 
ral man,) is (equivalent to, inseparable from) 
death; (not merely physical, nor mere unhappiness, 
but, as in verse 2, in the largest sense extending 
to eternity.) To φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴ καὶ εἰ- 
ρήνη. The mind of the Spirit (verse 2) ἦς life [life- 
giving in its advent, and life-sustained in its con- 
tinuance.] Hence, the spiritual man cannot mind 
the things of the flesh, (1 John iii, 9.) because such 
a mind is death, the peace, εἰρήνη, of the Spirit being 
a blessed contrast to the tumult of the fleshly lusts, 
even in this life. See Alford. ] 

7. Because the carnal mind is enmity 
against God—|"Ey pu εἰς θεόν, not at enmity, but, 
in its own essence, a spirit of hostility against all 
that is godlike, and against God’s person whenever 
apprehended. Therefore, it cannot be subjected, 
but must be destroyed. | 

8. So then they that are in the flesh— Who 
are under the power of the workings of this carnal 
mind, (which every soul is that has not received 
redemption in the blood of the Lamb.) Cannot 
please God—Because of their essential enmity, 
which is shown in the rebellious workings of this 
principle of hatred. And, if they cannot please 
God, they must be displeasing to him; and con- 
sequently in the way to perdition, [in which they 
already abide. | 

9. But ye are not in the flesh—Ye Christ- 
jans, who have believed in Christ Jesus as the sin- 
offering which has condemned sin in the flesh; 
and having been justified by faith and made par- 
takers of the Holy Spirit, are enabled to walk in 
newness of life. [The purely metaphysical import 
of σάρξ ( flesh) must here be evident. Physically, 
as living men, they certainly were in the flesh, but 
in the theological and scriptural sense of that term 
they were not of it.] Ifso be that the Spirit of 
God dwell in you—Or, seeing that, εἴπερ, [ pro- 
vided that, (Alford,)| the Spirit of God dwelleth in 
you. [The conditional signification (of eizep,) if 
certainly, if otherwise, is perfectly suitable, and cor- 
responds with εἰ dé, (but 77,) in the next clause. It 
conveys an indirect i incitement toself examination.— 

Meyer.| The flesh, the e sinful pr inciple, dwelt (ruled) 
in them before, and its motions were the proots of 
its indwelling. Now if the Spirit dwells in them, 
its testimony will be in their conscience, and its 
powerful operations in their hearts will be the 
proofs of its indwelling. And that this is neces- 
sary to our present peace and final salvation is 
proved from this: that if any man have not the 
spirit of Christ—the mind that was in him, pro- 
duced in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost— 
he is none of his; he does not belong to the king- 
dom, flock, or family of God. 

10. And if Christ be in you, etc.—This is 
the criterion by which you may judge of the state 

δά 


of grace in which ye stand. If Christ dwell in 
your hearts by faith, the body (the natural man) 
is dead because of sin, διὰ ἁμαρτίαν, the members 
of your body no more perform the work of sin 
than the body of a dead man does the functions of 
natural life. [An indwelling Christ is ineompatibie 
with the continued life and action of the “ body,” 
the natural, ‘fallen man. | 

11. But if the Spirit, ete.—This verse con- 
firms the sense given to the preceding. They who 
here receive the grace and Spirit of Christ, and 
who continue to live under its influence a life of 
obedience to the divine will, shall have a resurreec- 
tion to eternal life; and the resurrection of Christ 
shall be the pattern after which they shall be 
raised. [The indwelling Spirit, ἐνοικοῦν αὐτοῦ 
Πνεῦμα, is the ever-active and efficient agent of the 
spiritual redemption (resurrection) of ‘believers. ] 
[it the Spirit of Christ dwells in any one, his body 
is indeed dead on account of sin—that is, the old 
man is crucified—or he (the regenerated man) un- 
dergoes mortification as to his carnal and sinful ap- 
petites, but his sprit is rendered happy, (alive,) on 
account of righteousness; that is, because of con- 
formity to the requisitions of the Gospel. Yea, if 
the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus from the 
dead dwells in any man, that same Spirit will 
quicken, that is, impart life to, his ‘mortal body,” 
will not suffer it toremain a mere σῶμα τεκρῶν, but 
make it an instrument of righteousness, (chapter vi, 
12, 18, 19,) and give it a power of being subser- 
vient to the glory of God.—Stwart.| [The phrase, 
Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῶν, indicates not only the fact of a 
new spiritual estate, but also its cause and method ; 
it is ἐγ. Christ, and ‘also Christ in you, signifying A 
mystical conjunction of Christ by the Holy Spirit 
with the believer personally. In respect to all 
such, the apostle declares, the body is dead 
through sin. The significance of this passage 
turns upon the meaning of the word σῶμα, (bedy,) 
which seems to be here t used in a wholly metaphys- 
ical sense, and in nearly the same sense as σώρξ, 
in verses 6, 7. The indwelling Christ is death to 
the old man, the body of sin; and this destruction is 
called for, made necessary, διὰ ἁμαρτίαν, because 
of the complete perversion of the natural man (the 
body) through sin. On the contrary, the indwelling 
Holy Ghost is lifegiving—himself the life—whose 
office work proceeds through δικαιοσύνη, the right- 
eousness of faith. The reference to the resurree- 
tion of Christ is not simply intended to indicate 
and identify the indwelling Spirit as divine, (God 
himself,) but evidently there is an intimation of 
some important relation existing between the 
raising (ἐγείρας) of Christ from (among) ihe dead 
and the spiritual quickening of his people. In 
just what that relation consists is not here speci- 
fied, but it is assumed that the allusion would 
be readily understood; and the most natural im- 
plication seems to be, that the same divine power, 
operating in a way somewhat analogously, will also 
(does so in his ordinary action in the hearts of his 
people) give life to τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν, your 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Believers are consstausly made 
the children of God, 


the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies 
v by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 ἡ There- 
fore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, 
to live after the flesh. 13 For *if ye live 
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through 
the Spirit do ¥mortify the deeds of the body, 
ye shall live. 24 For as many as are led by 


A. M. 4969. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
15 For * ye have not received the spirit of 
bondage again "to fear; but ye have received 
the «Spirit of adoption, whereby we ery, ¢ Ab- 
ba, Father. 16 ¢The Spirit itself beareth wit- 
ness with our spirit, that we are the children 
of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; 


» Or, because of his Spirit.—vw Chap. 6. 7, — Verse 
6: Gal. 6. 8.—y Eph. 4. 22; Col. 3. 5.— 2 Gal. ὃ. 13. ——a 1 Cor. 
2.12: Heb. 5. 15. 


62 Timothy 1.7; 1 John 4. 18,—e Isainh δύ, 5; Galatians 
4, 5, 6.—d Mark 14. 36.-—e 2 Corinthians 1, 22; 5. 5: Kphe- 
siuns 1. 13; 4, 30, 


dead bodies—the spiritually dead natural man, all 
of which is to be effectuated, not by exterior and 
adventitious influences, but by the indwelling Spirit. 
By the most natural construction of the terms 
here used, compared with the same and kindred 
terms in the preceding verses, the word cava here 
indicates the metaphysical rather than the physical 
in man, (that of which ethical properties may be 
predicated;) and if so, the promised quickening 
would not appear to have any relation to the resur- 
rection of the material body. That article of 
faith must find its support in other parts of the 
Scriptures. | 

12. Therefore, brethren, etc.—[ Being redeemed 
by the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy 
Spirit, we are freed from our former enslavement to 
the flesh, (σάρξ) and have become servants to 
another, to whom we owe the devotion and the ser- 
vice of our lives. Having been redeemed gra- 
ciously, we owe all that we can render to Him who 
has so favoured us. | 

13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
(are doomed to) die—Though μέλλετε ἀποθνήσκειν 
may mean, ye shall aflerward die, and this seems 
to indicate a temporal death, yet not exclusive of 
an eternal death; for perhaps both, but certainly 
the latter, is implied. But if ye through the 
Spirit—If ye seek that grace and spiritual help 
which the Gospel of Christ furnishes, to resist, 
and, by resisting, mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye 
shall live a life of faith, love, and holy obedience 
here, and a life of glory hereafter. [This passage 
is rendered by Conybeare and* Howson: But if by 
the Spirit you destroy the deeds of the body, in their 
death you will attain to life; indicating a process 
of growth in the divine life, and a corresponding 
elimination of the corrupt elements of the σῶμα. | 

14. For as many as are led by the Spirit, 
ete.—As Christ, by his sacrificial offering, has 
opened the kingdom of God to all believers; so 
the Spirit is the great agent here below to en- 
lighten, quicken, strengthen, and guide the true 
disciples of Christ. [A Christian, as a son of God, 
is new born, (born again,) of the Spirit of God: 
hence has a likeness to God in character, is the ob- 
ject of God’s special love, and (is) entitled to special 
privileges and dignity. Yet even this is not all. 
. . . The relation is rea/, grounded on, yet differing 
from, the relation of the Eternal Son. Only those 
(who are) in him are “sons”—partakers of the di- 
vine nature. —Riddle.] 

15. Ye have not received the spirit of 
bondage—[ Ye have not taken again to yourself the 
servile spirit (compelling) to fear.| [An appeal to 
the consciousness of the Christian to contirm the 
assertion that he is a son of God; πνεῦμα, (the ser- 
vile and the jilial,) indicates the opposite sentiments 
of the two contrasted states of mind toward God. 
The apostle seems, however, in this form of ex- 
pression, to combine the objective Πνεῦμα, (Spirit,) 
given by God, with our own subjective spirit.— 


Alford.) The Spirit of adoption—Adoption 
was an act frequent among the ancient Hebrews, 
Greeks, and Romans. The child thus adopted 
ceased to belong to his own (natural) family, and 
was in every (legal) respect bound τὰ the person 
who had adopted him, as if he were His own child; 
and, in consequence, he became the heir of his 
adopting father. Whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father—|[They who thus graciously receive adop- 
tion not only come into the legal relations and 
privileges of sons; they also receive the Spirit of 
their sonship in their hearts, so that they instine- 
tively realize their filial relations, and with all of a 
child’s confidence recognise the divine fatherhood 
graciously displayed in Christ. ] 

Slaves were not permitted to use the term 
abba, father, or imma, mother, in accosting their 
masters and mistresses. The Hebrew canon rela- 
tive to this runs: Menservants and maidservants 
do not call to their master Abba, ( father.) nor to 
their mistress Imma, (mother.) And from. this 
some suppose that the apostle intimates that being 
now brought from under the spirit of bondage, in 
which they durst not call God their /ather, they 
are not only brought into a new state, but have got 
that language which is peculiar to that state, 

Some have supposed that the apostle, hy using 
the Syriac and Greek words which express father, 
shows the union of Jewish and Gentile believers in 
those devotions which were dictated by a filial 
spirit. Others have thought that these were the 
Jirst words generally uttered by those who were 
made partakers of the Holy Spirit. It is enough 
to know that it was the language of their sonship ; 
and that it expressed the clear assurance they had 
of being received into the divine favour, the affee- 
tion and gratitude they felt for this extraordinary 
blessing, and their complete readiness to come 
under the laws and regulations of the family, and to 
live in the spirit of obedience. 

16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with 
our spirit—Airo τὸ Πνεῦμο, that same Spirit, the 
Spirit of adoption; that is, the Spirit who wit- 
nesses this adoption; which can be no other than 
the Holy Ghost himself. With our spirit—{If 
the question be urged, How does the Spirit bear 
witness to our minds or souls that we are the chil- 
dren of God? the answer is, By imparting the 
Spirit of adoption, the filial spirit, to us. That 
the world deny any such testimony in the hearts of 
believers, proves only that they are unacquainted 
with it, not that it is an illusion —AStuart.| And 
this is not a momentary influx: if we take care 
to walk with God, and grieve not the Holy Spirit, 
we shall have an abiding testimony; and while 
we continue faithful to our adopting Father, the 
Spirit who witnesses that adoption will continue to 
witness it; and hereby we shall know that we are 
of God by the Spirit which he giveth us. 

17. And if children, then heirs—[If we sus- 
tain the relation of sons, then shall we be treated 

55 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


fheirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; ¢if 
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be 
also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that 
hthe sufferings of this present time are not 
worthy to be compared with the glory which 
shall be revealed in us. 49 For 'the earnest 
expectation of the creature waiteth for the 
k manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For 


ROMANS. 


Present sufferings not to be com- 
pared with future glory. 


'the creature was made subject to vanity, not 
willingly, but by reason of him who hath sub- 
jected the same in hope; 2 Because the 
creature itself also shall be delivered from the 
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty 
of the children of God. 22 For we know 
that ™the whole creation "groaneth and trav- 
aileth in pain together until now. 23 And 


22; Phil. 1. 29; 2 Tim. 2, 
Tk 135 -- 7) Pet. 3) 19. 


99. 


J Acts 26. 18; Gal. 4. 7. 
11, 12. h2 Cor, 4.1731 


g Acts 14. 
Pet. 1. 6; 


k1 John 3. 2.—/ Gen. 3. 19: verse 22. m Or, erery crea- 
ture, Mark 16. 15; Col. 1. 23.-—m Jer, 12, 11. 


as such; that is, we shall be heirs.] Heirs of 
God—lIt is neither an earthly portion nor (in its 
fullest sense) a heavenly portion, but God himself, 
who is to be their portion. It is not (only) heaven 
they are to inherit; it is (eminently) God, who is 
infinitely greater and more glorious than heaven 
itself. With such powers has God created the soul 
of man, that nothing less than himself can be its 
sufficient and satisfactory portion. Joint heirs 
with Christ—That is, as Christ endured sufferings 
and was advanced to glory, in like manner (and 
yet in a much lower sense) shall we also be ad- 
vanced to glory.—Stwart.] Ifso be that we suffer 
with him—|If now we share his suffermgs—sub- 
mit joyfully for his sake to endure suffering—we 
shall hereafter share his glorification, συνδοξασ- 
θῶμεν.] This, with the additional consideration 
that we suffer with Christ, or as he himself suffered, 
would greatly qualify the transitory afflictions of 
this world, and dispose men to attend to the other 
arguments the apostle had to offer. 

18. For I reckon [Aoyifoua:, I estimate, con- 
clude after due consideration] that the suffer- 
ings, etc.—If the glory that is to be revealed be 
the enjoyment of God himself, (see above,) then the 
sufferings of this life, which, when compared with 
eternity, are but as for a moment, are not worthy to 
be put in competition with this glory which shall 
be revealed in us. In us—[Eic¢ ἡμᾶς, in regard to 
us.— A /ford. | 

19. For the earnest expectation of the 
creature—[’Arokapadokia τῆς κτίσεως, the longing 
outlook of the race—the unpurposed reachings out 
of the great soul of humanity, for the manifesta- 
tion of the ways of God toward men.] Waiteth— 
[Looks out continuously and expectantly.| There is 
considerable difficulty in this and the four following 
verses, and the difficulty lies chiefly in the mean- 
ing of the words, ἡ κτίσις, which we translate the 
creature and creation. Some think that by it the 
brute creation is meant; others apply it to the 
Jewish people; others, to the godly ; others, to the 
Gentiles ; others, to the good angels ; and others, to 
the fallen spirits, both angelic and human.  Dis- 
sertations without end have been written on it; 
and it does not appear that the Christian world has 
come to any general agreement on the subject. 
Dr. Lightfoot’s mode of explanation appears to me 
to be, on the whole, the best. ‘There is,” says 
he, “a twofold key hanging at this place, which 
may unlock the whole, and make the sense plain 
and easy. 1) The first is the phrase, πᾶσα ἡ κτί- 
σις, Which we render the whole creation, (verse 22,) 
and with which we meet twice elsewhere in the 
New Testament: Mark xvi, 15, preach the Gospel, 
πάσῃ, τῇ κτίσει, to every creature ; and Col. i, 23, 
the Gospel was preached, ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, to every 
creature. Now it is sufficiently apparent what is 
meant by πᾶσα κτίσις in both these places, namely, 
all nations, or all mankind. For that which in St. 

56 


Mark is, preach the Gospel to every creature, is, in 
St. Matthew, go and teach, πάντα τὰ ἔϑνη all na- 
tions. And this phrase in this place lays claim to that 
very interpretation. [It seems safe, then, to under- 
stand the term κτήσεις, in this place, as equivalent 
to the race of mankind, considered in its ageregate 
unity, its solidarity—man.| 2) The second key is the 
word ματαιότητι, (verse 20,) which is not unfitly 
rendered vanity; but then this vanity is improperly 
applied to the vanishing, dying, changing state of 
the creation. For ματαιότης, vanity, does not so 
much denote the vanishing condition of the out- 
ward state, as it does the inward vanity or empti- 
ness of the mind. So the apostle, speaking of the 
Gentiles concerning whom he speaks here, tells us 
ἐματαιώθησαν, They became vain in their imagina- 
tions, (chapter i, 21 ;) and again, The Gentiles walk, 
ἐν ματαιότητι, in the vanity of their mind, (Eph. 
iv, 17;) so also, The Lord knoweth the thoughts 
of the wise, ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι, that they are vain. 
(1 Cor. iii, 20.) The Romans, to whom the apostle 
writes, knew well how many predictions and prom- 
ises it had pleased God to publish by his prophets 
concerning gathering together and adopting sons to 
himself among the Gentiles; the manifestation of 
which sons the whole Gentile world, with a neck as 
it were stretched out, (as the word ἀποκαραδοκία im- 
plies,) doth now wait for. [For another view of the 
sense of this word, see the notes on the next verse. ] 

20. For the creature was made subject to 
vanity — [Ματαιότητι, the vanishing, dying, and 
changing state of everything belonging to man; re- 
lating to the condition rather than the character. ] 
[The instability, liability to change and decay, of all 
created things.—Alford.] Not willingly—[The 
creature (man) did not voluntarily choose its pres- 
ent condition of sorrow and pain... but God the 
Creator has placed it in this condition. It is by his 
sovereign will, by the arrangements of his holy 
providence, that man is placed in a frail and dying 
state. This state of ματαιότης (vanity) was not 
original, but superinduced by sin. . ,. But distress- 
ing and frail as the state of man is, it is still a state 
of hope.—Stuart. | 

21. Because the creature—This and the pre- 
ceding verse should be thus connected, in hope 
THAT (ὅτι) the creature itself also shall be delivered. 
The word φθορά denotes, very frequently, sinful 
corruption. (So 2 Pet. i, 4; 2 Cor. xi, 3; 1 Cor. 
xv, 33.) The sense, therefore, of the apostle in 
this place seems to be: the world (mankind) shall, 
in time, be delivered from the bondage of sinfvl 
corruption ; and be brought into such a noble lib- 
erty as the sons of God enjoy. 

22. The whole creation groaneth and trav- 
aileth — [Od μόνον δέ, and not only so, that is, 
better still, we know that every creature, that 
is, the whole human race, has sighed and sorrowed 
together, until the present time. No one is exempt; 
there is a mutual correspondence between them all 


Influence of hope. The he!lpful 
intercession of the Spirit. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A. M. 4062. A, Ὁ, 58. 
Year of Rome, ΒΓ], 


not only they, but ourselves also, which have 
*the firstfruits of the Spirit, peven we our- 
selves groan within ourselves, 4 waiting for the 
adoption, to wit, the "redemption of our body. 
24 For we are saved by hope: but* hope that 
is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, 


02 Cor. 5. 5; Eph. 1. 14.—p2 Cor. 5. 2, 4. —g Luke 20, 36,— 
7 Luke 21, 28; Eph. 4. 30. 


in regard to the subject in question.... The lan- 
guage of the apostle is exceedingly appropriate to 
his purpose, as it not only indicates great sorrow 
and distress, but that this is indicative of a new 
birth ; that is, a new state of things and a change 
for the better to be looked for.—Stuart. } 

23. And not only they, but ourselves also— 
The scope and design of St. Paul in these verses 
may be thus summed up: The apostle shows that 
the whole creation is in asuffering state, into which 
it has been brought by the disobedience of one man, 
Adam; therefore, it was ‘made subject to vanity ” 
—pain, sickness, and death; not willingly, for 
mankind had no part in that transgression which 
“brought death into the world and all our woe,” 
but God subjected the whole, purposing to afford 
them a deliverance, and infusing into every heart 
a hope that a more auspicious era should take 
place ; and it is through the influence of this hope, 
which every man possesses, that the present ills 
are so patiently borne, because all are expecting, 
though they cannot tell why, better days. The 
great deliverer is the Messiah, and the gospel days 
the auspicious era which God intended to bring 
forward. They who believe in Christ with a heart 
unto righteousness are freed from the bondage of 
their sinful corruption, and brought into the glo- 
rious liberty of the sons of God; and they look 
forward with joyous expectation, waiting for this 
greater deliverance. And if it shall be said that 
the redemption provided by the Gospel cannot be an 
object of hope to those who have never heard of 
it; yet, as all men have hope, and this hope is in- 
spired by God for this very purpose, that it may be 
the means of supporting them in the ills of life, and 
God, in inspiring it, had respect to the glorious 
state of Christianity, therefore it is this state, in 
effect, that the whole race are longing for. So 
Jesus Christ is said, by the Prophet Haggai, (ii, 7,) 
to be the Desire of all nations; and yet not one of 
the nations of the earth had, at that time, heard of 
him. And thus, as Dr. Whitby has very properly 
remarked, “‘ Desire and expectation are ascribed to 
creatures in reference to things they want, and 
which tend to their advantage, notwithstanding 
they explicitly know nothing of them. [The first- 
fruits of the Spirit—Tyv ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος. 
The indwelling and influence of the Holy Spirit 
here, and an earnest of the full harvest of his com- 
plete possession of us.—A/ford. | 

24. For we are saved by hope—We are sup- 
ported and are comfortable in the expectation we 
have of receiving from the hand of our God all the 
good we need in the troubles and adversities of 
this life, and of a glorious reversion of bliss with 
God and Christ forever. Hope that is seen is 
not hope—As hope signifies the expectation of fu- 
ture good, so it necessarily supposes that the ob- 
ject of it is not seen, that is, not enjoyed; for to 
see, in Scripture language, sometimes signifies to en- 
joy. (Job vii, 7.) The hope that is seen—that is, 
enjoyed—is no longer hope, it is fruition; and a 


Frame of mind. 


why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we 
hope for that we see not, then do we with 
patience wait for it. 26 Likewise the Spirit 
also helpeth our infirmities: for ‘we know 
not what we should pray for as we ought: 
but "the Spirit itself maketh intercession for 


82Cor. 5.7; Heb. 11. 1.—7 Matt. 20, 22: Jumes 4. 3.——u Zech, 
12. 10; Eph. 6 18, 


man cannot hope for that which he has in his pos- 
session. 

25. But if we hope for that we see not—If we 
have a satisfactory expectation of our final recom- 
pense of reward, which is of course future, and still 
to be delayed, then do we patiently wait for it ; con- 
tinue patiently to endure the common ills of life, as 
well as the consequences of our Christian profes- 
sion; for we know, rarrurut is 116 who has prom- 
ised. “Hope” is a sort of universal blessing, 
and one of the greatest which God has granted to 
man. To mankind in general life would be intol- 
erable without it; and itis as necessary as faith is, 
even to the followers of God. 

26. The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities— 
The same Spirit, τὸ Πνεῦμα, mentioned before as 
bearing witness with ours that we are the children 
of God; and consequently, it is not a disposition or 
[That Spirit which sanctifies 
Christians, which subdues their fleshly appetites, 
which gives them a filial temper, which bestows a 
foretaste of future glory, this same Spirit aids 
Christians in all their sufferings and sorrows.— 
The word συναντι λαμβάνεται is very inadequately 
expressed by helpeth. It signifies such assist- 
ance as is afforded by any two persons to each 
other, who mutually bear the same load or carry it 
between them. He who prays receives help from 
the Spirit of God; but’ he who prays not receives 
no such help. Whatever our strength may be, we 
must put it forth, even while most implicitly de- 
pending on the strength of God himself. |The 
prefixed σύν augments the signification, so that one 
might translate, greatly assists, affords much help. 
It denotes not only with, but also marks the com- 
pleteness or entirety of the action. “Our infirmities,” 
ἀσθενεία ἡμῶν, seems to mean our frail, infirm, 
afflicted, troubled state.—Stvart.] Flor we know 
not what we should pray for as we ought— 
And should therefore be liable to endless mistakes 
in our prayers, if suitable desires were not excited 
by the Holy Spirit, and power received to bring these 
desires, by prayer, before the throne of grace. But 
the Spirit itself—Airo τὸ Πνεῦμα, the same Spirit, 
namely, the Spirit that witnesses of our adoption and 
sonship, (verses 15, 16,) makes intercession Jor us. 
We must understand in these places that help and 
influence which the followers of God receive from 
the Holy Ghost; and consequently, the fulfilment of 
the various promises relative to this point which 
our Lord made to his disciples. (John xiv.13, 14, 
and also xiv, 16, 17, 26; xv, 26, 27; xvi, 7.) (Prayer 
made by the Spirit of God, as such, and by him- 
self, is not here intended.—<Atwart. | [The Holy 
Spirit in the hearts of Christians becomes a spirit of 
prayer, both to teach them what to pray for, and to 
give them the true spirit of supplication, equally in 
kind and in degree going bevond merely human 
powers of utterance. Archbishop Leighton very 
happily unfolds the spirit of this text in his Expo- 
sition of the Lord's Prayer. “The work of the 
Spirit is in exciting the heart, at times of cam 

‘ 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, #11, 


us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 
27 And vhe that searcheth the hearts know- 
eth what zs the mind of the Spirit, * because he 
maketh intercession for the saints * according 
to the will of God. 28 And we know that 


ROMANS. 


All things work together f r good 
to those who luve God, 


all things work together for good to them that 
love God, to them ἡ who are the called accord- 
ing to his purpose. 2% For whom “he did 
foreknow, «he also did predestinate "to be 
conformed to the image of his Son, «that he 


#1 Chron, 28.9; 
3h 12; Acts 1. 24: 


Psa ἢ. Oy eLOVe Lino Sets 11: σ᾽... 7. 10)» coalenbien Psalms δ. 961, dl. 5: Matt. 7. 23; ch. 1. PRIA ihn 
"| Thess, 2, 4; Rev. 2. 23. w Or, ὁ 19; 1 Pet. 1. 2.—a Eph. 1. 5, 11. poe John 17. pe 2 Cor. 8: is 
1 John 5. 14.—-y Chap. 9. 11, 23, 24; 2 Tim. 1. 9.—z See Exod. | Phil 3. 21; 1 John 3. 2.—c Col. 1. 15, 18; Heb. 1.6; Rev. 1.5 
to break forth in ardent desires to God, whatso- | tion that we love God, and not otherwise. For our 


ever the words be, whether new or old, yea, possi- 
bly without words, and then most powerful when it 
words it least, but vents itself in sighs and groans 
that cannot be expressed.” ] 

27. He maketh intercession for the saints— 
The word ἐντυγχώνω signifies to intercede or nego- 
tiate for. Our Lord makes intercession for us by 
negotiating and managing, as our friend and agent, 
all the affairs pertaining to our salvation. And the 
Spirit of God makes intercession for the saints, not 
by supplication to God on their behalf, but by di- 
recting and qualifying their supplications in a 
proper manner by his agency and influence upon 
their hearts; which, according to the Gospel 
scheme, is the peculiar work and office of the Holy 
Spirit. According to the will of God—Kara 
Θεὸν, [In pursuance of the divine purpose, and in 
conformity with God’s good pleasure.— A/jord. | 
Fluency in prayer is no part of praying: a man 
may pray most powerfully in the estimation of 
God who is not able to utter even one word. The 
unutterable groan is big with meaning, and God 
understands it, because it is the language of his 
own Spirit. Some desires are too mighty to be ex- 
pressed ; there is no language expressive enough to 
give them proper form and distinct vocal sound ; 
such desires show that they came from God; and 
as they came from him, so they express what God 
is disposed to do, and what he has purposed to do. 
This is a matter of great encouragement to all 
those who are agonizing to enter in at the strait 
gate. 

28. And we know that all things work 
together for good to them that love God 
—To understand this verse aright, let us observe 
1) That the persons in whose behalf all things work 
for good are they who love God, and, consequently, 
who live in the spirit of obedience. 2) It is not 
said that all things shall work for good, (each in it- 
self,) but that συνεργεῖ, they work now, in the behalf 
of him who loveth now, ἀγαπῶσι ; (for both verbs 
are in the present tense.) 3) All these things work 
together ; while they are working, God’s providence 
is working, his Spirit is wor king, and they (the ‘ all 
things”) are working TtoGETHER, each and all, for a 
good ending. And whatever troubles, or afflictions, 
or persecutions may arise, God presses them into 
their service ; and these make a part of the general 
working, and are made to contribute to the general 
good of the person who now loves God, and who is 
working by faith and love under the influence and 
operation of the Holy Ghost. Tothem who are 
the called according to his purpose—Toic κλη- 
τοῖς. the invited; [having also accepted the invita- 
tion.] All things work together for their good, be- 
cause they are called, invited, or made welcome to, 
the blessings of the covenant. This clause is an 
argument to prove that all things, however aftlictive, 
work for our good while we continue to love God. 
Our being called or invited, [and having entered into 
that calling, according to God’s purpose, proves 
that all things work for our good, on the supposi- 

58 


loving God, or making a due improvement of our 
calling, is evidently inserted by the apostle tomake 
good his argument. He does not pretend to prove 
that all things shall concur to the everlasting hap- 
piness of all that are “ called ; ;” but only to that of 
those of them who love God. Our calling, thus eon- 
ditioned, is the ground of the argument, which is 
prosecuted and completed in the next two verses. 
Our calling is taken for granted, as a thing evident 
and unquestionable among all Christians. [Our 
calling becomes effectial w shen n, ὃν God’s grace, we 
accept and enter into it. | [On the one hand, Scrip- 
ture bears constant testimony to the fact that all 
believers are chosen and called by God, their whole 
spiritual life in its origin, progress, and completion, 
being from him. On ‘the other hand, its testimony 
is no less precise that he willeth all to be saved, 
and that none shall perish except by wi/ful rejec- 
tion of the truth. So that on the one side Gop’s 
SOVEREIGNTY, on the other, MAN’S FREE WILL, is 
plainly declared.—A (ford. } 

29. For whom he did foreknow, etc. — In 
verses 29, 30, the apostle shows how our calling is 
an argument that all things work together to ad- 
vance our eternal happiness, by naming the several 
steps which the wisdom and goodness of God have 
appointed through which to complete our salvation. 
In this verse, the fowndation and finishing, or the 
beginning and end, of the scheme of our redemption 
are given. To ‘“foreknow,” here, signifies to de- 
sign “before, or at the first forming of the scheme; 
to bestow the favour and priv ilege of being God’s 
people upon all the called. (Verse 28.) This is the 
first step in the scheme of our salvation; namely, 
the purpose and grace of God, which was given us 
in Christ Jesus before the world began. (2 Tim. 1, 9.) 
Then he knew or favoured us.. This is the first 
step of our salvation, and the end or finishing of it 
is our conformity to the Son of God in eternal 
glory, (verse 17,) which includes and supposes our 
moral conformity to him. Then, also, he destinated 
or designed us to be conformed to the image of 
his Son; predestinated, foreordained, or predeter- 
mined us to become spiritually like Christ. The 
foundation of the scheme is the foréknowledge or 
gracious purpose of God; the finishing, is our be- 
coming, by spiritual transficuration, like him. Now, 
our calling or invitation (see on verse 28) stands in 
connexion with both these: with God’s foreknowl- 
edge—and so it isa true and valid calling—and 
with our being conformed to the image of his Son ; 
for we are invited by the Gospel to the obtaining of 
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. ii, 14. ) 
If, then, we love God, which is the proof of our be- 
ing called, then we shall be glorified with the sons 
of ( God; and so our calling shows that all things work 
together for our good in our present state, because it 
proves that we are intended for eternal glory. For 
we must understand his foreknowing, predestinat- 
ing, calling, and justifying, in relation to his glori- 
fying ; and that none are finally glorified but those 
who, according to his purpose, are conformed to the 


He who gave his Son for us, will give 
all things necessary tu salvation. 


mnight be the firstborn among many brethren. 
30 Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them 
he also called: and whom he called, them he 
also ¢justitied: and whom he justified, them 
he also ‘glorified. 8 What shall we then 
say to these things? ΕἸ God be for us, who 
can be against us? $2 »He that spared not 


CHAPTER VIII. 
a τὴ τ τ ςὃὉὃ Θ ὃ. ᾿ξωσπῶν 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
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his own Son, but ‘delivered him up for us all 
how shall he not with him also freely giye us 
all things? $8 Who shall lay any thing to 
the charge of God’s elect? «Jt ix God that 
justifieth. 84 ' Who is he that condemneth ? 
/t is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen 
again, ™who is even at the right hand of 


d Chap. 1. δ: 9. 24; Eph. 4. 4: Heb. 9. 15: 1 Pet. 2. 9, 
te 6.11.—/John 17, 22; Eph. 2. 6.—g Nuuw., 14. 4; Psa, 
ks 


image of his Son. The firstborn among many 
brethren—That he might be the chief or head of 
all the redeemed ; [standing by the divine decree 
at the head of redeemed humanity; (Psa. ii, 7, 8; 
not, however, as himself one of the redeemed, but 
as the s/nless MAN, who needed no redemption, but 
became the Saviour of all men. ] 

30, Whom he did predestinate, etc.—[As 
verse 29 indicates the inception and completion of 
the divine method of saving men, so verse 30 gives 
the several intermediate steps, all of them effectu- 
ated by free grace, calling, justification, gloritica- 
tion.] He called—By the preaching of the Gos- 
pel, and the effectual (not irresistible) workings of 
the Holy Spirit. [It is worthy of note, that 
although the things here named are spoken of as 
in the past, (for to our finite conceptions the whole 
scheme of salvation, in its rounded fulness, dates 
from the ages of eternity,) yet their development 
in time and in concrete forms is an ever-proceed- 
ing work, through all the ages of the Church.] He 
also justified—Pardoned the sins of all thos: who 
with hearty repentance and true faith turned unto 
him. [Absolved from the penalty of the divine 
law, accepted and treated as righteous.—Stvart.] 
He also glorified—({’Edofacev, made glorious, in 
present experience of spiritual transformation, and 
also in purposed exaltation to heaven.| [The 
whole Christian life is here presented in its three 
principal details, κλῆσις, calling, without which 
none can be saved, and which may itself be ren- 
dered ineffectual by the peryerse wilfulness of the 
called ; δικαιοσύνη, justification, which is freely 
given to all who accept by faith the proffered 
grace; and δόξα, glory, incipient at present, and 
consummated in the future life. After the effectu- 
ating of the first and second of these stages, both 
of which are conditioned on human co-operation 
with the effectuating grace, this last proceeds by 
the sole efficiency of the Spirit, whose work, how- 
ever, may be hindered through the unfaithfulness 
of the subject.| The word δόξα, which we render 
glory, and δοξάζω, to glorify, both mean to render 
illustrious, eminent, ete., etc., in various parts of 
the New Testament; and in this sense the verb 
is used John xi, 4; xii, 23, 28; xiii, 31, 32; xiv, 
13; xv, 8; xxi, 19; Acts iii, 13; and in chapter 
xi, 13; in none of which places eternal beatifica- 
tion can be intended. Here it seems to mean that 
those whom God had called into a state of justifica- 
tion he had rendered illustrious by innumerable 
gifts, graces, and privileges. 

31. What shall we then say to these things 
—Seeing, therefore, all these things are so, this is 
the comfort which, in our tribulations, we shall de- 
rive from them: If God be for us, who can be 
against us—He who is infinitely wise has under- 
taken to direct ws: the infinitely powerful, to protect 
us: the infinitely good, to save us. What cunning, 
strength, or malice, can prevail against his wisdom, 
power, and goodness? Therefore, we are safe in 


j i Chap. a, ee Chap. 4. 25 ΣΌΝ Isa. 30 RG: Rey 2 
1, 11.-- Job 34, 29.—m Mark 16, 19; Col. & 1: Heb 1. ᾿: 


& 1; 13. 8: i Pet. 8. 22 


the love of God; and we shall not only sustain no 
essential damage by the persecutions of ungodly 
men, but even these things shall work together for 
our good. (Psa. exviii, 6.) ἢ 

32. He that spared not his own Son—[Tod 
ἰδίου υἱοῦ, his own Son, his only begotten Son, 
(John iii, 16,) οὐκ ἐφείσατο, a double idea. He did 
not withhold him as something too precious to be 
given, and he did not, having given him to be a 
propitiation, spare him, but laid on him the iniq- 
uities of us all, (Isa. liii, 4-6,) παρέδωκεν αὐτόν, 
delivered him up, as a sacrifice, for, ὑπὲρ, in behalf 
of, a mediation with a price, ἡμῶν πάντων, all of 
us, specially referring to “elievers, but also pro- 
visionally for all men, χαρίσεται, graciously bestowed, 
This first gift, so infinitely transcending all else, 
stands a perpetual pledge of every other gift for 
the completion of the great work so begun, | 

33. God's elect—{ All believers, those who are 
justified freely by his grace. (Chapter iii, 24.)] 

34. Who is he that condemneth— Τίς. ὁ 
KaTakptvav, who is the condemner? Christ that 
died ?—- [This clause should be read as a question, 
being put into that form to bring out the impossi- 
bility of the supposition, and the words “it is” 
should be omitted.] That is risen — [Cliist’s 
victory over death—in our nature, and acting for 
us—is among the most glorious factors in the praec- 
tical problem of our redemption.] Who is even 
at the right hand of God—To which he has ex- 
alted our human nature, which he took in conjune- 
tion with his divinity; and there he maketh inter- 
cession for us—manages all the concerns of his own 
kingdom in general, and of every member of his 
Church in particular. 

35. Who shall separate us from the love of 
Christ—The apostle is referring to the persecu- 
tions and tribulations to which genuine Christians 
were exposed through their attachment to Christ, 
and the gracious provision God had made for their 
support and final salvation. As in this provision 
God had shown his infinite love to them in previd- 
ing Jesus Christ as their sin offering, and Jesus 
Christ had shown his love in suffering death upon 
the cross for them; so here he speaks of the love 
of the followers of God to that Christ who had 
first loved them. Therefore, the question is not, 
Who shall separate the love of Christ from us? or 
prevent Christ from loving us? but, Who shall 
separate ux from the love of Christ? Who or 
what shall be able to remove our affection from 
him? The tribulation, distress, ete., which he 
enumerates, are things by which ‘Aey might be 
affected, but which shall not be able to move them, 
[Others refer ἀγώπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the love of 
Christ, to Christ’s love for us, and interpret the 
thing said as assurances that our present afflictions 
are not to be construed as evidences of any failure 
of Christ’s love toward us. The language will 
justify this; but the other seems to be the better 
sense. | 


59 


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Year of Rome, 811. 
God, "who also maketh intercession for us. 


35 Who shall separate us from the love of 
Christ? shad/ tribulation, or distress, or perse- 
cution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or 
sword? %6 As it is written, °For thy sake 
we are killed all the day long; we are ac- 
counted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 » Nay, 
in all these things we are more than conquer- 
ors through hit that loved us. 88 For I am 
persu: aded, that neither death, nor life, nor 


n Heb, 7 qe Goo ‘Lagan 2. 1.—o Psa, 44, 22; 1 Cor, Es. 
30,31: 2Cor. 4. 11. —-p 1 Cor. 15. 57; 2 Cor. 2. 14; 1Jobn 4, 43 
5. ΠΕΣ Rev. 12. i. 


ROMANS. 


Nothing can separate true believers 
from the love of God, 


angels, nor “principalities, nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, 3. Nor 


height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God, 


which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
aSAY the truth in Christ, I lie not, ny con- 
science also bearing me witness in the 
Holy Ghost, 2 'That I have great heaviness 


CHAPTER IX. 


q Eph. 1 2.9}. ΤῈ 12; Col. 1. 16; 2. 15: 1 Pet. 3. 22.—a Chap: 
IE SiS ierere 1 INE 91 iB, 19; Gal. 1.20; Phil. 1. 8: 1 Tim. 
δ. τὶ bchap. io 1. 


These verses (33- 35) contain certain questions, 
most appropriately introduced and most powerfully 
urged, tending to show the glorious safety of those 
who have believed the Gospel of the grace of God. 
I shall lay these verses down as they are pointed 
by the best Greek critics: 

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s 
elect ?—God who justifieth Ὁ Who is he that con- 
demneth ?—(Is it) Christ who died? or, rather, who 
is risen again? He, who is at the right hand of 
God? He, who maketh intercession for us? Who 
shall separate us from the love of Christ ?—Tribu- 
lation ? or distress ? or persecution? or famine? 
or nakedness ? or peril ? or sword?” In all these 
questions the apostle intimates that if neither God 

nor Curist would bring any charge against them 
who love him, none else could. And as God justi- 
fies through Christ who died, consequently no 
charge can lie against these persons, as God alone 
could produce any; and he, so far from doing this, 
has justified them—freely forgiven their trespasses. 

36. As itis written—And these things are no 
more than we may naturally expect from the pres- 
ent constitution of the world, and the positive pre- 
dictions of the prophet, (Psa. xliv, 22,) who foresaw 
that a wicked world would always persecute and 
oppress the true followers of God. 

37. Nay—aAs the prophet adds in the same 
place, all this is come wpon us; yet have we not 
forgotten thee, nor dealt falsely in thy covenant, 
(verses 17, 18,) so all these things may happen 
unto us; but iz all these things we are more than 
conquerors ; We abide faithful in the covenant of 
our God; and ue is faithful who has promised to 
support and make us more than conquerors. 
Through him that loved us—[Through Christ, 
in consequence of ΠΝ svenet and courage which 
he imparts. (Phil. i 13.)—Stuart.] 

98, 39. GET ampoxsuaded®™ Nios the blessed 
experience we have had of support by the grace 
and Spirit of Him who loved us, that neither fear 
of death, nor hope of life, nor evil angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, persecuting us for 
Christ’s sake ; nor the things we endure at present, 
mor the things to come, whatever tribulation we 
may be called to suffer in future. Nor height— 
Of honour. Nor depth—Of ignominy. Nor any 
other creature—Odre τις κτίσις ἑτέρα, nor any 
other thing whatever. Shall be able to separate 
us (who love God) from the love of God—Which 
he has vouchsafed to us in Christ Jesus. [The 
various expressions (in verses 38, 39) are to be 
left in the generality of their sense, which is, partly 
in itself and partly through its connexion, beyond 
doubt ; every arbitrary limitation is purely opposed 
to the purpose of declaring every thing—every 
thing possible—incapable of separating the be- 
lievers from the love of God in Christ. — Meyer.] 

60 


[This enumeration of agencies seems to aim at the 
fullest practicable inventory of possible causes of 
the believer's separation from the “love of God: 
so death and life, angels, ete., as personal forces, the 
present and the future, the highest and the lowest, 
are used as exhaustive categories, and then any 
other creature, is named to cover any possible 
omission. Speculations respecting the more precise 
meanings of the words used are altogether uncer- 
tain, and may very readily become misleading. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. 

[The Gospel being now established in its fulness 
and freeness as the power of God unto salvation to 
every one that believeth, a question naturally arises, 
not unaccompanied with painful difficulties, re- 
specting the exclusion of that people, as a people, to 
whom God’s ancient promises were made. With 
this national rejection of Israel the apostle now 
deals, extending the discussion through chapters 
ix, x, and xi. 

[In no part of the epistles of Paul is it more 
requisite than in this portion, to bear in mind his 
habit of rmnsuLaTiInG the one view of the subject 
under consideration with which he is at the time 
dealing. The divine side of the history of Israel 
and the world in the greater part of this portion is 
thus INSULATED; the “facts of the divine dealings 
and the divine ‘decrees (are) insisted on, and the 
mundane or human side of that history kept for 
the most part out of sight, and only so much 
shown as to make it manifest that the Jews, on 
their part, failed of attaining God’s righteousness, 
and so lost their share in the Gospel. 

[it must also be remembered, that whatever in- 
ferences with regard to God’s disposal of individ- 
wals may justly rise from the apostle’s arguments, 
the assertions here made by him are universally 
spoken with ἃ zational reference. Of the eternal 
salvation or rejection of any individual Jew there 
is here no question; and however logically true of 
any individual the same conclusion may be shown 
to be, we know, as matter of fact, that in such 
cases not the divine, but the human side, is that 
ever held up by the apostle: the universality of 
free grace for all—the riches of God’s merey to 
all. w ho call on him, and consequent exhortations 
to all to look to him and be saved.— Alford. | 

1. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not—Paul 
appeals to Christ, as the searcher of hearts, that 
he tells the truth; asserts that his conscience was 
free from all guile in this matter; and that the 
Holy Ghost bore him testimony that what he said 
was true. As the apostle had still remaining a 
very awful part of his commission to execute, 
namely, to declare to the Jews not only that God 
had chosen the Gentiles, but had rejected them 
because they had rejected Christ and his Gospel, 


The great privileges and honour 
cunferred on the Israclites, 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M, 4962. A.D. 58, 
Year of Kome, 511. 


and continual sorrow in my heart. 8 For«lI 
could wish that myself were ‘accursed from 
Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according 
to the flesh: 4 ¢Who are Israelites; ‘to 
whom pertaineth the adoption, and ¢ the glory, 
and *the ‘covenants, and ‘the giving of the 


law, and 'the service ef God, and ™the prom- 
ises; 5" Whose are the fathers, and eof whom 
as concerning the flesh Christ came, P who 15 
over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 64 Not 
as though the word of God hath taken none 
effect. For ‘they are not all Israel, which are 


ckxod. 32. 32.—d Or, separated .—e Deut. 7. 6.7 Exod. 
4, 22: Deut. 14. 1; Jer. 31. 9.—g 1 Sam. 4, 21; 1 Kings 8.11: 
Psa, 63.2; 78. 61. ἢ, Acts 3, 25; Heb. 8, 8-10.— Or, testa- 
ments.—k Psa. 147. 19.—/ Heb. 9. 1. 


m Acts 13, 32; chap, 3, 2; Eph, 2. 12.——n Deut. 10, 15: chap. 
11. 28.—o Luke 3, 23; chap. 1. 3.----» Jer. 3.6; John 1, I; 
Acts 20, 28; Heb. 1.8; 1 John 5, 20,—g Num. 53, 19: chap. 
3. 3.— vr John #, 39; clap. 2. 2%, 29; 4. 12, 16; Gal, 6. 14, 


it was necessary that he should assure them that 
however he had been persecuted by them because 
he had embraced the Gospel, yet it was so far from 
being a gratification to him that they had now 
fallen under the displeasure of God, that it was a 
subject of continual distress to his mind, and that 
it produced in him great heaviness and continual 
sorrow. 

3. For I could wish that myself were ac- 
cursed from Christ—Very few passages in the 
New Testament have puzzled critics and commen- 
tators more than this. Every person saw the per. 
fect absurdity of understanding it in a literal 
sense, as no man in his right mind could wish him- 
self eternally damned in order to save another, or 
to save even the whole world. And the supposition 
that such an effect could be produced by such a 
sacrifice, was equally absurd and monstrous. The 
Greek word ἀνάθεμα, anathema, properly signifies 
any thing devoted to God, so as to be destroyed : 
it answers to the Hebrew On, chervem, which the 
Septuagint translate by it, and means either a 
thing or person separated from its former state or 
condition, and devoted to destruction. In this 
sense it is used Deut. vii, 25, 26; Josh. vi, 17, 18; 
vii, 12. Paul desired to be devoted to destruction, 
as the Jews then were, in order to redeem his 
countrymen from this most terrible excision. He 
was willing to become a sacrifice for the public 
safety, and to give his life to redeem theirs. And, 
as Christ may be considered as devoting them to 
destruction, (see Matt. xxiv,) Paul is willing that 
in their place Christ should devote him: for J 
could wish myself, ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, 
to be devoted sy Christ, to that temporal destruction 
to which he has adjudged the disobedient Jews, if 
by doing so I might redeem them. This, and this 
alone, seems to be the meaning of the apostle’s wish. 

4. Who are Israelites—Descendants of Jacob, 
a man favoured of God, from whom he received 
his name /srael—a prince of God. (Gen. xxxii, 28.) 
Their very name of Israelites implied their high 
dignity; they were a royal nation ; princes of the 
most high God. The adoption—The Israelites 
were all taken into the family of God, and were 
called his sons and firstborn, (Exod. iv, 22; Deut. 
xiv, 1; Jer. xxxi, 9; Hos. xi, 1;) and this adop- 
tion was ratified when God made the covenant with 
them at Horeb. The glory—The manifestation 
of God among them; principally by the cloud and 
pillar, and the shekinah, or divine presence, appear- 
ing between the cherubim over the mercyseat. 
These were peculiar to the Jews; no other nation 
was ever thus favoured. The covenants—The 
covenants made with Abraham, both that relating 
to the spiritual seed, and that which was peculiar 
to his natural descendants ; (Gal. iii, 16, 17 ;) which 
covenants were afterward renewed by Moses, (Deut. 
xxix, 1.) But manifestly Paul alludes especially to 
the great covenant made with Abraham, and to its 
various renewals and extensions at different times 


afterward, as well as to its twofold design—the 
grant of the land of Canaan, and the rest that re- 
mains for the people of God. The giving of 
the law—The revelation of God by God himself, 
containing a system of moral and political pre- 
cepts. This was also peculiar to the Jews; for to 
no other nation had he ever given a revelation of 
his will. The service—Aazpe/a, the particular 
ordinances, rites, and ceremonies of their religious 
worship: and especially the sacrificial system, so 
expressive of the sinfulness of sin and the holiness 
of God. The promises—The land of Canaan, 
and the blessings of the Messiah and his kingdom ; 
which promises had been made and often repeated 
to the patriarchs and to the prophets. [Having 
expressed, by his reference to his kindred accord- 
ing to the flesh, how even human sensibility moved 
him to a special love for the Jews, he now states 
how every disciple of Christ must be kindled to a like 
regard for this people by the peculiar place they 
occupy in the economy of salvation, as the channel 
of the light vouchsafed by God toman. The privi- 
leges of the Israelites, here specified by Paul, are, 
however, of a sort not founded upon their merits, 
but upon the free grace of God.— 7holuck.] 

5. Whose are the fathers—Abraliam, Isuac, 
Jacob, Joseph, the twelve patriarchs, Moses, 
Joshua, Samuel, David, etc., ete., without contro- 
versy the greatest and most eminent men that 
ever flourished under heaven. From these, in an 
uninterrupted and unpolluted line, the Jewish peo- 
ple had descended; and it was no small glory to 
be able to reckon, in their genealogy, persons of 
such incomparable merit and excellency. And of 
whom as concerning the flesh Christ came— 
These ancestors were the more renowned, as being 
the progenitors of the human nature of the Mrs- 
stan. Christ, the Messiah, κατὰ σάρκα, according 
to the flesh, sprang from them. But this Messiah 
was more than man—he is God over all; the very 
3eing who gave them being, though he appeared to 
receive a being from them. 

Here the apostle most distinctly points out the 
twofold nature of our Lord—his eternal Godhead 
and his humanity. (And in this, his twofold nature, 
he is now exalted over all, God blessed forever. } 

6. Not as though the word of God hath 
taken none effect—A Jew might object: “Is 
not God bound by his faithfulness to continue the 
Jews as his peculiar Church and people, notwith- 
standing their infidelity? If they are brought to 
a level with the Gentiles, will it not follow that 
Ged hath failed in the performance of his promise 
to Abraham? (Gen. xvii, 7, 8.) To which it may 
be answered: Abraham is the father of many na- 
tions, and his seed is not only that which is of the 
law, but that also which is of the faith of Abraham. 
(Chapter iv, 16, 17.) The Gentiles were included in 
the Abrahamic covenant as well as the Jews; and 
therefore the Jews have no exclusive right to the 
blessings of God's kingdom. They are — all 


A. Μ. 4062. A. D. 58, 
Year of Rome, 511, 


of Israel: 
seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, 
In ‘Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, 
They which are the children of the flesh, these 
are not the children of God: but the chil- 
dren of the promise are counted for the seed. 
9 For this is the word of promise, v At this 
time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 
10 And not only this; but when » Rebecca 


ROMANS. 


All are not Israelites spiritually 
who are so naturally. 


7 * Neither, because they are the! also had conceived by one, even by our father 


Isaac, BER (For the children being not yet 
born, neither having done any good or evil, 
that the purpose of God according to election 
might stand, not of works, but of *him that 
calleth ;) 22 It was said unto her, y The 
zelder shall.serve the *younger. 4&8 As it is 
written, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have 
I hated. 14 What shall we say then? ¢/s 


8 Gal. 4. 23, ὁ Gen, 21. 12; Ifeb. 11. 
@ Gen. 18. 10, 14.—v20 Gen. 93. 9]. ὦ Chap. 4 
y Gen, 25, 23. ---Φ Or, greater. 


18. are Gal. 4. 28.-— 
Se Viel 


25.--- 


a Or, lesser. ἢ See Deut. 21.15; Prov. 13.24: Mal. 1.2.3; 
Matt. 10.37; Luke 14. 26; John 12. 23.—c Deut. 32. 4; 2 Chron. 
19.7; Job 8. 3; 94. 10; Psa. 92. 15. 


Israel, which are of Israel—[A clear distinction 
is here made between the natural and the spiritual 
Israel. And even among the covenant people the 
grace of the covenants came only to them that be- 
lieved and obeyed. | 

7. But, In Isaac shall thy seed be called— 
acm ais had several sons besides Isaac, (Gen. xxv, 

1, 2,) particularly Ishmael, who was circumcised 
before Isaac was born, and i in whom Abraham was 
desirous that the promise should be fulfilled, (Gen. 
xvii, 18,) and in him God might have fulfilled the 
promise had he so pleased; and yet he said to Abra- 
ham, (Gen, xxi, 12,) Not in Ishmael, but in Isaae, 
shall thy seed be called. [As it was of God’s sover- 
eign good pleasure that the covenant made with 
Abraham extended only 
of Ishmael—so now God may enlarge the scope of 
his covenant so as to include the Gentiles; and 
that, too, agreeably to the highest spiritual sense of 
the Abrahamic covenant. | 

8. That is, They which are the children of 
the flesh—Not the natural children of Abraham, 
nor those who were circumcised, are therefore the 
Church and people of God; but those who are 
made children by the good pleasure and promise of 
God, as Isaac was, are alone to be accounted for 
the seed with whom the covenant was established. 

9, For this is the word of promise, etc.— 
That is, this is evidently implied in the promise 
recorded Gen. xviii, 10: At this time I will come, 

saith God, and exert my divine power, and Sarah, 
though fourscore and ten years old, shall have a 
son ; which shows that it is the sovereign will and 
act of God alone which singles out and constitutes 
the peculiar seed that was to inherit the promise 
made to Abraham. In his argument, (verses 7 
and 8,) the apostle says not one word of Abraham’s 
willing Ishmael to be the seed in whom the promise 
might be fulfilled; nor of Isaac’s willing Esau ; 
nor of Moses’s willing and intercedine that the 
Israelites might be spared; nor of Esau’s running 
for venison: but by introducing these particulars 
into his conclusion, he gives us to understand. that 
his quotations are to be taken in connexion with 
the whole story of which they are a part; and 
without this the apostle’s meaning cannot be ap- 
prehended. 

10. And not only this—A Jew might object: 
“Tshmael was rejected, not by the sovereign will of 
God, but because he was the son of the handmaid 
or bondwoman, and therefore unworthy to be the 
peculiar seed ;” but observe, this was not the only 
limitation of the seed of Abraham with regard to 
inheriting the promise; [for, in respect to the de- 
scendants of Isaac, Jacob, his younger son, was 
chosen as the object of favour, and Esau, the elder 
son, who, according to the custom of the patriarchs, 
had higher rights, was rejected.... And all this 

62 


was determined on before the children were born, 
or before they could have possessed either merit 
or demerit. Consequently, the πρόθεσις ( purpose) 
of God was according to ἐκλογή, (free choice,) that 
is, of God, and not ἐξ ἔργων, (of work done,) or on 
the ground of merit.—Stvart. | 

11. For the children being not yet born, 
neither having done any good—They had done 
nothing to merit the distinction of being made the 
peculiar people of God; nor evil, to deserve to be 
left out of this covenant, and the distinguishing na- 
tional blessings which it conferred. That the pur- 
pose of God according to election might stand 
—That such distinctions might appear to depend on 
nothing but God’s free choice, not of works, or any 
desert in the people or nations thus chosen; but of 
the mere purpose of Him who calleth any people 
he pleases, to make them the depositaries of his 
especial blessings, and thus to distinguish them 
from all others. 

12. The elder shall serve the younger-— 
This sentiment quoted from Malachi, ‘Jacob have 
I loved, and Esau have 1 hated,” is cited by the 
apostle to prove, according to its typical signifi- 
cation, that the “purpose of God according to 
election,” does and will stand, not of works, but of 
Him that calleth; that is, that the “ purpose of 
God,” which is the ground of that ‘ election” 
which he makes among men unto the honour of 
being Abrahain’s seed, might appear to remain un- 
changeable in him; and to be even the same which 
he had declared unto Abraham. 

13. Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I 
hated—The true sense of these words fully appears 
to be, that what he had already cited from Moses 
concerning Jacob and Esau was but the same in 
substance with what was spoken many years after 
by the Prophet Malachi. The unthankful Jews 
had, in Malachi’s time, either in words or in their 
heart, expostulated with God, and demanded of him 
wherein he had loved them? To thiis the Lord an- 
swers: Was not Esau Jacob's brother 2 Yet I loved 
Jacob and hated Esau, and laid his mountains and 
his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. 
It appears from these passages that the prophet does 
not speak of the person of Jacob or Esau, but of 
their respective posterities. For it was not Esau in 
person, but his posterity, that said, We are 7impover- 
ished ; neither were jis mountains nor heritage laid 
waste. God chose the Jewish people from all others, 
and revealed himself to them. Thus ‘hey were the 
elect, and all other aations of mankind reprobate. 
When the fulness of the time came he revealed 
himself also to the Gentiles, who gladly received 
the Gospel; and the Jews, rejecting it, were cast 
off. Thus the elect became reprobate, and the rep- 
robate, elect. He published to all mankind that 
the pardon of sin could and should be obtained 


God conferreth temporal blessings 
according to his own wall. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A.M. 4089. A.D, 58, 
Year of Rome, 811 


there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 
15 For he saith to Moses, 1 will have mercy 
on whom I will have mercy, and I will have 
compassion on whom I will have compassion. 
16 So then 7¢ is not of him that willeth, nor 
of him that runneth, but of God that showeth 
mercy. 4&7 For ¢the Scripture saith unto 
Pharaoh, ‘Even for this same purpose have I 
raised thee up, that I might show my power 


in thee, and that my name might be declared 
throughout all the earth. #8 Therefore hath 
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and 
whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thon wilt 
say then unto me, Why doth he yet find 
fault? For «who hath resisted his will? 
20 Nay but, O man, who art thon that *re- 
pliest against God¢ ‘Shall the thing formed 
say to him that formed it, Why hast thou 


d Exod, 33. 19.—e See Gal. 3. & 22,—-f Exod. 9. 16.—g 2 Chr. 
20.6; Job 9. 12: 23. 13; Dan. 4. 35. 


onty by faith in his Son Jesus, and not by any obe- 
dience to any law. And the Jews, the descendants 
of Jacob, who rejected this way of salvation, be- 
came precisely like the Edomites, the descendants 
of Esau; they builded, but God pulled down ; their 
mountains and heritage are Now laid waste for the 
dragons of the wilderness ; and they properly may 
now be called the border of wickedness, a people 
against whom the Lord hath indignation forever : 
they have rejected the Lord that bought them, and 
so have brought upon themselves swift destruction. 
{On Jacob have I bestowed privileges and blessings, 
such as are the proofs of affection; but from Esau 
have I withheld these privileges and blessings, and 
therefore have treated him as one disliked—the 
hating of Esau being shown in the laying waste of 
his mountain. That the whole refers to the bestow- 
ment of temporal blessings, and the withholding of 
them, is clear, not only from this passage, but from 
the whole Old Testament record of the case. As 
to ἐμίσησα, (I have hated,) its meaning here is 
rather privative than positive. When the Hebrews 
compared a stronger affection with a weaker one, 
they called the first Jove, and the other hatred. 

14, What shall we say then—To what con- 
clusion shall we come on the facts before us? 
Shall we suggest that God’s manner of bestowing 
his gifts is inconsistent with justice and equity ? 
By no means. Whatever God does is right, and he 
may dispense his blessings to-whom and on what 
terms he pleases. [God is neither wajust nor unkind 
toward any; and yet he bestows greater favours 
upon some than upon others, in both natural and 
spiritual things. | . 

15. For he saith to Moses, I will have 
mercy, etc.—The words of God to Moses (Exod. 
xxxili, 19) show that God has a right to dispense 
his blessings as he pleases; for, after he had de- 
clared that he would spare. the Jews of old, and 
continue them in the relation of his peculiar people, 
when they had deserved to be cut off for their idol- 
atry, he said: 7 will make all my goodness pass be- 
Sore thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord 
before thee; and I will have mercy on whom I will 
have mercy ; and Iwill have compassion on whom 1 
will have compassion. As if he had said: I will 
make such a display of my perfections as shall con- 
vince you that my nature is kind and beneficent; 
but know that Iam a debtor to none of my crea- 
tures. My benefits and blessings are merely from 
my own good will: nor can any people, much less a 
rebellious people, challenge them as their due in jus- 
tice or equity. And therefore I spare the Jews ; not 


hOr, answerest again, or, disputest with God ?——~i Isa, 
29, 16; 45. 9; 64. 8, 


that believeth not shall be damned. This is God's 
ultimate design; this purpose he will never change ; 
and this he has fully declared in the everlasting Gos- 
pel. This is the grand pecree of reprobation and 
election. 

16. So then it is not of him that willeth, ete. 
—I conclude, therefore, from these several instances, 
that the making or continuing any body of men the 
peculiar people of God, is righteously determined, 
not by the judgment, hopes, or wishes of men, but 
by the will and wisdom of God alone. 

17. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh— 
Instead of showing the Israelites merey, God might 
justly have suffered them to have gone on in sin 
till he should have signalized his wisdom and justice 
in their destruction; as appears from what God in 
his word declares concerning his dealings with Pha 
raoh and the Egyptians. (Exod. ix, 15, 16.) [’R&)- 
γειρα, aroused, excited, urged to activity. Pharaoh's 
perverseness was called into willing activity, that it 
might become the means of declaring God’s name 
throughout the earth,—which it accordingly has ae- 
complished. (Psa. Ixxvi, 10.) The discrimination in 
the divine dealings with Pharaoh and the Israelites 
was not based upon their relative goodness or bad- 
ness, but was an unexplained exercise of the right of 
the sovereign, whose judgments are just and his 
mercies free. | 

18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he 
will— This is the apostle’s conclusion from the 
facts already laid down: that God, according to his 
own will and wisdom, in perfect righteousness, be- 
stows mercy—that is to say, his blessings—upon one 
part of mankind, while he suffers another part to 
go on in the abuse of his goodness and forbearance, 
hardening themselves in sin, till he brings upon 
them a most just and exemplary punishment, unless 
this be prevented by their repentance and return 
to God. [Σκληρύνει, made obdurate, or dealt hardly 
with, in contrast with the mercy shown to others. ] 
{With respect to that hardening, we ought espec- 
ially to avoid imagining any particular action of 
God upon the soul; on the contrary, it is a conse- 
quence that results from the tokens of God’s love 
emanating incessantly, and in the same way to the 
corrupted human race, that one individual becomes 
ever more and more compliant with divine grace, 
another ever more contumacious and wicked. — 
Tholuck. | 

19. Why doth he yet find fault—An objec- 
tion similar to that in chap. iii, 7: Why am I con- 
demned for that which brings so much glory to him ? 
The question here is: If God's glory be so highly 


because either you, who intercede for them, or they | promoted and manifested by our obstinacy, and he 
themselves have any claim upon my favour, but of | suffers us to proceed in our hardness and infidelity, 


my own free and sovereign grace I choose to show 
them mercy and compassion. I will give my salva- 
tion in my own way and on my ownterms. He that 


believeth on my Son Jesus shall be saved; and he | 


why does he find fault with us, or punish us for 
that which is according to his good pleasure? 

20. Nay but, O man, who art thou—aAs if 

he had said: Weak, ignorant man, darest thou re- 
63 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὦ, 58. 
Year of Roine, 511. 


ROMANS. 


The calling of the Gentiles had been 
foretold by Jewish prophets. 


made me thus? 28 Hath not the «potter 
power over the clay, of the same lump to 
make !one vessel unto honour, and another 
unto dishonour? 22 What if God, willing to 
show dis wrath, and to make his power known, 
endured with much longsuffering ™the vessels 
of wrath " °fitted to destruction: 28 And 
that he might make known P the riches of his 
glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had 
4 afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, 


whom he hath called, τ ποῦ of the Jews only, 
but also of the Gentiles? 28 As he saith also 
in Osee, 51 will call them my people, which 
were not my people; and her beloved, which 
was not beloved. 26 t And it shall come to 
pass, that in the place where it was said unto 
them, Ye are not ny people; there shall they 
be called the children of the living God. 
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel. 
“Though the number of the children of Israel 


a 


ὦ Prov. 16. 4; Jer. 18. 6.72 Tim. 2. 20.—wn1 Thess. 5. 9. 
—7 Or, made up.—ol1 Pet. 2. 8; Jude 4.—p Chap, 2. 4; 


Eph. 1.7; Col. 1. 27.—g@ Chap. 8. 28, 29, 30.—r Chap. 3. 29. 
4. Hos. 2, 23; 1 Pet. 2. 10.—7 Hos. 1.10. wIsa. 10. 22, 23. 


tort on the infinitely good and righteous Gon? [The 
answer to the objector’s question does not lie in 
this and the next verse, but in what follows. This 
is a rebuke administered to the spirit of the objec- 
tion, which forgets the immeasurable distance be- 
tween us and God, and the relation of the Creator 
and Disposer in which he stands to us.—A/ford. | 

21. Hath not the potter power over the clay 
—Hath not God shown, by the parable of the pot- 
ter, (Jer. xviii, 1, etc.,) that he may justly dispose of 
nations, and of the Jews in particular, according as 
he in his infinite wisdom may judge most right and 
fitting; even as the potter has the right, out of the 
same lump of clay, to make one vessel to a more 
honourable and another to a less honourable use, as 
his own judgment and skill may direct ? [The self- 
righteous Jew looked upon his own nation as the 
sole φύραμα, (inixture,) from which God could fash- 
ion the σκεύη τιμῆς, (vessels of honour.) The apostle 
accordingly replies to him, that it lies wholly with 
God to choose the mass that he will use.— Tholuck. | 

22. What if God, willing to show his wrath 
—The apostle refers here to the case of Pharaoh 
and the Egyptians, to which he applies Jeremiah’s 
parable of the potter, and, from them, to the then 
state of the Jews. As the Jews of the apostle’s 
time had sinned after the similitude of the Eeyp- 
tians, hardening their hearts and abusing his good- 
ness after every display of his longsuffering kind- 
ness, being now fitted for destruction, they were 
ripe for punishment; and that power which God 
was making known for their salvation having been 
so long and so much abused and provoked, was now 
about to show itself in their destruction. But here 
is not a word of their final damnation. [The de- 
sire “‘to show his wrath, and to make his power 
known,” was not a hinderance to his forbearance, 
but a motive to it; a motive, too, acting throughout 
the long series of warnings and judgments, and lim- 
ited to the final catastrophe. (See Exod. vii, 5, 17; 
viii, 10, 22; ix, 14, 29.) Paul’s interpretation thus 
agrees exactly with the true and full sense of the 
original, “‘ for to show thee my power ;” and it is 
equally applicable to either case, the destruction of 
Pharaoh or the rejection of Israel, in both of which 
God’s “much longsuffering” resulted, through their 
own obstinacy, in making the “vessels of wrath” 
more conspicuous objects of his avenging power. 
—Sp. Commentary. 

23. And that he might make known—God 


endured with much longsuffering the vessels of 


wrath: 1) To show his wrath, and to make his 
power known. Andalso, 2) “That he might make 
known ” the riches of his glory on the vessels 
of mercy, which he had afore prepared un- 
to glory—The Jews were fitted for destruction 
long before; but the fittest time to destroy them 
was after he had prepared the believing Gentiles 
64 


unto glory. For the rod of the Messiah’s strength 
was to be sent out of Zion. (Psa. ex, 2.) The Jew- 
ish nation was to supply the first preachers of the 
Gospel, and from Jerusalem their sound was to go 
forth into all the earth. Therefore the Jewish state, 
notwithstanding its corruptions, was to be preserved 
till the Messiah came, and even till the Gospel 
preached by the apostles had taken deep root in 
the Gentile world. Thus the Jews were diminished 
by that abundance of grace which has enriched the 
Gentiles. And so the grace of God was illustrated ; 
or, so God made known “the riches of his glory on 
the vessels of mercy ’—the apostles and primitive 
believers among the Jews, and the Gentile world 
which received the Gospel by the preaching of the 
apostles and their successors. [Not, however, that 
the grace was taken from the Jews in order that it 
might be given to the Gentiles ; but having been 
forfeited by the Jews through their own disobedi- 
ence, it was bestowed upon the Gentiles. ] 

24. Even us, whom he hath called—All the 
Jews and Gentiles (but neither as such, Col. iii, 
11,) who have been invited by the preaching of the 
Gospel to receive justification by faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and have come to the Gospel feast 
on this invitation. 

25. As he saith also in Osee — Hosea. The 
apostle shows that this calling of the Gentiles was no 
fortuitous thing, but a firm purpose in the divine 
mind, which he had largely revealed to the prophets ; 
and by opposing the calling of the Gentiles, the 
Jews in effect renounced their prophets, and fought 
against God. [The promised restoration of apostate 
Israel (Hosea ii, 23) may be regarded as a proof 
that the calling both of Jews and Gentiles (verse 
24) is a free gift of God’s grace to those who had 
no title to it in their previous condition.—/Sp. 
Commentary. | 

26. And it shall come to pass, etc.—These 
quotations are taken out of Hosea, (chapter i, 10.) 
The decrease of numbers in the Church by God’s 
utterly taking away the ten tribes, (verse 6,) shall 
be well supplied by what shall afterward come to 
pass, by calling the Gentiles into it. They, the re- 
jected Jews, which had been the people of God, 
should become a Lo-ammi—not my people. On 
the contrary, they, the Gentiles, who had been a 
Lo-ammi—‘ not my people,” should become the 
children of the living God. Again, (Hosea ii, 
23:) [will sow her (the Jewish Church) unto me in 
the earth, (alluding probably to the dispersion of the 
Jews over all the Roman empire, which proved a 
fruitful cause of preparing the Gentiles for the re- 
ception of the Gospel,) and, or moreover, [will have 
mercy upon her (the body of the believing Gentiles) 
that had not obtained mercy. 

27. Esaias also crieth—The apostle pursues his 
argument, which had for its object the proof that 


The Gentiles have attained to 
justification by faith, 


A. Μ. 40842. A.D. 58, 
Year of Rome, #11. 


be as the sand of the sea, ™a remnant shall be 
saved: %8 For he will finish *the work, and 
cut ἐξ short in righteousness: ° because a short 
work will the Lord make upon the earth. 
29 And as Esaias said before, rp Except the 
Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, 4 we had 
been as Sodoma, and been made like unto 
Gomorrah. %0 What shall we say then? 
*That the Gentiles, which followed not after 
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, 
‘even’ the righteousness which is of faith. 
81 But Israel, ‘which followed after the law 
of righteousness, “hath not attained to the law 
of righteousness. #2 Wherefore? Because 

m Chap. 11. 5.—wn Or, the accownt.—o Isa, 28, 22.—vp Isa. 

9; Lam. 3. 22,—q Isa. 13. 19; Jer. 50. 4.—vr Chap, 4. 11; 


ib 
10. 20.—s Chap. 1. 17.—? Chap. 10.2; 11. 7,—vw Gal. 5. 4.— 
w Luke 2. 34; 1 Cor. 1. 23. 


For ¥ they stumbled at 
that stumblingstone; $8 As it is written, 
’ Behold, I lay in Sion a stuinblingstone and 
rock of offence: and * whosoever believeth on 
him shall not be Y ashamed. 


CHAPTER X. 
RETHREN, my heart's desire and prayer 
to God for Israel is, that they might be 
saved. 2 For I bear them record *that they 
have a zeal of God, but not according to 
knowledge. 8% For they, being ignorant of 
*God’s righteousness, and going about to es- 


ρο 


aw Psalm 118, 22; Isalah 3. 14; 28. 16 : Matthew 1, 42; 1 Peter 
2. 6, 7, 8.—a@ Chapter 10, 11.—y Or, consounded.—a Acts 
ag a he Galatians 1. 14; 4. 17; see chap, 9. 31.—— Chap. 
17; 9.30. 


God, for their infidelity, had rejected the great body 
of the Jews, and that but a few of them would em- 
brace the Gospel and be saved from the destruc- 
tion which was now coming to them and their state. 
{Here again the analogy of God’s dealings, in the 
partial deliverance of Israel from captivity, and their 
general final deliverance from death eternal, is the 
key to the interpretation of the prophecy cited. 
The words are spoken by Isaiah of the return from 
captivity of a remnant of Israel._— Alford. ] 

28. For he will finish the work, (word,) and 
cut it short, etc.—These appear to be forensic 
terms, and refer to the conclusion of a judicial pro- 
ceeding ; the Lord has tried and found them guilty, 
and will immediately execute upon them the punish- 
ment due to their transgressions. [The object (of 
the quotation) is to show that God of old threatened 
to destroy great multitudes of Jews for contumacy, 
and that it is no strange thing now to say, that 
great numbers of them will perish.— Start. | 

29. And as Esaias said before — What God 
designs to do with the Jews at present, because of 
their obstinacy and rebellion, is Similar to what he 
has done before, to which the same prophet refers, 
(chapter i, 9 :) Except the Lord of hosts had left unto 
us a small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, 
and we should have been like unto Gomorrah ; that 
is, had not God, who commands and overrules all 
the powers in heaven and earth, in mercy preserved 
a very small remnant, to keep up the name and be- 
ing of the nation, it had been quite cut off and ex- 
tinct, as Sodom and Gomorrah were. Thus we learn 
that it is no new thing with God to abandon the 
greater part of the Jewish nation, when corrupt, 
and to confine his favour and blessing to a right- 
eous, believing few. 

30. What shall we say then—What is the 
final conclusion to be drawn from all these proph- 
ecies, facts, and reasonings ? This: That the Gen- 
tiles which followed not after righteousness, 
ete.—For an explanation of this, with the succeed- 
ing verses, together with what belongs to the same 
subject in the beginning of the following chapter, 
see the notes on chapter i, 17. [The character of 
the Gentile, generally considered, is, that he does not 
inquire whether or not there be a God, and whether 
he is a holy being; the character of the Jew, that he 
is aware of it, and trembles, but again takes courage 
from himself; the character of the Christian, that 
he too knows it, trembles, but consents to receive 
comfort.— Tholuck. | 

31. But Israel, which followed after—But 
the Jews, who have hitherto been the people of 

Vor, 11.--ὖ 


God, though they have been industrious in obsery- 
ing a rule by which they supposed they could se- 
cure the blessings of God’s peculiar kingdom, yet 
have not come up to the true rule (of faith) by 
which alone those blessings can be secured. 

32. Wherefore—They attend not to the Abra- 
hamie covenant, which stands on the extensive 
principles of grace and faith; but they turn all 
their regards to (the letter of) the law of Moses. 
They imagine that their formal obedience to that 
law gives them a right to the blessings of the Mes- 
siah’s kingdom. But, finding that the Gospel sets 
our special interest in God and the privileges of 
his Church on a different footing, they are offended, 
and refuse to come into it. 

33. As itis written, Behold, I lay in Sion 
—Christ, the Messiah, became a stone of stumbling 
to them ; and thus what is written in the prophecy 
of Isaiah is verified in their case. (Isa. viii, 14; 
xxviii, 16.) The Jews expected the Messiah to be 
a mighty secular prince, and to set up a secular 
kingdom ; but when he appeared a man of sorrows 
and acquainted with griefs, coming to redeem man- 
kind, not by his sword or secular power, but by his 
humiliation, passion, and death, they were offended 
at him and rejected him. And whosoever be- 
lieveth on him—But so far shall any be from 
confusion or disappointment who believes in Christ, 
that, on the contrary, every genuine believer shall 
find salvation—the remission of sins here, and 
eternal glory hereafter. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER X. 


1. My heart’s desire, ete.—Though the apostle 
knew that the Jews were now ina state of rejection, 
yet he knew also that they were in this state 
through their own obstinacy, and he still hoped 
that God was waiting to be gracious, and conse- 
quently that they might yet repent and turn to him. 
[Not however as a collective nation, but as individ- 
uals, each one for himself having faith in Christ.] 

2, They have a zeal of God—They believe 
their law to have come immediately from God him- 
self, and are jealous of its glory and excellence ; 
they punctiliously observe its rites and ceremonies, 
but they do not consider the object and end of those 
rites. By this fine apology for his people, the apostle 
prepares them for the harsher truths which he was 
about to deliver. 

3. For... being ignorant of God’s right- 
eousness—Not knowing Ged’s method of saving 
sinners, which is the only proper and _ efficient 
method. And going about to establish their own 

65 


A. M. 4002, A. D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Justification is not by the law, 
but by faith in Christ. 


tablish their own © righteousness, have not sub- 
mitted themselves unto the righteousness of 
God. 4 For ‘Christ is the end of the law for 
righteousness to every one that believeth. & For 
Moses describeth the righteousness which is of 
the law, ¢That the man which doeth those 
things shall live by them. 6 But the right- 
eousness which is of faith speaketh on this 
wise, ‘Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend 
into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down 


Jrom above:) @ Or, Who shall descend into 
the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again 
from the dead.) 5. But what saith it? ¢The 
word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in 
thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which 
we preach; 9 That *if thou shalt confess 
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt be- 
lieve in thine heart that God hath raised him 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. £0 For 
with the heart man believeth unto righteous- 


ce Phil. 3. 9.——d Matt. 5. 17: Gal. 3. 24.—-e Lev. 18. 5; Neh. 
9, 29; Hzek. 20. 11, 13,21; Gal. 3. 12. 


7 Deut. 30. 12, 13. —g Deut. 30. 14. —h Matt. 10,32: Luke 12. 8; 
Acts 3, 37. 


righteousness —Seeking to procure their salvation 
by means of their own merits. ‘They have not 
submitted—They have not bowed to the determi- 
nations of the Most High relative to his mode of 
saving mankind, namely, through faith in Jesus 
Christ, as the only sacrifice for sin—the end to 
which the law pointed. 

4. For Christ is the end of the law—Where 
the law ends, Christ begins. The law ends with 
representative sacrifices; Christ begins with the 
real offering. The law is our schoolmaster to lead 
us to Christ ; it cannot save, but it leaves us at his 
door, where alone salvation is to be found. Christ, 
as an atoning sacrifice for sin, was the grand object 
of the whole sacrificial code of Moses ; his passion 
and death were the fulfilment of its great object 
and design. Separate this sacrificial death of 
Christ from the law, and the law has no meaning. 
The sacrifice under the law was a type or represent- 
ative of that atonement; but ‘Me atonement was 
the sacrifice offered by Christ. Thus he was the 
END of the law in respect to its sacrifices. And, as 
sacrifices were offered merely to procure pardon of 
sin, righteousness, or justification, Christ is the 
end of the law for this justification to every one 
that believeth on him as dying for their offences, and 
rising again for their justification, having made 
peace through the blood of his cross. Therefore 
every one who rejects Christ rejects salvation, and 
that very salvation which the law witnessed and 
required, and which can be had only through Christ. 

5. For Moses describeth the righteousness 
which is of the law—(See Lev. xviii, 5.) Moses 
undoubtedly gave a law which promised life to those 
who should perform its precepts; but who could 
plead for life on this ground while rejecting that 
Christ who is the end of the law? No man ever 
did, nor ever can, fulfil that law so as to merit sal- 
vation by the performance of it: for, as all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God, they are 
all under the curse of the law, which says: Cursed 
is every one that continuecth not in all things which 
are written in the book of the law to do them. (Gal. 
ili, 10.) If, therefore, there were not such a pro- 
vision as is made by the death of Christ, no soul 
could be saved. 

6, 7. But the righteousness which is of faith— 
[In verses 5, 8, the righteousness which is of faith 
is described, in the words spoken in Scripture by 
Moses of the commandment given by him, as not 
dependent on a long and difficult process of search, 
but near to every man, and in every man’s power 
to attain. ... The apostle is speaking of Christ as 
the end of the law for righteousness to the believer. 
He takes as aconfirmation of this a passage oceurring 
in a prophetic part of Deuteronomy, where Moses 
is foretelling to the Jews the consequences of re- 
jecting God’s law, and his mercy to them, even 

66 


when under chastisement, if they would return to 
him. .. . Now, the apostle regarding Christ as the 
end of the law, its great central aim and object, 
quotes these words, not merely as suiting his pur- 
pose, but as bearing, where originally used, an a 
fortiori application to faith in him who is the end 
of the law, and to the commandment to believe 
in him, which is now (1 John iii, 28) God’s com- 
mandment. If spoken of the law as a manifesta- 
tion of God in man’s heart and mouth, much more 
were they spoken of him who is God manifested in 
the flesh, the end of the law and the prophets— Al- 
ford.| Who shall ascend .. . descend—{Ques- 
tions of incomplete faith, to which the apostle re- 
sponds by showing there is no need to ascend into 
heaven for help, since Christ has come from heaven 
to give all needed assistance, (John vi, 53 ;) nor to 
“descend into the deep,” τὴν ἄβυσσον, the abyss, 
(hades,) since Christ has risen, and ascended, and 
has sent forth the Holy Spirit to abide with his fol- 
lowers. (John xiv, 17.)] The sense of the apostle 
may be this: They who will not believe in Christ 
crucified must in effect be seeking another Messiah 
to come down from heaven with a different revela- 
tion ; or they who will not credit the doctrine that 
we preach concerning his resurrection seem in ef- 
fect to say, Christ yet remains to be raised from 
the dead, and reign over the Jews as a mighty sec- 
ular sovereign, subjecting the Gentile world to the 
sway of his righteous sceptre. 

8. But what saith it? The word is nigh 
thee—There is no occasion to seek high or low for 
the saving power; the way of salvation is now both 
plain and easy. By the preaching of the Gospel 
the doctrine of salvation is »7gh thee, and the sav- 
ing influence is at hand; it is in thy mouth, easy to 
be professed ; and in thy heart, if thou art sincerely 
desiring to be saved on God’s own terms, not striv- 
ing to establish thine own method of justification by 
the law, but submitting to the method which God 
has devised. 

9. That if thou shalt confess, ete—Acknowl- 
edge the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. 
Believe in thy heart that he who died for thy of- 
fences has been raised for thy justification, and 
depend solely on him for that justification, and 
thou shalt be saved. 

10, For with the heart man believeth, etc.— 
And be sincere in this: for with the heart, duly af- 
fected witha sense of guilt, and of the sufficiency of 
the sacrifice which Christ has offered, man belieneth 
unto righteousness, believeth to receive justification. 
[A genuine confession of Christ, such as bears upon 
the face the seal of a divine παρρησία, (assured con- 
Fession,) is necessarily a testimony to belief of the 
heart, because no one can, from inward conviction, 
call Christ Lord, except by the Holy Ghost. (1 Cor. 
xiii, 3; 1 Jolm iv, 2.)—7holuck. | 


Salvation by faith free to all men 
through Jesus Christ. 


CHAPTER X. 


A. Μ. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 


Year of Rome, 511. 


ness; and with the mouth confession is made 
unto salvation. ΕἸ For the Scripture saith, 
‘Whosoever believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed. U2 For «there is no difference be- 
tween the Jew and the Greek: for 'the same 
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon 
him. 43 ®For whosoever shall call ° upon the 
name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How 
then shall they call on him in whom they have 


not believed? and how shall they believe in 
him of whom they have not heard? and how 
shall they hear P without a preacher? 15 And 
how shall they preach, except they be sent? as 
it is written, 4 How beautiful are the feet of 
them that preach the gospel of peace, and 
bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But 
‘they have not all obeyed the gospel. For 
Esaias saith, *Lord, who hath believed tour 


i Isa. 28. 16; 49. 23: Jer. 17. 7: chap. 9, 33.—¥# Acts 15. 9; 
chap. 3. 22; Gal. 3. 28.—/ Acts 10 36; chap. 3. 29; 1 Tim. 2. 
—m Eph. 1.7: 2. 4,7. 


n Joel 2. 32: Acts 2. 21.—o Acts 9, 14.——p Titus 1. 3, — 
q Isa. 52. 7; Nah. 1. 15.—7 Chap. 3. 3: Heb. 4, 2. & Isa. 33. 
1; John 12. 38,—2tGr the hearing of us? 


11. For the Scripture saith—[Paul brings for- 
ward, asif for the solemn sealing of all this, (before 
said,) once more that weighty word of Scripture 
which he has already adduced in chapter ix, 33. 

ut this scriptural saying (Isa. xxviii, 16) now re- 
ceives, with the object of closely connecting with 
it what is further to follow, the significant addition 
of the wriversal element, πᾶς, (whosoever.)— Meyer. | 
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed—He shall neither be disappointed of his 
hope nor ashamed of his confidence; because he 
has that faith which is the evidence of things not 
seen, the subsistence of things hoped for. (Chapter 
i, 16; Heb. xi, 1.) 

12. For there is no difference between the 
Jew and the Greek—Here the Jew has no exclu- 
sive privilege; and from this the Greek is not re- 
jected. One simple way of being saved is proposed 
to all, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; be- 
eause he is the same Lord who has made all and 
governs all, and is rich in mercy to all that call 
upon him. The same Lord over all—[‘O yap 
αὐτὸς κύριος πάντων, for he himself, the Lord of all, 
holding the same beneficent relation to all men. ] 
[On this passage Chrysostom remarks, happily : 
“ Do you see how he (Paul) represents him (Christ) 
as exceedingly desirous of our satvation, inasmuch 
as he deems it his own riches, so that now they 
need not despair, nor think that they are excluded 
from salvation, if they choose to repent. For he 
who deems it his own riches to save us, will never 
cease being rich, this being his riches, to pour out 
the free gift upon all. See Tholuck.] 

13. For whosoever shall call, ete. — The 
Prophet Joel hath declared, (chapter ii, 32,) ‘* Who- 
soever shall eall upon (invoke) the name of the 
Lord (Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners) shall 
be saved;” and if he abide in the faith, rooted 
and grounded in him, showing forth the virtues of 
Him who has called him out of darkness into his 
marvellous light, he sha/l be saved with all the power 
of an eternal life. Believing in Christ or God, 
(verse 11,) and calling upon God, (verses 12,13, 14,) 
are in effect the same thing; as calling upon God 
necessarily connects and supposes faith in him; 
and he who truly believes in Christ has such a sense 
of his dependence upon divine grace, that he looks 
to God and trusts in his power and goodness alone 
for salvation. 

14. How then shall they call on him—<As 
the apostle had laid so much stress on believing in 
order to salvation, and as this doctrine might be 
misunderstood, it was necessary to show how this 
faith is produced, and therefore he lays down the 
whole doctrine in a beautifully graduated order : 

There can be no salvation without the Gospel—a 
dispensation of mercy and grace from God alone, 
called (verse 15) the Gospel of peace ; glad tidings 


of good things. This must be preached—proclaimed 
in the world for the obedience of faith, No one can 
effectually preach this unless he have a divine mis- 
sion; for how shall they preach, except they be 
sent? (Verse 15.) The matter must come from 
God; and the person who proclaims it must have 
both authority and unction from on high. This 
divinely-commissioned person must be heard ; it is 
the duty of all to whom this message of salvation 
is sent, to hear it with the deepest reverence and 
attention. What is heard must be credited; for 
they who do not believe the Gospel as the record 
which God has given of his Son cannot be saved. 
(Verse 14.) Those who believe must invoke God 
by Christ, which they can do only as they believe in 
him. But, says the apostle, “ How then shall they 
call on him in whom they have not believed? 
And _ how shall they de/ieve in him of whom they 
have not heard? And how shall they /ear without 
a preacher? And how shall they preach, except 
they be sent?” And with what message which can 
bring salvation can they be sent, but with the gos- 
pel of peace, the glad tidings of good things? 
When, therefore, there are all these accompani- 
ments and conditions properly complied with, 
namely, a proper message, a proper messenger, the 
right message preached, the proclamation properly 
heard and attentively considered by the people and 
conscientiously believed ; and the name of the Lord 
Jesus, by whom alone this salvation is provided, 
most earnestly invoked; then, salvation, or redemp- 
tion from sin and misery, and the enjoyment of 
peace and happiness, will be the result. 

15. How beautiful are the feet of them that 
preach—[St. Paul argues back from the effeet to 
the cause through the series of Prayer, Faith, Hear 
ing, Preaching, Sending ; thus the last link in his 
argument must be the first in the realization, from 
which the rest follow. This one therefore he con- 
firms by the prophetic announcement of the going 
forth of the Gospel. (Isa. lii, 7.)... The prophees 
rings witha joy like that with which the apostle 
himself is contemplating the spread of the Gospel 
throughout the world.—Sp. Comment.| [The rea- 
son why the feet—oi modec—is there chosen rathet 
than any other part of the body to be the represent- 
ative of the person would seem to be, that heralds 
who proclaim any thing Gravel, (rvn,) from place to 
place, in order to discharge their duty.—<tuart. | 
|It is because of the delightful tidings which they 
bring, that the feét of the messengers are especially 
styled ὡραῖοι, beautiful.— Olshausen.] 

16. But they have not all obeyed the gos- 
pel—Although God brings the message of salvation 
to men, he does not force them to embrace it. It 
is proposed to their understanding and conscience - 
but it does not become the means of salvation un- 
less it be affectionately credited. [In all Christian 

67 


The faith of the Gentiles and the 
unbelief of the Jews foreseen. 


ἘΣ ΜΙΝ ROMANS. 
“report? ΑΓ So then faith cometh by hear- 


ing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But 
I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, ἡ their 
sound went into all the earth, “and their 
words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I 
say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, 
xJ will provoke you to jealousy by them that 


uw Or, preaching ? 
16. 15; Col. 1. 6, 23. 


» Psa. 19. 4: Matt. 24. 14; 28.19; Mark 
w See 1 Kings 18, 10; Matt. 4. 8. 


lands the principal doctrines of the Gospel are dif- 
fused among the people, so that all may, if they will, 
hear and believe and be saved. And yet because 
man’s free will is a factor in the process, it may al- 
ways be said, ‘They have not all obeyed. | 

So then faith cometh by hearing— 
Preaching the Gospel is the ordinary means of 
salvation; faith in Christ is the result of hearing 
the word, the doctrine of God, preached. Preaching 
God sends; if heard attentively, faith will .be pro- 
duced; and if the people believe the report, the 
arm of the Lord will be revealed in their salvation. 
{ While “ preaching” is pre-eminently God’s method 
for making the Gospel known ainong men, yet other 
methods of giving the “ word” are clearly included. | 

18. But I say, Have they not heard—Have 
not the means of salvation been placed within the 
reach of every Jew, and as well of the Gentiles ὃ 
As the celestial luminaries have given testimony of 
the eternal power and godhead of the deity to the 
habitable world, (Psalm xix, 4,) so the Gospel of 
Christ has borne testimony to his eternal goodness 
and mercy to all lands. There is not a part of the 
Promised Land, nora place in the Roman empire, in 
which the doctrine of Christ crucified has not been 
heard; if, therefore, any have not believed, the 
fault is entirely their own. Sometimes the apos- 
tle’s intention seems to go no further than using 
the same strong expressions, as being equally ap- 
plicable to the point in hand. So in verses 6, 7, 
and 8, of this chapter, he uses the words of Moses, 
not to prove any thing, nor as if he thought Moses 
spoke of the same subject, but only as intimating 
that the sive and lively expressions which Moses 
used concerning the doctrine he taught were equally 
applicable to the faith of the Gospel. So, in the 
same manner, (verse 18,) he quotes Psalm xix, 4, 
though it is likely that those expressions were used 
by the ancient Jews in application to the Messiah, 
as the apostle applies them. These rules may help 
to vindicate the quotations in all the apostolic 
writings. And it is evident that we cannot form a 
true judgment upon any quotation unless we take 
in the zxtention of the writer, or the view in which 
he quotes. 

19, But I say, Did not Israel know—God, 
foreseeing your unbelief and rebellion, said by 
Moses, (Deut. xxxil, 21,) 7 will provoke you to jeal- 
ousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish 
nation I willanger you. As you have provoked me 
to jealousy with worshipping those that are no 
gods, I will provoke you to jealousy by those which 
are no people. This most evidently refers to the 
calling or inviting of the Gentiles to partake of the 
benefits of the Gospel; and plainly predicts the 
envy and rage which would be excited in the Jews 
in consequence of those offers of mercy made to 
the Gentiles. 

20. But Esaias is very bold—Speaks out in 
the fullest manner and plainest language, (chapter 
Ixy, 1,) notwithstanding the danger to which such a 

68 


are no people, and by a ¥ foolish nation I will 
anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold, and 
saith, «I was found of them that “sought me 
not; I was made manifest unto them that 
asked not after me. 28 Butto Israel he saith, 
2 All day long I lave stretched forth my hands 
unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 


«x Deut, 32. 21; chap. > 11.—-y Titus 3. ἐν —< Isa. 65.1; chap. 
9, 30.—a Isa. Ὁ»: 


declaration exposed him, among a crooked, perverse, 
and dangerous people: Z was found of them that 
sought me not; I put my salvation in the way of 
those (the Gentiles) who were not seeking for it, 
and knew nothing of it; thus, the Gentiles. which 


followed not after righteousness, have attained to the 


law of righteousness, (chapter ix, 30,) and they have 
found that redemption which the Jews have re- 
ne: 

. But to Israel he saith—In the very next 
site (Isa. Ixv, 2,) All day long I have stretched 
forth my hands, manifesting the utmost readiness 
and willingness to gather them all together under 
my protecting care; but “1 stretched forth my 
hands” in vain, for they are a disobedient and 
gainsaying people. They not only disobey my 
command, but they gainsay and contradict my 
prophets. Thus the apostle proves, in answer to 
the objection made, (verse 16,) that the infidelity of 
the Jews was the effect of their own obstinacy; 
that the opposition which they are now making 
to the Gospel was foretold and deplored by the 
prophet; and that their opposition, far from being 
a proof of the insufficiency of the Gospel, proved 
that this was the grand means which God had pro- 
vided for their salvation ; and, having rejected this, 
they could expect no other. And this gives the 
apostle opportunity to speak largely concerning 
their rejection in the following chapter. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. 


[The apparent rejection of the Jews, according 
to their carnal and theocratic views, since their 
national hierarchy seemed to be superseded, is 
shown to be only apparent, as Paul’s own ease is 
a witness that any Jew may find salvation in Christ. 
But as the original covenant with Abraham in- 
cluded also the Gentiles within its provisions, so 
now they have a vight to participate in the bless- 
ings that result, according to God’s purpose, from 
that covenant through Christ. But since the out- 
ward Jewish Church was only a temporary ar- 
rangement, (Gal. iii, 17-19, 25-99; Heb. viii, 13; 
x, 9,) it was necessary that it should now give 
place to the broader and more comprehensive 
scheme of the Gospel, which, in the true spirit of 
the covenant with Abraham, embraced indiscrimi- 
nately both Jews and Gentiles. This was the true 
ἐκλογῇ, (election,) originating in the divine counsels, 
but conditioned as to its completion, in the case 
of each individual, upon his faith and obedience. 
The Jewish national Church having served its day, 
was now either to be so expanded as to embrace all 
the world—not as J/sraelites, but Abrahamites—or 
to be laid aside, that all might stand upon the same 
footing before God. The rejection of the Jews re- 
spected only their polity as ordained by Moses; as 
individuals they were not rejected; the calling of 
the Gentiles was also of individuals of the race of 
Adam, to whom the promise was first made, and 
who were included in the covenant with Abraham. 


rejected. A remnant 
od’s children, 


Isreal is not wholl 
᾿ are still 
CHAPTER XI. 

| SAY then, * Hath God cast away his people ? 

God forbid. For *I also am an Israelite, 
of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Ben- 
jamin.. 2 God hath not cast away his people 
which che foreknew. Wot ye not what the 
Scripture saith 4 of Elias? how he maketh 
intercession to God against Israel, saying, 
3 ©Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and 
digged down thine altars ; and I am left alone, 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. M. 4062. A. 10, 58, 
Year of Rome, S11. 


and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the 
answer of God unto him? ‘TI have reserved 
to myself seven thousand men, who have not 
bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 © Even 
so then at this present time also there is a 
remnant according to the election of grace. 
6 And *if by grace, then is it no more of 
works: otherwise grace is no more grate. But 
if it be of works, then is it no more grace: 
otherwise work is no more work. 7 What 


ΑἹ Sam. 12, 22; Jer. 31. 37.—b2 Cor. 11. 22; Phil. 3. 5.— 


ὁ Chap. 8. 299.—d Gr. in Elias 


61 Kings 19.10, 14, aaa i Kings 19.18, ——¢ Ohap. “Ye 7h Chap. 
53; Gal, 5. 4: see Deut. 9, 4, 


With the establishment of the Gospel in the world 
the organic Jewish Church ceased to be—FOREVER : 
the promised restoration will be, in their conversion 
to Christ as individuals.] The apostle’s design in 
discoursing upon this subject was, not only to make 
the thing itself known, but partly to engage the 
attention of the unbelieving Jew; to conciliate his 
favour, and, if possible, to induce him to come into 
the gospel scheme ; and partly to dispose the Gen- 
tile Christians not to treat the Jews with contempt ; 
and to admonish them to take warning by the fall 
of (some of) the Jews; to make a good improve- 
ment of their religious privileges, lest, through un- 
belief, any of them should relapse into heathen- 
ism, and perish at the last. The thread of his dis- 
course leads Paul into a general survey and com- 
parison of the several dispensations of God toward 
the Gentiles and Jews ; and he concludes this sur- 
vey with adoration of the depths of the divine 
knowledge and wisdom exercised in the various 
constitutions erected in the world. (Verses 30-36.) 


1. I say then, Hath God cast away his 
people—Has he utterly and finally rejected (all of) 
them? ᾿Απώσατο, thrust, or driven away ; has he 
thrust them off, and driven them eternally from him? 
God forbid. (No, πο For I also am an 
Israelite—I am a regular descendant from Abra- 
ham, through Israel and Benjamin. And J stand 
in the Church of God, and in the peculiar cove- 
nant; for the rejection is only of the obstinate and 
disobedient ones; for those who believe on Christ, 
as I do, are continued in the Church. [I am my- 
self a witness of the truth of this statement. ] 

2. God hath not cast away his people 
which he foreknew—God has not rejected the 
people whom he has Joved (or approved ) so long, ὃν 

προέγνω, [ from the first ordained to be his people. 
—Stuart.| Wot ye not what the Scripture 
saith—Ovx« οἴδατε, do ye not know what the Serip- 
ture saith? (1 Kings xix, 10, 14.) God hath not 
altogether thrust away his people, for whom in the 
promise to Abraham he intended, and to whom he 
decreed, to grant his special favour and blessing ; 
but the case is now much as it was in the days 
of Elijah; that prophet, in his addresses to God, 
made his complaint against Israel, thus: 

3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets— 
They will not permit any person to speak unto them 
in thy name; and they murder those who are faith- 
ful to the commission which they have received 
from thee. Digged down thine altars—They 
are profligate and profane beyond example, and re- 
tain not the slightest form of religion. I am left 
alone—There is no prophet besides myself left, 
and they seek to destroy me. 

4. But what saith the answer of God—The 
answer which God made assured him that there 


were thousands; that is, several, or coun Undanaiace . 
the word seven is a certain for an uncertain num- 
ber. These had continued faithful to God; but, 
because of Jezebel’s persecution, they were obliged 
to conceal their attachment to the true religion; 
and God, in his providence, preserved them from 
her sanguinary rage. Who have not bowed 
the knee—Baal was the God of Jezebel: and 
his worship was then the worship of the state; 
but there were several. thousands of pious Israel- 
ites who had not acknowledged this idol, and did 
not partake in the idolatrous worship. [God will 
not leave himself without witnesses in the world; 
the Gospel is not merely a venture, which may or 
may not prove successful, but in his own ‘er it 
shall prevail among men. (Isa. xlv, 23; ly, 1.)] 

5. Even so then at this present fae ee in 
the present day, the irreligion of the Jews is very 
great ; yet there i is a remnant—a considerable num- 
ber—who have acc epted the grace of the Gospel. 
According to the election of grace—JJust as 
God has saved all believers from the beginning ; 
they are chosen by his grace, not because they 
were Jews, not on account of any worth or excel- 
lence in themselves, but through his goodness are 
they chosen to have a place in his Chureh, and con- 
tinue to be his people, entitled to all the graces of 
the new covenant. The election of grace simply 
signifies God’s gracious method of saving graciously 
all those who believe in Christ Jesus. Thus the 
believers in Christ are chosen to inherit the bless- 
ings of the Gospel, while those who seek justifica- 
tion by the works of the law are rejected. 

6. And if by grace—And let this very rem- 
nant of pious Jews, who have believed in Christ 
Jesus, know that they are to be brought in precisely 
in the same way as God brings in the Gentiles; the 
one having no more worthiness to plead than the 
other; both being brought in, and continued in, by 
God’s free grace, and not by any observance of the 
Mosaic law. And this is done according to the 
election of grace, or the rule of choosing any per- 
sons to be the people of God upon the footing 
of grace; which takes in all that believe in his 
Son Jesus Christ. Some of the Jewish people 
did so believe; therefore those believing Jews 
are a remnant according to the election of grace 
They are saved in that way in which alone God 
will save any of mankind. Their election and 
interest in the covenant of God has no connex- 
ion with their old Jewish works; for were it of 
works, (observances of the law,) grace would lose its 
proper nature, and cease to be what it is—a free, 
undeserved gut. But if it be of works—/{ This 
clause is now generally rejected as not genuine.] 
Could it be made to appear that they are invested 
in these privileges of the kingdom of Christ through 
the observance of the law of Moses, (or by any thing 

69 


A. M. 4062. A. D.58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


then? ‘Israel hath not obtained that which 
he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained 
it, and the rest were * blinded ὦ (According 
as it is written, 'God hath given them the 
spirit of slumber, "eyes that they should not 
see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto 
this day. 9 And David saith, ° Let their table 

ὁ Chapter 9. 31; 10. 3.—k Or, hardened ; 2 Corinthians 9. 14. 


——/ Isaiah 29, 10. —m Or, 7'emorse.—n Deuteronomy 29. 4; 
Isaiah 6. 9: Jeremiah 5. 21; Ezekiel 12.2; Matthew 13. 14; 


ROMANS. 


The reiection of the Gospel by the Jews 
replaced by its offer to the Gentiles. 


be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling- 
block, and a recompense unto them: 19 P Let 
their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, 
and bow d6wn their back alway. ΕἸ I say 
then, Have they stumbled that they should 
fall? God forbid: but rather 4 through their 
fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to 


John 12. 40; Acts 28. 26, 27,—o Psalm 69. 22,—7 Psalm 
Tee ety Acts 13, 46; 18.6; 22. 18,21; 28. 24, 28; chapter 
Pate 


done by themselves,) then Grace would be quite set 
aside. But it is not, and cannot be, of works; for 
those very Jews who now believe, and are happy 
in the grace of Christ, are so according to the elee- 
tion of grace—that general scheme of mercy, ac- 
cording to which God proposed to take into his 
Church and kingdom any, whether Jews or Gen- 
tiles, who should believe on Christ. And the rem- 
nant here mentioned were not selected from their 
countrymen by such a sovereign act of God’s grace 
as might have taken in the whole if it had so 
pleased; but they were admitted into and received 
the privileges of the Messiah’s kingdom because 
they believed on the Lord Jesus, and received him as 
their only Saviour ; and thus came into that scheme 
of election which God had appointed. [Men are 
saved either because they have wholly obeyed the 
divine law, or (else) on the ground of grace mere- 
ly; that is, they are saved either because they 
are able to advance claims which meet the demands 
of the law, or else it must be on the ground of 
pure gratuity. Now as all men have sinned, it is 
not the jirst ; of course, it must be the second. 
If you ask, “May it not be partly by grace, and 
partly by merit ?” then our text lies directly in the 
way of an affirmative answer ; and it is, moreover, 
a conclusive answer in the negative to this, that 
“every one is cursed who continueth not in all 
things written in the book of the law to do them,” 
—‘‘the soul that sinneth shall die.”—Stvart. ] 

7. What then—What is the real state of the 
case before us? Israel—The Jewish people, the 
theocracy—have not obtained that which they so 
earnestly desired—to be continued, as they have 
hitherto accounted themselves, the peculiar and 
exclusive people of God; but the election hath ob- 
tained it—as many as have believed in Jesus 
Christ, and accepted salvation through him: God 
chooses to make those his peculiar people who 
believe in his Son, (and so enter into his covenants, ) 
and none other shall enjoy the blessings of his 
kingdom. Those who would not receive him-are 
blinded ; they have shut their eyes against the 
light, and are in the very circumstances of those 
mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah in chapter xxix, 10. 

8. God hath given them the spirit of slum- 
ber—As they had wilfully closed their eyes against 
the light, so God has, in judgment, given them up 
to the spirit of slumber, The very word and reve- 
lation of God, which should have awakened their 
consciences and opened their eyes and ears, have 
had just the opposite effect. Because men will not 
receive the truth in the love of it, that which was 
designed to be the savour of life unto life becomes 
to them the savour of death unto death. 

9,10. And David saith, Let their table be 
made asnare.... their eyes be darkened—All 
these wordsare declarative, and not imprecatory. God 
declares what will be the case of such obstinate 
unbelievers; their ¢ab/e, their common providential 
blessings, will become a snare, a trap, a stumbling- 

τὸ 


block, and the means of their punishment. Their 
eyes will be more and more darkened as they per- 
sist in their unbelief, and their back shall be bowed 
down always. [The apostle, in making this quo- 
tation, need not be supposed to intend any thing 
more than to produce an instance from the Psalms 
where the same principle is developed as is con- 
tained in the assertion which he had made; that is, 
the ancient Scriptures speak of a part of Israel as 
blind and deaf, as in deep distress and under heavy 
punishment because of their unbelief and dis- 
obedience. What happened in ancient times may 
take place again; it has, in fact, happened at the 
present time.— Stuart. 

11. Have they stumbled that they should 
fall—Have the Jews, now rejected (as to their out- 
ward state) for the disobedience and unbelief of 
their rulers, so sinned against God as to be forever 
put out of the reach of his merey? By no means. 
A Jew has the same privileges under the Gospel as 
a Gentile, and no more. But rather through 
their fall salvation is come—The Church of God 
cannot fail; if the Jewish hierarchs have broken 
the everlasting covenant, (Isaiah xxiv, 5,) the Gen- 
tiles shall be taken into it; and this very cireum- 
stance shall be ultimately the means of exciting 
them to seek and claim a share in the blessings of 
the new covenant; and this is what the apostle 
terms provoking them to jealousy. [Did they (the 
Jews as a people) stumble in order that, iva, they 
should fall? The stumbling of the Jews, as a peo- 
ple, that is, through the unbelief of their rulers, 
(not as individuals, which is not here spoken of,) 
called for the entire setting aside of the Jewish 
state, and the extension of the offer of salvation 
to the Gentiles ; that is, to all men, without respect 
to race or nationality. The same process that has 
resulted in the “fall” of the outward Jewish 
Church, has opened the way of salvation to the 
Gentiles and Jews alike; and this new order of 
things is now set forth that by it the Jews, each 
one for himself, may be stirred up to greater zeal 
to secure the proffered salvation.}: We should ob- 
serve, here, that the fall of the Jews was not in i/- 
self the cause or reason of the calling of the Gen- 
tiles ; for whether the Jews had stood or fallen 
—whether they had embraced or rejected the Gos- 
pel—it was the original purpose of God to take 
the Gentiles into the Church; for this was clearly 
implied in the covenant made with Abraham: and 
it was in virtue of that covenant that the Gentiles 
were now called, and not BEcausE of the wnbelief 
of the Jews. Their fall was not necessary for the 
salvation of the Gentiles; since the unbelief of the 
Jews could not produce faith in the Gentiles. The 
simple state of the case is: the Jews most perversely 
rejected Jesus Christ and the salvation offered by 
him; then the apostles turned to the Gentiles, and 
they heard and believed. The calling of the Gen- 
tiles, which existed in the original purpose of God, 
became the occasion of the more violent unbelief 


The lapse of the Jews should serve 
as u caution to the Gentiles, 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. M. 4042. A.D. 58, 
Year of Kome, 811. 


provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the 
fall of them be the riches of the world, and the 
‘diminishing of them the riches of the Gen- 
tiles; how much more their fulness? 13 For 
I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as *I am the 
apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office : 
14 If by any means I may provoke to emula- 
tion them which are my flesh, and 't might save 
some of them. 145 For if the casting away 


r Or, decay, or, loss.—=s Acts 9, 15: 13.2: 22. 21; chapter 
15. 16: Galatians |. 16; 2, 2, 7-9; Ephesians 3.8; 1 Timothy 
2.7; 2 Timothy 1. 11. 


of the Jews, through which they forfeited all their 
peculiar privileges, and fell from that state of spe- 
cial dignity in which they had long been placed as 
the peculiar people of God. 

12. Now if the fall of them—The English 
reader may imagine that, because “fall” is used 
in both these verses, the original word is the same 
But their fall, and the fall of them, is παράπτωμα, 
the same word which we render offence, (chap. v, 
15, 17, 18,)and might be rendered /apse. Whereas, 
that they should fall, (verse 11,) is tva téoworv—that 
they should perish. ["Hrrnua, relative degradation, 
πλήρωμα, filling up, restoring to position. Through 
unbelief the organic Israel incurred degradation 
from its headship in the kingdom of God, while 
simultaneously, and by reason of the same events, 
(that is, the preaching of the Gospel to others than 
Jews,) the Gentiles were enriched, exalted. But 
God whohas not cast off Israel—in the persons of 
the Jewish people—still calls them to repentance 
and faith, with assurances of acceptance ; in which 
the Gentile Christians should also rejoice, anticipa- 
ting still greater spiritual gains from their conver- 
sion. The πλήρωμα has no reference to a future 
restoration of a Jewish state or commonwealth. } 

13, 14. These two verses may be read as a pa- 
renthesis. St. Paul, as the apostle of the Gentiles, 
wished to show them the high pitch of glory and 
blessedness to which they had been called, that 
they might have a due sense of God’s mercy in 
calling them. And he dwells particularly on the 
greatness of those privileges which the Gentiles 
had now received, that he might stir up the minds 
of his countrymen to emulation, and might be the 
means of saving some of them. oe an organic 
whole, the Jewish Church had fallen, and was to 
be taken out of the way, for which, as a Jew, the 
apostle sincerely mourned ; but recognising himself 
as especially divinely called to be ‘the apostle to 
the Gentiles,” he rejoices with them in view of 
their exaltation, and at the same time looks wist- 
fully toward his own kindred, earnestly desiring 
to be able /o save some of them.| Might save 
some of them—<And yet αὐ these were among 
the reprobate, ov rejected ; not, however, irrecover- 
ably shut out from the divine favour ; he hoped that 
some of them, by his preaching, might be disposed 
to receive salvation by Christ Jesus. [As a nation 
or church—the theocracy—lIsrael was indeed fallen 
and rejected ; but in their own proper persons, the 
Jews were just as salvable as the Gentiles ; and 
so, moved by his natural affection for his own flesh, 
the apostle was especially solicitous to save some of 
these—who now must be saved, if at all, only as 
pardoned sinners—without the deeds of the law.) 

15. But life from the dead—If that which re- 
sulted in the rejection of the Jews became the 
occasion of our receiving the Gospel, so far must 
we feel from exulting over them, that we should 


of them be the reconciling of the world, what 
shall the receiving of them be, but life from the 
dead? 16 For if “the firstfruit be holy, the 
lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so 
are the branches. 17 And if ‘some of the 
branches be broken off, * and thou, being a wild 
olive tree, wert graffed in * among them, and 
with them partakest of the root and fatness 
of the olive tree; 18 ¥ Boast not against the 


ΟἹ Cor, 7. 16; 9, 22; 1 Tim, 4. 16, James 5, 20.—n Lev, 28. 10; 
Num. 15. 18, 19, 20, 21.—v Jer. 11. 16.—vw Acts 2. 39; Eph. 2 
12, 14.—~* Or, for them.—y 1 Cor. 10. 12. 


esteem their conversion to God as great and choice 
a favour as we would the restoration of a most 
intimate friend to life who had been at the gates 
of death. [The state of Judaism is, indeed, a con- 
dition of ruin and’ death, answering the prophet's 
vision of the ‘‘ dry bones,” (Ezek. xxxvii, 1 ;) their 
spiritual resuscitation by their receiving the Gospel 
will surely be like a resurrection. } 

16. For if the firstfruit be holy—‘H ἁπαρκὴ, 
Jirstfruit, the Jews who had received Christ, and 
were received by him; τὸ φύραμα, the lump, the 
whole nation. The conversion of the first named 
is as the firstfruit of the harvest—a pledge of its 
ingathering—which, indeed, occurred during the 
apostolic age. If the root be holy, so are the 
branches—'‘A)ia, consecrated, set apart to sacred 


uses. - It must not be forgotten that the first con- 
verts to Christ were from among the Jems; 


these formed the root of the Christian Church : 
these were holy, ἅγιοι, consecrated to God, and 
those who among the Gentiles were converted by 
their means were also ἅγιοι, consecrated. Perhaps 
the reference is to the ancestors of the Jewish 
people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and, as these 
were devoted to God and received into his covenant, 
all their posterity, the branches which proceeded 
from this root, became entitled to the same privi- 
leges: and as the roof still remains, and the 
branches also, the descendants from that root still 
remain: they still have the common title to the 
blessings of the covenant; although, because of 
their obstinate unbelief, these blessings are sus- 
pended, as they cannot, even on the ground of the 
old covenant, enjoy them except through faith. 

17. And if some of the branches, etc.—If the 
present nation of the Jews, because of their unbe- 
lief, are cut off from the blessings of the Church 
of God, and the high honour and dignity of being 
his peculiar people ; and thou, being a wild olive 
—ye Gentiles, having been without the knowledge of 
the true God, and consequently bringing forth no 
fruits of righteousness, wert grafted in among 
them—are now inserted in the original stock, having 
been made partakers of the faith of Abraham, and 
consequently of his blessings; and enjoy, as the 
people did who sprang from him, the fatness of the 
olive tree—the promises made to the patriarchs, 
and the spiritual privileges of the Jewish Church. 

18. Boast not against the branches—Do not 
erult over those whose former place you now fill up, 
according to the election of grace. Ye are not the 
root, nor do ye bear the root, but the root bears you, 
You have not been the means of conferring any bless- 
ing on the Jewish people ; but through them, all the 
blessings and excellences which you enjoy have 
been communicated to you. [The Church of God 
dates from Eden; the Abrahamic Church was that 
of the chosen people; and though, “for unbelief,” 
some of those whose positions seemed especially to 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811. 


branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not 
the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt 
say then, The branches were broken off, that 
I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of un- 
belief they were broken off, and thou standest 
by faith. *Be not highminded, but *fear: 
2i For if God spared not the natural branches, 
tuke heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Be- 
hold therefore the goodness and severity of 
God: on them which fell, severity; but to- 
ward thee, goodness, 'if thou continue in his 
goodness: otherwise ¢thou also shalt be cut 


2 Chap. 12. 16.—« Prov. 28. 14; Isa. 66.2; Phil. 2.12, —01Cor. 


15: Oe Heb, 3. by 1. ὁ John δ. 2. 


ROMANS. 


The Jews shall be readmitted if 
they abide not in unbelief. 


off. 23 And they also, 4if they abide not still 


in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able 
to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert 
cut out of the olive tree which is wild by na- 
ture, and wert graffed contrary to nature into 
a good olive tree; how much more shall these, 
which be the natural branches, be graffed into 
their own olive tree? 28 For I would not, 
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this 
mystery, lest ye should be ὁ wise in your own 
conceits, that Γέ blindness in part is happened 
to Israel, "until the fulness of the Gentiles be 


ΑΔ Cor. 3. 16.—e Chap. 12. 16.—/ Or, nardness. aw Verse 
7; 2 Cor, 3. 14.—A’ Luke 21. 24; Rev. 7. 9. 


call them to be poremont in the newly ordered 
Church of Christ were removed, yet the Christian 
Church was not a new thing in the apostle’s day ; 
but instead, a graft into the original tree. The 
“ Holy Catholic Church” is as old as the promise 
of the “Seed of the woman.” From Abraham to 
Christ it was shut up to a single nation; after the 
coming of the Gospel all men were called to it— 
grafted into the original stock. ] 

19. Thou wilt say then, ete.—You may think 
that you have reason to exult over them; because 
it is a fact that God has been displeased with them, 
and therefore has broken them off ; has cast them 
out of the Church and taken you into it in their 
place. 

20. Well; because of unbelief, etc.—True ; 
but then, why? They were broken off because of 
their wnbelief ; and you stand by faith: therefore 
be not highminded. If the blessings were received 
by faith, and not by works, you have no merit. 
They once stood by faith ; they gave place to wn- 
belief, and fell; you stand now by faith ; but it is 
as possible for you to be unfaithful as it was for 
them, and consequently yow may fall under the di- 
vine displeasure as they have done. 

21. For if God spared not the natural 
branches—lIf he, in his infinite justice and holi- 
ness, could not tolerate the unbelief of the people 
whom he had so long loved and miraculously pre- 
served, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Re- 
member, therefore, the rock whence you were hewn, 
and the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. 
Depend incessantly on God’s free grace—through 
faith—that ye may abide in his favour. 

22. Behold therefore the goodness—Xp7or6- 
τητα, gracious beneficence. The exclamation, Be- 
hold the goodness of God! is frequent among the 
Jewish writers, when they wish to call the atten- 
tion of men to particular displays of God’s mercy, 
especially toward those who are singularly un- 
worthy. And severity of God—’Aroroyia, sever- 
ity; that particular exercise of God’s holiness which 
leads him to sever from his mystical body. whatso- 
ever would injure, corrupt, or destroy it. [The 
apostle seems to assume the fearful possibility, that 
those who have been really grafted into Christ may 
still so fail to “‘continue in his goodness ” that they 
will be themselves cut off] 

23. If they abide not stillin unhelief—So we 
find that their rejection took place in consequence 
of their wilful obstinacy; and that they may return 
into the fold, the door of which still stands open. 
For God is able to graff them in again—Fallen 
and degraded as any may be, God can, in the course 
of his providence and merey, restore him; but not 
except he abide not in unbelief. [Rejected as a 


72 


nation from being the peculiar people of God, the 
Jews, if they abide not in unbelief, may be grafted 
in again, just as the Gentiles are.—and not other- 
wise, for ‘God is no respecter of persons.” (Col. 
iii, 11.) This says nothing about the restoration of 
the Jews, as a nation. ] 

24. The olive tree, which is wild by nature 
-- Κατὰ φύσιν naturally wild and barren; [bearing 
only small and crude fruit.| And wert graffed 
contrary to nature—lIlapa φύσιν, contrary to all 
custom ; for a scion taken from a barren or useless 
tree is scarcely ever known to be grafted into a 
good stock; but here the Gentiles, a fruitless and 
sinful race, are grafted on the ancient patriarchal 
stock. Now, if it was possible to effect. such a 
change in the state and disposition of the Gentiles, 
who were (ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, Ephes. ii, 12) without 
God, avuetsts, in the world ; how much more pos- 
sible is it, speaking after the manner of men, to 
bring about a similar change in the Jews, who 
acknowledge the one only and true God, and re- 
ceive the law and the prophets as a revelation 
from him. This seems to be the drift of the 
apostle’s argument. 

25. I would not...that ye should be ig- 
norant of this mystery—Mystery, μυστήριον, 
signifies any thing that is hidden or covered, or 
not fully made manifest. In the New Testament it 
signifies, generally, any thing or doctrine that has 
not, in former times, been fully known to men: 
or, something that has not been heard of, or which 
is so deep, profound, and difficult of comprehension 
that it cannot be apprehended without special 
direction and instruction: here it signifies the doc- 
trine of the futwre restoration of the Jews, (their 
ingathering into the Church of Christ,) not then 
fully known. In chap. xvi, 25, it means the Christ- 
ian religion, not known till the advent of Christ. 
The apostle wished the Romans not to be ignorant 
of this ‘mystery,’ namely, that such a thing was 
intended ; and, in order to give them as much in- 
struction as possible on this subject, he gives them 
some characteristic or sign of the times when it 
was to take place. Lest. ye should be wise in 
your own conceits—It seems from this, and 
from other expressions in this epistle, that the con- 
verted Gentiles had not behaved toward the Jews 
with that decorum and propriety which the rela- 
tion they bore to them required. In this chapter 
the apostle strongly guards them against giving 
way to such a disposition. Blindness in part 
is happened to Israel—Partial blindness, or, 
more probably, blindness to a part of them ; for 
they were not a// unbelievers : several thousands of 
them had been converted to the Christian faith; 
though the body of the nation, and especially its 


The gifts and calling of God 
are without repentance. 


come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: 
as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Sion 
the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodli- 
ness from Jacob: 27 «For this is my cove- 
nant unto them, when I shall take away their 
sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. Μ. 4062. A, Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 311. 


enemies for your sakes: but as touching the 
election, they are beloved for the fathers’ 
sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God 
are "without repentance. 80 For as ye *in 
times past have not °believed God, yet have 
now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 


ὁ Isa, 59. 20; see Psa, 14. 7“ Isa, 27. 9; Jer. 31. 31; Heb, 


rulers, civil and spiritual, continued opposed to 
Christ and his doctrine. Until the fulness of 
the Gentiles be come in—["Aypr οὗ, k. τ. 2., 
usque ad, (while the Gentiles shall come in— 
Calnin,) during the incoming, ete. God, in his 
gracious providence, made use of the time of the 
Jews’ blind unbelief, and before their complete 
subversion as a nation, to gather in the believing 
Gentiles, and so to perpetuate his Church ; and into 
the Church so reorganized the Jews were to be 
grafted anew. The πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν (the fulness 
of the Gentiles) was accomplished when the Christ- 
ian Church became fully established on a non- 
Jewish basis. It is not necessary to look for any 
later or more striking events as the fulfilment of 
this assurance, than those of the apostolic age.] 
We should not restrict the meaning of these words 
too much, by imagining that the fulness must neec- 
essarily mean all the nations of the universe, and 
all the ἡγε λυ νας. of those nations: probably, no 
more than a general spread of Christianity over 
many yations which are now under the influence 
of Pugan or Mohammedan superstition may be 
what is intended. Nor must we suppose that the 
coming in, here mentioned, necessarily means what 
most religious persons understand by conversion, a 
thorough change of the whole heart and the whole 
life: the acknowledgment of the divine mission of 
our Lord, and a cordial embracing of the Christian 
religion, will sufficiently fulfil the apostle’s words. 
If we wait for the conversion of the Jews till such 
a time as every Gentile and Moliammedan soul shall 
be, in this especial sense, converted to God, then— 
we shall wait for ever. 

26. And so all Israel shall be saved—Shall 
be brought into the way of salvation, by acknowl- 
edging the Messiah; for the word certainly does 
not mean eternal glory; for no man can conceive 
that a time will ever come in which every Jew 
then living shall be taken to the kingdom of glory. 
The term “saved,” as applied to the Israelites in 
different parts of the Scripture, signifies no more 
than their being gathered out of the nations of the 
world, separated to God, and possessed of the high 
privilege of being his peculiar people. And we 
know that this is the meaning of the term by find- 
ing it applied to the body of the Israelites when 
this alone was the sum of their state. As it is 
written—The apostle supports what he advances 
on this head by a quotation from Scripture, which, 
in the main, is taken from Isa. lix, 20: The Deliv- 
erer shall come out of Zion, and turn away ungod- 
liness from Jacob. In what manner Christ és ¢o 
come out of Zion, and in what way or by what 
means he is to turn away transyression from Jacob, 
we cannot tell; and all attempts to conjecture 
what will be the time, occasion, means, ete., which 
are all in mystery, would be more than reprehen- 
sible 

27. For this is my covenant unto them, 
when I shall take away their sins—The reader, 
on referring to Isa. lix, 20, 21, will find that the 
words of the original are here greatly abridged. 


[Two principal methods of interpreting these words 
have prevailed in modern times. The early Prot- 
estants generally rejected the notion of its refer- 
ence to the “restoration,” that is, the Christianiza- 
tion of the Jews as a nation; but placed them, as 
individuals, in the same relations to Christ as all 
other sinners, They accordingly understood the 
word J/srael in this text in a spiritual sense, (Isa. 
xlv, 17; chapter ii, 28, 29; ix, 6,) indicating a new 
Israel, constituted by their personal union with 
Christ by spiritual regeneration. And this best 
agrees with the quotation from Isaiah, (chapter xxvi, 
9,) and its manifest interpretation and application 
in Hebrews. (Chapter viii, 8 ; x, 16.) The true /srael, 
all of whom s/all be saved, comprises all, and only 
those, who are saved by grace through faith, 
whether Jews or Gentiles according to the flesh.] 

28. As concerning the gospel—The unbe- 
lieving Jews, with regard to the “ Gospel” which 
they have rejected, are at present enemies to God, 
and aliens from his kingdom under his Son Jesus 
Christ, on account of that extensive grace which 
has overturned their peculiarity by admitting the 
Gentiles into his Church and family: but with re- 
gard to the original purpose of election, whereby 
they were chosen and separated from all the peo- 
ple of the earth to be the peculiar people of God, 
they [that is, the true Israel, of whom the //teral 
Israel was the prophetic type] are beloved for the 
fathers’ sakes. [Not for the merits of the fathers, 
but because of the covenant with Abraham, Isaae, 
and Jacob, so often referred to by God as the 
cause of his favourable remembrance of Israel.— 
Alford.] 

29. For the gifts and calling of God, ete — 
The “gifts” which God has bestowed upon them, 
and “the calling,” the invitation with which he has 
favoured them, he will never revoke. [These “ gifts 
and calling” pertain to the spiritual seed of Abra- 
ham. (John viii, 39; chapter ii, 28; ix,7.)] In vefer- 
ence to this point there is no change of mind in 
him. [All that was promised shall be fulfilled for 
the true Israel of God.] Repentance, when applied 
to God, signifies simply change of purpose relative 
to some declarations made subject to certain con- 
ditions 

30. For as ye in times past—* As ye,” (en- 
tiles, “in times past,” for many ages. Have not 
believed—Were in a state of alienation from God, 
yet not so as to be totally and forever excluded. 
Have now obtained mercy—fFor ye are now 
taken into the kingdom of the Messiah. Through 
their unbelief—By that method which, im destroy- 
ing the Jewish peculiarity, and fulfilling the Abra- 
hamic covenant, has occasioned the unbelief and 
obstinate opposition of the Jews. [The Gentiles 
enter the kingdom of God by occasion of the un- 
belief of the Jews, (God having overruled their 
ἀπειθία, non-acceptance of Christ, to the further- 
ance of the Gospel.) Just as the Gentiles were 
onee unbelieving, so are now the Jews; but, like 
the Gentiles now, so shall the Jews one day believe. 
—Tholuck.} 

93 


A, M, 4069, A. D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


5 1 
31 Even so have these also now not P believed, 


that through your mercy they also may obtain 
mercy. #82 For 4God hath *concluded them 
all in unbelief, that he might have merey upon 
all. $8 O the depth of the riches both of the 
wisdom and knowledge of God! show un- 
searchable are his judgments, and this ways 
past finding out! 84 "For who hath known 
the mind of the Lord? or ἡ who hath been his 


. ROMANS. 


The counsels and purposes of God 
declared to be unsearvhable. 


counsellor? 38 Or ἡ who hath first given to 
him, and it shall be recompensed unto him 
again? $6 For *of him, and through him, 
and to him, are all things : yto whom be 
glory for ever. Amen. 


CHAPTER XII. 


*BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by 
the mercies of God, 'that ye © present your 


Pp Or, obeyed.—dgq Chap. 3. 9; Gal. 3, 22.—~* Or, shut them 
all up together.—s Psa, 36. 6. tJob 11. 7; Psa. 92, 5.— 
u Job 15. 8: Isa. 40. 13; Jer. 23. 18; 1 Cor. 2. 16.—v Job 86. 29, 
—w Job 35. 7; 41. 11. 


#1 Cor. 8. 6; Col. 1. 16.—vy Gal. 1.5; 1 Tim. 1.17: 2 Tim. 
4,18; Heb, 13. 21: 1 Pet. 5. 11; 2 Pet. 3. 18: Jude 25; Rev. 1. 6. 
2Gr. him, a2 Cor. 10, 1. 1 Pet. 2.5. ὁ Psa. δῦ. 
13, 14; chap. 6. 13, 16, 19; 1 Cor. 6. 13, 20. 


31. Even so have these also—In like manner 
the Jews are, through their infidelity, shut out of 
the kingdom of God. That through your mercy 
—[The same mercy through which you are saved. 
But this exclusion will extend only so far as their 
unbelief; for when they believe, as do the Gentile 
converts, they too shall “ obtain mercy.” ] 

32. For God hath concluded them all in 
unbelief—Xvvéxdevcev γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, God hath shut 
or /ocked them all up under unbelief, [that is, under 
condemnation for unbelief.] Both Jews and Gen- 
tiles had alike broken God’s law—the Jews, the 
written law; the Gentiles, the law written in their 
hearts. (See chapter i, 19, 20, and ii, 14, 15.) But 
God, in his own compassion, moved by no merit in 
either party, caused a general pardon by the Gos- 
pel to be proclaimed to αἰ. The Jews (as a people) 
have refused to receive this pardon on the terms 
which God has proposed it, and therefore continue 
locked up under unbelief. The Gentiles [in many 
individual cases] have welcomed the offers of grace, 
and are delivered out of their prison. But, as the 
offers of mercy continue to be made to all indis- 
criminately, whenever any of the Jews shall also 
lay hold on the hope set before them, and thus be- 
come with the Gentiles one flock under one Shep- 
herd and Bishop of all their souls, they too shall 
be saved. (Gal. iii, 22, 23.) [The apostle is 
speaking of the divine arrangement by which the 
guilt of sin and the merey of God were to be made 
manifest. He treats it elsewhere (chapter ix, 18) 
entirely with reference to the act of God, taking 
no account, for the time, of human agency: which, 
however, when treating of us and our responsibili- 
ties, he brings out into a prominent position. The 
οἱ πάντες, all, who are “ concluded in unbelief,” are 
the same all who are the (possible) objects of the 
divine ‘‘merey,” and they signify a// men, without 
limitation. But the ultimate difference between 
the a/l men who are shut up under disobedience, 
and the a// men upon whom mercy is shown, is, 
that by “all” (some) men this mercy is not accepted, 
and so [all such] men become sel/-exeluded from the 
salvation of God.—A/ford.] 

33. O the depth of the riches both of the 
wisdom and knowledge of God—[’2 βάθος, 
the depth; an expression of great fulvess and 
superabundance : πλούτου, of the wealth, καὶ σοφίας, 
and of the wisdom, καὶ γνώσεως, and of the know!- 
edge, (all these nouns governed in the genitive by 
the preceding one, 3άθος,) (see Revised New Testa- 
ment, margin.) Πλοῦτος is usually understood of 
the divine riches of grace ; σοφία is the more general 
wisdom of God ruling every thing in the best way; 
γνῶσις is the more special knowledge pertaining to 
the means which God employs, in the work of sal- 
vation. See Meyer.| [The apostle, overpowered 


breaks forth into the sublimest apostrophe existing, 
even in the page of inspiration itself—A/ford.] 
[How unsearchable are his judgments—[Ta 
κρίματα, dispensations, economy. (Psa. xxxvi, 6; 
Ixxvii, 19.) All we know is only what, to us undis- 
coverable, he himself, in his unspeakable compas- 
sion, has been pleased to disclose from out of his 
mysterious concealment. And yet how rich is this! 
—T holuck.} 

34. For who hath known the mind of the 
Lord—His designs and his counsels are like him- 
self, ¢nfinite ; and, consequently, inscrutable. We 
may rest with the conviction that God is as mer- 
ciful and good in all his ways as he is wise and 
just. But as we cannot comprehend him, neither 
can we his operations; it is our place, who are the 
objects of his infinite mercy and kindness, to 
adore in silence and to obey with alacrity. 

35. Or who hath first given to him—Who 
can pretend to have any demands upon God? To 
whom is he indebted? Have either Jews or Gen- 
tiles any right to his blessings? May he not bestow 
his favours as he pleases, and to whom he pleases ? 
Does he do any injustice to the Jews in choosing 
the Gentiles? And was it because he was under 
obligation to the Gentiles that he has chosen them 
in the place of the Jews ? 

36. Flor of him, etc.—This is so far from being 
the case, for ἐξ αὐτοῦ, or him, as the original de- 
signer and author; and dv’ αὐτοῦ, By him, as the 
prime and efficient cause; and εἰς αὐτὸν, Τὸ him, 
as the ultimate end for the manifestation of his 
eternal glory and goodness, ave all things in wreiver- 
sal nature, through the whole compass of time and 
eternity. The Emperor Marcus Antoninus (εἰς 
ἑαυτόν, lib. iv) has a saying very much like this 
of St. Paul, which possibly he borrowed from this 
Epistle to the Romans. Speaking of γι έν, whom 
he addresses as God, he says, ‘Q2 φύσις ἐκ σου πάντα, 
ἐν σοι πάντα. εἰς σε πάντα; O, Nature! or thee 
are all things; 1x thee are all things ; 10 thee are 
all things. Others of the Gentile philosophers have 
expressions of the same import. To whom be 
glory—And let him have the praise of all his 
works, from the hearts and mouths of all his 
intelligent creatures. For ever—Throughout all 
the generations of men. Amen—So be it! Let 
this be established for ever! 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 


The apostle having finished the doctrinal part 
of this epistle, now proceeds to the practical. 

1. I beseech you therefore, brethren— 
[‘‘ Therefore,” οὖν, has reference to what precedes, 
as a general deduction. ‘I beseech,” παρακαλῶ, 
call upon, exhort.| By the mercies of God— 
Διὰ τῶν οἰκπιρμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. [Οἰκτερμῶν, benignities 


with the view of the divine mercy and wisdom, | of God, as shown in the foregoing chapters, and 


74 


Christ’s followers to be transformed 
by the renewing of their minds. 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M, 4962. A.D. 53. 
Year of Rome, $11. 


bodies ‘a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And 
be not conformed to this world: but ‘be ye 
transformed by the renewing of your mind, 
that ye may *prove what is that good, and 
acceptable, and perfect will of God. 8 For I 
say, "through the grace given unto me, to 


every man that is among you, ‘not to think of 
himself nore highly than he ought to think; 
but to think * soberly, according as God hath 
dealt 'to every man the measure of faith. 
4 For ™as we have many members in one 
body, and all members have not the same of- 
fice: ὅ So "we, being many, are one body in 


d Heb. 16. 20.—e1 Pet. 1. 14: 1 John 2, 15.—/ Eph. 1. 18: 
4.3; Col. 1. 21, 23: 3. 10.—g Eph. 5. 10, 17; 1 Thess. 4, 3.—— 
Δ ΌΝ 1.0: 15. 1a; 1 Cov. 8:10; 10: 10; Gal. 2. 9; Eph. 3. 2, 7, 8. 


-ν 


especially in the close.] That ye present your 
bodies—A metaphor taken from bringing sacrifices 
to the altar of God. They are exhorted to give 
themselves up in the spirit of sacrifice; to be as 
wholly the Lord’s property as the whole burnt- 
offering was, no part being devoted to any other 
use. [Τὰ σώματα, your bodies. Most commenta- 
tors say, merely for ὑμᾶς αὐτούς, yourselves, to suit 
the metaphor of a sacrifice, which consisted of a 
body ; Tholuck and others say, ‘ because the body 
is the organ of practical activity, to be dedicated to 
God; Olshausen and De Wette, as an indication that 
the sanctification of the Christian life is to extend 
to that part of man’s nature which is most com- 
pletely under the bondage of sin.— A/ford.| A liv- 
ing sacrifice—In opposition to those dead sacri- 
fices which they were in the habit of offering while in 
their Jewish state. [Their living and active powers 
were to be continually offered and devoted to God 
(in active service.)—Stuart.] Holy— Without spot 
or blemish; referring still to the sacrifice required 
by the law. Acceptable unto God—Evupeorov. 
The sacrifice being perfect in its kind, and the in- 
tention of the offerer being such that both can be 
acceptable and well pleasing to God, who searches 
the heart. All these phrases are sacrificial, and 
show that there must be a complete surrender of 
the person—the body, the whole man, mind and 
flesh, to be given to God; and that he is to consider 
himself no more his own, but the entire property 
of his Maker. [Our offerings are acceptable only 
when they are made in faith, looking to the one 
great offering of Christ.] Your reasonable ser- 
vice—Nothing can be more consistent with reason 
than that the work of God should glorify its Author. 
We are not our own, we are the property of the 
Lord, by the right of creation and redemption ; and 
it would be as unreasonable as it would be wicked 
not to live to his glory, in strict obedience to his 
will. The Christian service of worship is Aoycx7, 
rational, because performed according to the true 
intent and meaning of the law; the heart and soul 
being engaged in the service. He alone lives the | 
life of a fool and a madman who lives the life of a 
sinner against God; for, in sinning against his 
Maker he wrongs his own soul, loves death, and re- 
wards evil unto himself. 

2. And be not conformed to this world—By 
“this world,” aidve τούτῳ, may be understood that | 
present state of things, the customs and fashions of 
the people who then lived, the Gentiles particularly, 
who had neither the power nor the form of godli- 
ness. The world that now is—ruis “ present state 
of things,” is as much opposed to the spirit of gen- 
uine Christianity as the world then was. Pride, 
luxury, vanity, extravagance in dress, and riotous 
living, prevail now, as they did then, and are un- 
worthy of a Christian’s pursuit because they are in- 
jurious to his soul, and hateful in the sight of God. 
Be ye transformed—Merapopdoicte, be ye meta- 
morphosed, transfigured, appear as new persons and | 


i Prov. 25. 27: Eccles, 7.16; chap. 11. ,—k Gr. to sobrde 
ety. 11 Cor. 12. 7, 11: Eph. 4. 7.— 1 Cor. 12. 12; Eph. 4. 16, 
—n 1 Cor. 10. 17; 12. 20, 27; Eph. 1. 23; 4. 25. 


with new habits; as God has given youa new form 
of worship, so that ve serve in the newness of the 
spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. The 
word implies a radical, thorough, and universal 
change, both outward and inward. By the re- 
newing of your mind—No0dc, disposition. (Col. 


ii, 18.) Let the inward change produce the out- 
ward. Where the spirit—the temper and disposi- 


tion of the mind, (Eph. iv, 23,)—are not renewed, 
an outward change is of but little worth, and butof 
short standing. That ye may prove—Lic τὸ 
δοκιμάζειν, in order to demonstrate, that ye may have 
practical proof and experimental knowledge of the 
will of God —of his purpose and determination, 
which is good in itself; infinitely so. Acceptable, 
εὐάρεστον, well pleasing to and well received by 
every mind that is renewed and transformed, and 
perfect, τέλειον, finished and complete; when the 
mind is renewed, and the whole life changed, then 
the will of God is perfectly fulfilled; for this is its 
grand design in reference to every human being. 

3. Through the grace given unto me—Hlis 
apostolical office, by which he had the authority not 
only to preach the Gospel, but also to rule the Church 
of Christ. (Eph. iii, 8.) To every man, ete.— 
[Παντὶ τῷ ὄντι ἐν ὑμῖν, a strong bringing out of the 
individual application of the precept.—<A/ford.] 
Not to think .. . more highly— Μὴ ὑπερόρονεῖν, 
not ἐο think proudly; to arrogate nothing to himself 
on account of any grace he had received, or of any 
office committed to him. But to think soberly 
—AAAG φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν. The reader will 
perceive here a sort of play upon words: φρονεῖν, 
[ὑπερφρονεῖν, and σωφρονεῖν, which can searcely be 
reproduced in a translation. Literally the text reads, 
“ not to be high-minded, above that which he ought 
to be minded, but to be so minded as to be sober- 
minded,” to think discreetly, modestly, lownbly ἢ 
Measure of faith—Mérpov πίστεως. Πίστις, faith, 
is evidently here used for the Christian religion ; 
and the “ measure,” the degree of knowledge and 
experience which each had received in it, and the 
power this gave him of being useful in the Church 
of God. (See verse 6.) 

4. For as we have many members—<As the 
human body consists of many parts, each having 
its respective office, and all contributing to the per- 
fection and support of the whole ; each being indis- 
pensably necessary in the place which it occupies, 
and each equally useful, though performing a differ- 
ent function. 

5. So we, being many—We who are members 
of the Church of Christ, which is contemplated as a 
bodv of which he is the head, have various offices 
assigned to us, according to the measure of grace, 
faith, and religious knowledge which we possess ; 
and although each has a different office, and quali- 
fications suitable to that office, yet all belong to the 


| same body; and each has need of the help of each 


other; therefore, let there be neither pride on the 
one hand, nor envy on the other. 


75 


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Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Directions es to chnrchly duties 
and privileges. 


Christ, and every one members one of another. 
6 °Having then gifts differing paccording to 
the grace thatis given to us, whether? prophecy, 
let us prophesy according to the proportion of 
faith; % Or ministry, let us wait on our min- 
istering; or "he that teacheth, on teaching; 
S$ Or ‘he that exhorteth, on exhortation: the 


that "giveth, let him do it " with simplicity; 
whe that ruleth, with diligence; he that show- 
eth mercy, * with cheerfulness. 9 » Let love 
be without dissimulation. *Abhor that which 
is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 «Be 
kindly affectioned one to another ' with broth- 
erly love; ¢in honour preferring one another; 


ΟἹ Cor. 12. 4: 1 Pet. 4. 10, 11.——gp Verse 3.—gq Acts 11. 27: 
1 Cor, 12. 10, 28: 13. 2: 14. 1, 6, 29, 31. 7" Acts 13. 1; Gal. 6. 6: 
Eph. 4. 11: 1 Tim. 5. 17.—« Acts 15. 32: 1 Cor. 14. 3. Matt 
6. 1, 2,3.—w Or, imparteth.— Or, liberally; 2 Cor. 8, 2. 


τὸ Acts 20, 28; 1 Tim. 5.17; Heb. 13. 7, 24:1 Pet. 5. 2.—a 2 Cor. 
9, 7.—yY1 Tim. 1.5; 1 Pet..1. 22.—<z Psa. 34. 14; 36. 4: 97. 
Amos 5. 15.—a Heh. 13.1: 1 Pet 1. 22: 2.17; 3.8:2 1 
—b Or, in the love of the brethren.—e Phil. 2. 3:1 


6. Having then gifts differing, etc.—[Xapia- 
fata διάφορα, various spiritual bestowments.| ΑΒ 
the goodness of God, with this view of our mutual 
subserviency and usefulness, has endowed us with 
different gifts and qualifications, let each apply 
himself to the diligent improvement of his partic- 
ular office and talent, and modestly keep within the 
bounds of it, not exalting himself or despising 
others. Whether prophecy—“‘ Prophecy,” in the 
New Testament, often means the gift of exhorting, 
preaching, or of expounding the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 
xi, 4, 5; xiv, 3.) This was the proper office of 
a preacher ; and it is to the exercise of this office 
that the apostle refers in the whole of the chapter 
to which the above references are made. (See also 


Luke i, 76; vii, 28; Acts xv, 32; 1 Cor. xiv, 29.) 
Let every man who has the gift of preaching and 


interpreting the Scriptures do it agreeably to the 
grace and light he has received from God, and in no 
case arrogate to himself knowledge which he has 
not received; let him not esteem himself more 
highly on account of this gift, or affect to be wise 
above what is written, or indulge himself in fanci- 
ful interpretations of the word of God. [The con- 
text shows that “the measure of faith,” itself the 
gift of God, is the receptive faculty for all spiritual 
gifts, which are therefore not to be boasted of nor 
pushed beyond their provinces, but humbly exer- 
cised within their own limits——A/ford.| Gifts are 
various ; grace isone. The term “ prophecy ” seems 
here to mean the ordinary gift of expounding Script- 
ure. Let us prophesy according to the analogy 
of faith—According to the general tenor of Script- 
ure; according to that grand scheme of doctrine 
which is delivered therein, touching original sin, 
justification by faith, and present inward salvation. 
There is a wonderful analogy between all these ; 
and a close and intimate connexion between the 
chief heads of that faith which was once delivered 
to the saints. Every article, therefore, concerning 
which there is any question, should be determined 
by this rule; every doubtful Scripture interpreted 
according to the grand truths which run through the 
whole.— Wes/ley.| The ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως, which 
we here translate “the proportion of faith,” and 
which some render the analogy of faith, has been un- 
derstood, in scriptural matters, to mean the general 
and consistent plan or scheme of doctrines delivered 
in the Scriptures; where everything bears its due 
relation and proportion to another. Thus the death 
of Christ is commensurate in its merits to the evils 
produced Ixy the fall of Adam. The doctrine of 
justification by faith bears the strictest analogy or 
proportion to the grace of Christ and the helpless, 
guilty, condemned state of man. 

7. Or ministry—Avcakovia, [any subordinate 
ministration in the Church. In Acts vi, 1-4, the 
word is applied both to the lower ministration, 
that of alms and food, and to the higher, the 
ministry of the word, which belonged to the apos- 


76 


tles. But here it seems to be used in a more 
restricted sense, from its position as distinct from 
others—prophecy, ete. — Alford] Or he that 
teacheth—The teacher, διδάσκαλος, was a person 
whose office it was to instruct others, whether by 
catechising, or simply explaining the grand truths 
of Christianity. [Such there certainly were in the 
early Church. | 

8. Or he that exhorteth—‘O rapaxa? Gv, the 
person who admonished and reprehended the unruly 
or disorderly ; and who supported the weak and 
comforted the penitents, and those who were under 
heaviness through manifold temptations. [This 
word would seem to indicate an exhorter, that is, 
one who urged to practical duties, who dwelt. upon 
the threatenings and promises of the Gospel.— 
Stuart.| He that giveth—‘O μεταδιδοὺς, a dis- 
tributer, he who distributeth the alms of the 
Church. With simplicity—Being influenced by 
no partiality, but dividing to each according to 
the necessity of his case. He that ruleth—‘O 
προϊστάμενος, he that presides. Over what? [Meyer 
understands it, of ‘‘ patronage of strangers,” and 
with this view Stuart substantially agrees. Wesley 
says, ‘‘ He that hath care of a flock,” and Tholuck, 
“the person elected to oversee any affair what- 
soever,” with which Alford agrees in spirit, when 
he says, Giving προϊστάμενος the ordinary mean- 
ing, these words fit admirably: implying that he 
who is by God set over others, be they members of 
the Church or of his own household, must not 
allow himself to forget his responsibility, and take 
his duty indolently and easily, but must swe, 
σπουδαίως, diligently.| He that showeth mercy 
—Let the person who is called to perform any act 
of compassion or “mercy” to the wretched do it, 
not grudgingly nor of necessity, but from a spirit 
of pure benevolence and sympathy. [Probably not 
any officer of the Church is here (specially) in- 
tended, but every private Christian who exercises 
(or should exercise) compassion. (2 Cor. ii, 9.)] 

9. Let love be without dissimulation— 
Ἢ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος, have no hypocritical love. 
[The mutual affection of Christians for each other 
ought not to consist merely in outward semblance, 
but to emanate from the heart.. (2 Cor. vi, 6; 
1 Pet. i, 22.)—Tholuck.| Abhor that which is 
evil— Aroatuyotvtes τὸ πονηρόν, hate sin as you 
would hate that hell to which it leads. Στυγέω 
signifies to hate or detest with horror ; the preposi- 
tion ἀπό greatly strengthens the meaning. [This 
very general exhortation is probably an explanation 
of ἀνυπόκριτος, unhypocritical; our love should 
arise from a general cleaving to that which is 
cood and aversion from evil: not from any by- 
ends.—A/ford. | 

10. Be kindly affectioned one to another 
with brotherly love—The word φιλαδελόέα sig- 
nifies that affectionate regard which every Christian 
should feel for another, as being members of the 


Diligence, hospitality, forbearance, sym- 
pathy, and humility enjoined. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. M. 4962. A. 1. 58. 
Year of Rome, 11. 


11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; 
serving the Lord; 42 ‘Rejoicing in hope; 
epatient in tribulation; ‘continuing instant in 
prayer; 18 £ Distributing to the necessity of 
saints; *given to hospitality. 14 ‘Bless them 
which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 


same mystical body : hence it is emphatically termed 
the love of the brethren. Φιλόστοργος, which we 
‘translate “kindly affectioned,” signities that tender 
and indescribable affection which a mother bears to 
her child, and which almost all creatures manifest 
toward their young. Feel the tenderest affection 
toward each other, and delight to feelit. ‘Love a 
brother Christian with the affection of a natural 
brother.” In honour preferring one another— 
Consider all your brethren as more worthy than your- 
self ; and let neither grief nor envy affect your mind 
at seeing another honoured and yourself neglected. 
This is a hard lesson, and very few persons learn 
it thoroughly. [Jn respect to honour, anticivating 
each other, that is, so far from being averse to pay 
that respect which is due to others, each should 
strive to excel the other in the performance of 
this duty. Christianity is so far from banishing 
all civility and good manners from society, that it 
enjoins the greatest attention to this subject.— 
Stuart.| [It is the genuine article, of which the 
world’s etiquette is the counterfeit—and often a 
very bad one. ] 

11. Not slothful in business—[ Vor sloth/ul as 
to zeal, σπουδῇ; fervent in the spirit, τῷ πνεύματι 
Céovrec; serving the Lord, τῷ κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες, 
rendering service to the Lord The present subject 
is the character of our zeal for God. In it we are 
to be, “not slothful,” but fervent in spirit, (either 
our own spirit, or, more probably, in the Holy 
Ghost,) and that as servants of God. (Col. ili, 22. 
—Alford.] 

12, Rejoicing in hope—[Jn (or on account of) 
hope, rejoicing ; in (or in spite of) tribulation, 
θλίψει ; standing firm in prayer, προσκαρτεροῦντες, 
steadfastly persevering.| [The way to maintain a 
joyful hope, and to be patient under afflictions, is 
to cherish the spirit of prayer and to live near to 
God.—Stuart.} 

13. Distributing to the necessity of saints— 
Relieve your poor brethren according to the power 
which God has given you. Do good unto all men, 
but especially to them which are of the household 
of faith. Given to hospitality—Tijv ὀιλοξενίαν 
διώκοντες, pursuing hospitality, or the duty of en- 
tertaining strangers. A very necessary virtue in 
ancient times, when houses of public accommoda- 
tion were exceedingly searce. This exhortation 
might have for its object the apostles, who were all 
itinerants ; and in many cases the Christians, fly- 
ing before the face of persecution. This virtue is 
highly becoming in all Christians, and especially in 
all Christian ministers, who have the means of re- 
lieving a brother im distress, or of succouring the 
poor wherever they may findthem. But providing 
for strangers in distress is the proper meaning of 
the term; and to be forward to do this is the spirit 
of the duty. 

14. Bless them which persecute you — 
Εὐλογεῖτε, give good words, or pray for them 


same mind one toward another. 


for bad, 


15 «Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and 
weep with them that weep. 16 ! Le of the 
™Mind not 
high things, but *condescend to men of low 
estate. °Be not wise in your own conceits. 
17 ’Recompense to no man evil for evil. 


ἡ Matt. 5. 44; Luke 6, 28; 93. 34; Acts 7. ἃ: 1 Cor, 4. 12; 1 Pet. 


2. 53: 3. 9.---- 1 Cor. 13, 93.—/ Chap. 15. δ: 1 Cor, 1. 10; 


Phil. 2. 2; 3. 16; 1 Pet. 3, 8&.——7_ Psa, 131. 1,2: Jer. 45. 5.— 
n Or, be contented with mean things. o Prov, 3. 7: Ἢν, 12; 
Isa. 5. 21; chap. 1]. 25.—p Prov, 20. 22; Matt.. δ. 39; 1 Thess, 


δ. 15: | Pet. 3. 9. 


that give you bad words, καταρᾶσθε, who make dire 
imprecations against you. “ Bless them,” pray for 
them, and on no account curse them, whatever the 
provocation may be. Have the loving, forgiving 
mind that was in your Lord. (See the Sermon on 
the Mount.) 

15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, 
ete.— [Laugh with the laughing, and sorrow with 
the sorrowing.| Take a lively interest in the pros- 
perity of others, and let your heart feel for the dis- 
tressed: enter into their sorrows, and bear a part 
of their burdens. 

16. Be of the same mind—Live in a state 
of continual harmony and concord, and pray for 
the same good for all which you desire for 
yourselves. Mind not high things— Be not 
ambitious ; affect nothing above your station; do 
not court the rich nor the powerful; do not pass by 
the poor man to pay your court to the great man ; 
do not affect titles or worldly distinctions ; much 
less sacrifice your conscience for them. But con- 
descend to men of low estate—Be a companion 
of the humble, and pass through life with as little 
noise and show as possible. Let the poor, godly 
man be your chief companion; and learn from his 
humility and piety to be humble and godly. The 
term συναπαγόμενοι, which we translate “conde- 
scend,” signifies to be led, carried away (to prison) 
with another; and points out the state in which 
the primitive Christians were despised and γος cted 
of men, and often led forth to prison and death. 
False or man-pleasing professors would endeavour 
to escape all this disgrace and danger by cetting 
into the favour of the great, the worldly, and the 
irreligious. There have not been wanting, in all 
ages of the Church, persons who, losing the savour 
of divine things from their own souls by drinking 
into a worldly spirit, have endeavoured to shun the 
reproach of the cross by renouncing the company 
of the godly, speaking evil of the way of life, and 
perhaps sitting down in the seat of the scorner 
with apostates like themselves. [To be drawn into 
the host of those who occupy an inferior station 
and desire nothing else, and as their equals dis- 
appearing among them, to move with them along 
the way in which they go.— Hofmann, quoted by 
Meyer.| Be not wise in your own conceits— 
Be not self-conceited. [One must not fall into that 
conceited se/fsufficiency of moral perception, where- 
by brotherly respect for the perception of others 
would be excluded.—Jfeyer. | 
17. Recompense, etc.—[Never give back bad 
(nothing answering to the word “to 
man” is found in the original.) The injunction is 
taken from our Lord’s words in Matt. v, 29.] 
Provide things honest—[ 7 ak« care Jor things 
becoming before all men.] [Be studiously attentive 
to those duties which are commended by all (right- 
minded persons,) and which all, therefore, admit to 
be of the highest obligation. —Stuart. } rm 


A. M. 4062, A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, $11. 


4 Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 
18 [fit be possible, as much as lieth in you, * live 
peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, 
*avenge not yourselves, but rather give place 
unto wrath: for it is written, t Vengeance is 


4 Chap. 14. 16; 2 Cor, 8. 21.—vr Mark 9, 50; chap. 14. 19; 
Heb, 12. 14. 


ROMANS. 


The Christian must cultivate 
peace and good will, 


mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 » There- 
fore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he 
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou 
shalt heap coals of fire on hishead. 214 Be not 
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 


ἌΣ 24, 20; verse 17.---ἰὄἶ Deut. 32. 
1 23; 4.5: Prov. 2. 2], 2 : 


35; Heb. 


8 Lev. 19. 18; 
10. 30. Matt. 5. 44. 


18. If it be possible—To live in a state of 
peace with one’s associates is very often difficult. 
But the man who loves God must labour after this, 
for it is most desirable, even for his own sake. 
[Ei δυνατόν, not, if you can; but, if itis possible, if 
others will allow it. And this is further defined by 
τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν ; all your part is to be peace; whether 
you actually live peaceably or not will then depend 
on how others behave toward you.—A/ford. | 

19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves 
—Never take the execution of the law into your 
own hands; rather suffer injuries. The Son of 
man is come, not to destroy men’s lives, but to 
save: be of thesame spirit. When he was reviled, 
he reviled not again. It is the part of a noble mind 
to bear up under unmerited disgrace; little minds 
are litigious and quarrelsome. [Delay the execu- 
tion of that to which your indignation would prompt, 
or defer the execution of your anger. ... Retribu- 
tion belongs rather to God than to you.—Stuart. } 
Give place unto wrath—Adre τόπον τῇ ὀργῇ. 
This is well expressed by the author of the book 
of Ecclesiasticus, (chapter xix, 17:) ‘ Admonish 
thy neighbour before thou threaten him, and, not 
being angry, give place to the law of the Most High.” 
Vengeance is mine—[’Exd/xnaic, vengeance, the 
maintenance of right, the vindication of justice. ] 
Leave the matter to the judgment of God; it is his 
law that in this case is broken; and to him the in- 
fliction of deserved punishment belongs. Some 
think it means, “ Yield a little to a man when in a 
violent passion, for the sake of peace, until he grow 
cooler.” I will repay—lIn my own time and in 
my own way. But he gives the sinner space to re- 
pent, and this longsuffering leads to salvation. 

20, If thine enemy hunger, feed him—Do not 
withhold from any man the offices of mercy and 
kindness ; you have been God’s enemy, and yet God 
fed, clothed, and preserved you alive: do to your 
enemy as God has done to you. If your enemy be 
hungry, feed him; if he be thirsty, give him drink ; 
so has God dealt with you. And has not a sense of 
his goodness and longsuffering toward you been a 
means of melting down your heart into ‘penitential 
compunction, gratitude, and love toward him ? How 
know you that a similar conduct toward your enemy 
may not have the same gracious influence on him 
toward you? Your kindness may be the means of 
begetting in him a better mind ; and, from being your 
fell enemy, he may become your real fr jen. The 
whole is a quotation from Prov. xxv, 21, 22, in the 
precise words of the Septuagint ; the latter clause 
of this verse, thou shalt heap coals of fire on 
his head, is a metaphor taken from smelting met- 
als. [No doubt giving of pain is meant to be ‘desig- 
nated by this expression. But it is the pain of 
shame and contrition for misconduct, or (perhaps) 
that of punishment, more probably the former here. 
(See verse 21.) Itis a noble sentiment when thus 
understood, “ Take not revenge,” says the apostle. 
“Overcome your adversary with kindness and be- 
neficence ; these will bring him to shame and sorrow 
for his misconduct.”—Stuart. ] 


78 


21. Be not overcome of evil—Do not, by 
giving place to evil, become precisely the same 
character which thou condemnest in another. 
Overcome evil with good—However frequently 
he may grieve and injure thee, always repay him 
with kindness ; thy good will, in the end, may over- 
come his evil. Thomas Aquinas has properly said : 
“He is overcome of evil who sins against another 
because he sins against him.” A moral enemy is 
more easily overcome vy kindness than by hostility. 
Against the latter he arms himself; and all the 
evil passions of his heart concentrate themselves 
in opposition to him who is striving to retaliate, 
by violence, the injurious acts which he has re- 
ceived from him. But where the injured man is 
labouring to do him good for his evil—to repay his 
curses with blessings and prayers, his evil passions 
have no longer any motive, any incentive; his mind 
relaxes ; the turbulence of his passions is calmed ; 
reason and conscience are permitted to speak ; and 
so he is disarmed and overcome. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII. 


To see with what propriety the apostle introduces 
the important subjects which he handles in this 
chapter, it is necessary to make a few remarks on 
the circumstances in which the Church of God then 
was. It is generally allowed that this epistle was 
written about the year of our Lord 58, four or five 
years after the edict of the Emperor Claudius by 
which all Jews were banished from Rome. And 
as in those early times the Christians were gen- 
erally confounded with the Jews, it is likely that 
they were included in this decree. 

For what reason this edict was issued does not 

satisfactorily appear. Suetonius tells us that it 
was because the Jews were making continual dis- 
turbances under their leader Chrestus. (See the 
note on Acts xviii, 2.) That the Jews were in gen- 
eral an uneasy and seditious people is clear enough 
from every part of their own history. They had 
the most rooted aversion to the heathen govern- 
ment; and it was a maxim with them that the 
world was given to the Israelites ; that they should 
have supreme rule everywhere, and that the Gen- 
tiles should be their vassals. With such political 
notions, grounded on their native restlessness, it is 
no wonder if in several instances they gave cause 
of suspicion to the Roman government, which would 
be glad of an opportunity to expel from the city 
persons who might be considered dangerous to its 
peace and security ; nor is it unreasonable, on this 
account, to suppose that the Christians, under a no- 
tion of being the peculiar people of God, and the 
subjects of his kingdom alone, might be in danger 
of being affected with those unruly and rebellious 
sentiments: therefore the apostle shows them that 
they were, notwithstanding their honours and 
privileges as Christians, bound by the strongest 
obligations of conscience to be subject to the civil 
government. One cannot but observe the admira- 
ble skill and dexterity with which the apostle has 
handled the subject. His views in writing were 


meant CHAPTER XIII. ΠΌΣΩΝ 
CHAPTER XIII. damnation. $% For rulers are not a terror to 


ET every soul *be subject unto the higher 
powers. For 'there is no power but of 
God: the powers that be are ‘ordained of 
God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth 4the 
power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and 
they that resist shall receive to themselves 


a Titus 3. 1; 1 Pet. 2. 13, Prov. 8. 15, 16; Dan. 2. 21; 4. 32: 
John 19. 11, 


always comprehensive on every point; and he 
takes into his thoughts and instructions all parties 
that might probably reap any benefit by them. As 
Christianity was then growing, and the powers of 
the world began to take notice of it, it was to be 
desired that all should see that it was no favourer 
of sedition. At the same time the apostle, with a 
masterly hand, delineates and strongly inculcates 
the magistrate’s duty ; for while he is pleading his 
cause with the subject, and establishing his duty 
on the most sure and solid ground, he dexterously 
sides with the magistrate, and vindicates his power 
against any subject who might have imbibed se- 
ditious principles, or might be inclined to give the 
government any disturbance. And under this ad- 
vantage he also reads the magistrate a fine and 
close lecture upon the nature and ends of civil 
government. The attentive reader will be pleased 
to see with what dexterity, truth, and gravity the 
apostle, in a small compass, affirms and explains 
the foundation, nature, ends, and just limits of the 
magistrate’s authority, while he is pleading his 
cause, and teaching the subject the duty and obe- 
dience he owes to the civil government. [The 
duties of the citizen, as a private person and svb- 
ject to government, are here considered. Neither 
those devolving upon him as a governing factor in 
the commonwealth, nor as a civil magistrate, are 
brought into notice; nor yet is the question of the 
right or wrong of revolutions at all considered. } 
[We may observe that the apostle here pays no re- 
gard to the question of the duty of Christians in 
revolutionary movements. His precepts regard an 
established power, be it what it may. Jf, in all 
matters lawful, we are bound to obey. But even 
the parental power does not extend to things un- 
lawful. If the civil power commands us to violate 
the law of God, we must obey God before man, If 
it command us to disobey the common laws of 
humanity, or the sacred institutions of the country, 
(or the natural rights of individuals,) then our obe- 
dience is due to the higher and more general law, 
rather than to the lower and particular.—A//ord. | 


1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher 
powers—We must consider the apostle as speak- 
ing, not from his own private judgment, or teach- 
ing a doctrine of present expediency, but declaring 
the mind of God on a subject of the utmost im- 
portance to the peace of the world; a doctrine 
which does not exclusively belong to any class of 
people, order of the community, or official situations, 
but to every soul. Let every man be obedient 
to the civil government under which the providence 

- of God has east his lot. For there is no power 
but of God—aAs God is the origin of power, and 
the supreme Governor of the universe, he delegates 
authority to whomsoever he will; and though in 
many cases the governor himself may not be of 
God, yet civil government is of him: for without 
this there could be no society and no security 
for life or property. 


lthe minister 


good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then 
not be afraid of the power? ¢do that which is 
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for 
good. But if thou do that which is evil, be 
afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: 


6 Or, ordered.—d Titus 3. 1.—e 1 Peter 2. 14; 3. 13. 


especial manner, on many occasions, appointed the 
individual who was to govern, and he accordingly 
governed by a divine right, as in the case of Moses, 
Joshua, the Hebrew judges, and several of the 
Israelitish kings. In after times, and to the present 
day, he does that by a general superintending 
providence which he did before by especial desig- 
nation. And as civil government is of God, who is 
the fountain of law, order, and regularity, the civil 
governor, who administers the laws of a state, is as 
such the minister of God. 

2. Whosoever... resisteth the power—'O 
ἀντιτασσόμενος, he who sets himself in order against 
this order of God; τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαταγῇ, and they 
that resist, οἱ ἀνθεστηκότες, they who obstinately, 
and for no right reason, oppose the ruler, and 
strive to unsettle the constitution, and to bring 
about illegal changes, shall receive to themselves 
damnation—«piva, condemnation ; shall be con- 
demned both by the spirit and letter of the Gos- 
pel. [The meaning is, that those who are seditious, 
that is, make resistance against the civil govern- 
ment, will be brought to punishment, and that 
deservedly.— Stuart. | 

8. For rulers are not a terror to good 
works—Here the apostle shows the civil magis- 
trate what he should be: he is clothed with great 
power, but that power is intrusted to him, not for 
the terror and oppression of the upright man, but 
to overawe and punish the wicked. It is, in a 
word, for the benefit of the community, and not 
for the aggrandizement of himself, that God has 
intrusted the supreme civil power to any man, If 
he should use this to wrong, rob, spoil, oppress, and 
persecute his subjects, he is not only a bac man, 
but also a bad prince. He infringes on the essen- 
tial principles of law and equity. Should he per- 
secute his obedient, loyal subjects on any religious 
account, this is contrary to all law and right; and 
his doing so renders him unworthy of their confi- 
dence, and they must consider him, not as a bless- 
ing, but a plague. Yet even in this case, though 
it would be a breach of the very spirit of govern- 
ment, the truly pious will feel that it is an aw- 
ful thing to rebel, and only extreme conditions 
can justify rebellion against the constituted au- 
thorities. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the 
power—If thou wouldst not live in fear of the 
civil magistrate, live according to the laws; and 
thou mayest expect that he will rule according to 
the laws; and consequently, instead of incurring 
blame, thou wilt have praise. This is said on the 
supposition that the ruler is himself a law-abiding 
man; and the apostle, on the general question of 
obedience and protection, assumes the point that 
the magistrate is such. 

4. For he is the minister of God to thee 
for good—Here the apostle puts the character of 
the ruler in the strongest possible light. “He is 
of God,’ — God’s administrator, 
διάκονος, God's deacon, for the good of the subject. 


In ancient times God, in an! He beareth not the sword in vain—His power 


79 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


ROMANS. 


Performance of duties to governments 
and individnals inculeated. 


for he is the minister of God, a revenger to 
execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 
5 Wherefore ‘ye must needs be subject, not 
only for wrath, ¢ but also for conscience’ sake. 

6 For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: 
for they are God’s ministers, attending con- 
tinually upon this very thing. 7 »Render 
therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom 
tribute is due ; custom to whom custom; fear 
to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 
Θ᾿ Owe no man any thing, but to love one an- 


other: for ‘he that loveth another hath ful- 
filled the law. 9 For this, * Thou shalt not 
commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou 
shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
ness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any 
other commandment, it is briefly compre- 
hended in this saying, namely, ! Thou shalt love 
thy neighbour as thyself. 19 Love worketh 
no ill to his neighbour: therefore ™love is the 
fulfilling of the law. ΕΞ And that, knowing 
the time, that now 7 is high time "to awake 


J ¥ccles. 8. 2,—g1 Pet. 2. 19. i! Matt. = 91; Mark 12. 17; 
Luke 20, 25.—7 Verse 10; ‘Gal. δ. 14: Col. Tee mas 
James 2 . 8.—h Exod. 20. 13; Deut. 5.17; rat 19, 18, 


iLev. 19.18; Matt. 22.39; Mark 12.31: Gal. 5. 14: James 
2. 8, —m Matt. 22. 40; verse 8m 1 Cor. 15. 34; Eph. 5. 14; 
1 Thess, d. 5, 6. 


is delegated to him for the defence and encourage- 
ment of the good, and the punishment of the 
wicked, and he has authority to punish capitally, 
when the law so requires: this the term “sword” 
clearly implies. For he is the minister of 
God, a revenger—Oe03 διάκονός ἐστιν, ἔκδικος, for 
he is God’s vindictive minister to execute wrath ; 
εἰς ὀργὴν, to ais punishment upon the transgres- 
sors of the law; for he must not pronounce or in- 
flict punishment according to his own mind or 
feelings, but according to the express declarations 
of the law. [The ‘‘sword” betokens the power of 
capital punishment; and this reference to it seems 
to show that the civil law possesses the power 
of life and death. The office of the “power” 
toward the peaceable and obedient is for good ; 
but toward the “evil” it is wrathful. The exe- 
cution of the law, at least in extreme cases, is not 
for the good of the offender and victim, but for its 
own vindication and the public safety. ] 

5. Ye must needs be subject—’Avayxn, there 
is a necessity that ye should be subject, not only for 
wrath, διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν, on account of the punishment 
which will be inflicted on evil doers, but also for 
conscience’ salke—because it is ight. For, as 
civil government is established in the order of 
God for the defence of society, they who transgress 
its laws not only expose themselves to the penalties 
assigned by the statutes, but they sin agaifist God. 

6. For this cause pay ye tribute also—Be- 
cause civil government is an order of God, and the 
ministers of state must be at considerable expense 
in providing for the safety and defence of the 
community, it is only right that those in whose be- 
half these expenses are incurred should defray 
them; and hence taxation is the right of the state, 
for its own maintenance and for the proper pay- 
ment of its officers. But there is no insinuation in 
the apostle’s words in behalf of an extravagant and 
oppressive taxation for the support of unprinci- 
pled and unnecessary wars, or the pensioning of 
corrupt or useless persons. The taxes are to be paid 
for the support of those who are God’s ministers 
—the necessary public officers of all grades, who are 
attending continually upon this very thing. 
And let the reader observe, that by ‘“ God’s min- 
isters” are not meant here the ministers of re- 
ligion, but the civil officers in all departments of 
the state. 

7. Render therefore to all their dues—This 
is an extensive command. Be rigidly just; with- 
hold neither from the king nor his ministers, nor 
his officers of justice and revenue, nor from even 
the lowest of the community, what the laws of God 
and your country require you to pay. Tribute to 
whom tribute—dpov. This word probably means 
such taxes as were levied on persons and estates. 

80 


Custom to whom custom—Téioc. This word 
probably means such duties as were laid upon goods, 
merchandise, etc , on imports and exports; what we 
commonly call customs. [But the distinction is un- 
important, as the principle in each case is the same. | 
Fear to whom fear — It is likely that the word 
φόβον, which we translate “ fear,” signifies that rey- 
erence which produces obedience. Treat all official 
characters with respect, and be obedient to your su- 
periors. Honour to whom honour — The word 
Tyuyv may here mean that outward respect which 
the principle of reverence, from which it springs, will 
generally produce. Never behave rudely to any 
person; but behave respectfully to all men, ac- 
cording to their positions; for though an import- 
ant office may be filled by an unworthy person, 
yet respect the office, and the man on account of 
his office. If a man habituate himself to disre- 
spect official characters, he will soon find himself 
less disposed to pay proper respect or obedience to 
the laws themselves. 

8. Owe no man any thing, but to love one 
another—Owe to your fellow brethren nothing but 
mutual love, and this is what the law of God re- 
quires, and in this the law is fulfilled. Ye are not 
bound in obedience to them as to the civil magis- 
trate; for to him ye must needs be subject, not merely 


for fear of punishment, but for conscience sake ; 


but to these ye are bound by Jove; and by that love 
especially which prevents you from doing any thing 
by which a brother may sustain any kind of injury. 
[This evidently does not refer to pecuniary indebt- 
edness, which of itself is not contrary to Christian 
morality, but rather to the duties of brotherly 
kindness; in this no deb¢ should remain wrpaid. ] 
Hath fulfilled the law—([That is, of Moses. ] 

9. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery 
—|All the particular commandments, which make 
up the written law, have their common root and find 
their fulfilment in Jove. } : 

10. Love worketh no ill—| As love is a spirit of 
goodwill toward its object, ] it can never work ill to- 
ward another; and on this head,—that is, the duty 
we owe to our neighbour—love is the fulfilling 
of the law. 

11. And that, knowing the time—[That this 
passage (verses 11, 12) is a difficult one is shown 
by the great amount of discussion that has been 
devoted to it, and especially because the whole ques- 
tion of the future of the Church is somewhat in- 
volved in it. Stuart’s rendering appears to be as 
satisfactory as any: “Καιρόν I understand to mean 
the Gospel time, which had already come. The apos- 
tle considers the commencement of this, which had 
already taken place, as the beginning of a glorious 
day, the dawning of the Sun of righteousness with 
healing in his beams, A state of sin and ignorance 


The necessity of immediate 
conversion to God, 


out of sleep: for now 7s our salvation nearer 
than when we believed. 12 The night is far 
spent, the day is at hand: °let us therefore 
cast off the works of darkness, and P let us put 
on the armour of light. 18 4Let us walk 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. Μ. 4062, A.D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


‘honestly, as in the day; *not in rioting and 
drunkenness, ‘not in chambering and wanton- 
ness, “not in strife and envying: 14 But * put 
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and * make not pro- 
vision for the flesh, to fu/7il tne lusts thereof. 


o Ephesians 5. 11; Colossians 3. 8.—p Ephesians 6. 13; 
1 Thessalonians 5. 8.—g Philippians 4. 8; 1 Thessalonians 
4.12; 1 Peter 2. 12.—-~ Or, decently. 


is a state of darkness; aud out of such a state 
Christians are brought, that they may see the light. 
(Geb v, 8,11; John iii, 19; ¥ Peter ii, 9.)'... I 
refer σωτηρία to the spiritual salvation, which be- 
lievers are to experience when transferred to the 
world of everlasting light and glory. And, so con- 
strued, the exhortation of Paul amounts to. this: 
‘Christian brethren, we have been brought out of 
darkness into marvellous light ; let us act in a man- 
ner that corresponds with our condition. We are 
hastening to our retribution ; every day brings us 
nearer to it; and in prospect of the reward, which 
now almost appears in sight, as we approach the 
goal of human life, let us act with renewed effort 
as duty requires.’ So Chrysostom.”] Some think 
the passage should be understood thus: We have 
now many advantages which we did not formerly 
possess. Salvation nearer —The whole Christ- 
ian system is more fully explained, and the knowl- 
edge of it more easy to be acquired, than formerly ; 
on which account a greater progress in religious 
knowledge and in practical piety is required of us: 
and we have for a long time been too remiss in 
these respects. Deliverance from the persecutions, 
ete., with which they were then afflicted, is sup- 
posed by others to be the meaning of the apostle. 

12. The night is far spent—If we understand 
this in reference to the heathen state of the Romans, 
it may be paraphrased thus: “The night is far 
spent ’—heathenish darkness is nearly at an end. 
The day is at hand—The full manifestation of 
the Sun of righteousness, in the illumination of the 
whole Gentile world, approaches rapidly. [The day 
dawns when we receive faith, and then sleep gives 
place. Then it is time to rise, to arm, to walk, to work, 
lest sleep steal upon us again. Final salvation, glory, 
is nearer to us now than when we first believed. It 
is continually advancing, flying forward upon the 
swiftest wings of time. And that which remains 
between the present hour and eternity is compara- 


tively but a moment.—Wéesley.] Cast off the 


works of darkness—Prepare to meet this rising 
light, and welcome its approach, by throwing aside 


superstition, impiety, and vice of every kind. And 


... put on the armour of light—Fully receive the 
heavenly teaching, by which your spirits will be as 
completely shielded against the attacks of evil as 
your bodies could be by the best weapons and im- 
penetrable armour. This sense seems most suitable 
to the following verses, where the vices of the Gen- 
tiles are particularly specified; and they are ex- 
horted to abandon them, and to receive the Gospel 
of Christ. The common method of explanation is 
this: “The night is far spent’”—our present im- 
perfect life, full of afflictions, temptations, and 
trials, is almost run out; ‘the day” of eternal 
blessedness “is at hand ’’—is about to dawn on us 
in our glorious resurrection unto eternal life. There- 
fore “let us cast off ’—let us jive as candidates for 
this eternal glory. But this sense does not so well 
comport with what is said below, as the Gentiles 
are most evidently intended. [Nv§ (night) is the 
Vor. II.—6 


8 Prov. 25. 20; Luke 21. 34; 1 Pet. 4.3.—?1 Cor. 6.9: Eph. 
5.5. u Jumes 3. 14.—~v Gal. 3.27; Eph. 4. 24; Col. 3, 10. 
—w Gal. 5. 16; 1 Pet. 2. 11. 


time of ignorance and darkness in which they had 
once been. This, the apostle says, “is nearly gone,” 
that is, they had now come, as it were, to the con- 
fines of eternal day, or of a more perfect knowledge 
of divine things. It behooved them, therefore, to 
rouse up all their energies, and to act in a manner 
congruous with their condition and obligations.— 
Stuart. | 

13. Let us walk honestly, as in the day— 
Let us walk (εὐσχημόνως) decently, in good habits. 
Let our deportment be decent, orderly, and grave; 
such as we shall not be ashamed of in the eyes of 
the whole world. Not in rioting and drunk- 
enness — Μὴ κώμοις καὶ μέθαις. Κώμοις, rioting, 
according to Hesychius, signifies wnelean and dis- 
solute songs, banquets, and such like. Μέθαις sig- 
nifies drunken festivals, such as were celebrated in 
honour of their gods, when, after they had sacrificed, 
they drank to excess, accompanied with abomi- 
nable acts of every kind. Not in chambering— 
The original word, κοίταις, signifies whoredoms and 
prostitution of every kind. And wantonness — 
᾿Ασελγεΐαις, all manner of uncleanness and sodomiti- 
cal practices. [These were crimes that belonged 
especially to the night time ; and as νῦξ is used as 
the figure of their former sinful state, so the spe- 
cial sins of that time of day are named, but as 
specimens of all sins. Respecting the awful preva- 
lence of this form of criminality, (see chapter i, 25, 
27,) all of which is more than confirmed by recently 
discovered memorials, especially those at Pompeii. 
The common practice of these vices, by even the 
most eminent of the Romans at that time, made it 
the more necessary that the Christians should be 
warned to avoid them, and that it should be made 
manifest that such vices were wholly incompatible 
with their spiritual vocation.] Not in strife and 
envying—M7 ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ, not in contentions 
and furious altercations, which must be the conse- 
quence of such practices as are mentioned above, 

14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus—Thiis is in re- 
ference to what is said verse 13: let us put on 
decent garments—let us make a different profession, 
unite with other company, and maintain that pro- 
fession by a suitable conduct. Putting on, or being 
clothed with, Jesus Christ, signifies receiving and 
believing the Gospel ; and consequently taking its 
maxims for the government of life, having the 
mind that was in Christ. [The figure of speech 
and thought expressed by ἐνδύσασθε τὸν κύριον Ἴη- 
cobv Χριστόν is an equivalent to the oft-repeated 
ἐν Χριστῷ (in Christ) used to designate the new life 
of the regenerated and adopted soul; and it cer- 
tainly indicates something mystical—real, and not 
#merely relative ] And make not provision for 
the flesh—Tij¢ σαρκὸς, all the irregular appetites 
and passions which led to the abominations already 
recited. No “provision” should be made for the 
encouragement and gratification of one of these. 
To fulfil the lusts thereof — Εἰς ἐπιθυμίας, in 
reference to its lusts; such as the rioting, drunk- 
enness, prostitutions, and uncleanness, mentioned 


81 


A. M. 4062. A. D. 58. 
Yeur of Rome, 811, 


ROMANS. 


The strong in the faith should 
bear with the weak. 


CHAPTER XIV. 
Hi: that *is weak in the faith receive ye, 
but *not to doubtful disputations. 2 For 
one believeth that he «may eat all things: an- 
other, who is weak, eateth herbs. 8% Let not 


him that eateth despise him that eateth not; 
and 4Jet not him which eateth not, judge him 
that eateth: for God hath received him. 
4 ©Who art thou that judgest another man’s 
servant? to his own master he standeth or 


@ Chap. 1d. 1,7; 1 Cor. 8. 9,11; 9. 22.— Or, not to judge his 
doubtful thoughts. 


ce Verse 14; 1 Cor. 10. 25: 1 Tim. 4. 4; Titus 1. 15.—d Col. 2. 16. 
—eJumes 4.12. 


verse 13, to. make provision for which the Gentiles 
lived and laboured, and bought and sold, and 
schemed and planned; for it was the whole business 
of their life to gratify the sinful lusts of the flesh. 
Their philosophers taught them little else; and the 
whole circle of their deities, as well as the whole 
scheme of their religion, served only to excite and 
inflame such passions and produce such practices. 


NOT&S ON CHAPTER XIV. 

It seems very likely, from this and the following 
chapter, that there were considerable misunder- 
standings between the Jewish and Gentile Christ- 
ians at Rome relative to certain customs which 
were sacredly observed by the one and disregarded 
by the other. The principal subject of dispute was 
concerning meats and days. The converted Jew, 
retaining a veneration for the law of Moses, ab- 
stained from certain meats, and was observant of 
certain days; while the converted Gentile, under- 
standing that the Christian religion laid him un- 
der no obligations to such ceremonial points, had 
no regard to either. It appears, further, that mu- 
tual censures and uncharitable judgments prevailed 
among them, and that brotherly love and mutual 
forbearance did not always prevail. The apostle, in 
this part of his epistle, exhorts that in such things, 
not essential to religion, and in which both parties, 
in their different way of thinking, might have an 
honest meaning and a serious regard to God, dif- 
ference of sentiments might not hinder Christian 
fellowship and love; but that they would forbear 
each other, make candid allowance, and especially 
not carry their gospel liberty so far as to preju- 
dice a weak brother, a Jewish Christian, against 
the Gospel itself, and tempt him to renounce Chris- 
tianity. His rules and exhortations are still of 
great use, and happy would the Christian world be 
if they were more generally practised. Probably 
St. Paul had learned all these particulars from 
Aquila and Priscilla, who were lately come from 
Rome, (Acts xviii, 2, 3,) and with whom the apostle 
was familiar for a considerable time; for there is 
no evidence that at that time he had any other in- 
tercourse with the Church at Rome. 


1. Him that is weak in the faith—[Tov δὲ 
ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει. There is some doubt who 
these were—whether they were ascetics or Judaizers. 
... The overscrupulous Jew became an ascetic by 
compulsion. He was afraid of pollution by eating 
meats sacrificed or wine poured to idols. . . . He 
therefore abstained from all prepared food, and con- 
fined himself to that which he could trace from nat- 
ural growth to his own use. ... Of these overscru- 
pulous Jews some had become converts to the Go® 
pel, and with neither the obstinacy of legal Juda- 
izers, nor the pride of ascetics, but in weakness of 
Juith, and the scruples of an over-tender (not well- 
informed) conscience, retained their habits of ab- 
stinence and observation of days. See Tholuck and 
Stuart.] [Πίστις ( faith) is here used in a general 
Sense to indicate the moral soundness conferred by 

82 


faith—the whole character of the Christian’s con- 
science and practice resting on faith. Τῇ πίστει, 
(THE faith, )—hetter than his faith, (as Stuart and 
others ;) weak in (subjective or spiritual) faith,—un- 
able to receive the faith in its strength, so as to be 
above such prejudices—<A/ford.| Receive ye— 
Associate with him ; receive him into your religious 
fellowship ; but when there, let all religious alter- 
cations be avoided. Not to doubtful disputa- 
tions—M)7 εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν. These words 
have been variously translated and understood. Dr. 
Whitby thinks the sense of them to be this: not dis- 
criminating them by their inward thoughts. Do not re- 
ject any from your Christian communion because of 
their particular sentiments on things which are in 
themselves indifferent. Do not curiously inquire 
into their religious scruples, nor condemn them on 
that account. Entertain a brother of this kind 
rather with what may profit his soul. than with cu- 
rious disquisitions on speculative points of doctrine. 
A good lesson for Christians in general. 

2. One believeth that he may eat all things— 
He believes that whatsoever is wholesome and nour- 
ishing, without respect to the Mosaic law, may be 
safely and conscientiously used by every Christian. 
Another, who is weak, eateth herbs—Adyava, 
garden plants. Certain Jews, lately converted to 
the Christian faith, and having as yet little knowl- 
edge of its doctrines, believe the Mosaic law rela- 
tive to clean and unclean meats to be still in force ; 
and therefore, when they are in a Gentile country, 
for fear of being defiled, avoid flesh entirely, and 
live on vegetables. And a Jew, when ina heathen 
country, acts thus because he cannot tell whether 
the flesh which is sold in the market may be of a 
clean or unclean beast ; whether it may not have 
been offered to an idol; or whether the blood may 
have been taken properly from it. 

3. Let not him that eateth—W ho, being strong 
in faith, eats flesh, despise him who, being weak, 
eateth not flesh, but herbs. And let not him, 
the Jew, which eateth not, indiscriminately, judge 
— condemn, be uncharitable toward — him that 
eateth, indiscriminately, flesh or vegetables. [Self- 
consciousness of strength misleads into looking 
down with contempt on the weak; the narrowness 
of weakness is unable to comprehend the free- 
thinking of the strong one, and judges it; pro- 
nounces against it as incompatible with the true 
Christian character—A/eyer.| [All of this, how- 
ever, assumes the actual indifference of all these 
things.] For God hath received him—Both 
being sincere and upright, and acting in the fear of 
God, are received as heirs of eternal life, without 
any difference on account of these religious scruples 
or prejudices. 

4. Who art thou that judgest another man’s 
servant—Who has ever given thee the right to 
condemn the servant of another man, in things per- 
taining to his own master ? To his own master 
he standeth or falleth—He is to judge him, not 
thou; thy intermeddling in this business is both 
rash and uncharitable. [The standing and falling 


Fellow-believers must not condemn 
each other in non-essentials, 


falleth; yea, he shall be holden up: for God 
is able to make him stand. & ‘One man es- 
teemeth one day above another: another es- 
teemeth every day alike. Let every man be 
€ fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that 
hiyegardeth the day, regardeth ἐξ unto the 


Lord; and he that regardeth. not the day, to) 


the Lord he doth not regard if. He that eat- 
eth, eateth to the Lord, for "he giveth God 
thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord si 


CHAPTER 


A. Μ. 4062. A.D, 58, 
Year of Rome, $11. 


sateth not, and giveth God thanks. ¥ For 
‘none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth 
to himself.  ΕῸΣ whether we live, we live 
unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die 
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or 
die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For "to this end 
Christ both died, and rose, and revived. that 
he might be * Lord both of the dead and living. 
10 But why dost thon judge thy brother ? or 
why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for 


XIV. 


F Gal. 4.10; Col. 2 
eth.——i Gal. 4, 10.—£ 1 Cor. 


. 16.—g Οὐ, fully assured.—h of "aca v- 
10. 31; 1 Tim. 


21 Cor. 6, 19, 20; Gal. 2. 20: 
m2 Cor. 


1 The es, δ. 


: 1 Pet. 4. 
5. 15. —n Acts 10, δὲ 


is here understood forensically,—in the Judgment. 
(Psa. i, 5.)] [In relation to his own master he is 
subject to a sentence of condemnation or acquittal. 
Stuart.| Yea, he shall be holden up—tHe is 
sincere and upright, and God, who is able to 
make him stand, will uphold him; and so teach 
him that he shall not essentially err. And it is 
the will of God that such upright though scrupu- 
lous persons should be continued members of his 
Church. 

5. One man esteemeth one day above an- 
other—Perhaps the word ἡμέραν, day, is here taken 
for time, festival, and such like, in which sense it is 
frequently used. Reference is made here to the 
Jewish institutions, and especially their festivals ; 
such as the passover, pentecost, feast of tabernacles, 
new moons, jubilee, ete. The converted Jew still 
thought these of moral obligation; the Gentile 
Christian, not having been bred up in this way, [nor 
so taught by his Christian instructors,] had no such 
scruples. Our translators add here alike, [for which 
there is no authority,] and make the text say what 
surely was never intended, namely, that there is no 
distinction of days, and that every-Christian is at 
liberty to consider any day to be holy or not holy, 
as he happens to be persuaded in his own mind. 
That the sabbath is of lasting obligation may be 
reasonably concluded from its institution, (see the 
note on Gen. ii, 3,) and from its typical reference. 
All allow that the sabbath is a type of that rest in 
glory which remains for the people of God. Now, 
all types are intended to continue in full force till 
the antitype, or thing signified, take place; conse- 
quently, the sabbath will continue in force till the 
consummation of all things. [Whether the apostle 
means to include the sabbath, or rather, the Lord's 
day, under what he says here of the special obser- 
vance of particular days, has been called in ques- 
tion. ... In the early ages of the Church a distine- 
tion was made between sabbath and Lord's day. 
The former was specifically Jewish ; but the early 
Christians, in order to distinguish this from the 
first day of the week, on w hich they Mel their 
religious assemblies of w orship, (1 Cor. xvi, 
xe, ΚᾺ called the first dav, ἡμέρα κυρίου, Lord's 
day. (Rev. 110.) (Of this distinction there is clear 
evidence in the writings of the ecclesiastical fa- 
thers, going back to ‘apostolic times. ... Pretty 
certainly ἡμέρα here relates to days w hich the scru- 
ples of Jewish Christians deemed sacred, and has 
no relation to the Lord’s day, which all agreed to 
keep holy.—Stuart.| Let every man be fully 
persuaded—With respect to the propriety or non- 
propriety of keeping the above festiva/s let every 
man act from the plenary conviction of his own 
mind; thereis a sufficient latitude allowed ; all may 
be fully satisfied. [The things themselves are 
wholly indifferent; but if in any case they have 


2; Acts 


become matters of conscientious convictions, then 
must the conscience be obeyed. | 

6. He that regardeth the day—A beautiful 
apology for mistaken sincerity and injudicious ref- 
ormation. Do not condemn the man for what is 
indifferent in itself: if he keep these festivals, his 
purpose is to honour God by the religious obser- 
vance of them. On the other hand, he who finds 
that he cannot observe them in honour of God, not 
believing that God has enjoined them, he does not 
observe them at all. In like manner, he that eateth 
any creature of God which is wholesome and proper 
food, gives thanks to God as the author of all good. 
And he who cannot eat of all indiscriminately, also 
gives God thanks. Both are sincere ; both upright; 
both act according to their light ; God accepts both ; 
and they should bear with each other. 

7. None of us liveth to himself—The Greek 
writers use the phrase, ἑαυτῷ ζῇ, to signify acting 
according to one’s own judgment, following one’s 
own opinion. Christians must act in all things ae- 
cording to the mind and will of God, and not follow 
their own wills. The apostle seems to intimate 
that in all the above cases each must endeavour to 
please God, for he is accountable to him alone for 
his conduct in these indifferent things. Godis our 
master, we must live to him, as we live under his 
notice and by his bounty. Therefore, what we do, 
or what we leave undone, should be in reference to 
that eternity which is ever at hand. 

8. For whether we live, εἴο. --- [Ζῶμεν and 
ἀποθνήσκωμεν, here designate, not the act of living 
and dying, but the state of the living and the dead. 
ΚΓ We, in the state of the living and in the state of 
the dead, that is, we of the present or of the future 
world, are Christ’s; he is our Lord, both here and 
hereafter:” and this being the case. all judgment 
must be committed to him.—Stwart. | 

9. Christ both died, and rose—That we are 
not our own, but are the Lord’s both in life and 
death, is evident from this—that Christ lived, and 
died, and rose again, that he might be Lord both 
of the dead and living; for his power extends 
equally over both worlds: separate, as well as em- 
bodied, spirits are under his authority. The clause 
καὶ ἀνέστη, “and rose,” is wanting in the most re- 
putable MSS., and should be omitted. It makes no 
sense. 

10. But why dost thou—Christian Jew, observ- 
ing the rites of the Mosaic law, judge (conde mn) 
thy brother—the Christian Gentile, who does not 
think himself bound by this law? Or why dost 
thou—Christian Gentile, set at naught thy Christ- 
ian-Jewish brother, as if he were unworthy of thy 
regard, because he does not yet believe that the 
Gospel has set him free from the rites and cere- 
monies of the law? Itis a true saying of Mr. Hey- 
lin, on this verse; The superstitious are oo to 


A, M. 4962, A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Fellow-believers should not place stumbling- 
blocks in each other’s way. 


°we shall all stand before the judgment seat of 
Christ. 11 For it is written, Ρ As I live, saith 
the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and 
every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So 
then devery one of us shall give account of 
limself to God. 18 Let us not therefore 
judge one another any more: but judge this 
rather, that "no man put a stumblingblock 
or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. 


ο Matt. 25, 31,32: Acts 16. 42; 17.31; 2 Cor. 5.10; Jude 14. 15. 
----Ξ-» [58 4), 25... Phi, ὦ; 10) q Matt. 12, 36; Gai. 6. ὅ: 1 Pet. 
4. 5.—r1 Cor. 8. 9, 13; 10. 32.—s Acts 10. 15; verses 2, 20; 


14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord 
Jesus, ‘that there is nothing ‘unclean of itself: 
but “to him that esteemeth any thing to be 
vunclean, to him ἐΐ 7s unclean. 15 But if thy 
brother be grieved with thy meat, now walk- 
est thou not “charitably. * Destroy not him 
with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16% Let 
not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 7 For 
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; 


1 Cor 10. 25; 1 Tim. 4. 4; Titus 1. 15.—+# Gr. common. 
w1 Cor. 8, 7, 10.—v Gr. common.—w Gr. according to 
charity.—® 1 Cor. 8. 11.— y Chap. 12. 17,—z 1 Cor. 8, 8. 


judge, and those who are not superstitious are prone 
to despise. [The first σύ (thou) refers to the weak 
in faith, the second to the Gentile converts. If 
Christ is indeed our master, it is not for us to ex- 
clude from the kingdom of God brethren who only 
deviate in non-essentials, before he has set in judg- 
ment.— Tholuck.] We shall all stand before the 
judgment seat of Christ—We are accountable to 
God for our conduct, and shall be judged by him 
only; and let us consider that whatever measure 
we mete, the same shall be measured unto us again. 
[There is probably here no reference to the final or 
future judgment; but rather a reminder that Christ 
is Head of his Church and the Judge of all men, 
as is shown in the quotation which constitutes 
verse 11.] 

12. Every one of us shall give account of 
himself—We shall not, before God, be obliged to 
account for the conduct of each other—each shall 
give account of himself; and let him take heed 
that he be prepared to give up his accounts with 
joy. 

13. Let us not, therefore, judge one another 
any more—Judgment belongs to the Lord, and he 
will condemn those only who should not be ac- 
quitted. [The first “judge,” κρίνωμεν, has the 
usual sense of condemning ; the second, xpivare, the 
accommodated sense, let this be your decision, re- 
specting conduct in this sense.] That no man put 
a stumblingblock—-Let both the converted Jew 
and Gentile consider that they should labour to pro- 
mote each other’s spiritual interests, and not be a 
means of hindering each other in their Christian 
course; or of causing them to abandon the Gos- 
pel, on which, and not on questions of rites and 
ceremonies, the salvation of their soul depends. 
[Πρόσκομμα, stumblingblock, and σκάνδαλον, occa- 
sion to fall, are, as here used, essentially synon- 
ymous. | 

14, I know, and am persuaded by the Lord 
Jesus—The apostle now expresses himself fully, 
and tells them that nothing is unclean of itself, 
and that he has the authority of Jesus Christ to 
say so. And yet, after having given them this de- 
cisive judgment, through respect to the tender, 
mistaken conscience of weak believers, he imme- 
diately adds: But to him that esteemeth any 
thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean; be- 
cause if he act contrary to his conscience he must 
necessarily contract guilt ; for he who acts in op- 
position to his conscience in one case may do it in 
another, and thus even the plain declarations of the 
word of God may be set aside on things of the ut- 
most importance, as well as the erroneous though 
well-intentioned dictates of his conscience, on mat- 
ters which he makes of the last consequence; 
though others, who are better taught, know them to 
be indifferent. [Kocvov, nothing, (indifferent, ) must 

84 


here apply only to outward or material things, not to 
actions or tempers.] It is dangerous to trifle with 
conscience, even when erroneous ; its feelings should 
be respected because they ever refer to God, and 
have their foundation in his fear. He who sins 
against his conscience sins against God, even if the 
act is in itself indifferent. It is a great blessing to 
have a well-informed conscience ; it is a blessing to 
have a tender conscience; and even a sore con- 
science is infinitely better than none. 

15. If thy brother be grieved—TIf he think 
that thou doest wrong, and he is in consequence 
stumbled at thy conduct. Now walkest thou 
not charitably—Karta ἀγάπην, according to love. 
But by thy eating some particular kind of meat, on 
which neither thy life nor well-being depends, thou 
workest ill to him by grieving and distressing his 
mind; (or by leading him into temptation;) and 
therefore thou breakest the law of God in reference 
to him, while pretending that thy Christian liberty 
raises thee above his scruples. Destroy not him 
with thy meat, for whom Christ died—This 
puts the uncharitable conduct of the person in ques- 
tion in the strongest light, because it supposes that 
the weak brother may be so stwmbled as to fall and 
perish finally ; even the man for whom Christ died. 
From this verse we learn that a “man for whom 
Christ died” may perish, or have his soul destroyed; 
and destroyed with such a destruction as implies 
perdition: the original is very emphatic, μὴ... 
ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Christ 
died in his stead ; do not destroy his soul. The 
sacrificial death is as strongly expressed as it can 
be, and there is no word in the New Testament that 
more forcibly implies efernal ruin than the verb 
ἀπολλύω, from which is derived that most signifi- 
cant name of the devil, ὁ ᾿Απόλλυων, the DESTROYER, 
the great universal murderer of souls. 

16. Let not then your good be evil spoken 
of—Do not so use your strength of faith and Christ- 
ian liberty as to subject the Gospel itself to re- 
proach. There are many who have such an un- 
happy method of doing their good acts, as not only 
to do little or no good by them, but a great deal of 
evil. It requires much prudence and watchfulness 
to find out the proper time of performing even a 
good action. 

17. For the kingdom of God—That holy re- 
ligion which God has sent from heaven, and which 
he intends to make the instrument of establishing 
a counterpart of the kingdom of glory among men. 
(Matt. iii, 2.) Is not meat and drink—It con- 
sists not in these outward and indifferent things, 
which it neither enjoins nor forbids. But right- 
eousness—Pardon of sin, and holiness of heart and 
life. And peace—In the soul, from a sense of 
God’s merey ; peace regulating, ruling, and har- 


monizing the heart. And joy inthe Holy Ghost 


The Christian’s duty is actively to 
promote peace and concord. 


but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost. ΓΕ For he thatin these things 
serveth Christ *7s acceptable to God, and ap- 
proved of men. 19 "Let us therefore follow 
after the things which make for peace, and 
things wherewith cone may edify another. 
20 ‘For meat destroy not the work of God. 
e All things indeed are pure; ‘but ἐξ zs evil for 
that man who eateth with offence. 24 Jt is 
ee eee 


CHAPTER XIV. 


good neither to eat ε flesh, nor to drink wine, 


A. Μ. 4062. A. Ὁ. 58, 


Year of Rome, 811. 


nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, 
or is offended, or is made weak. 22 Last 
thou faith? have it to thyself before God. 
"Happy ix he that condemneth not himself in 
that thing which he alloweth. 28 And he 
that ‘doubteth is damned if he eat, because 
he eateth not of faith: for « whatsoever is not 
of faith is sin. 


a2 Cor. 3. 21,— Psa. 34. 14; chap. 12. 1&%——eChap. 15. 2; 
1 Cor. 14. 12; 1 Thess. 5. 11. Ver. 15.—e Matt. 15. 11; Acts 
10. 15; verse 14; Titus 1. 1d, ἃ 


—Some spiritual happiness ; a “ joy” which springs 
from a clear sense of God’s mercy; the love cf 
God being shed abroad in the heart by the “ Holy 
Ghost.” (Matt. iii, 2.) 

18. For he that in these things—The man, 
whether Jew or Gentile, who “in these things ’— 
righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost— 
serveth Christ —acts according to his doctrine—is 
acceptable to God; for he has not only the form 
of godliness in thus serving Christ, but he has the 
power, the very spirit and essence of it, in having 
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost ; and therefore the whole frame of his mind, 
as well as his acts, must be acceptable to God. 
And approved of men—For although religion 
may be persecuted, yet the righteous man who 
walks in uprightness will be generally esteemed. 
This was a very common form of speech among the 
Jews: that he who was a conscientious observer of 
the law was pleasing to God and approved of men. 

19. Let us therefore follow—Far from con- 
tending about meats, drinks, and festival times, in 
which it is not likely that the Jews and Gentiles 
will soon agree, and which, whether observed or dis- 
regarded, are of no account, let us endeavour to 
promote ‘“ peace ” and fellowship, that we may edify 
each other, and promote religious knowledge and 
piety. 

20. For meat destroy not the work of God 
—Do not hinder the progress of the Gospel, either in 


your own souls or in those of others, by contending | 


about things so wholly unimportant. And do not 
destroy the soul of thy Christian brother (verse 15) 
by inducing him toapostatize. All things indeed 
are pure—This is a repetition of the sentiment re- 
corded in different words, verse 14. Nothing that 


is proper for food is unlawful to be eaten; but it | 


is evil for that man who eateth with offence 
—the man who either eats contrary to his own con- 
science, or so as to grieve and stumble another, does 
an evil act; and however lawful the thing may be 
in itself, his conduct does not please God. 

21. It is good neither to eat flesh, etc.—The 
spirit and self-denying principles of the Gospel 
teach us that we should avoid every thing [in our 
conduct and manners, and in the exercise of our 
Christian liberties] which may become an occasion 
of offence or apostasy to our brethren. Whereby 
thy brother stumbleth—Ilpockstrer. Spiritually, 
any thing by which a man is so perplexed in his 
mind, or drawn aside by example, as to be hindered 
in the divine life. 
to alt, to be undecisive and undetermined; and 
under such an influence no man has ever yet grown 
in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Or 
is offended—"H σκανδαλίζεται ; originally the word 
σκάνδαλον signified the piece of wood or key in a 
trap, which, being trodden on, caused the animal to 


Any thing by which he is caused | 


.£1Cor. 8. 9, 10, 11, 12.—g1 Cor. 8, 13.—A1 John 3, 21.— 
a Or, discerneth and putteth u aifference between meats, 
—A& Titus 1, 15, 


fall into a pit, or the trap to close upon him. In 
the New Testament it generally refers to apostasy 
from the Christian religion; and this appears to be 
its meaning in this place. Or is made weak— 
Ἢ ἀσθενεῖ, morally weak; without power suflicient 
to distinguish between right and wrong, lawful and 
unlawful ; [the certain results of trifling with either 
the convictions or the authority of the conscience. 

22. Hast thou faith—The term “ faith” seems 
to signify in this place a full persuasion in a man’s 
mind that he is right—that what he does is lawful, 
and has the approbation of God and his conscience. 
Thou hast a right persuasion concerning thy Christ- 
ian liberty; hold that persuasion steadfastly, with 
respect to thyself, in the sight of God. Happy is 
he that condemneth not, ete.—That man only 
can enjoy peace of conscience who acts according 
to the full persuasion which God has given him of 
the lawfulness of his conduct: whereas he must 
be miserable who allows himself to practise any 
thing for which his conscience upbraids and ae- 
cuses him. This is a most excellent maxim, and 
every genuine Christian should be careful to try 
every part of his conduct by it. No man can have 
peace who sins against his own conscience. {Doubt- 
ful indulgences, whether right or wrong as actions, 
are destructive to the soul’s peace and ruinous to 
the conscience.] Even the man who has the too- 
scrupulous conscience had better, in such matters 
as are in question, obey its erroneous dictates than 
violate this moral feeling, and live only to condemn 
the actions he is constantly performing. 

23. And he that doubteth—This verse is a 
necessary part of the preceding, and should be 
read thus: But he that doubteth is condemned if he 
eat, because he eateth not of faith. The meaning 
is sufficiently plain. He that eats of any kind 
of meats prohibited by the Mosaic law, with the 
suspicion in his mind that he may be wrong in 80 
doing, is condemned by his conscience for doing 
that which he is not sure that God has not forbid- 
den. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin— 
Whatever he does without a satisfactory conviction 
of its lawfulness, (see on verse 22,) is to him “ sin.” 
If he makes a distinction in his own conscience 
between different kinds of meats, and yet eats of 
all indifferently, he is a sinner before God; be- 
cause he eats either through false shame, base 
compliance,,or an unbridled appetite ; and any of 
these is in itself a sin against the sincerity, in- 
genuousness, and self-denying principles of the 
Gospel of Christ. These words may have a more 
extensive signification, and apply to all who have 
not true faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Every 
work of such persons must be sinful in the sight 
of a holy God, because it does not proceed from a 
pure motive. On this ground our Chureh [the 
Church of England] says, “ Works done ons the 

υ 


“ 


A. Μ. 4002. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


CHAPTER XV. 
E «then that are strong ought to bear the 
‘infirmities of the weak, and not to 
please ourselves. 2 ¢Let every one of us 
please Ais neighbour for his good “to edifica- 
tion. 8 °For even Christ pleased not himself; 
but, as it is written, ‘The reproaches of them 


ROMANS. 


Sympathy with each other a duty 
among Christian believers. 


that reproached thee fell on ime. 4 For ¢ what- 
soever things were written aforetime were 
written for our learning, that we through pa- 
tience and comfort of the Scriptures ‘might 
have hope. & "Now the God of patience and 
consolation grant yeu to be likeminded one 
toward another ‘according to Christ Jesus: 


a Gal, 6. 1——) Chap. 14. 1.—e 1 Cor. 9. 19, 22); 10: 24, 333 13+ 
5; Phil. 2. 4, 5. ae Chap. 14. 19—e Matt. 26, 39; John 5. 305 
6. 33. aera 69. 9, 


g Chapter 4. 23, 24; 1 Cor. 9. 9, 19; 10. 11; 
A Chapter 12. 16; 1 Cor. I. 10; Phil. 3. 16. 
exanrple of: 


2 Tim, 3. 16.17.— 
i Or, after the 


grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit 
are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they are not 
of faith in Jesus Christ; yea, for that they are not 
done as God hath willed and commanded them to 
be done, we duubt not but they have the nature of 
sin.” To this we may add, that without faith it is 
impossible to please God; every thing is wrong 
where this principle is wanting. 

There are few readers who have not remarked 
that the last three verses of this epistle (chapter 
xvi, 25, 26, 27) appear to stand in their present 
place without any obvious connexion, and appa- 
rently after the epistle is concluded. And it is also 
well known that [many authorities, some ancient, 
insert those three verses in this place, where they 
seem naturally to belong.| It may be necessary to 
repeat the words here, that the reader may seg 
with what propriety they connect with the subject 
which terminates the fourteenth chapter as it now 
stands. Chapter xiv, 23: ‘ And he that doubteth 
is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: 
for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Chapter 
xvi, 25-27: “‘ Now to him that is of power to stab- 
lish you according to my Gospel, and the preach- 
ing of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of 
the mystery which was kept secret since the world 
began, but now is made manifest, and by the 
Scriptures of the prophets, according to the com- 
mandment of the everlasting God, made known to 
all nations for the obedience of faith: To God 
only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. 
Amen.” Chapter xv,1: “ We then that are strong 
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak,” ete. 

These words certainly connect better with the 
close of the fourteenth chapter and the beginning 
of the fifteenth than they do with the conclusion 
of the sixteenth, where they are now generally 
found; but I shall defer my observations upon 
them till I come to that place, with only this re- 
mark, that the stablishing (mentioned chapter xvi, 
25) corresponds well with the doubting, (chapter 
xiv, 25;) and indeed, the whole matter of these 
verses agrees so well with the subject so largely 
handled in chapter xiv that there can be very little 
doubt that they would be in their proper place if 
joined to the end of it. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XV. 

1. We then that are strong — We who un- 
derstand our Gospel liberty, not only lawfully may, 
but ave bound in duty to, bear any inconveniences 
that may arise from the scruples of the weaker 
brethren, and to ease their consciences by pru- 
dently abstaining from such indifferent things as 
may offend and “trouble hem; and not take ad- 

vantage from our superior knowledge to make 
them submit to our judgment, [or to lead them 
to sin against their c-vn consciences. | 

2. Let every one of us please his neighbour 
—For it should be a maxim with each of us to 
do all in our power to please our brethren; and 

86 


especially in those things in which their spiritual 
edification is concerned. Though we should not 
indulge men in mere whims and caprices, yet we 
should bear with their ignorance and their weak. 
ness, knowing that others had much to bear with 
from us before we came to our present advanced 
state of religious knowledge. 

3. For even Christ pleased not himself— 
Christ never acted as one who sought his own 
ease or profit. He not only bore with the weak- 
ness, but with the insults, of his creatures; as it 
is written in Psalm Ixix, 9: Zhe reproaches of them 
that reproached thee fell on me: I not only bore 
their insults, but bore the punishment due to them 
for their vicious and abominable conduct. That 
this Psalm refers to the Messiah and his sufferings 
for mankind is evident, not only from the quotation 
here, but also from John xix, 28, 29, where our 
Lord’s receiving the vinegar during his expiatory 
suffering is said to bea fulfilling of the Scripture, 
(namely, of verse 21 of this very Psalm;) and his 
cleansing the temple (John ii, 15-17) is said to be 
a fulfilment of verse 9, ‘For the zeal of thine 
house hath eaten me up ;” the former part of which 
verse the apostle quotes here. 

4. For whatsoever things were written 
aforetime—This refers to all the Old Testament 
Scriptures. And, from what he says here of them, 
we learn that God had not intended them merely 
for those generations in which they were first de- 
livered, but for the instruction of all the succéed- 
ing generations of mankind. That we through 
patience and comfort of the Scriptures—That 
we, through those remarkable examples of ‘ pa- 
tience” exhibited by the saints and followers of 
God, whose history is given in those Scriptures, 
and the “comfort” which they derived from God 
in their patient endurance of sufferings brought 
upon them through their faithful attachment to 
truth and righteousness, might have hope that 
we shall be “upheld and blessed as they were, and 
our sufferings become the means of our greater 
advances in faith and holiness, 886 consequently 
our hope of eternal glory be the. more confirmed. 

5. Now the God of patience and consola- 
May that God who endued them with ‘ pa- 
tience,” and gave them the “consolation” that 
supported them in all their trials and afflictions, 
grant you to be like-minded: give you the 
same mode of thinking, and the same power of act- 
ing toward each other, according to the example 
of Christ. [The “ patience,” as well as the “com- 
fort,” is that which the Scriptures give; for the 
apostle i is here stating the purpose for which the 
God of patience and comfort (verse 5) caused the 
Scriptures to be written—Sp. Com.] [Patience 
of this nature will produce hope. (Chapter v, 3, 5.) 
He who perseveres in thus doing good, amid the 
evils which may come upon him, will be rewarded 
with “a hope that maketh not ashamed.”—<Stwarv. } 
[Kara Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν, in accordance with the 


Believers of all nations alike 
acceptable to Gud, 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ, 58. 
Year of Rome, 811, 


6 That ye may * with one mind and one mouth 
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ. % Wherefore ' receive ye one an- 
other, ™as Christ also received us, to the glory 
of God. & Now 1 say that *Jesus Christ was 
a minister of the circumcision for the truth of 
God, °to confirm the promises made unto the 
fathers: 9 And Pthat the Gentiles might glo- 


rify God for his mercy; as it is written, 4 For 
this cause I will confess to thee among the 
Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And 
again he saith, τ Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his 
people. EB And again, * Praise the Lord, all 
ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 
A2 And again, Esaias saith, ‘There shall be a 
root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign 


ἃ Acts 4, 24, 32. 2 Chap. 14. 1, 3.— Chap. 5. 2.—vn Matt. 
15. 51: John 1. 11; Acts 3. 25, 26; 13. 46.—o Chap. 3. 3; 2 Cor. 


spirit of Christ, or what the Christian religion re- 
quires.]| Τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλοις, the thinking 
the same thing among one another. (This cannot 
exist if men’s minds are not patient and consoled, 
so that they do not allow themselves to be dis- 
turbed by any thing adverse in the like effort 
which must take place in their mutual fellowship. 
Through identity of purpose and endeavour, there 
exists in a Church “one heart and one mind.” 
(Acts iv, 32.)—Meyer.] 

6. That ye—Jews and Gentiles. May with 
one mind—Thinking the same things, and bearing 
with each other, after the example of Christ. And 
one mouth—lIn all that you speak, and in all your 
religious assemblies, without jarring or contentions, 
Glorify God—For calling you into such a state of 
salvation, and showing himself to be your loving, 

ompassionate Father, as he is the Father of 
ur Lord Jesus Christ. It is very likely that 
the apostle refers here to religious acts in public 
worship, which might have been greatly interrupted 
by the dissensions between the converted Jews 
and the converted Gentiles. These differences he 
labours to compose; and, after having done all 
that was necessary in the way of instruction and 
exhortation, he now pours out his soul to God, who 
alone could rule and manage the heart, that he 
would enable them to think the same things, to be 
of the same judgment, and that all, feeling their 
obligation to him, might join in the sweetest har- 
mony in every act of religious worship. 

7. Wherefore receive ye one another — 
Προσλαμβάνεσθε: have the most affectionate re- 
gard for each other, and acknowledge each other 
as the servants and children of God Almighty. As 
Christ also received ιι5----αθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς 
προσελάβετο ἡμᾶς : in the same manner, and with 
the same cordial affection, as Christ has received 
us into communion with himself, and has made us 
partakers of such inestimable blessings, conde- 
scending to be present in all our assemblies. And 
as Christ has received us thus, to the glory of 
God, so should we cordially receive each other, that 
God’s glory may be promoted by our harmony and 
brotherly love. 

8. Jesus Christ was a minister of the cir- 
cumcision—([The 8th and 9th verses may be ren- 
dered: For I say that Christ hath been made a 
minister of cireumeision for Giod’s truth, in order 
that he might confirm the promises made unto the 
fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God 
for his mercy—Sp. Com.} Our Lord confined his 
ministry to the Jews, to confirm the truth of God 
contained in the promises made unto the patri- 
archs; for God had declared that thus it should 
be: and Jesus Christ, by coming according to the 
promise, has fulfilled this truth, by making good 
the promises. But this salvation was not exclu- 
sively designed for the Jewish people, as God by 
his prophets had repeatedly declared. 


1. 20..—p John 10. 16; chap. 9. 23.—gq Psa, 18. 49. ——r Deut. 
82, 43. 8 Psa. 117. 1.—t Isa. 11. 1,10; Rev. 5, 5; 22. 16, 


9. And that the Gentiles might glorify God 
for his mercy — As the Jews were to glorify 
God for his truth, so the Gentiles were to “ glorify 
God for his mercy.” The Jews received the bless- 
ings of the Gospel by promise, which promise God 
had most abundantly and graciously fulfilled. The 
Gentiles had received the same Gospel through 
God’s great mercy, for they, too, were originally 
included in the covenant made with Abraham; 
and the prophets had repeatedly declared that 
they should be made equal partakers of those 
blessings with the Jews themselves; as the apostle 
proceeds to prove. I will confess to thee 
among the Gentiles—This quotation (Psalm 
xviii, 49) shows that the Gentiles had a right to 
glorify God for his mercy to them. “ But after 
that the Israelites were led into captivity, then the 
zentiles began to have a right to glorify God.” 
Thus the Jews themselves confess that the Gentiles 
have a right to glorify God; and this on account 
of being made partakers of his grace and merey, 
And if, says Schoettgen, we have a right to glorify 
God, then it follows that our worship must be 
pleasing to him; and if it be pleasing to him, then 
it follows that this worship must be good, other- 
wise God could not be pleased with it. 

Dr. Taylor thus paraphrases this and the three 
following verses: As you Jews glorify God for his 
truth, so the Gentiles have a right to join with you 
in glorifying God for his mercy. And you have 
Scripture authority for admitting them to such 
fellowship; for instance, David says, (Psa. xviii, 
49,) “Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, Ὁ 
Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises unto 
thy name.” And again, Moses himself says, (Deut. 
xxxii, 43,) “ Rejoice, O ye Gentiles, with his people.” 
And again, it is evident, from Psalm exvii, that 
praise to God is not to be confined to the Jews 
only, but that αὐ people, as they αὐ share in his 
goodness, should also join in thanks to their com- 
mon benefactor: “Ὁ praise the Lord, all ye na- 


tions; (Gentiles:) praise him all ye people. For 
his merciful kindness is great toward us: and 
the truth of the Lord endureth forever.” Again 


the Prophet Isaiah expressly and clearly declares, 
(chapter Xi, 10,) There shall be a root of Jesse, 
(that is, the Messiah, ) and Je shall rise to reign 
over the Gentiles, and in him shall the Gentiles 
hope: ἐλπιοῦσιν. And thus the apostle proves, 
both to the Jews and to the Gentiles, who were 
probably unwilling to join with each other in re- 
ligious fellowship, that they had both an equal 
right to glorify God, being equally interested in 
his merey, goodness, and truth; and that, from the 
evidence of the above Scriptures, the Gentiles had 
as much right to hope in Christ for the full enjoy- 
ment of his kingdom as the Jews had: and, 
taking occasion from the last word, hope, ἐλπιοῦ- 
σιν, (which we improperly translate frust,) he pours 
out his heart in the following affectionate Pa er. 
8 


A. M. 4062. A. Ὁ, 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles 
trust. ΕΞ Now the God of hope fill you 
with all "joy and peace in believing, that ye 
may abound in hope, through the power of 
the Holy Ghost. 24 And vI myself also 
am persuaded of you, my brethren, that 
ye also are full of goodness, » filled with 
all knowledge, able also to admonish one an- 
other. 25 Nevertheless, brethren, I have 
written the more boldly unto you in some sort, 
as putting you in mind, * because of the grace 
that is given to me of God, 16 That y I should 
be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles 


ROMANS. 


, | Christ. 


v 


Paul assures the Romans of his deep 
interest in their welfare. 


ministering the gospel of God, that the 25 of- 
fering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, 
being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. 17 I have 
therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus 
Christ "in those things which pertain to God. 
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those 
things ὁ which Christ hath not wrought by me, 
4to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and 
deed, 49 ¢Through mighty signs and won- 
ders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so 
that from Jerusalem, and round about unto 
INyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of 
20 Yea, so have I strived to preach 


aChapter 12. 12; 14. 17.—wv2 Pet. 1. 12; 1 John 2. 21. 
a 1Cor. §. 1, 7, 10. a Chap. 1.3; 12.3: Gal. 1. 15. Erb. Det ee 
—y Chap. 11. 13; Gal. 2. 7,5, 9; 1 1 Tim δ 2 Dime 1511: 


2 Or, sacrificing.—a Isa. 66. ΠΗ Phil. ὉΠ} Heb. 5. 1. 


—— c Acts 21. 19; Gal, 2. 8.—d Chapter |. 5; 16. 26.—e Acts 
19. 11; 2 Cor, 12. 12. 


13. Now the God of hope, ete.—‘O δὲ Θεὸς 
τῆς ἐλπίδος, may the God of this hope—that God 
who caused both Jews and Gentiles to “ hope” that 
the gracious promises which he made to them 
should be fulfilled; and who, accordingly, has ful- 
filled them in the most punetual and circumstantial 
manner. Fill you with all joy—Give you true 
spiritual happiness ; peace in your own hearts, and 
unity among yourselves. In believing—Not only 
the promises which he has given you, but believing 
in Christ Jesus, in whom all the promises are yea 
and amen. That ye may abound in hope— 
That ye may. be excited to take more enlarged 
views of the salvation which God has provided for 
you, and have all your expectations fulfilled by 
the power of the Holy Ghost, enabling you to 
hope and believe, and then sealing the fulfilment 
of the promises upon your hearts. 

14. And I... am persuaded of you—This 
is evidently an address to the “strong,” (verse 1.) 
Paul seems to apologize for the freedom he had used 
in writing to them; which he gives them to under- 
stand proceeded from the authority he had received 
by his apostolical office. We.... are full of 
goodness— A yadwovvnc. (Complimentary, though 
quite sincere. You are an excellent people, well 
instructed, able to teach and direct one another in 
your Christian life. ] 

15. Nevertheless. ..I have written — 
Notwithstanding I have this conviction of your ex- 
tensive knowledge in the things of God, I have 
made bold to write to you in some sort, (ἀπὸ μέ- 
pouc, to a party among you, as some learned men 
translate the words,) who stand more in need of 
such instructions than the others; and I do this 
because of the grace. διὰ τὴν χάριν, because of 
the office jendowment) which I have received from 
God, namely, to be the apostle of the Gentiles. 
This authority gave him full right to say, advise, or 
enjoin any thing of importance to their spiritual 
interests. This subject he pursues further in the 
following verse. 

10. Ministering the gospel of God—‘I«poup- 
γοῦντα, acting as a priest. Here is a plain allu- 
sion, says Dr. Whitby, to the Jewish sacrifices of- 
fered by the priest, and sanctified, or made accept- 
able, by the ibamen offered with them; for he 
compares himself, in preaching the Gospel, to the 
priest performing his sacred functions—preparing 
his sacrifice to be offered. [Ἐθνῶν ἀπόστολος is 
literally and grammatically, equivalent to “I am” 
the apostle of the Gentiles, (not to the Gentiles, which 
would require the dative, ἐθνέσιν, I think, too, that 
it better preserves the sense of the original.] The 

88 


Gentiles, converted by him and dedicated to the ser- 
vice of God, are his sacrifices and oblation. The 
Holy Spirit is the libamen poured upon this sacri- 
fice, by which it was sanctified and rendered ac- 
ceptable to God. The words of Isaiah, (Ixvi, 20,) 
“And they shall bring all your brethren for an of- 
ering unto the Lord out of all nations,” may have 
suggested the idea to the mind of the apostle. 

7. Ihave therefore whereof I may glory 
—Being sent of God on this most honourable and 
important errand, I have matter of exultation, not 
only in the honour which he has conferred upon 
me, but in the great success with which he has 
crowned my ministry. 

18. For I will not dare (presume) to speak 
—If the thing were not as I have stated it, I would 
not dare to arrogate to myself honours which did 
not belong to me. But God has made me the apos- 
tle of the Gentiles; and the conversion of the Gen- 
tiles is the fruit of my ministry, Christ having 
wrought by me for this purpose. By word 
and deed—Aéyw καὶ ἔργῳ, by the doctrines taught 
and the miracles wrought among them. So they 
became obedient to the doctrines, on the evidence 
of the miracles with which they were accompanied. 

19. Through mighty signs and wonders— 
This more fully explains the preceding clause: 
through the power of the Holy Ghost he was en- 
abled to work among the Gentiles ‘mighty signs 
and wonders;” so that they were fully convinced 
that both his doctrine and mission were divine; 
and therefore they were constrained to receive the 
Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Round akout unto 
Tllyricum—Illyria, or Illyris, a country of Europe 
extending from the Adriatic Gulf to Pannonia: ac- 
cording to Pliny, it extended from the river Arsia 
to the river Drinius, thus including Liburnia on the 
west and Dalmatia on the east. When the apostle 
says that he preached the Gospel from Jerusalem 
“round about unto Ilyricum,” he intends his land 
journeys chiefly. From Jerusalem the apostle went 
“round ” the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 
and passed through Syria, Phenicia, Arabia, Cilicia, 
Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Galatia, Pontus, 
Paphlagonia, Phrygia, Troas, Asia, Caria, Lycia, 
Ionia, Lydia, Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, and 
Achaia; besides the isles of Cyprus and Crete. 
And no doubt he visited many other places which 
are not mentioned in the New Testament. I 
have fully preached the gospel—Ilem/npwké- 
vat TO εὐαγγέλιον, 1 have successfully preached—I 
have not only proclaimed the word, but made con- 
verts and founded Churches. 


20. So have I strived to preach the gospel 


He expresses to them his desire and 
expectation to visit thei. 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. M, 4062. A. Ὦ. 58 


Year of Rome, 811, 


the gospel, not where Christ was named, ‘lest 
I should build upon another man’s foundation: 
21 But as it is written, ὁ ΤῸ whom he was 
not spoken of, they shall see: and they that 
have not heard shall understand. 22 For 
which cause also * I have been ‘much hindered 
from coming to you. 2% But now having no 
more place in these parts, and * having a great 
desire these many years to come unto you; 
24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, 
I will come to you: for I trust to see you in 
my journey, 'and to be brought on my way 
F2 Cor. 10, 13, 15, 16.—g Isa. 52. 15.—h Ch. 1. 13; 1 Thess. 


9.17, 18.—i Or. many ways, or, oftentimes.—k Acts 19, 21; 
chap. 1. 11; verse 32.—/ Acts 10. 3. 


thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat 
filled "with your company. 25 But now 51 
go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 
26 For °it hath pleased them of Macedonia 
and Achaia to make a certain contribution for 
the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. 27 It 
hath pleased them verily; and their debtors 
they are. For rif the Gentiles have been made 
partakers of their spiritual things, 4 their duty 
is also to minister unto them in carnal things. 
28 When therefore I have performed this, and 
have sealed to them © this fruit, I will come by 
—mGr. with you, verse 32.—n Acts 19, 21; 90, 22; 934. 17-— 


01 Cor, 16, 1, 2; 2 Cor. & 1; 9. 2, 12.—p Ch, 11. 17.—q1 Cor. 
9. 11; Gal. θ᾽ 6.—r Phil, 4. 17. Gio. 


—Oibrwe dé φιλοτιμούμενον. For I have considered it 
my honour to preach the Gospel where that Gospel 
was before unknown. As Lam not ashamed of the 
Gospel of Christ, so I esteem it an honour to preach 
it, and especially to proclaim it among the heathen ; 
not building on another man’s foundation—not 
watering what another apostle had planted; but 
cheerfully exposing myself to all kinds of dangers 
and hardships, in order to found new Churches. 

21. But as it is written—(Isa. lii, 15.) The 
apostle applies these words to his own conduct; 
not that the words themselves predicted what Paul 
had done, but that he endeavoured to fulfil such a 
declaration by his manner of preaching the Gospel 
to the heathen. 

22. For which cause, etc.—[In consequence 
of there being still so many Gentile nations in the 
countries adjacent to him, the apostle could not as 
yet gratify the fond wish he entertained of visiting 
the Church at Rome, and which he had also ex- 
pressed. (Chapter i, 10.)\—Tholuck.] 

23. But... having no more place in these 
parts—Having nothing further at present that I 
can do—for τόπον ἔχειν may signify to have con- 
venience, opportunity—having no large place or 
city where Christianity has not yet been planted, in 
which I can introduce the Gospel. The apostle 
was then at Corinth; and having evangelized all 
those parts, he had no further opportunity of 
breaking up any new ground. 

24. Whensoever I take my journey into 
Spain—Where, it is very likely, the Gospel had not 
yet been planted; though legendary tales inform 
us that St. James had planted the Gospel there long 
before this time, and had founded many bishoprics ! 
But this is as unfounded as it is ridiculous and ab- 
surd; for nothing like what is now termed a bish- 
opric, nor even a parish, was founded for many 
years after this. An itinerant preacher might, 
with more propriety, say travelling circuits were 
formed, rather than bishoprics. Whether the 
apostle ever fulfilled his design of going to Spain 
is unknown; but there is no evidence whatever 
that he did, and the presumption is, that he did not 
undertake the voyage. Antiquity affords no proof 
that he fulfilled his intention. [It is sufficiently 
ascertained that Paul’s first coming to Rome was 
not voluntary, as ἃ stage in his journey to Spain, 
but as a prisoner. If, therefore, he ever visited 
that country, it was after the imprisonment spoken 
of in the last chapter of the Acts, all of which is 
a much-disputed question, having such authorities 
as Neander and Davidson on its opposite sides.]_ I 
will come to ψοιι---- Ἐλεύσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. These 
words are wanting in almost every MS. of note, and 
if the first clause of this verse be read in connexion 


with the latter clause of the preceding, it will 
fully appear that this clause is useless. Some- 
what filled with your company— μπλησθῷ, 
satisfied ; for ἐμπλησθῆναι signities to be satisfied, 
to be gratified, and to enjoy. [᾿Α πὸ μέρους, some- 
what, in some degree, not satiated, but gratefully 
refreshed, so as to be able to again leave them with 
joy in order to prosecute his apostolical mission in 
other parts.] The apostle, though he had not the 
honour of having planted the Church at Rome, yet 
expected much gratification from the visit which he 
intended to pay them. 

25. Now I go unto Jerusalem — From this 
and the two following verses we learn that the ob- 
ject of his journey to Jerusalem was to carry a 
contribution made among the Gentile Christians of 
Macedonia and Achaia for the relief of the poor 
Jewish Christians at Jerusalem. For this service 
he had taken great pains. See 1 Cor. xvi, 1-4; 
2 Cor. viii and ix. His design in this affair is very 
evident, (see 2 Cor. ix, 12, 13,) for he says: “ The 
administration of this service not only supplieth 
the want of the saints, but is abundant also by 
many thanksgivings unto God; while, by the ex- 
periment of this ministration, they glorify God for 
vour professed subjection unto the Gospel of 
Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them 
and unto all men.” The apostle hoped that this 
liberal contribution, sent by the Gentile Christians 
who had been converted by St. Paul’s ministry, 
would engage the affections of the Jewish Christ- 
ians, who had been much prejudiced against the re- 
ception of the Gentiles into the Charch without being 
previously obliged tosubmit tothe yoke of the law. 
He wished to establish a coalition between the con- 
verted Jews and Gentiles, being sensible of its great 
importance to the spread of the Gospel; and his 
procuring this contribution was a laudable device 
to accomplish this good end. And this shows why 
he so earnestly requests the prayers of the Christ- 
ians at Rome, that his service which he had for 
Jerusalem might be accepted of the saints. 

26. Macedonia and Achaia—| These were the 
names of the two provinces into which the Romans 
divided all of Greece.) 

ΟἹ, For if the Gentiles have been made 
partakers, etc.—It was through and by means of 
the Jews that the Gentiles were brought to the 
knowledge of God and the Gospel of Christ. These 
were the spiritual things which they had re- 
ceived; and the pecuniary contribution was the 
carnal things which the Gentiles were now re- 
turning. (1 Cor x. 11.) 

28. When therefore I have performed this, 
and have sealed—Faithfully delivered up to 
them this fruit of the success of my ministry and 

. δυ 


A. M, 4062. A. Ὁ. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


you into Spain. 29 *And I am sure that, 
when I come unto you, I shall come in the 
fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. 
30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord 
Jesus Christ’s sake, and ‘for the love of the 
Spirit, “that ye strive together with me in 
your prayers to God for me; 38 ¥ That I may 
be delivered from them that ~do not believe 
in Judea; and that my service which 7 have 
for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints ; 


ROMANS. 


The apostle solicits in his behalf 
the prayers of the Church. 


32 yThat I may come unto you with joy z by 
the will of God, and may with you be -re- 
freshed. %3 Now *the God of peace be with 
you all. Amen. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


COMMEND unto* you Phebe our sister, 
which is a servant of the church which is 
at ¢Cenchrea: 24 That ye receive her in the 
Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist 


2 Thess. 
1. 10, 
16. 18; 


8 Ch. 1, 11, Phil.2.1. —w 2 Cor. 1.11 : (01.4.13. 
3. 2.—-w Or, are disobedient. —#2 Cor. 5 4—y Ch. 
2 Acts 18. 21; 1 Cor, 4.19: James 4. 15.—a1 Cor. 


2 Cor: 7. 13; 2 Tim. 1. 16; : Philem. 7, 20. } Ch, 16, 20: il Cor. 
14. 33; 2 Cor. 13. 11; Phil. 4.9: 1 Thess. 5 35: 2 Thess. ὃ 3. 10; 
Heb, 13. 20.—€ Acts 18. 18.—d Phil. 2. 293: 3 John 5, 6 


of your conversion to God, I will come by you 
into Spain. This was in his desire; he had fully 
purposed it, if God should see meet to permit him. 
(See on verse 24.) 

29. In the fulness of the blessing of the 
gospel of Christ—The words τοῦ evayyediov τοῦ, 
of the Gospel, are wanting in almost every MS. of 
importance. There is no doubt they should be 
omitted. Paul hoped to come to them endued with 
the gifts and graves of the Lord Jesus himself, 
of which he was now a minister (διάκονος, Eph. 
iii, 7) in the hand of God to dispense among those 
who were converted to the Christian faith. 

30. For the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and 
for the love of the Spirit—[ Ava, rendered in the 
first place, for the sake of, and in the second, for, 
has precisely the same sense in both cases; the 
two things named are both alike, impelling motives 
to spiritual devotion and effort. ] That ye strive 
together— Xvvaywvicasbat, that ye agonize with 
me. He felt that much depended on the success of 
his present mission to the Christians at Jerusalem, 
and their acceptance of the charitable contribution 
which he was bringing with him, to conciliate them 
to their Gentile brethren. 

31. That I may be delivered from them 
that do not believe—He knew that his country- 
men, who had not received the Gospel, lay in wait 
for his life; and, no doubt, they thought they 
should do God service by destroying him, not only 
as an apostate, in their apprehension, from the 
Jewish religion, but as one who was labouring to 
subvert and entirely destroy it. And that my 
service — Avaxovia ; the contribution which he 
was carrying to the poor saints at Jerusalem. [The 
exceeding hatred in which the apostle was held by 
the Jews, (with which not a few of the believers 
largely participated, see Acts xxi, 20, ete.,) and 
their want of fellowfeeling with the Gentile 
churches, made him fear lest even the ministration 
with which he was charged might not prove accept- 
able to them.—A/ford.| [Δ fear that was justi- 
fied by subsequent facts. | 

32. That I may come unto you with joy 
—That his apprehensions of ill usage were not 
groundless, and the danger to which his life was ex- 
posed was real, we have already seen in the account 
given of this visit in Acts xxi, xxii, xxiii, and 
xxiv; and also that he had such intimations from 
the Holy Spirit. (Acts xx, 23; xx, 38; and xxi, 11.) 
Should his journey to Jerusalem be prosperous, and 
his service accepted, so that the converted Jews 
and Gentiles should come to a better understand- 
ing, he hoped to see them at Rome with great 
“joy;” and if his wishes should be gratified 
through their prayers, it would be viewed as accord- 
ing to the will of God. 


ance; you, after your anxieties for me.— Alford. | 
[An evident intimation of Paul’s longing for some 
respite from his protracted controversies and 
strifes. | 

33. The God of peace be with you—[The 
usual apostolic benediction.] The word Amen, at 
the end, does not appear to have been written by 
the apostle; it is wanting in nearly all the most 
ancient MSS. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XVI. 


[There seems to be no sufficient ground for deny- 
ing (as some have done) that this concluding chap- 
ter was written by the apostle, or belongs to the 
epistle. The great number of the salutations is 
certainly striking when it is considered that Paul 
had not yet been at Rome, As, however, this city 
formed the central point of the then world, where 
people from all countries met, and from which jour- 
neys were taken into all parts of the vast Roman em- 
pire, it is intelligible that Paul may even in it have 
had a particularly numerous acquaintance. And, 
moreover, it is nowise necessary to suppose that Paul 
knew them all personally; he had doubtless heard 
of many of the Roman “Christians through Aquila 
and Priscilla, and now greets them as acquaintances 
known, not in person, but in spirit.—O/shausen.] 
[Many of them may have been his own converts, 
made such in Asia Minor and Greece, who after- 
ward became residents at Rome. | 


1. I commend unto you Phebe—“ Phebe” 
is here termed a servant, διάκονον, a deaconess, of 
the church ... at Cenchrea. There were deacon- 
esses in the primitive Church, whose business it was 
to attend the female converts at baptism; to in- 
struct the catechumens, or persons who were ecan- 
didates for baptism; to visit the sick and those 
who were in prison; and, in short, perform those 
religious offices for the female part of the Church 
which could not with propriety be performed by 
men. They were chosen in general out of the most 
experienced of the Church, and were ordinarily 
widows who had borne children. Some ancient con- 
stitutions required them to be forty, others fifty, 
and others sixty, years of age. They were in later 
times ordained to their office by the imposition of the 
hands of the bishop; and the form of prayer used 
on the occasion is extant in the (so-called) Apos- 
tolic Constitutions. In the tenth or eleventh cen- 
tury the order became extinet in the Latin Church, 
but continued in the Greek Chureh till the end of 
the twelfth century. ‘‘ Cenchrea”’ was a seaport 
on the east side of the isthmus which joined the 
Morea to Greece, as the Lechweum was the seaport 
on the west side of the same isthmus. These were 


[That we may mutually ; the only two havens and towns of any note, next to 


refresh ourselves—I, after my dangers and deliver- | Corinth, that belonged to this territory, As the 


90 


The apostle sends salutation to 
_ several persons at Rome. 


her in whatsoever business she hath need of 
you: for she hath been a succourer of many, 
and of myself also. 8% Greet © Priscilla and 
Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who 
havefor my life laid down their own necks: unto 
whom not only I give thanks, but also all the 
churches of the Gentiles. ᾧ Likewise greet 
the “church that is in their house. Salute my 
well beloved Epenetus, who is the firstfruits 
of Achaia unto Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who 
bestowed much labour onus. 7% Salute An- 
dronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fel- | 


© Acts 18. 2, 18,26; 2 Tim. 4. 19.—d 1 Cor. 16. 19; Col. 4. 15; 
Philem. 2, 


CHAPTER XVI. 
i a eer eed 


A Μ. 4062. A.D. 58. 
Year of Rome, 811. 


low prisoners, who are of note among the 
apostles, who also, ‘were in Christ before me. 
$ Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 
9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Sta- 
chys my beloved. 10. Salute Apelles ap- 
proved in Christ. Salute them which are of 
Aristobulus’s δ household. U1 Salute Herodion 
my kinsman. Greet them that be of the 
"household of Narcissus, which are in the 
Lord. 4&2 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, 
who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved 
Persis, which laboured much in the Lord, 


61 Corinthians 16. 15.—/Galatians 1. 2.—-g Or, friends, — 
h Or, friends. 


Lechzum opened the road to the Ionian Sea, so 
Cenchrea opened the road to the Aigean ; and both 
were so advantageously situated for commerce that 
they were very rich. These two places are now 
usually denominated the Gulf of Lepanto, and the 
Gulf of Ingia or Egina. It was on the isthmus be- 
tween these two ports, which was about six miles | 
wide, that the Isthmian games were celebrated, to 
which St. Paul makes such frequent allusions. 

2. Succourer of many—lIIpoordric, patroness, 
curatriz. One who probably entertained the apos- 
tles and preachers who came to minister at Cen- 
chrea, and who was remarkable for entertaining 
strangers. (Chapter xii, 8.) 

3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila—This pious 
couple had been obliged to leave Rome, on account 
of the edict of Claudius, (Acts xviii, 2,) and take 
refuge in Greece. Probably they returned to Rome 
on the ς sath of. Claudius, or whenever the decree 
was annulled. It seems they had greatly contrib- 
uted to assist the apostle in his important labours. 
Instead of “ Priscilla,” the principal MSS. and Ver- 
sions have Prisca. 

4. Who have for my life laid down their 
own necks—W hat transaction this refers tois not 
known; but it appears that these persons had, on 
some occasion, (possibly at the riot in Ephesus,) 
risked their own lives to save that of the apostle. 

5. The church that is in their house —In 
these primitive times no such places existed as 
those which we now term churches; the word al- 
ways signifying the congregation or assembly of 
believers, and not the place they assembled in. [It 
seems to have been the practice of Aquila and Pris- 
cilla, and some others, to hold assemblies for wor- 
ship in their houses, which were saluted and sent 
salutations as one body in the Lord. — A/ford.] 
Epenetus ... the firstfruits of Achaia — In| 
1 Cor. xvi, 15, the house or family of Stephanas is 
said to be the firstfruits of Achaia. Epenetus may 
have been one of the family of Stephanas. [The 
reading, τῆς ᾿Ασίας, now generally accepted, entirely 
obviates the apparent difficulty. | 

6. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour 
on us—As to who this “‘ Mary” was, or what the 
“labour ” was which she bestowed upon the apos- | 
tles, nothing is known. [None of the names occur- 
ring from verse 5 to 15, are mentioned elsewhere, 
except possibly Rufus. (Verse 12.)—A/ford.] 

7. Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen— 
Lvyyeveic, relatines ; probably they were husband 
and wife. Possibly St. Paul means no more than. 
that they were Jews; for he calls all the Jews Ais | 
kinsmen according to the flesh. (Chapter ix, 3.) My 
fellow prisoners—As Paul was in prison often, it | 
is likely that these persons shared this honour with | 


him on some oceasion, which is not distinctly 
marked. Of note among the apostles—’Exion- 
μοι, well known, or of good repute. They were not 
only well known to St. Paul, but also to others of 
the apostles. In Christ before me—That is, 
they were converted to Christianity before Paul 
was ; perhaps at the day of pentecost. 

8. Amplias, my beloved in the Lord—One 
who is my particular friend, and also a genuine 
Christian. 

9. Urbane, our helper—A fellow labourer with 
the apostles, named only here. Stachys my be- 
loved—One of my particular friends. 

10. Apelles approved in Christ—Some sup- 
pose that ‘Apelles” was the same with Apollos: 
whoever he was, he had given every demonstration 
of being a genuine Christian. Of Aristobulus’s 
household—lIt is doubted whether this person was 
converted, as the apostle does not salute him, but 
his “household;” or, as the margin reads, his 
friends. He might have been a Roman of consid- 
erable distinction, who, though not converted him- 
self, had Christians among his servants or his 
slaves. It is likely that he was dead at this time, 
and therefore those of his household only are re- 
ferred to by the apostle. 

11. Herodion my kinsman—Probally another 
converted Jew. See on verse 7. Of the house- 
hold of Narcissus—Probably dead also, as we 
have supposed Aristobulus to have been at this 
time. Which are in the Lord—This might in- 
timate that some of this family were not Christ- 
ians; those only of that family that were con- 
verted to the Lord being saluted. There was a per- 
son of the name of Narcissus, a freedman of the 
Emperor Claudius, mentioned by Suetonius in bis 
life of that prince, (cap. 37,) and by Tacitus, (An., lib. 
xii, cap. 57 1) but there is no sufficient reason to sup- 
pose that this was the person designed by St. Paul. 

12. Tryphena and Tryphosa—T'wo holy wom- 
en who, it seems, were assistants to the apostle in 
his work, probably by exhorting, visiting the sick, 
ete. Persis was another woman, who, it seems, 
excelled the preceding; for of her it is said, she 
laboured much in the Lord. We learn from 
this that Christian women, as well as men, laboured 


|in the ministry of the word. In those times of sim- 
| plicity all persons, whether men or women, who had 


received the knowledge of the truth, believed it to 
be their duty to propagate it to the uttermost of 
their power. [As much of the preaching of those 
times consisted of informal conversations and dia- 
logues, no doubt women often “ preached.”] There 
is, however, much more than this implied in the 


Christian ministry, of which men only, and men 


called of God, are capable. 
91 


A.M. 4°69. A. Ὁ, 58. 
Yeur of Rome, 811. 


ROMANS. 


Paul commends the obedience of 
the Church at Rome. 


13 Salute Rufus, ‘chosen in the Lord, and his 
mother and mine. 124 Salute Asyncritus, 
Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the 
brethren which are with them, 45 Salute 
Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, 
and Olympas, and all the saints which are 
with them. 46 Salute one another with a 


holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute 
you. ΕἾ Now I beseech you, brethren, mark 


them ! which cause divisions and offences con- 


and “avoid them. 28 For they that are such 
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but "their 
own belly; and *by good words and fair 
speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 
19 For Pyour obedience is come abroad unto 
all men. Iam glad therefore on your behalf: 
but yet I would have you 4wise unto that 
which is good, and ‘simple concerning evil. 
20 And ‘the God of peace tshall "bruise Sa- 
tan under your feet shortly. »The grace of 


trary to the doctrine which ye have learned ; Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 
79 Pann —_FT Cor. 16. 20; 2 Cor. 18, ith | Thess, δ. 26; 2. 3.——n Chap. 1. 8.—g Matt. 10. 16; L Cor 14,20: Or, 

1 Pet, 5. 1. / Acts 15. 1,5, 24: Tim. 6. 3. m1 Cor. d. 9,113 | harmless. « Chap. 15. 33.7 Gen. 3. 15.—wu Or, tread 

2 Thess. 3. 6, 14; 2 Tim. 3. ὃ: Titus 3.10; 2 John 10. Batts Phil, | Ὁ Verse 24; 1 Cor. 16. 23; 2 Cor. 18. 14; Phil. 4. 28: 1 Thess: 

Ὁ: 19; 1Tim, 6. 9. —o Col. 2. 4; 2 Tim. Ἢ 6; Titus 1, 10; 2 Pet. | 5. 28; 2 Thess, 8. 18; Rev. 22. 21, 


13. Rufus chosen in the Lord—Tov ἐκλεκτὸν, 
one of great excellence in Christianity; a choice 
man. So the word ἐκλεκτός often signifies. (Psa. 
Ixxviii, 81; Gen. xxiii, 6; Deut. xii, 11; Judges xx, 
16.) By the same use of the word, the companions 
of Paul and Barnabas are termed chosen men, ἐκλε- 
ξαμένους ἄνδρας, persons in whom the Chureh of 
God could confide. [Rufus may have been the son 
of Simon of Cyrene. (Mark xv, 21.) The fact that 
in Mark, who probably wrote in Rome, the man is 
assumed to be well known, would agree with the 
(apostle’s) eulogy. — Meyer. ] His mother and mine 
—Most likely not naturally; but while she may 
have been the natural mother of the former, she 
acted as a mother to the latter. 

14. Salute Asyncritus, etc.—Hermes was per- 
haps the same to whom a wor k called the Shepherd 
is attributed ; a work with this title is still extant, 
and may be found among the writings of the apos- 
tolical Fathers. But it is in vain to look for iden- 
tity of persons in similarity of names; for among 
the Greeks and Romans at this time there were 
many persons who bore each of the names men- 
tioned in this chapter. 

15. Salute Philologus, etc—Of these several 
persons, though much has been conjectured, noth- 
ing certain is known. Even the names of some are 
so ambiguous that we know not whether they were 
men or women. They were persons known to 
St. Paul, and some of them may have gone from 
different places where he had preached to sojourn 
or settle at Rome. As Peter is not even named or 
referred to among these salutations, it is evident 
that he was not then in Rome, and also that he had 
never been very closely related to the Church in 
that city. If he was ever there, of which there is 

no clear proof, it must have been subsequent to the 
writing of this epistle. 

16. Salute one another with a holy kiss—In 
those times the “ kiss,” as a token of peace, friend- 
ship, and brotherly love, was frequent among all 
people ; and the Christians used it in their public 
assemblies, as well as in their occasional meetings. 
This was at last laid aside, not because it was 
abused, but because the Church becoming very nu- 
merous, the thing was impossible. In some coun- 
tries the kiss of friendship is still common; and in 
such countries it is scarcely ever abused, nor is it 
an incentive to evil, because it is customary and 


common. Shaking of hands is now substituted for 
it in almost all Christian congregations. The 


churches of Christ salute you — The word 

πᾶσαι, all, is to be added here. St. Paul must 

mean, here, that all the Churches in Greece and 

Asia, through which he had passed, in which the 

faith of the Christians at Rome was known, spoke 
92 


of them affectionately and honourably ; and prob- 
ably knowing the aposile’s design of visiting Rome, 
some may have desired to be kindly remembered to 
the Church in that city. 

17. Mark them which cause divisions—Sey- 
eral MSS. read ἀσφαλῶς σκοπεῖτε, look sharply after 
them ; let them have'no kiss of charity nor peace, 
because they strive to make divisions, and thus set 
the flock of Christ at variance among themselves ; 
and from these “divisions,” offences (σκάνδαλα, 
scandals) are produced ; and this is contrary to 
the doctrine of peace, unity, and brotherly love, 
which ye have learned. Look sharply after 
such that they do you no evil, and avoid them— 
give them no countenance, and have no religious 
fellowship with them. [Some think the Judaizers 
to be meant, not absolutely within the pale, but en- 
deavouring to sow dissension in it. Others think 
that Paul only meant to give warning. iz case such 
persons came to Rome ; judging by the text itself, we 
infer that these teachers were similar to those 
sees out elsewhere, (see Phil. iii, 2, 18; 1 Tim. 
Tih BS AC ΧΙ 18. 90: >) unprincipled and selfish 
persons, seducing others for their own gain.—Al- 
ford.| 

18. They ... serve not our Lord Jesus— 
They profess to be apostles, but they are not apos- 
tles of Curist; they neither do his will nor preach 
his doctrine: they ‘‘serve” their own belly— 
they have intruded themselves into the Church of 
Christ for worldly gain; and by sowing the seeds 
of dissension, by means of doubtful pode 
and the propagation of scandals; by glaring and 
insinuating speeches χρηστολογίας, they rend Christ- 
ian congregations, form a party for themselves, 
and thus live on the spoils of the Church of God. 

19. For your obedience is come abroad— 
[[Αὐέκετο, has become known to all.] The apostle 
gives this as a reason why they shéuld continue to 
hear and heed those who had led them into the path 
of truth, and avoid those false teachers whose doc- 
trines tended to the subversion of their souls, Yet 
I would have you wise—[Simple, ἀκεραίους, 
without guilt, blameless.] 1 would wish you care- 
fully to discern the good from the evil, and to show 
your wisdom by carefully avoiding the one and 
cleaving to the other. 

20. The God of peace—Who neither sends 
nor favours such disturbers of the tranquillity of his 
Church. Shall bruise Satan—Shall give you the 
dominion over the great adversary of your souls, 
and over all his agents, who, through his influence, 
endeavour to destroy your peace and subvert your 
minds. Several critics suppose that the word 
“Satan ” isa sort of collective term here, by which 
all opposers and adversaries are meant; and es- 


᾽ 


Conclusion and postscript of 
the epistle. 


21 " Timotheus my workfellow, and * Lucius, 
and » Jason, and *Sosipater, my kinsmen, sa- 
lute you. 22 1 Tertius, who wrote this epis- 
tle, salute you in the Lord. 2% «Gaius mine 
host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. 
bErastus the chainberlain of the city saluteth 
you, and Quartus a brother. 24 ©The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 


ao Acts 16. 1; Phil. 2 19; Col. 1.1; 1 Thess. 3.2: 1 Tim. 1. 2; 
Heb, 13, 23.—=za Acts 13. 1.—y Acts 17. 5. 2 Acts, 2. 4. 
— 1 Cor. 1. 14.—b Acts 19. 22; 2 Tim. 4, 20.—c Verse 
20; 1 Thess, 5. 28. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


A. M. 496%. A. Τῇ 58, 
Year of Rome, 811, 


25 ‘4 Now to him that is of power to stablish 
you *according to my gospel, and the preaching 
of Jesus Christ, ‘according to the revelation 
of the mystery, * which was kept secret since 
the world began, 26 But "now is made man- 
ifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, 
according to the commandment of the ever- 
lasting God, made known to all nations for the 


d Eph. 3. 20; 1 Thess, 3, 13; 2 Thess. 2.17: 3, 3: Jude 24 
e Chap, 2. 16.-—f Eph. 1. 9; 3. 3, 4,5; Col, 1. 27.—g1 Cor. 2 
Bp Be δι 9: Col, 1. 26.—A Eph, 1.9; 2 Tim. 1. 10; Titus 1. 2, 
"οἴ, 1.8), 


εἶ 
ts 
ve 


pecially those false teachers to whom Paul refers 
above. The grace of our Lord—That you may 
be truly wise, simple, obedient, and steady in the 
truth, may the favour or gracious influence of our 
Lord Jesus Christ be with you! without which you 
cannot be preserved from evil, nor do any thing 
that is good. 

Here the apostle appears to have intended to 
conclude his epistle; but afterward he added a 
postscript, if not two, as we shall see below. Several 
ancient MSS. omit the whole of this clause, prob- 
ably thinking that it had been borrowed from 
verse 24; but on the ground that the apostle might 
have added a postscript or two, not having imme- 
diate opportunity to send the epistle, there is no need 
for this supposition. 

21. Timotheus my workfellow—This is on 
all hands allowed to be the same Timothy to whom 
St. Paul directs the two epistles which still bear his 
name. (See Acts xvi, 1, ete.) Lucius—This was 
probably Luke the evangelist, and writer of The 
Acts of the Apostles. Jason—This may have been 
the person mentioned Acts xvii, 7, who at Thessa- 
lonica received the apostles into his house, and be- 
friended them at the risk both of his property and 
life. Sosipater—He wasa Berean, the son of one 
Pyrrhus, a Jew by birth, and acompanied St. Paul 
from Greece into Asia, and probably into Judea. 
(See Acts xx, 4.) [It is quite uncertain whether 
this Sosipater is the same person.—A/ford. | 

22. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle—Some 
eminent commentators suppose Tertius to be the 
same with Silas—the companion of St. Paul. If 
this were so, it is strange that the name which is 
generally given him elsewhere in Scripture should 
not be used in this place. Some learned men have 
supposed that St. Paul wrote this epistle in Syriac, 
and that Tertius translated it into Greek; but this 
can never agree with the declaration here: I Ter- 
tius, who wrote, γράψας τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, this epistle. 
It appears that St. Paul dictated it to him, and he 
wrote it down from the apostle’s mouth; and here 
introduces himself as joining with St. Paul in af- 
fectionate wishes for their welfare. It is not clear 
whether the two following verses be the words of 
Tertius or St. Paul. 

23. Gaius mine host—“ Gaius” in Greek is the 
same as Caius in Latin, which was a very common 
name among the Romans. St. Luke (Acts xix, 29) 
mentions one Gaius of Macedonia. who was exposed 
to much violence at Ephesus in the tumult excited 
by Demetrius the silversmith against St. Paul and 
his companions: and it is barely possible that this 
was the same person. He is here called not only 
the “ host,” ξένος, the entertainer of St. Paul, or 
Tertius, (if he wrote this and the following verse,) 
but also of the whole church; that is, he re- 
ceived and lodged the apostles who came from dif- 
ferent places, as well as the messengers of the 


Churches. Erastus the chamberlain of the city 
— Treasurer of the city of Corinth, from which St, 
Paul wrote this epistle. (See Acts xix, 22.) He 
was one of St. Paul’s companions, and (2 Tim, 
iv, 20) was left about this time by the apostle at 
Corinth. He is called the * chamberlain,” οἰκονό- 
μος, Which signifies the same as treasurer; and if 
Erastus was at this time treasurer, it would appear 
that Christianity was then in considerable repute in 
Corinth. But if the Erastus of the Acts was the 
same with the Erastus mentioned here, it is not 
likely that he now held the office, for this could not 
at all comport with his travelling with St. Paul. 
[The identity is highly problematical.] Quartusa 
brother—Probably nothing more is meant than 
that he was a Christian—one of the heavenly fam- 
ily, a brother in the Lord. 

24. The grace of our Lord—This seems to be 
the conclusion of Tertius, and is similar to what St. 
Paul used above. 

There is a great deal of disagreement among the 
MSS. and Versions relative to this verse ; some re- 
jecting it entirely, and some of those which place 
the following verses at the end of chapter xiv in- 
serting it at the end of the 27th verse in that place. 

25. Now to him—lIn the note at the end of 
chapter xiv I have shown that this and the fol- 
lowing verses are, by the most reputable MSS. and 
Versions, placed at the end of that chapter, which is 
supposed by most critics to be their proper place. 
Of power to stablish you—To that God, without 
whom nothing is wise, nothing strong; who is as 
willing to teach as he is wise; as ready to help as 
he is strong. According to my gospel—That 
“ gospel” which Paui had preached, and of which he 
had become the recognised exponent. This is what 
he here calls the preaching of Jesus Christ. This 
is that mystery which he is so much concerned 
that the Ephesians (chapter iii, 5,) should understand 
and adhere to firmly, and which was revealed to 
him according to that Gospel whereof he was made 
a minister. Which was kept secret—This pur- 
pose of calling the Gentiles, and giving to all men 
equal privileges in the Gospel. ; 

26. But now is made manifest—Now, under 
the New Testament dispensation, and by my preach- 
ing, this whole system of a common salvation 
through Christ is made manifest. By the Scrip- 
tures of the prophets—llints relative to this 
important work being scattered through all their 
works, but no clear revelation of it given there- 
in. As to the cadling of the Gentiles, this was de- 
clared in general terms by the prophets, and the 
apostle quotes and makes a most important use of 
their predictions ; but as to the method of their 
introduction the prophets gave no information, and 
it seems to have been peculiarly revealed to 5t. 
Paul, who received the commandment of the 


everlasting God to make it known εἰς πάντα τὰ 
93 


A. M. 4062. A.D. 58, 
Year of Rome, S11. 


‘obedience of faith: 27 To * God only wise, be 


ROMANS. 


Ascription of praise to God 
through Jesus Christ. 


glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. 


4 Acts 6. 7; chap. 1.5, 1a. 18. 


ἔθνη, to all the Gentiles—all the people of the earth 
that were not of the Jewish race. 

27. To God only wise—This comes in with 
great propriety. He alone who is the fountain of 
wisdom and knowledge had all this mystery in 
himself ; and he alone who knew the times, places, 
persons, and circumstances, could reveal the whole ; 
and he has revealed all in such a way as not only 
to manifest his unsearchable wisdom, but also his 
infinite goodness; therefore, to him be glory for 
his wisdom in devising this most admirable plan; 
and his goodness in sending Christ Jesus to execute 
it; to him, through Jesus Christ, be glory for 
ever! 


One cannot enter into the spirit of this epistle 
unless he appreciates the spirit of a Jew in those 
times, and las some just notion of his utter aver- 
sion to the Gentiles ; his valuing and exalting him- 
self upon his relation to God, and to Abraham ; 
upon his law and pompous worship, circumcision, 
etc., as if the Jews were the only people in the 
world who had any manner of right to the favour 
of God. 

The apostle, in this epistle, disputes with the 
whole body of the Jews without respect to any 
particular sect or party among them. The grand 
proposition or question in debate is, Are we Jews 
better than wury Gentiles? (Chapter iii, 9.) And 
one argument in proof of the negative which the 
apostle espouses is this, (chapter iii, 29:) “Is 
God the God of the Jews only? Is he not also 
of the Gentiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” These 
are the points through which the line of the apos- 
tie’s discourse in the third chapter, and conse- 
quently in all the argumentative part of the epistle, 
must necessarily run; and as, both in the propo- 
sition and in the argument, he evidently means the 
whole body of the Jews in opposition to the whole 
body of the Gentiles, it becomes necessary to give 
such a sense to the apostle’s discourse throughout 
the argumentative part of the epistle as exactly hits 

94 


k1 Tim. 1.17; 6.16; Jude 24, 


and suits this general, collective notion, of Jews 
and Gentiles. 

The whole epistle is to be taken in connexion, or 
considered as one continued discourse; and the © 
sense of every part must be taken from the drift 
of the whole. Every sentence or verse is not to 
to be regarded as a distinct proposition or sentence 
whose sense is absolute and independent of what 
goes before or comes after; but we must remem- 
ber that every sentence bears relation to, and is 
dependent upon, the whole discourse, and cannot 
be understood unless we understand the scope and 
drift of the whole; and therefore the whole epistle, 
or at least the eleven first chapters of it, ought to 
be read together. 

As to the use and excellency of this epistle, I 
shall leave it to speak for itself when the reader 
has studied and well digested the contents of it. 
The most serious interests should invite us to ex- 
amine carefully the doctrine by which (accompanied 
with the gifts and operations of the Spirit of God) 
a few men, otherwise naked, weak, and contemp- 
tible, in opposition to the power, learning, aud deep- 
rooted prejudices of the world, confronted and 
transformed the contemporary Judaism, and over- 
threw the Pagan religion and idolatry throughout 
the Roman empire. The fact cannot be denied. 
And swely the dignity and virtue of the cause 
must be proportionable to such an unusual and 
wonderful result. It is certain the world never, 
either before or since, has seen any thing equal to 
the writings of the New Testament. Never was 
the love of God, and the dignity to which he has 
raised the human race, so clearly shown and dem- 
onstrated; never were motives so divine and pow- 
erful proposed to induce us to the practice of all 
virtue and goodness. Here we may find whatever 
ennobles and adorns the mind; whatever gives solid 
peace and joy ; whatever renders us the most ex- 
cellent and happy creatures ; taught, recommended, 
and enforced by light and authority derived from 
the only fountain of truth and of all good. 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE 


TO 


mere OORT N TEEANS, 


1, THE PLACE. 


ORINTH, on a narrow isthmus between the Saronic and Corinthian gulfs, was 
founded at a very early period, most probably by the Pheenicians. Possess- 
ing great facilities for commerce, it became a splendid city, and at the time it 
was destroyed by the consul Mummius (B. C. 146) was “the richest in Greece, 
and abounded in statues, paintings, and other works of art.” It was called by 
Cicero “ the light of Greece.” After having been thoroughly destroyed, it re- 
mained in ruins for about a century, until Julius Cesar sent thither a colony, 
(B. C. 46,) and about a hundred years later, when visited by the apostle Paul, it 
had again become an important city. Strabo visited it, and in his description, 
written about A. D. 20, he represents it as situated at the foot and on the north 
side of a peak (or hill, Acrocorinthus) something more than a third of a mile in 
height. 
THE CHURCH AT CORINTH. 

The Church in this city was founded by Saint Paul, who came here from Mace- 
donia and Athens about A. D. 52, and preached the Gospel at least a year and 
a half, assisted by Timothy, Silas, and others. (Acts xviii, 1-18.) The Christ- 
ian society was large, and composed almost entirely of Gentiles. (Acts xviii, 
6, 8.) 

[Paul came thither from Athens on his second missionary journey, and spent up- 
ward of a year and a half there. (Acts xviii, 1-17.) He lodged with his fellow- 
craftsman Aquila, who bad come hither from Rome, (see Acts xviii, 1, 2,) and 
subsequently with the proselyte Justus, (Acts xviii, 2-7,) after his friends Silas 
and Timotheus had arrived, (Acts xviii, 5,) and Jewish opposition had caused 
him to separate from the synagogue and turn to the Gentiles. (Acts xviil, 6.) 
Thus the Church, which was at first a mixed one, (though with a majority of 
Gentile Christians, Acts xii, 2,) and also a very numerous one, (Acts xviii, 4, 
8, 10,) became the most important in Greece—the mother Church of the province. 
And yet only a few of the upper and more cultivated classes embraced the faith, 
(such as, on the Jewish side, the president of the synagogue, Crispus, see Acts 
xviii, 8; 1 Cor. i, 4,) a natural effect not so much of the simplicity of Paul’s 
preaching (for Apollos failed also to win over the higher classes) as of the in- 
trinsic character of the Gospel itself, (i, 22, 28,) which, with its preaching of the 
cross, did not suit the pretensions of the presumed higher culture of the Jews 


and Gentiles, especially their fancied philosophy and their moral laxity.—Meyer.] 
vu 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 


OCCASION OF THE EPISTLE. 

About three years after the apostle had left the Corinthian disciples he was in- 
formed that there were divisions among them, and that various abuses had crept 
into the Church. In the time intervening between Paul’s preaching and the 
writing of the epistle, Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew, eloquent and mighty in the 
Scriptures, having received full instruction in Christian doctrine at Ephesus, 
went to Corinth and preached the Gospel. In the illustration of Christianity he 
probably drew largely on the Greek philosophy of Alexandria, and highly de- 
lighted the intellectual Corinthians. Some of his hearers preferred him to Paul; 
others, especially such as had come over to Christianity from Judaism, preferred 
Peter, as being an original apostle of Christ, and denied the apostleship of Paul. 
The most, however, doubtless adhered to Paul. Still others, attaching no im- 
portance to any Christian teacher, satisfied themselves with the doctrines of 
Christ, which had been delivered to them without any exposition from human 
authority. This seems to have been the real state of the case. The apostle does 
not charge them with grave errors in departing from the great doctrines of the 
Gospel, but with creating divisions in the Church. It appears from chapter vii, 1, 
that the Corinthians had already written to Paul concerning certain matters, so 
that he had reasons of a most urgent character for writing to them. 

[But the matter did not end with this division into two parties. There arrived 
at Corinth—taking advantage, perhaps, of the very time of Apollos’s return to 
Ephesus — Judaizing teachers, Petrine Christians of anti-Pauline leanings, pro- 
vided with letters of recommendation, (2 Cor. 111, 1,) perhaps from Peter himself 
among others, labouring to lower the authority of Paul, (ix, 2,) into whose field 
of work they intruded, and to exalt the authority of Peter. (2 Cor. xi, 5.) They 
seem, indeed, not to have come forward with any opposition to Paul’s doctrine, 
and, in particular, they did not insist upon circumcision. But it was natural that 
with their Judaizing tendencies generally, with their legal prejudices regarding 
the use of meats, with their stringency with regard to the moral law, and with 
their exaltation of Peter at the expense of Paul, they should find acceptance with 
the Jewish-Christian part of the community, since they were not slack in vain- 
glorious assertion of the national privileges, (2 Cor. v, 12, xi, 22, xii, 11,) and 
that against the very man from whom the hereditary pride of the Jews had 
everywhere suffered blows which it felt most keenly. Equally natural was it 
that their appearance and operations should not induce a union between the two 
sections that professed Pauline Christianity — the adherents of Paul and of 
Apollos. . . . The addition of a third party to the two already existing aroused 
a deeper feeling of the need for wholly disregarding that which had brought 
about and kept up all this division into parties--the authority of men—and for 
returning to Him alone who is the Master of all—namely, to Christ... . The 
Christian community at Corinth, then, was in this state of fourfold division when 
Paul wrote to them this first epistle; (there was one party for Paul, another for 
Apollos, another for Peter, and still another for Christ;) yet it is to be assumed 
(see xi, 18, xiv, 23) that the evil had not reached such a height of schism that 
the Church no longer assembled at one place.— Meyer. | 


II. PLACE AND TIME OF ITS COMPOSITION. : 
The epistle was evidently written at Ephesus, near the close of the apostle’s 
ministry of twenty-seven months in that city, (Acts xix, 10,) about A. D. 57 or 58. 


Various references in the epistle compared with the Acts determine this place 
96 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS, 


and this time. (See chapter xvi, 8, 19; Acts xviii, 24, 26; xix; xx, passim.) 
It would seem that it was about one year before the beginning of Paul’s ministry 
at Ephesus that Apollos, having come to Ephesus and received full instruction 
in Christianity, went to Corinth, where he preached the Gospel. (Acts xviii, 
24—xix, 1.) 

In chapter v, 9, the apostle refers to a former epistle addressed to the Corin- 
thians, which is no longer extant. It is very probable that the matter discussed 
was not of a general nature, and that the two subsequent epistles of Paul, which 
we now have, so completely covered the ground that the first epistle had no 
further interest, and, of course, would naturally perish. 


Ill. CONTENTS OF THE EPISTLE. 


The apostle reproves the party spirit and dissensions of the Corinthian Christ- 
ians, and justifies himself in not dealing in Greek wisdom when he preached 
among them. He affirms that this wisdom cannot lead men to God; but that the 
Gospel he preached was accompanied by the divine Spirit, and by miraculous 
power ; and that, further, the natural man is incapable of understanding spiritual 
truth. (Chapter ii.) He charges the Corinthians with being carnal, since party 
spirit prevails among them, and affirms that himself and Apollos are merely min- 
isters of the word, and that it is God who gives success. He shows them that 
all the various ministers of the Gospel are theirs, and vindicates his apostolic 
authority, and speaks of his persecutions and sufferings for the sake of Christ, 
and declares that he is their father in the Gospel. (Chapters iii, iv.) From the 
vindication of his apostolic authority he passes to the correction of abuses in the 
Church, and censures severely the crime of one’s having his father’s wife, and 
states how they should deal with such a member, at the same time exhorting 
them to be holy in life, and to associate with no bad man professing the religion 
of Christ. (Chapter v.) He disapproves of Christians going to law with each 
other. He declares that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 
and warns them against impurity. (Chapter vi.) He discusses marriage, which 
he declares in some cases is necessary, but in the present state of the Church has 
many inconveniences. (Chapter vii.) He explains that an idol is nothing, yet it 
is not advisable to eat meat sacrificed to idols when it would offend weak 
brethren. (Chapter viii.) He affirms that it is right that the ministers of the 
Gospel should be supported, but that he has not availed himself of that privilege, 
and that he had laboured solely for the cause of the Gospel, becoming all things 
to all men. (Chapter ix.) He warns them against sin from the examples of Jew- 
ish history, and cautions them against taking a part in idolatrous sacrifices, and 
eating any thing sacrificed to idols when it would give offence. (Chapter x.) 
He gives directions respecting women keeping their heads covered during divine 
service, and condemns the way in which they celebrate the Communion. (Chapter 
xi.) He discusses the various offices in the Church, which are constituted for the 
general good. (Chapter xii.) He gives a description of love, without which he 
declares every other gift is useless; and while every thing else passes away, faith, 
hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. (Chapter xiii.) Headds 
directions respecting the manner in which the spiritual gifts, especially that of 
tongues, are to be used. (Chapter xiv.) The apostle enumerates the testimonies 
to the resurrection of Christ, which he declares to be the vital fact in the religion 
of Christ, and discusses the resurrection of the dead from natural analogies, and 
exhorts them to steadfastness. (Chapter xv.) In the concluding chapter (xvi) 

Vol. I1.—7 9 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 


Paul counsels them concerning collections, and promises to visit them some time 
after Pentecost ; gives directions also about the reception of Timothy, their 
treatment of the house of Stephanas, and other matters, and sends greetings. 


IV. GENUINENESS OF THIS EPISTLE. 


Concerning the genuineness of this epistle there never has been any doubt. 
Even the critics of the Tiibingen school acknowledge it to be Paul’s. It is referred 
to by Clement of Rome in his epistle to the Corinthians, written A. D. 93-96, 
less than forty years after the apostle wrote it. It is also quoted as Paul’s by 
Polycarp. Irenzeus frequently quotes it, and in several places attributes it to 
Paul. It is quoted by Athenagoras (about A. D. 177) as the writing of the 
apostle. Clement of Alexandria quotes it as the First Epistle of Paul to the 
Corinthians. So does Tertullian. In the epistle to Diognetus it is cited. It is 
also referred to in several places in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. 
The undoubted genuineness of this epistle is of the highest importance, as Paul, 
who had been in the company of the apostles, states the appearances of Christ to 
the apostles and others after his resurrection. (Chapter xv, 4-8.) 

In importance of doctrine this epistle stands next to that to the Romans, and 
the description of dove (chapter xiii) is the finest passage on that subject in the 


New Testament. See Harman. 
98 


THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


fee CORLN THIANS. 


CHAPTER I. 
AUL, * called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ 
‘through the will of God, and © Sosthenes 
our brother, 2 Untothe church of God which 
is at Corinth, 4to them that ¢are sanctified in 
Christ Jesus, ‘called to de saints, with all that 
in every place €call upon the name of Jesus 


a Rom 1.— 2 Cor. 1. 1; Eph. 5. Gol, 1.-—c Acts 
ΤΑΝ od Jude 1.-—-e John ik 193 dee 15. 9 yea Rom. 1. 7; 
im. 1. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER 1. 

1. Paul, called to be an apostle—[K/yroc, 
called, is wanting in many good authorities, though 
not of sufficient weight to warrant, its omission. 
The Codex Sinaiticus has it, (and Westcott and 
Hort retain it.)] [The ordinary rendering, ‘‘ called 
to be an apostle,” does not give sufficient prom- 
inence to the leading thought here, which is 
shown by the order of “the words to lie in “apos- 
tle.” An apostle by virtue of his calling, (Acts ix, 
22-26,) having for its deeper ground the will of 
God. (Gal. i, 15.)--Lange.] As the apostle had 
many irregularities to reprehend in the Corinthian 
Church, it was necessary that he should be explicit 
in stating his authority. He was “ called —con- 
stituted an apostle ; Jesus Christ himself had made 


him an “apostle,” that is, had given him a divine. 


commission to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, 
and to found among them the Church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Through the will of God—By a 
particular appointment from God alone; for, being 
an extraordinary messenger, he derived no part of 
his authority from man. Sosthenes our brother 
—Perhaps the same person as is mentioned in Acts 
xviii, 7. 

2. The church of God which is at Corinth 
—This Chureh was planted by the ies himself 
about A. Ὁ. 52. (See on Acts xviii, 1, ete.) [Τῇ ἐκκλη- 
cia τοῦ Θεοῦ, “ the congregation,” or “the church of 
God,” is the Old Testament designation of Israel as 
a divinely gathered people. “Οὐ God”—the Co- 
rinthian Church is hereby emphatically declared to 
belong, not to a human leader, but to God alone. 
The Church is n1s.—Zange.| Sanctified in Christ 
Jesus—‘Hyiacpévoic, separated from the corrup- 
tions of their place and age. [Ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ 
gives to the ἡγιασμένοις, sanctified, its distinctively 
Christian character. KAnroic ἁγίοις, called, or elect 
saints, is added in order to a properly exhaustive de- 
scription of that experienced benefit of God’s grace 


Christ tour Lord, ‘both theirs and ours: 
3 «Grace be unto you, and peace, from God 
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Clirist. 

'T thank my God always on your behalf, 
for the grace of God which is given you by 
Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye ure 
enriched by him, "in all utterance, and in all 


σ Acts 9, 14, 21; 22. 16; 9 Tim, 2 
8, 22; 10, 12..- ἢ Kom, 1. 7:23 Cor, 1. 
ἂν &.- ——m Cc hap. 12, 8; 2 Cor. 8. i. 


33 —AC hap. & ὁ, 


: Eph i. 2. 


i Rom, 


/ Rom, 


of which the readers as ( ‘hris stians were assumed to 
be conscious.—Meyer.| Called to be saints— 
Κλητοῖς ἁγίοις, constituted saints, ov invited to become 
such ; this was the desi sign of the Gospel, for Jesus 
Christ came to save men from their sins. With 
all that in every place, etc.— All who have like 
precious faith, both in Corinth, Ephesus, and other 
parts of Greece and Asia Minor. No doubt Pau! 
intended that this epistle should be the general 
property of the universal Church of Christ; though 
there are several matters in it that are specially de- 
signed for the Corinthians only. Both theirs and 
ours—That is, Jesus Christ is the common Lord 
and Saviour of all. He is the exclusive property of 
no one Church, or people, or nation; [he is the 
common Saviour and Head of all that call upon 
him.] Calling on, or invoking, the name of the Lord 
Jesus was the proper distinguishing mark of a 
Christian. In those times of apostolic light and 
purity no man attempted to invoke God but in the 
name of Jesus Christ; [nor did they invoke any 
creature, whether angel or saint. } 

3. Grace be unto you—See on Rom. i, 7. 

4. For the grace... which is given you— 
Not only their calling to be saints, and to be 
tified in Christ Jesus; but for the various spiritual 
gifts which they had received, as specified in the 
succeeding verses. [ A conciliatory preamble, 
bringing forward, first of all, with true affection, 
what was laudable, so far as it existed, and lovingly 
leaving out of view for a time what was blame- 
worthy, but withal soberly keeping within the 
bounds of truth, and tracing all up to God.— Meyer. } 
[Ev Χριστῷ, not as for S:a,—through Christ,—nor 
as by, as in the Englis sh text, but as usual in this 
connexion, in Christ; that is, to you as members 
of Christ.—A//ord. | 

5. Ye are enriched (ye abound) in all utter- 
ance—’Ev παντὶ λόγῳ, in all doctrine. All the 


truths of God, relative to their salvation, had been 
99 


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A. M. 4000, A. Ὁ. 56. 
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I. CORINTHIANS. 


The apostle exhorts the 
Corinthians to unity. 


knowledge; 6 Even as "the testimony of 
Christ was confirmed in you: 7 So that ye 
come behind in no gift ; ° waiting for the P com- 
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 5. 4 Who shall 
also confirm you unto the end, ‘that ye may 
be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 9 * God 7s faithful, by whom ye were 
called unto tthe fellowship of his Son Jesus 


Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, 
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, "that ye all speak the same thing, and 
that there be no ‘divisions among you; but 
that ye be perfectly joined together in the same 
mind and in the same judgment. I For it 
hath been declared unto me of you, my breth- 
ren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, 


nm Chap. 2. 1; 2 Tim. 1. ἃ: Rev. 1. 2.—o Phil. 3. 20: Titus 
9.13; 2 Pet. 3. 12.—p Gr. revelution, Col. 3. 4.—q1 Thess. 
3..13.—r Col. 1. 22; 1 Thess. 5. 23. 8 15ἃ. 49. 7; chap. 10. 13; 


1 Thess. 5. 24; 2 Thess. 3.3; Heb. 10. 23.—# John 15. 4: 17. 21; 
1 John 1.3; 4. 13.—vw Rom. 12. 16; 15.5; 2 Cor. 13. 11; Phil. 
2.2; 3.16; 1 Pet. 3. 8.—v Gr. schisms, chap. 11. 18. 


declared to them; and they had all knowledge ; 
so that they perfectly apprehended the doctrines 
which they had heard. 

6. As the testimony of Christ, etc.—The tes- 
timony of Christ is the Gospel which the apostle 
had preached, and which had been confirmed by 
various gifts of the Holy Spirit and miracles 
wrought by the apostle. (Fv ὑμῖν, in you, in their 
souls, by steadfast faith. (John v, 38.)—Jeyer.] 

7. So that ye come behind, (do not fall short) 
in no gift—Every “ gift” and grace of God’s Spirit 
was possessed by the members of that Church, 
some having their gifts after this manner, others 
after that. Waiting for the coming of our 
Lord—It is difficult to say whether the apostle 
means the final judgment, or our Lord’s coming to 
destroy Jerusalem, and make an end of the Jewish 
polity. (See 1 Thess. iii, 13.) As he does not ex- 
plain himself particularly, he must refer to a sub- 
ject with which they were well acquainted. As the 
Jews in general continued to contradict and blas- 
pheme, it is no wonder if the apostle should be di- 
rected to point out to the believing Gentiles that 
the judgments of God were speedily to fall upon 
this rebellious people, and scatter them over the 
face of the earth; which shortly afterward took 
place. [Scarcely any two interpreters are agreed 
as to the meaning of this phrase, though certain 
theories respecting it have had their schools of sup- 
porters. These, however, cannot be here examined ; 
the reader will find the matter discussed at greater 
or less length in Alford, McClintock and Strong, 
Dr. Gloag, and Dr. Whedon; but none of these 
brings out a satisfactory solution of the real sense 
of the not unfrequent apostolic allusions to the 
“coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,” and similar 
expressions in a great many places. | 

8. Who shall... confirm you—As the testi- 
mony of Christ was confirmed among you, so, in 
conscientiously believing and obeying, God will “ con- 
firm you” through that testimony. (See verse 6.) In 
the day of our Lord Jesus—In the day that he 
comes to judge the world, according to some ; but, 
in the day in which he comes to destroy the Jewish 
polity, according to others; [others would say, the 
day of death to each one.| While God destroys 
them that are disobedient, he can save those who 
believe. 

9. God is faithful—The faithfulness of God is 
a favourite expression among the ancient Jews; 
and by it they properly understand the integrity of 
God in preserving whatever is intrusted to him. 
Unto the fellowship, etc.—Into the communion 
or participation of Christ, in the graces of his 
Spirit, and the glories of his future kingdom. God 
will continue to uphold and save you if you intrust 
yourselves wholly to him. But can it be said that 
God will keep what is either κοΐ intrusted to him, 
or, after being intrusted, is taken away? [The 
“ fellowship ” (κοινωνία, enjoyment in common) with 

100 


the Son—that is, the common inheritance of the 
saints—is in accordance with the idea of the καλεῖν, 
(calling,) which always refers to the Messianic king- 
dom of fellowship of the glory of the Son of God in 
the eternal Messianic life,—a “fellowship” which will 
be the glorious comp/etion of the (present) state of 
υἱοθεσία, (sonship by adoption.) (Gal. iv, 7..—Meyer. | 

10. Now I beseech you, brethren—The apos- 
tle, having finished his introduction, comes to his 
second point, exhorting them to abstain from dis- 
sensions, that they might be of the same heart and 
mind, striving together for the hope of the Gospel. 
[‘“Brethren”—a winning and tender form of address 
often introduced by Paul just at the point where he 
has a serious word to speak.— Meyer.] By the name 
of our Lord Jesus—By his authority, and in his 
place; and on account of your infinite obligations 
to his mercy in calling you into such a state of sal- 
vation. [As the bond of union, and as the most 
holy name by which they could be adjured. (Rom. 
xii, 1.)—Stanley.| That ye all speak the same 
thing—[Give expression to your (real) inward ac- 
cord and harmony of sentiment. ... They were 
with one voice to avow their allegiance to the one 
Lord, to the exclusion of all divisive watchwords. 
—Lange.| The members of the Church of God 
should seek to be of the same mind, and to speak 
the same thing, in order to prevent divisions, which 
always hinder the work of God. On every essential 
doctrine of the Gospel all genuine Christians agree ; 
why, then, need religious communion be interrupted? 
This general agreement is all that the apostle can 
have in view ; for it cannot be expected that any 
number of men should in every respect perfectly 
coincide in their views of all the minor points, on 
which an exact conformity of sentiment is impossi- 
ble to minds so variously constituted as those of the 
human race. Angels may thus agree, who see 
nothing through an imperfect or false medium ; but 
to man this is impossible. Therefore, men should 
bear with each other. [Through the fact that 
Christians in Corinth thought differently (νοῦς, were 
not disposed alike) on important matters, and in 
consequence of this difference of thinking formed, 
in a partisan spirit, different opinions and judgments, 
(yvoun,) and fought for these against each other, 
the τὸ αὐτὸ λέγειν (to speak the same thing) was 
wanting, and the σχίσματα (divisions) prevailed.— 
Meyer. | 

11. By them which are of the kouse of 
Chloe—[Who “Chloe” was, and what persons, 
somehow related to her, are here meant, we have no 
means of judging. It has been conjectured that 
she was a Corinthian Christian, members of whose 
household had come to Ephesus; and again, that 
she was an Ephesian well known to the Corinthians, 
members of whose household had been in Corinth 
and returned thence. See Meyer.] Contentions 
—'Epvec, altercations ; produced by the σχίσματα, 
divisions, mentioned above. When once they had 


The Corinthians admonished not 
to be contentious, 


CHAPTER I. 


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Year of Rome, 809, 


that there are contentions among you. 12 Now 
this Isay, * that every one of you saith, I am 
of Paul; and I of * Apollos; and I of ἡ Cephas; 
and I of Christ. 18 115 Christ divided? was 
Pau) crucified for you? or were ye baptized in 
the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I 
baptized none of you, but * Crispus and ἡ Gaius; 


. 4.—=a Acts 18. 24; 19. 1; chap. 16. 12.—y John 
2.—z 2 Cor. 11. 4; Eph. 4.5. «@ Acts 18, 8. 


divided, they very naturally contended, in order to 
support their respective parties. 

12. Every (each) one of you saith—It seems, 
from this expression that the whole Church at Cor- 
inth was in a state of dissension; they were all di- 
vided into: 1) Paulians, or followers of St. Paul; 
2) Apollonians ; 3) Kephians ; and 4) Christians, 
or followers of Christ par excellence. [These des- 
ignations are (probably) not used as pointing to ae- 
tual parties formed and subsisting among the Corin- 
thians, but as representing the spirit WITH WHICH 
THEY STROVE against one another, alleging against 
one another their special attachments — some to 
Paul, etc. Yet these sayings hint at matters of fact, 
and are not simply exempli gratia; allof which indeed 
seems to be necessitated by chap. iv, 6. See Alford.] 

13. Is Christ divided—[Lachmann makes this 
verb indicative, charging them with having divided 
Christ by their schisms; but it is better to take it 
interrogatively. “15 Christ ” (the person of Christ, 
as the centre and bond of Christian unity, not the 
Gospel, nor the Church, nor the power of Christ, or 
his right over all) “ divided” into various parts, un- 
der different leaders, which would be equivalent to 
divided against himself ? See Alford.] Was Paul 
crucified for you—|By repudiating all possibility 
of himself being the head of their Church, he does 
so, a fortiori, for Cephas and Apollos; for he found- 
ed the Church at Corinth.—<A/lford.| [Were ye 
baptized in the name of Paul—There was no 
need of a single word more regarding the first two 
questions ; the answer was self evident. But as to 
the /asf, the apostle has some (further) remarks to 
make.—Meyer. | 

14. I baptized none of you—Except Crispus 
(Acts xviii, 8) and Gaius. (Rom. xvi, 23.) 

15. Lest any should say, etc.—Paul was care- 
ful not to baptize, lest it should be supposed that 
he wished to make a party for himself ; because su- 
perficial observers might imagine that he baptized 
them info his own name—to be his followers, 
though he baptized them into the name of Christ 
only. Instead of ἐβάπτισα, I have baptized, [a large 
preponderance of the best authorities] read ἐβαπτίσ- 
θητε, ye were baptized. And if we read iva, so that, 
instead of dest, the sentence will stand thus: So 
that no one can say that ye were baptized into my 
name. This is evidently the true reading. 

16. The household of Stephanas—From chap- 
ter xvi, 15, we learn that the family of “ Stepha- 
nas’ were the first converts in Achaia, probably 
converted and baptized by the apostle himself. 
Epenetus is supposed to be one of this family. 
(Rom. xvi. 5.) I know not whether I bap- 
tized any other—I do not recollect that there 
is any person now residing in Corinth or Achaia, 


besides the above-mentioned, whom I have baptized. | 
[He baptized only the first converts; afterward, | 


when those multiplied, he transferred the business 
to helpers.— Lange. } 


15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in 
mine own name. 46 And I baptized also the 
household of «Stephanas: besides, I know not 
whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ 
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the 
gospel: ὁποῦ with wisdom of © words, lest the 
cross of Christ should be nade of none effect. 


b Rom. 16. 23.—c Chap. 16. 15, 17. d Chap. 2. 1,4, 13; 2 Pet. 
1. 16.—e Or, speech. 


Bishop Pearce translates thus: For Christ sent me, 
not so much to baptize, as to preach the Gospel : and 
he supports his version thus:—‘ The writers of 
the Old and New Testaments do almost everywhere 
(agreeably to the Hebrew idiom) express a prefer- 
ence given to one thing beyond another by an af- 
firmation of that which is preferred and a negation 
of that which is contrary to it: and so it must be 
understood here; for if St. Paul was not sent at 
all to baptize, he baptized without a commission : 
but if he was sent, not only to baptize but to preach 
also, or to preach rather than baptize, he did in 
fact discharge his duty aright.” It appears sufli- 
ciently evident that baptizing was considered to be 
an inferior office; and though every minister of 
Christ might administer it, yet apostles had more 
important work. Preparing the adult heathens 
for baptism by the continual preaching of the word 
was of much greater consequence than baptizing 
them when thus prepared to receive and profit by 
it. Not with wisdom of words—Oix« ἐν come 
λόγου. In several places in the New Testament 
the term λόγος is taken not only to express a word, 
a speech, a saying, ete., but doctrine, or the matter 
of teaching. Here, and in 1 Thess. i, 5, and in sev- 
eral other places, it seems to signify that mode of 
rhetorical argumentation so highly prized among the 
Greeks. The apostle was sent, not to pursue this 
mode of conduct, but simply to anneunce the truth ; 
to proclaim Christ crucified for the sin of the world ; 
and to do this in the plainest and simplest manner 
possible, lest the numerous conversions which fol- 
lowed might be attributed to the power of the apos- 
tle’s eloquence, and not to the demonstration of the 
Spirit of God. It is worthy of remark, that in all 
the revivals of religion with which we are acquaint- 
ed, God appears to have made very little use of hu- 
man eloquence, even when possessed by pious men, 
His own nervous truths, announced by plain com- 
mon sense, though in homely phrase, have been the 
general means of the conviction and conversion of 
sinners. Human eloquence and learning have 
often been successfully employed in defending the 
outworks of Christianity ; but simplicity and truth 
have preserved the citadel. It is further worthy of 
remark, that when God was about to promulgate lis 
laws, he chose Moses as the instrument, who ap- 
pears to have laboured under some natural impedi- 
ment in his speech, so that Aaron, his brother, was 
obliged to be his spokesman to Pharaoh ; and, that 
when God had purposed to publish the Gospel to 
the Gentile world—to Athens, Ephesus, Corinth, 
and Rome—he was pleased to use Saul of Tarsus as 
the principal instrument; ἃ man © whose bodily 
presence” was “weak, and his speech contemp- 
tible.” (2 Cor. x, 1, 10.) And thus it was proved 
that God sent him to preach, not with human elo- 
quence, lest the cross of Christ should be made 
of none effect, but with the demonstration and 
power of his own Spirit ; and thus the excellence of 


17. For Christ sent me not to baptize —! the power appeared fo be of God, and not of man. 


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Year of Rome, 809. 


48 For the preaching of the cross is to ‘them 
that perish, ¢foolishness; but unto us * which 
are saved, it is the ‘power of God. 19 For it 
is written, «I will destroy the wisdom of the 
wise, and will bring to nothing the understand- 
ing of the prudent. 20 ' Where is the wise? 
where és the scribe? where és the disputer of 


I CORINTHIANS. 


The Gospel is to the believer 
the power of God. 


this world? hath not God made foolish the 
wisdom of this world? 28 "For after that 
in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom 
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolish- 
ness of preaching to save them that believe. 
22 For the °-Jews require a sign, and the 
Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach 


YA Roy GOL, ΤΕ Ὁ Acts 17. 18: chap. 2. 14.—AChap, 15. 2. 
ὦ Rom. 1. 16; verse 24.—/ Job ὃ. 13, 13; Isa. 29, 14; Jer. 
8. 9.—lU Isa. 33. 18. 


att. 
38, 16.15 


Ὧν Job 12. 17, 20, 24; Isa. 44, 25; Rom. 1. 29. 
11. 25; Luke 10. 21; Rom. 1, 20, 21, 28.—o Matt. 15, 
Mark 8, 11; Luke 11. 16; John 4. 48, 


18. For the preaching of the cross — That 
which proclaims salvation to a lost world through 
the crucifixion of Christ. [The Gospel (cross) preached 
(set forth in God’s own way) is “ foolishness” to 
the natural man, who is hastening to perdition; 
its saving offices, wrought in susceptible spirits by 
the power of the Holy Ghost, constitute all such the 
saved—present, progressive, and to become com- 
plete.| Is to them that perish, foolishness— 
There are, properly speaking, but two classes of men 
known where the Gospel is preached ; ἀπολλυμένοι, 
the wiubelievers, who are perishing ; and σωζομένοι, 
the believers, who are in a state of salvation. To 
those who continue in the first state, the preaching 
of salvation through the merit of a crucified Sav- 
iour is folly. To those who believe, this doctrine of 
Christ crucified is the power of God to their salva- 
tion ; it is divinely efficacious to deliver them from 
the guilt, the power, and the pollution of sin. 

19. For it is written sa. xxix, 14.) I 
will destroy the wisdom of the wise—Tov 
σοφῶν, of wise men, of the philosophers ; who in 
their investigations seek God least of all, and whose 
highest discoveries amount to nothing in compar- 
ison of the grand truths relative to God, the spir- 
itual world, and the true end of man, which the 
Gospel has brought to light. [Lowth translates 
this passage: “The wisdom of the wise shall per- 
ish, and the prudence of the prudent shall dis- 
appear.” In this, and also in the Greek of the 
passage, there is a play upon the words, an allitera- 
tion, σωφίαν TOV σοφῶν, and σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν. 
(See Revised Version.)] But all the sceptics and 
deists, by their schemes of natural religion and 
morality, have not been able to save one soul! No 
sinner has ever been converted from the error of 
his ways by their preaching or writings. [The 
justification of this way of regarding such pas- 
sages lay in the Messianic character of the Old 
Testament prophecy in general, according to which 
the historic sense of the utterance does not ex- 
clude the purpose of prophecy, but leaves typical 
references open, which declare themselves histori- 
cally by some corresponding Messianic fact, and 
hence are recognised afterward from the point of 
view of historical fulfilment.— Meyer. ] 

20, Where is the wise.... the scribe.... 
the disputer of this world—These words most 
manifestly refer to the Jews; as the places (Isa. 
xxix, 14; xxxili, 18; xliv, 25) to which Paul re- 
fers cannot be understood of any but the Jews. 
The wise man, σοφός, of the apostle, is the DDn, 
chakam, of the prophet, whose office it was to 
teach others. The scribe, γραμματεύς, of the apos- 
tle, is the 45D, sopher, of the prophet; this sig- 
nifies any man of learning, as distinguished from 
the common people, especially any master of the 
traditions. The disputer, συνζητητῆς, answers to the 
wot, derosh, or was, darshan, the propounder of 
questions ; the seeker of allegorical, mystical, and 
cabalistical senses from the Holy Scriptures. Now 

102 


as all these are characters well known among the 
Jews, and as the words αἰῶνος τούτου, of this world, 
are a simple translation of FN ody, olam hazzeh, 
which is repeatedly used to designate the Jewish 
republic, there is no doubt that the apostle has the 
Jews immediately in view. This wisdom of theirs 
induced them to seek out of the sacred oracles 
any sense but the true one; and they made the 
word ot God of none effect by their traditions. 
After them, and precisely on their model, the 
schoolmen arose; and they rendered the doctrine of 
the Gospel of no effect by their hypercritical ques- 
tions and endless distinctions without differences. 
By the preaching of Christ crucified God made 
foolish the wisdom of the Jewish wise men ; and, 
after that the pure religion of Christ had been cor- 
rupted by a Church that was of this world, God 
rendered the wisdom and disputing of the school- 
men foolishness by the revival of pure Christian- 
ity at the Aeformation. 

21. For after that in the wisdom of God— 
Dr. Lightfoot observes, “That σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, the 
wisdom of God, is not to be understood of that 
wisdom which had God for its author, but of that 
wisdom which had God for its object. But the 
world in its divinity could not, by wisdom, know 
God.” The plain meaning of this verse is, that 
the wise men of the world, especially the Greek 
philosophers, who possessed every advantage that 
human nature could have independently of a di- 
vine revelation, and who had cultivated their minds 
to the uttermost, could never, by their learning, 
wisdom, and industry, find out God; nor had the 
most refined philosophers among them just and 
correct views of the divine nature, nor of that in 
which human happiness consists. The work of 
Lucretius. (De Natura Rerwm,) and the work of 
Cicero, (De Natura Deorum,) are manifest proofs 
of this. Even the writings of Plato and Aristotle 
have contributed little to remove the veil which 
clouded the understanding of men. No wisdom but 
that which came from God could ever penetrate and 
illuminate the human mind. [’Eevd7, since, giving 
a more detailed explanation of G'o@’s making fool- 
ish the wisdom of this world.| “In the wisdom of 
God;” [as part of the wise arrangement of God. 
God in his wisdom and mercy allowed intellectual 
speculation to prove by experience its own barren- 
ness, and so to serve as a kind of schoolmaster to 
bring the world to Christ.— Sp. Com.] By the 
foolishness of preaching—By the preaching of 
Christ crucified, which the Gentiles termed μωρία, 
foolishness, in opposition to their own doctrines, 
which they termed ow@ia, wisdom. It was not by 
the foolishness of preaching, really, nor by foolish 
preaching, that God saved the wor ld: but by that 
Gospel which they called μωρία, foolishness ; which 
was, in fact, the wisdom of God, and also the power 
of God to the salvation of them that believed. 

22. For (since) the Jews require a sign 
(sigus)—[Seeing the Jews require signs, σημεῖα, and 


The simple minded chosen of God 
rather than the worldly wise. 


Christ crucified, Punto the Jews a stumbling- 
block, and unto the Greeks 4foolishness; 
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews 
and Greeks, Christ 'the power of God, and 
‘the wisdom of God. 28 Because the fool- 
ishness of God is wiser than men; and the 
weakness of Godis stronger than men. 26 For 
ye see your calling, brethren, how that ‘not 
many wise men after the flesh, not many 


p Isa. & 14: Matt, 11. 6; 13.57; Luke 32. 4: John 6, 60, 66; Rom, 
9, 32; Gal. 5. 11; 1 Pet. 2. 8.——gq Verse 18; chap. 2. 14. r Kom. 
1. 4, 16; verse 18. 


the Greeks seek (ask) for wisdom, σοφίαν. Jews and 
Greeks here represent two classes of men accord- 
ing to their peculiar characteristics. [The whole 
habit of the Jewish mind was to doubt, and to de- 
mand of their teachers special signs on all occa- 
sions. (See Matt. xii, 38; xxviii, 42.) The Greeks 
here, as in Rom. i, 16, and elsewhere, stand for the 
Gentiles generally. They are the people who best 
represent the whole multitude of nations (év7) 
found outside of the covenant relation with God, 
and who, in respect of culture and language, pre- 
pared the whole civilized world for Christianity ; 
just as the Jews, scattered among them all, did the 
same thing in respect of religion, being freighted 
with the promise which was to be fulfilled in Christ. 
—Lange.| 

23. But we— Apostles, differing widely from 
these Gentile philosophers. Preach Christ cruci- 
fied—Call on men, both Jews and Gentiles, to be- 
lieve in Christ, as having purchased their salvation 
by shedding his blood for them. [ We (apostles and 
disciples) preach (proclaim, set forth, simply  stat- 
ing the facts and the doctrines, without learned and 
elaborate argumentations) Christ (God’s appoint- 
ed Messiah, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth) 
crucified, (offered as an atoning sacrifice for the sin 
of the world,—making an atonement by his death.) 
The apostles knew of salvation only in Christ, (Acts 
iv, 12,) and it is eminently by virtue of his death 
that he saves. (Rom. v, 10; Phil. ii, 8; Heb. ii, 9, 
etc.)] | Unto the Jews a stumblingblock—Be- 
cause Jesus came meek, lowly, and impoverished ; 
not seeking worldly glory, nor affecting worldly 
pomp; whereas ¢hey expected the Messiah to come 
as a worldly prince and conqueror: because Christ 
did not come so, they were offended at him. Unto 
the Greeks foolishness—Both the matter and 
manner of the preaching of the apostles were oppo- 
site to every notion they had formed of what was 
dignified and philosophic. 

24. But unto them which are called—Toic 
κλητοῖς, those, both of Jews and Greeks, who were 
by the preaching of the Gospel “ called” or invited 
to the marriage feast, and have accordingly believed 
in Christ Jesus; they prove this doctrine to be di- 
vinely powerful to enlighten and convert the soul 
The “called,” or invited, κλητοῖ, is a title of genuine 
Christians, and is often so used in the New Test- 
ament. “Aycot, saints, is used in the same sense. 
[Κλητός, as applied to those who were saved in 
Christ, has a twofold significance: objective, in re- 
spect to the invitation of the Gospel, and subjective, 
in respect to its acceptance and the resultant gra- 
cious ra 

25. The foolishness of God is wiser, ete.— 
The things of God’s appointment, though they 
seem to men “ foolishness,” are nevertheless infi- 
nitely beyond the highest reach of human wisdom ; 
and those works of God which appear to superti- 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 406, A. D. 54, 
Year of Rome, 09. 


mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But 
"God hath chosen the foolish things of the 
world to confound the wise; and God hath 
chosen the weak things of the world to con- 
found the things which are mighty; 28 And 
base things of the world, and things which are 
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and ἡ things 
which are not, “to bring to naught things that 


are: 29 *That no flesh should glory in his 

aCol. 2, 3.-—tJohn 7, 48.--- Matt. 11. 95: James 2.5: see 
Psa. 8, 2.—v Rom. 4. 17,—wz Chap. 2. 6.—a Rom. 8. 27; 
Eph. 2. 9, 


cial observers weak and contemptible, surpass all 
the efforts of human power. The means which 
God has appointed for the salvation of men are so 
wisely ordered and so energetically powerful, that 
all who properly use them shall be infallibly 
brought to the end—final blessedness, which he 
has promised to them who believe and obey. 

26. Ye see your calling—Tjv κλῆσιν, The state 
of grace and blessedness into which ye have been 
brought. Βλέπετε τὴν κλῆσιν, etc., should be read 
in the imperative : Take heed to, or consider your 
calling, brethren ; that (drt) not many of you are 
wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many 
noble ; men is not in the original, and Paul seems 
to allude to the Corinthian believers in particular. 
[Among these they would see that there were not 
many “ wise,” etce.] [A/ter the flesh, specifies the 
kind and manner of the wisdom, and marks it out 
as purely human, and distinguishes it from the 
Christian wisdom (chapter ii, 6, 7) which proceeds 
from the Spirit—Meyer.| [Not many mighty— 
Avvaroi, mighty men of the world. Noble—Enpe- 
veic, of high descent. The early Church had but few 
such, and yet it had some. The Countess of Hunt- 
ingdon is said to have declared that the letter m, 
in the word “many” was contained therein for her 
benefit; for had it been “not any,” instead of 
“not many, noble,” she could not have been among 
the ‘ elect.” 

27. But God hath chosen the foolish things 
—|[Ta μωρὰ, foolish things, (nenter, for broader gen- 
eralization, but equivalent to τοὺς μωρούς, foolish per- 
sons.) ... τοῦ κόσμου, not in the eyes of the world, but 
in fact ; for they were not only seemingly, but really 
foolish when God chose them,—A//ord.| God has 
chosen by means of rude and illiterate men to con- 
found the greatest of the Greek philosophers, and 
overturn their systems; and, by means of men 
without secular power or authority, to confound 
the scribes and Pharisees, and in spite of the exer- 
tions of the Jewish Sanhedrin, to spread the doe- 
trine of Christ crucified throughout the world, and 
by such instruments to convert thousands of souls 
to the faith of the Gospel. 

28. And base things ... and things which 
are despised—[‘' Base things,” τὰ ἀγενη, the low 
born, in respect to worldly things ; and the despised, 
(chapter iv, 13.) of men. Things which are not 
Ta μὴ ὄντα, things as good as having πὸ exislence, 
(worthless ones.) Persons, rather than things, are 
indicated by all these neuters, which are used for 
generalization. See Alford.] ; 

29. That no flesh should glory —[ 7/at a/l 
flesh (all men, every thing human) may have no 
ground of boasting before God. The negative in 
these clauses goes with the verb, not with the ad- 
jective, πᾶσα, all—Alford.] God does his mighty 
works in such a way as proves that, though he may 
condescend to employ men as instruments, in they 

OF 


A. M. 4960. A.1. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul’s apology for the manner and 
matter of his preaching. 


presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ 
Jesus, who of God is made unto us ¥ wisdom, 
and “righteousness, and * sanctification, and 
yredemption: 3 That, according as it is writ- 
ten, *He that glorieth, let him glory in the 
Lord. 


CHAPTER II. 
ND I, brethren, when I came to you, 
came not with excellency of speech or 
of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony 
of God. 2 For I determined not to know any 
thing among you, ‘save Jesus Christ, and him 


21; Phil. 3, 9. Jobn 


® Verse 24.—vw Jer, 23. 5,6; 2 Cor. 5 
- 23, 24; 2 Cor. 10. 17. 


17. 19.—-y Eph. 1. 7. —e Jer. “δ 


a Chap. 1. 17; verses 4,13; 2 Cor, 10. 10; 
cGal. 6. 14; Phil. 8. Ὁ, 


11. 6. —0 Chap. 1. 6. 


have no part either in the contrivance or energy by 
which such works are performed. 

30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus—Even 
the good which you possess is granted by God; for 
it is by and through him that Christ Jesus comes, 
and all the blessings of the Gospel dispensation. 
[Ev Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, the salvation of the Gospel, is 
primarily of God, though the saved are brought to 
subsist, spiritually, iz Christ.| Who of God is 
made unto us wisdom—As being the author of 
that evangelical ‘“ wisdom ” which far excels the 
wisdom of the philosopher and the scribe, and even 
that legal constitution which is called the wisdom 
of the Jews. (Deut. iv, 6.) And righteousness— 
Δικαιοσύνη, justification, as procuring for us that re- 
mission of sins which the law could not give. (Gal. 

, 21; ili, 21.) And sanctification—As procur- 

ing for and working in us, not only an external and 
relative holiness, as was that of the Jews, but ὁσι- 
ότητι τῆς ἀληθείας, true and eternal holiness, (Eph. 
iy, 24,) wrought in us by the Holy Spirit. And re- 
demption—He is the author of “redemption,” not 
from the Egyptian bondage or Babylonish captivity, 
but from the servitude of Satan, the dominion of 
sin and death, and from the bondage of corruption 
into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, or the 
redemption from hades. (Rom. viii, 21, 23.) [ Wis- 
dom: for to believers is revealed τς counsel of 
God, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge. (Chap. ii, '7; Col. ii, 8.) Righteousness : 
for by means of faith we are, ‘through the Lord’s 
atoning death, constituted righteous before God. 
(Rom. iii, § 24.) ‘Sanctification: (holiness: *) for in those 
who are justified by faith Christ works continually 
by his Spirit the new holy life. (Rom. viii, 1-11.) 
Redemption : for Christ has delivered believers, 
through his blood paid as their ransom, (Rom. iii, 
24: .νἱ, 20; vii, 23,) from the wrath ‘of God to 
which ‘they were subject before the entrance of 
faith. (Eph. i, 7; ii, 8.)\—MJeyer.] The object of 
the apostle is to show that man of himself pos- 
sesses no good; that whatever he has comes from 
God, and from ‘God only through Christ. 

31. According as it is written—(Jer. ix, 23, 
94) So then, as all σοοα is of and from God, let 
him who has either wisdom, strength, riches, par- 
don, holiness, or any other blessing, whether tem- 
poral or spiritual, acknowledge that he has nothing 
but what he has received ; and that, as he has cause 
of glorying (boasting or exultation) in being made a 
partaker of these benefits and mercies of his 
Creator and Redeemer, let him boast in God alone, 
by whom, through Christ Jesus , he has received the 
whole. 


In the divided state of the Corinthian Church it 
appears that the apostle’s authority had been set 
at naught by some and questioned by many. St. 
Paul therefore begins his letter by showi ing his au- 
thority, that he had it immediately through Christ 
Jesus himself, by the will of God. And indeed the 
success of his preaching was a sufficient proof of 

104 


the divinity of his call. It was necessary, therefore, 
that he should call the attention of this people to 
the divine origin of his mission, that they might ae- 
knowledge that the excellency of the power was of 
God, and not of man. It was necessary, also, that 
he should conciliate their good will, and therefore 
he speaks as favourably concerning them as truth 
would allow ; and he shows them that they received 
all their gifts and graces through God’s confirmation 
of that testimony which he (Paul) had delivered 
among them, (Verses 4-7.) And when he has thus 
prepared their minds to receive and profit by his 
admonitions, he proceeds to their schisms, which he 
mentions and reprehends ina very delicate manner, 
so that the most obstinate and prejudiced could 
take no offence. Having gained this point, he 
gently leads them to consider that, as God is the 
fountain of all good, so their good had all come 
from him; and that none of them should rest in 
the gift, but in the Giver; nor should they consider 
themselves of particular consequence on account of 
possessing such gifts, because all earthly good is 
transitory, and those who trust in power, wisdom, 
or wealth, are confounded and brought to naught. 
He who can read this chapter without profit has 
very little spirituality, and must be utterly unac- 
quainted with the work of God in the heart. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. When I came to you—Acting suitably to 
my mission, which was to preach the Gospel, but 
not with human eloquence. (Chapter i, 17.) I de- 
clared to you the testimony (the Gospel ) of God, 
not with excellency of speech, not with arts of 
rhetoric, used by your own philosophers, where the 
excellence of the speech recommends the matter, 
and compensates for the want of solidity and truth: 
on the contrary, the testimony concerning Christ 
and his salvation is so supremely excellent as to 
dignify any kind of language by which it may be 
conveyed. [Td μαρτύριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, the testimony of 
God as to what he has done in Christ for the sal- 
vation of men.—Jeyer. | 

2. I determined not to know anything 
among you—Satisfied that the Gospel of God 


could alone make you wise unto salvation, I deter- 
mined to cultivate no other knowledge, and to 


teach nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 
No other doctrine shall I proclaim among you. 
["Expiwva, I deemed it best not to know. He was not 
disposed, when among the Corinthians, to be con- 
scious of anything else but Christ. See Meyer. | 
3. I was with you in weakness—It is very 
likely that St. Paul had not only something in his 
speech very unfavourable to a ready and powerful 
elocution, but also some infirmity of body that was 
still more disadvantageous to him. A fine appearance 
and a fine voice cover many weaknesses and de- 
fects, and strongly and forcibly recommend what 
is spoken, though not remarkable for depth of 
thought or solidity of reasoning. But Paul had 
none of these advantages, and yet idolatry and su- 


Design of Paul’s preaching to build 
them up in the power of God. 


M. 4060, A. Ὁ. 56. 


CHAPTER Τ. yal of Rome, 809. 


crucified. And 4] was with you °in weak- 
ness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 
4 And my speech and my preaching ‘ was not 
with €enticing words of man’s wisdom, * but 
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 
6 That your faith should not ‘stand in the 
wisdom of men, but "in the power of God. 
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them 
1that are perfect: yet not ™the wisdom of this 


world, nor of the princes of this world, * that 
come to naught: 7 But we speak the wis- 
dom of God in a mystery, even the hidden τοΐ8- 
dom, °which God ordained before the werld 
unto our glory; αὶ P Which none of the princes 
of this world knew: for 4 had they known it, 
they would not have crucified the Lord of 
glory. 9 But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into 


d Acts 18. 1, 6, 12. 6.5 Cor. 4.7: 10. 1, 10: 11.30; 12. 5,9; 
Gal. 4. 13.- -- Ver. 1; chap.1.17; 2 Pet. 1. 16 

ὌΝ ΡΝ ——h Rom. 15, 19; I Thess. 1 5.—é Gr. t 
4.7; 6. 7.——Z Clap. 14. 20; Eph. 4. 18; Phil. 3. 15: “Heb, 5 


verses I, 


m Chap. 1. 20; 3. 19; 18: 2 Cor. ic 12: James 3. 15. 


—n Chap. 1. 28. o Rom. 16, 25, 26; Eph. 3. 5,9; Col. 1. 26; 
2 Tim. 1. 9. p Matt. 11. 25; John 7. 48; Acie δὲν 27): Ὁ Cor: 
3. 14.—¢ ‘Luke 23, 34; Acts 3. 17: see John 16, 3. Isa, 04, 4. 


perstition fell before him. Thus Gop was seen in 
the work, and the man was forgotten. In fear, 
and in much trembling—This was often the state 
of Paul’s mind ; dreading lest he should at any time 
be unfaithful, and so grieve the Spirit of God; or 
that, after having preached to others, himself should 
be a castaway. (See chapter ix, 27.) An eminent 
divine has said, that it requires three things to make 
a good preacher: study, temptation, and prayer. 
The last, no man that lives near to God can neglect ; 
the first, no man who endeavours rightly to divide the 
word of truth will neglect ; and with the second, every 
man will be more or less exercised whose whole 
aim is to save souls. Those of a different cast the 
devil permits to pass quietly on in their own indo- 
lent and prayerless way. [Possibly there is not 
here any reference to physical weakness, nor to any 
defect of utterance. The weakness, ete., was of a 
deep, ethical nature, being based on the entire re- 
nuneiation of human wisdom’ and strength. (Verse 
δ.) See Meyer. ] 

4. And my speech—'0 λόγος μου, my doctrine; 
the matter of my preaching. And my preaching 
- - Τὸ κύρυγμά μου, my proclamation, my manner of 
recommending the grand but simple truths of the 
Gospel. Was not with enticing words of man’s 
wisdom— Ev πιθοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγι οἷς, with 
persuasive doctrines of human wisdom: in every 
case I left man out, that God might become the 
more evident. I used none of the means of which 
great orators avail themselves in order to become 
popular, and thereby to gain fame. But in dem- 
onstration of the Spirit— Azodei/Eev, in the mani- 
Jestation. The doctrine that he preached was re- 
vealed by the Spirit: that it was a revelation of 
the Spirit, the holiness, purity, and usefulness 
of the doctrine rendered manifest: and the over- 
throw of idolatry, and the conversion of souls, by 
the power and energy of the preaching, were the 
“demonstration ” that all was divine. [Springing 
from the Spirit and power of God.— A/ford.] [The 
apostle was content to simply proclaim the great 
truths of the Gospel, and to leave their proof (dem- 
onstration) to the effectual working of the Holy 
Spirit. ] 

5. That your faith should not stand—[The 
Spirit is the original creator of faith, which cannot 
be begotten of human caprice, though man has the 
capability of hindering its production; and it de- 
pends for its continuance on the same mighty 
Spirit, who is almost without intermission begetting 
it anew.— Olshausen. } 

6. We speak wisdom among them that are 
perfect—By the ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, among those that 
are perfect, we are to understand Christians of ad- 
vanced knowledge and attainments ; those who were 
fully instructed in the knowledge "of God through 
Christ Jesus. Nothing, in the judgment of St. 


Paul, deserved the name of “wisdom” ae this. 
And though he apologizes for his not coming to 
them with excellency of speech or wisdom, yet he 
means what was reputed wisdom among the Greeks, 
and which, in the sight of God, was mere folly 
when compared with that wisdom that came from 
above. [The apostle spoke wisdom among the 
perfect, but of a kind higher than the wisdom of 
this world; a wisdom revealed from God by the 
Spirit, only intelligible by the spiritual man, and 
not by the (ψυχικός,) unspiritual. St. Paul rejects 
the imputation that the Gospel and its preaching is 
inconsistent with “ wisdom,” rightly understood: 
nay, shows that the wisdom of the Gospel is of a 
far higher order than that of the wise of this world, 
and far above their comprehension.—A//ord.| This 
declaration of the apostle is prophetic. The ruin 
of the Grecian superstition soon followed. 

7. The wisdom of God ina mystery — The 
Gospel of Jesus Christ, which had been compara- 
tively hidden from the foundation of the world, 
(the settling of the Jewish economy,) though ap- 
pointed from the beginning to be revealed in the 
fulness of time. For, though this Gospel was, in a 
certain sense, announced by the prophets, and pre- 
figured by the law, yet it is certain that it was still 
a mystery to them and others, till it was so glo- 
riously revealed by the preaching of the apostles, 
[Εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν, the thought is, to which wisdom 

God has, before the beginning of the ages of this 
world, (in eternity,) given the predestination that by 
it we should attain to glory.—Meyer. | 

8. Which none of the princes of this world 
knew—Here it is evident that (primarily, not ex- 
clusively) ‘this world” refers to the Jewish state, 
and to the degree of knowledge in that state: and 
to the rulers, priests, rabbis, ete., who were prin- 
cipally concerned in the crucifixion of our Lord. 
The Lord of glory—Or, the glorious Lord, whose 
is eternal glory ; and who gave this glorious Gospel 
in which his followers may glory. [Had the ap- 
χοντες, rufers, known that σοφία Θεοῦ, wisdom of 
God, then they would also have known Christ as 
what he is, the Κύριος τῆς δοξης, “the Lord of 
clory,” and would have received and honoured, in- 
stead of shamefully crucifying, him.—J/eyer. ] 

9. But as it is written—lIsa. lxiv, 4. We do 
not speak or preach the wisdom of this world ; but 
that mysterious wisdom of God, of which the 
prophet said, ‘‘ Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him.” These words have been applied to the state 
of glory in a future world, (which may be allow- 
alle by way of accommodation,) but they certainly 
belong to the present state, and express the won- 
drous light, hfe, and liberty which the Gospel com- 
municates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus 

105 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 509. 


J. CORINTHIANS. 


The Gospel a revelation of the 
wisdom of God. 


the heart of man, the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him. 10 But 
*God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: 
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the 
deep things of God. 11 For what man know- 
eth the things of a man, tsave the spirit of 
man which is in him? “even so the things of 
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of 


the world, but vthe Spirit which is of God; 
that we might know the things that are freely 
given to us of God. 18 ~ Which things also 
we speak, not in the words which man’s wis- 
dom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost 
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with 
spiritual. 14 * But the natural man receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit of God: » for they 
are foolishness unto him: neither can he 


72:35 


8 Matt. 13. 11; 
t Prov. 20. 275 27 


16. 17; John 14. 26; 10. 13; 1 John 2, 
19; Jer. 17. 9. —w Rom. 11. 33, 34. 


© Rom. 8. 1d. 
x Matt. 16, 23. 


τ 2 Het 1. 16; see chap. 1. 17: verre 4. 
y Ch. 1. 18, 23, z Rom, 8. 8, δ, 7; Jude 19. 


Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires. 
To this the prophet himself refers; and it is evi- 
dent, from the following verse, that the apostle 
also refers to the same thing. Such a scheme of 
salvation, in which God’s glory and man’s felicity 
should be equally secured, had never been seen, 
never heard of, nor could any mind but that of God 
have conceived it; nor could any power but his 
own have brought it to effect. [What God has 
prepared for them is the salvation of the Messianic 
kingdom.—Mceyer. | 

10. But God hath revealed them unto us— 
A manifest proof that the apostle speaks here of 
the glories of the Gospel, and not of the glories of 
the future world. For the Spirit searcheth all 
things—[The Holy Spirit, proceeding forth from 
God as the personal principle of Christian enlighten- 
ment, of every Christian endowment, and of the 
Christian life, 2s the medium, in his being communi- 
cated to men, (verse 12,) of the divine revelation. 
He is the be: urer of it. (Eph. i, 17; iii, 3, 5; 1 Cor. 
xii, 11; xvi, 6, ete.)—Meyer.] This is the Spirit of 
God which "spoke by the prophets, and has now 
given to the apostles the fulness of that heavenly 
truth of which He gave to the former only the ovd- 
lines, (and in types and shadows.) Wea, the deep 
things of God—The apostles were so fully con- 
vinced that the scheme of redemption proclaimed 
in the Gospel was divine, that they boldly asserted 
that these things infinitely surpassed the wisdom 
and comprehension of man. God was now, in an 
eminent sense, become manifest ; many attributes 
of his, which to the world would have forever lain 
in obscurity, (for the world by wisdom knew not 
God,) were now brought to light and illustrated by 
the gracious displays which He had made in Christ. 
It was the Spirit of God alone that could reveal 
these things ; and it was the energy of that Spirit 
alone that could bring them all into effect—stamp 
and seal them as attributes and works of God for- 
ever. The apostles were thoroughly conscious of 
their own inspiration; and they knew that what 
they spoke, they spoke as they were moved by the 
Holy Ghost. 

11. For what man knoweth the things of a 
man—| Hor who among men knoweth the things of a 
MAN, (the emphasis is on men and man, as compared 
with God,) except the spirit of a man which is in 
him. The apostle is speaking of the impossibility 
of any but the Spirit of God conferring a knowl- 
edye of the things of God.—Alford.| The spirit of 
a man knows the things of aman: that is, a man 
is conscious of all that passes in his own mind; 
and no man can know these things but himself. 
So, the Spirit of God, he whom we call the Third 
Person of the glorious Trinity, knows all the cotin- 
sels and determinations of the Supreme Being. As 
the Spirit is here represented as living in God, and 
as this Spirit knows all the things of God, and had 

106 


revealed those to the apostles which concern the 
salvation of the world, therefore what they spoke 
and preached was true, and to be depended upon. 
The miracies which they did, in the name of Christ, 
were the proof (to others) that they had that Spirit, 
and spoke the truth of God. 

12. Now we have received, not the spirit 
of the world—We, the apostles of Christ, have 
received this Spirit of God, by which we know the 
deep things of God; and through the teaching of 
that Spirit we preach Christ crucified. We have 
not therefore “received the spirit of the world,’ 
[the mind and sentiments of unregenerate man- 
kind, nor] of the Jewish teachers, w ho are all Jook- 
ing for a worldly kingdom and ἂν orldly Messiah, 
and interpret all the Scriptures of the Old Testa- 
ment which relate to him in a carnal and world- 
ly sense. That we might know the things— 
We receive the Holy Spirit that by him we may 
know what those excellent things are which God 
has freely given to mankind. 

13. Which things also we speak—The Greek 
orators affected a high and florid language, full of 
tropes and figures, which dazzled more than it en- 
lightened. The rabbis affected obscurity, and 
were studious to find out cabalistical meanings, 
which had no tendency to make the people wise 
unto salvation. The apostles could not follow any 
of these: they spoke the ¢hings of God in the words 
of God; every thing was plain and intelligible. He 
who has a spiritual mind will easily comprehend an 
apostle’s preaching. Comparing spiritual things 
with spiritual—Zvvapivortec, conferring, or ex- 
plaining, πνευματικοῖς, to spiritual men; exp/ain- 
ing spiritual things to spiritual persons. And this 
sense is required by what follows. 

14. But the natural man—Yovyixdc, the animal 
man—the man who is ina mere state of nature, 
and lives under the influence of his natural pas- 
sions. The word wvy7, which we often translate 
sou, means the lower and sensitive part of man, in 
opposition to νοῦς, the widerstanding or rational 
part. The person in question is one who either 
has had no spiritual teaching, or has not profited by 
it, or one who lives for the present world, having 
no respect to spiritual or eternal things. This yv- 
χικός, or natural man, is opposed to the πνευματι- 
κός, or spiritual man: and, as this latter is under 
the infleence of the Spirit of God, so the former is 
without that influence. The apostle did speak of those 
high and sublime spiritual things to these animal 
men; but he explained them to those which were 
spiritual. He uses this word in this sense. chapter 
τ 1 ς πὰ particularly in verse 15 of the 
present chapter: “He that is spiritual judgeth all 
things.” ‘But the natural man”—The apostle ap- 
pears to give this as a reason why he explained 
those deep spiritual things to spiritual men; be- 
cause the animal man, the man who is in a state of 


The spiritual man only discerneth 
spiritual things. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Kome, 809, 


know them, because they are spiritually dis- 
cerned, 16 "But he that is spiritual ἡ judgeth 
all things, yet he himself is » judged of no man. 


16 *For who hath known the mind of the 


Lord, that he »may instruct him? But we 


have the mind of Christ. 


CHAPTER III. 
ND ], brethren, could not speak unto you 
as unto ‘spiritual, but as unto carnal, 
even as unto ‘babes in Christ. 2 I have fed 
you with ¢milk, and not with meat: efor 
hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither 


u Prov. 28,45: 1 Thess. 5. 31: 1 John 4. 1.—v> Or, discern- 
eth. “1 bit Sabha dice Job 15. 8; Isa. 40.13; Jer. 23. 18; 
om. 11]. 34. 


y Gr. shal/.——z John 15. 15.—a Chapter 2, 15. Chapter 
2 one Heb. 5. 183.—d Heb. ὅ. 12, 13; 1 Pet. 2. 2. éeJohn 
b. 12, 


nature, without the regenerating grace of the Spir- 


it of God, receiveth not the things of the Spir- 


it — neither apprehends nor comprehends them: 
and he has no relish for them; he considers it the 
highest wisdom to live for this world. Therefore 
these spiritual things are foolishness unto him; 
for while he is in his natural state he cannot see 


their excellency, because (while) they are (only) 


spiritually discerned, and he has no spiritual 
mind or perception. 

15. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things 
—He who has the mind of Christ discerns and 
judges of all things spiritual ; yet he himself is not 
discerned by the mere natural man. 
man, ὁ πνευματικός, (be in whom the πνεῦμα, Spirit, 
rules: and since by man’s fall the (human) πνεῦμα 
is overridden by the animal soul, and in abeyance, 
this a/ways presupposes the infusion of the Holy Spir- 
it to quicken and inform the πνεῦμα; so that there is 
no such thing as an unregenerate πνευματικός.) “judg- 
eth all things” (spiritual.)— A/ford.] ’ Avaxpivet, dis- 
cerns, apprehends, indicating the faculty of spiritual 
perception and discrimination given by the Holy 
Spirit. (John xv, 18, 14.) Is judged of no man 
—[Who is not also πνευματικός. See chapter xiv, 
29; 1 John iv, 1, where such judgment is expressly 
attributed to Christian believers. See Alford.] 

16. For who hath known the mind of the 
Lord—Who that is still a natural man can know 
the mind of God, so as to instruct him, namely, 
the spiritual man, the same that is spoken of in 
verse 15. [In order for a man not gifted from 
Christ (or indeed any man) to judge the πνευμα- 
τικός, (the spiritual.) he must know the νοῦς κυρίου, 
(“the mind of the Lord,”) the intent and disposition 
of Christ, yea, more, must be able to teach, to instruct 
Christ.—Alford.] [Αὐτόν (him) is above made to 
mean Christ; some commentators refer it to the 
spiritual; either sense is admissible, and there are 
some good reasons for the latter.] But we have 
the mind of Christ—Being born again by his 
Spirit, we are capable of knowing his mind and 
receiving the teachings of his Spirit. These teach- 
ings we do receive, and therefore are able to con- 
vey them to others. The words, that he may in- 
Struct him, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν, should be trans- 
lated that he may teach rr: that is, the mind of God ; 
not instruct God, but teach his mind to others. 
The true translation of the passage, as used by the 
apostle, would then be: For who hath known the 
mind of the Lord, that he should reacu ir? And 
this translation agrees with every part of the con- 
text, and particularly with what follows. 


1. This chapter may be considered a good model 
for a Christian minister to regulate his conduct by, 
or his public ministry; because it points out the 
mode of preaching used by St. Paul and the apostles 
in general. This great apostle came not to the peo- 
ple “with excelleney of speech and of wisdom,” 
when he declared unto them “the counsel of God.” 
The enticing words of man’s wisdom are seldom ac- 


[ The spiritual 


companied by the demonstration and power of the 
Holy Spirit. 

2. One justly remarks, that “ the foolishness of 
preaching has its wisdom, loftiness, and eloquence ; 
but this consists in the sublimity of its truths, the 
depth of its mysteries, and the ardour of the Spirit 
of God.” In this respect Paul may be said to have 
preached wisdom among those which were perfect. 
The wisest and most learned men in the world, who 
have seriously read the Bible, have acknowledged 
that there isa depth and height of wisdom and 
knowledge in that book of God which are sought in 
vain any where else. 

3. Another mode of preaching has been recom- 
mended: “Scriptural phraseology should be gen- 
erally avoided where it is antiquated, or conveys 
ideas inconsistent with modern delicacy.” But St. 
Paul did not preach in the words which man’s wis- 
dom teacheth—such words are too mean and too 
low for a religion so divine. That which the Holy 
Spirit alone can discover, he alone can explain. Let 
no man dare to speak of God in any other way than 
He speaks of himself in his word. Let us take care 
not to profane his truths and mysteries, either by 
merely human ideas, or by new and worldly ex- 
pressions altogether unworthy of the Spirit of God. 

4. It is the glory of God, and ought to be of his 
ministers, not to be acceptable tocarnal men. The 
natural man always finds some pretence to excuse 
himself from believing. by looking on the mysteries 
of religion as being either too much above man or 
too much below God ; the spiritual man judges them 
to be so much the more credible the less credible 
they are to the natural man. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IIL. 


1. I, brethren, could not speak unto you as 
unto spiritual—This is a continuation of the pre- 
ceding discourse. [Kayo, 7 also, even J, failed 
through your inability to apprehend spiritual things, 
to speak to you as spiritual, ὡς = evuariKoic.| [The 
expression σαρκίνοις, here, (as in Rom. vii, 14, and 
Heb. vii, 16,) used instead of capxcxoic, is specially 
chosen, in order to denote more strongly the unspir- 
itual nature ; as to fleshy persons, (regenerate ones, 
in whom, however, the old elements are still largely 
and effectively present, but distinguished from the 
unregenerate, (capxixoic,) being real Christians, but 
at a very low degree of spiritual growth,) as to those 
who have as yet experienced so little of the in- 
fluence of the Holy Spirit that the σάρξ, that is, the 
nature (character) of the natural man, which is 
opposed, since the fall, to the Spirit of God, gives 
rise to the incapacity to recognise the sway of the 
divine Spirit, and to follow the drawing of the di- 
vine will. See Meyer.] Babes in Christ—Just be- 
ginning to acquire some notion of the Christian re- 
ligion, but as yet very incapable of judging what is 
most suitable, and utterly unaualitied to discern 
between the doctrines of one teacher and those of 
another. 

2. I have fed you with milk—I have in- 

107 


A. M. 4960. A, Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, κυϑ. 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


Ministers of the Gespel only 
God’s instruments. 


yet now are ye able. 8% For ye are yet car- 
nal: for ‘whereas there is among you envying, 
and strife, and ¢divisions, are ye not carnal, 
and walk *as men? 4 For while one saith, 
‘Tam of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; 
are ye not carnal? & Who then is Paul, and 
who is Apollos, but «ministers by whom ye 
believed, 'even as the Lord gave to every man 2 


God gave the increase. 7% So then Pneither is 
he that planteth any thing, neither he that 
watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 
Ὁ Now he that planteth and he that watereth 


are one: , and every man shall receive his own 
reward according to his own labour. 9 For 
‘we are labourers together with God: ye are 


God’s shusbandry, ye are *God’s building. 
40 "According to the grace of God which is 


G 51 have planted, "Apollos watered; °but 
Chap. 1 1: Hi. 18; Galt ὅ. 20, 21: James 2 yn Fie 
tions. k Gr. accor ding to man ἢ. ἡ Chap. 1.12—= 


4.1; 2 Cor. 3. 3.—/ Rom. 12. 3,6;_1 Pet. 4. 11.—m Acts oe 
4, 8, τς “ee 4. 15; 9.1; 15.1; 2 Cor. 10. 14, 15.—~7 Acts 18. 
24, 27: 19 eae 


ΟΣ 10; 2 Cor. 8. 5.—p 2 Cor. 12. 11 : Gal. 
Rom. 2. 6; chapter ~ d3; Gal. 6. 4,5; 
af Acts 15. 4: 2 τὸς 6. ps phi 
2.7; Heb. 3, 3, 4; 1 Pet, 


0 Chapter 1. 30; 
6. @ Psa. 62. 12 
Rev. 2 δι 22.12: 
SI Eph, 2. 20; Col. 2 
1.5; 12. 3. 


structed you in the elements of Christianity—in its 
simplest and easiest truths. The apostle thus ex- 
poses to them the absurdity of their conduct in 
pretending to judge between preacher and preacher, 
while they had but a very partial acquaintance 
even with the first principles of Christianity. Ye 
were not able—[’Edivacte. What weakness is 
meant, the context shows; in the figure, that of 
the body; in its application, that of the mind and 
spirit.— Meyer. | 

3. There is among you envying, and strife, 
and divisions—Z7A/0¢ καὶ ἔρις καὶ διχοστασίαι. 
There are three things here worthy of note: these 
people were wrong in thought, word, and deed. 
Zijdoc, envying, (emulation in a bad sense, self-seek 
ing,) refers to the state of their souls. Ἔρις, strife, 
or wrangling, refers to their words. Δεχοστασίαι, 
divisions, schisms, refers to their conduct ; rending 
the Church of Christ. [Theophylact has aptly said, 
Zeal (ὁ ζῆλος) is the father of strife, (épcc,) and this 
generates divisions, (διχοστασίας) As men— 
[Κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, according to the manner of an un- 
renewed man. (Rom. viii, 4.)] 

4. For while one saith, Iam of Paul, etce.— 
Paul and Apollos held the same creed; (were of the 
same school of thought;) when, therefore, the oe 
sentients began to ‘prefer the one to the other, i 
was the fullest proof of their carnality, having fallen 
into merely personal partisanships. [The apostle 
names but two of the foregoing designations, (chap- 
ter i, 12,) intending, both there more fully and here 
briefly, rather to give « sample of the sectarian 
spirit prevalent than to describe, as matter of fact, 
sects into which they were actually divided.— 
Alford. | 

5. Who (or what) then. ..is Apollos, ete.— 
[The question is not asked by an objector, but—by 
Paul himself.— A/ford.| Ministers by whom ye 
believed — The different apostles. who have 
preached unto you the word of life are the means 
(διάκονοι, servitors) whom God has used to bring 
you to the knowledge of Christ. [They believed 
through the apostle and his associates, not i 
them; just as these preached not themselves, but 
Christ Jesus, as Lord, and themselves as servants 
(servitors) of the Church, for Christ’s sake. (2 Cor. 
iv, 5.)] Ewen as the Lord gave to every 
man—He who knows best what is best for his 
Church has distributed both gifts and graces ac- 
cording to his own mind; and, as his judgment is 
infallible, all these dispensations must be right. 
Paul and Apollos are, therefore, alike necessary to 
the perfecting of the Church of Christ. Both, 
(and all others,) but with various gifts, point out 
the same Christ, build on the same foundation, 

6. I have planted—I first sowed the seed of 
the Gospel at Corinth, and in the region of Achaia, 

108 


Apollos watered—-“ Apollos” came after me, 
and, by his preachings and exhortations, watered 
the seed which I had sowed; but God gave the 
increase. As in the natural so in the spiritual 
world; it is by the blessing of God (operating 
through the forces of nature) that the grain which 
is sown in the ground becomes fruitful; it is nei- 
ther the sower nor the waterer that produces this 
wonderful multiplication. So it is by the particu- 
lar agency of the Spirit of God that even good seed, 
sown as in good ground—the purest doctrine con- 
veyed to the honestest heart—produces the salva- 
tion of the soul. 

7. So then neither is he that planteth any 
thing—[Thatis, of importance.] God alone should 
have all the glory, as the seed is his, the ground is 
his, the labourers are his, and [after all these in- 
strumentalities] the produce all comes from him- 
self. 

8. He that planteth and he that watereth 
are one—|In the substance of their teaching, and 
the design of their ministry.] | Both Paul and Apol- 
los have received the same Spirit, preach the same 
doctrine, and, with one accord, labour to promote 
the glory of God in the salvation of your souls. 
[As the unity of the Church of Christ is promoted 
rather than hindered by the diversity of gifts 
among its ministers, so the distribution of the com- 
pany of the believers into companies, “sects,” or 
free organisms, doubtless contributes to the same 
end.] According to his own labour—God does 
not reward his servants according to the success of 
their labour, because that may depend on himself; 
but he rewards them according to the amount of 
faithful “labour” which they bestow on his work. 
Therefore, no faithful minister can say, I have la- 
boured in vain, and spent my strength for naught. 

9. For we are labourers together with (of) 
God—lIt would be more correct to translate Θεοῦ 
yap ἐσμεν συνεργοί, we are fellow-labourers of God ; 
for the preposition σὺν expresses the joint labour 
of the teachers one with another, and not with God. 
We do nothing of ourselves, nor in reference to our- 
selves; we labour together in that work which God 
has given us to do, expecting all our success from 
him, and referring the whole to his glory. Far 
from being divided among ourselves, we jointly 
labour, as oxen inthe same yoke, to promote the hon- 
our of our Master. Ye are God’s husbandry— 
Θεοῦ γεώργιον. The word γεώργιον, which we trans- 
late “ husbandry,” signifies properly an arable field; 
(so Prov. xxiv, 30; xxxi, 16.) It would be more lit- 
eral to translate it, Ye are God’s farm; γεώργιον sig- 
nifying properly a sown field. Ye are God's build- 
ἰηρ Θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε. ΑΒ no man in viewing ἃ fine 
building extols the quarryman that dug up the stones, 
the hewer that cut and squared them, ‘the mason that 


Jesus Christ the foundation 
of the spiritual edifice. 


CHAPTER III. 


Year of Rome, 809. 


given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have 
laid *the foundation, and another buildeth 
thereon. But “let every man take heed how 
he buildeth thereupon. ΑἹ For other founda- 
. tion can no man lay than * that is laid, y which 
is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build 
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious 
stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 *Every man’s 


work shall be made manifest: for the day 
*shall declare it, because " it «shall be revealed 
by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s 
work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work 
abide which he hath built thereupon, ¢he shall 
receive a reward. 45 If any man’s work 
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he 
himself shall be saved; ¢yet so as by fire. 


w Rom. 15, 20; verse δ: ch. 4.15; Rev. 21. 14.1701 Pet 


ΣᾺ 11. 
—+ Isa. 28. 16; Matt. 16. 18; 2 Cor. 11. 4; Gal. 1. 7. 


placed them in the wall, the woodman that hewed 
down the timber, the carpenter that squared and 
joined it, ete., but the architect who planned it, 
and under whose direction the whole work was ac- 
complished ; so no man should consider Paul, or 
Apollos, or Kephas, anything but as persons em- 
ployed by the great Architect to form a building in- 
tended for a habitation of himself through the 
Spirit, and the design of which is entirely his own. 

10. According to the grace... given... me— 
[Kara τὴν χάριν, not the apostolical office, for most of 
the ‘ workers ” were not apostles ; but the special en- 
dowments of grace which he had received from God, 
to fit him for his calling. See Meyer.] As a wise 
masterbuilder —'Qe σοφὺς ἀρχιτέκτων. The de- 
sign or plan of the building (the church) is from 
God, and all things must be done according to the 
pattern which he has ordered ; but the exeeution of 
this plan was intrusted to St. Paul and his fellow- 
workers; he was [and they also, each in his own 
order] the wise or experienced architect whom God 
used to rear the sacred edifice. [What was the 
foundation which he had laid he tells us in the 
next verse, namely, Jesus Curist.]| Let every 
man take heed how he buildeth thereupon— 
Let him take care that the doctrines which he 
preaches are in harmony with those which I have 
preached ; and let him take heed not to enjoin any 
practice unsuitable to these doctrines. 

11. Other foundation can no man lay—This 
spiritual building can have no “other foundation ” 
than Jesus Christ: there can be no diversity of 
opinions among the true apostles of our Lord. The 
only fear within the Church is, lest a bad superstrue- 
ture should be raised on this foundation. 

12. If any man build. . . gold, silver, ete. 
—It may be sufficient for purposes of edification 
to say, that by “gold, silver,” and precious 
stones, the apostle certainly means pure and 
wholesome doctrines: by wood, hay, and stub- 
ble, false doctrines, with corresponding practices. 
[The various specimens of building materials here 
set side by side denote the various matters of doc- 
trine propounded by teachers, and brought into 
connexion with faith in Christ, in order to develop 
and complete the Christian training of the Church. 
These are either, like gold, silver, costly stones, 
(not gems,) of high value and imperishable dura- 
tion, or else, like timber, hay, stubble, (καλάμη, 
straw,) of little worth and perishable, so that they, 
instead of abiding (through all time) in their eter- 
nal truth, come to naught, that is, are shown not to 
belong to the enduring ἀλήθεια, (trath,) and form 
no (essential or permanent) part of the perfect 
knowledge (chapter xiii, 12) which shall abide 
forever. ... The second class (of materials named) 
embraces in it no absolutely anti-Christian doc- 
trine, for the building was upon the foundation: 
for if the foundation which is laid be the con- 
tents of the first preaching of the Gospel, namely, 


y Eph. 2. 20. 2 Ch. 4. 5. 
—c Gr, is revealed. 


a1 Pet. 1.7; 4. 12. } Luke 2, 35. 
d Chap. 4. 5.—e Jude 23. 


Christ, then the material wherewith the building is 
carried on, must be the contents of the further in- 
struction given. See Meyer.] 

13. Every man’s work (ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον) 
shall be made manifest—[That is, that which he 
has built; his part in erecting the house of God 
(the spiritual temple) shall (at some time) be made 
evident, (shall not always remain in the present 
uncertainty,) for the day (time,) shall test it; 
because it “shall be made manifest” by (in) fire, 
ἐν πυρὶ, the testings effected by the Church’s expe- 
rience during the ages. That which is now ob- 
scure and uncertain will at length stand forth in 
the clearness of light, wrought out and made mani- 
fest by the processes of grace and providence, in 
the Church and among men. ] 

14. If any man’s work (shall) abide—[Mevei, 
(future,) which he has built, (that is, on the sure 
foundation,) he shall receive wages, (as a builder.) 
that is, shall be rewarded for his faithful work as 
a teacher.—A/ford.| Not only has he preached 
the truth, but he has laboured in the word and 
doctrine. And the reward is to be according to 
the labour. (See on verse 8.) 

15. If any man’s work shall be burned, he 
shall suffer loss—[If, when tried by jire, tested by 
the fiery trials to which the Gospel is everywhere 
and always exposed, “any man’s work” shall not 
be able to endure, because of its poor materials— 
unscriptural elements—‘“ he shall suffer loss” in 
the destruction of his work done, because of its de- 
fective matter, (for the reward is measured by the 
nature of the work done.) The religious teacher 
who mixes with the pure doctrines of the Gospel 
other teachings, “after the traditions of men, after 
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ,” 
however sincere he may be, will fail of the higher 
recompense of those who have taught only the 
truth. But because he was sincere, and built upon 
the Foundation—had personal faith in Christ—he 
himself shall be saved.) If a man has sincerely 
and conscientiously believed what he preached, and 
yet preached what was wrong, not through malice 
or opposition to the Gospel, but through mere ig- 
norance, he sha/l be saved ; God in his merey will 
pass by his errors, and he shall not suffer punish- 
ment because he was mistaken. [But even then 
the man himself is a loser, though personally saved, 
in the destruction of his defective teachings. ] 
The apostle obviously refers to the case of a man 
who, having builded a house and begun to dwell in 
it, the house happens to be set on fire, and he has 
warning of it just in time to escape with his life, 
losing at the same time his house, his goods, his 
labour, and almost his own life. So he who, while 
he holds the doctrine of Christ crucified as the 
only foundation on which one can rest his hopes 
of salvation, builds at the same time, on that 
foundation, other erromeous or destructive doc- 
trines, he shall lose all his labour, and yet his own 

109 


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A, M. 4060. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, δῦ, 


I CORINTHIANS. 


God will destroy him that 
destroyeth hi temple. 


16 ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of 
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in 
you? 17 If any man ¢£defile the temple of 
God, him shall God destroy ; for the temple of 
God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 * Let 
no man deceive himself. If any man among 
you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him 


become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For 
‘the wisdom of this world is foolishness with 
God: for it is written, * He taketh the wise in 
their own craftiness. 20 And again, 'The 
Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that 
they are vain. 28 Therefore ™let no man 
glory in men: for “all things are yours; 


EES , 22; Heb. 3. 6s 1 Bet, 


FChap. 6.19; 2 Cor. 6, 16; 
2 ἜΣ Ws Wee 5. 21. 


. 5.——g Or, destr 


ἡ Chap. 1. 20; 2. 6.—k Job 5. 13.—/ Psa. 94, 11.—m Chap, 
1. 12; 4. 63 verses 4, 5, 6.—n 2 Cor. 4. 5, 15. 


soul scarcely escape everlasting perdition. The 
popish writers have applied what is here spoken to 
the fire of purgatory: and they might with equal 
propriety have applied it to the discovery of the 
longitude, the perpetual motion, or the philosopher’s 

stone; because it speaks just as much of the 
former as it does of any of the latter. The fire 
mentioned here is to try the man’s work, not to 
purify his soul; but the dream of purgatory refers 
to the purging in another state of that which left 
this impure ; not the work of the man, but the man 
himself ; but here the fire is said to try the work. 

16. Ye are the temple of God— Ye are God’s 
building. [Paul has been presenting to his hear- 
ers, that he might make them see the wrong char- 
acter of their proud, partisan conduct, (chapter iv, 
6,) the relation of the teachers to the Church as 
the “ building of God,” now called his temple, ναός, 
(not a temple, but tie temple.) Thus he would 
make them feel yet more deeply the criminality of 
their sectarian arrogance.—Meyer.] The “ye ” in 
this place refers, not to those addressed, as_indivi- 
duals, g. αἰ, each one of you is God’s temple ; but 
to the Church made up of associated believers, 
joined together according to the will of God, and 
God himself, in the persons of Christ and the Holy 
Spirit, dwelling among them.] [Each Christian 
community is, in a spiritual way, (sensu mystico.) 
the temple of Jehovah—the realized idea of that 
temple —its ἀληθινόν, (essential truth.) — Meyer. | 
As the whole congregation of Israel were formerly 
considered as the temple and habitation of God, 
because God dwelt among them, so here the whole 
Chureh of Corinth is called the temple of God ; 
and Christ has promised to be in the midst even of 
two or three who are gathered together in his name. 
Therefore where God i is, there is ‘his temple. 

17. If any man defile (destroy, mar) the tem- 
ple—Ei τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φθείρει. φθερεῖ τοῦτον 
ὁ Θεός, if any man the temple of God destroy, destroy 
him will God. 1 any man injure, corrupt, or 
destroy the Church of God by false doctrine, [as 
to its wnity and beauty, or its purity and sanctity, | 
God will destroy him—will take away his part out 
of the book of life. This applies in its full force 


only to him who wilfully opposes the truth; the 
erring, mistaken man shall barely escape; but the 


obstinate opposer shall be destroyed. The former 
shall be treated deniently ; the latter shall have 
judgment without mercy. [The corruption of doe- 
trine seems to be here chiefly referred to, not, how- 
ever, disregarding the naturally resulting ethical 
accompaniments and consequences. | 

18. If any man among you seemeth to be 
wise—HWi τὶς δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι, if any pretend or 
affect to be wise. [The rupture of the unity of the 
Church by a party spirit sprang from the pride of 
knowledge and a vain conceit of that’ wisdom 
which belonged to this world, and not to God’s 
wisdom, (probably referring to the partisans of 
Apollos, who was learned in the Alexandrian phi- 

110 


losophy and an eloquent speaker.) This tendency 
Paul denounces as not founded in truth, and un- 
suited to such as strive for the kingdom of God. 
In this view it involves a self-deception more or 
less gross.—Lange.| Let him become a fool— 
Let him divest himself of his worldly wisdom, and 
be contented to be called a fool, and esteemed one, 
that he may become wise unto salvation by re- 
nouncing his own wisdom and seeking that which 
comes trom God. Possibly the apostle refers to 
some one who, pretending to great wisdom and in- 
formation, taught doctrines contrary to the sim- 
plicity of the Gospel; endeavouring to show rea- 
sons for them, and to support his own opinions with 
arguments which he thought unanswerable. 

‘19. The wisdom of this world—Whether it 
be the pretended deep and occult wisdom of the 
rabbis, or the wire-drawn speculations of the Gre- 
cian philosophers, is foolishness with God. 
[‘‘ The wisdom of this world,” ἡ yap σοφία τοῦ κόσ- 
μου τούτου, is a wisdom ruled by the spirit of this 
world, that oversteps its proper bounds, seeks to 
satisfy itself about divine and human things, is 
tainted with error, and therefore stands in direct 
opposition alike to the highest reason and to God, 
and to the great objects for which the world and 
man were created.—Osiander in Lange.| Pride, 
insolence, self-conceit, and complacency, with a 
general forgetfulness of God, contempt for his 
word, and despite for the poor, are the general 
characteristics of most renowned philosophers. 
He taketh the wise in their own craftiness— 
(Job v, 13.) Showing what the wisdom of this 
world is: a sort of craft, a subtle trade, which men 
carry on to wrong others and benefit themselves, 
They generally have too much cunning to be caught 
by men; but God often overthrows them with their 
own devisings. [The hand of God comes in upon 
their doings and takes them in their craftiness, 
thus practically proclaiming his judgment regard- 
ing their wisdom, that it is “ foolishness.” —J/eyer. | 

20. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the 
wise—(Psalm xciv, 11.) Full of schemes and 
plans for earthly good, which God knows to be 
vain, empty, and unsatisfactory; and such as will 
stand them in no stead when he comes to deal with 
them in judgment. 

21. Therefore let no man glory in men— 
[Passing over to the summing up of the pre- 
ceding arguments, and carrying them over to their 
practical outcome, “ Glory, » καυχάσθω : hold any 
man, or any thing human, as a chief or final object 
of valuation or confidence. “In men,” human teach- 
ers, in vespect to one or another of whom the dif- 
ferent sects prided themselves against each other. 
(Ver. 5,and chap. i, 12.) All things are yours— 
The endowment of the Church of God is full and 
complete in Christ; and as the Church is a com- 
monwealth, so while, in its organic unity, it pos- 
sesses all things, each of its members is a proprietor 
of its abundant riches.] 


Ministers of the Gospel are stewards 
of God’s mysteries. 


the world, or life, or death, or things present, 
or things to come: all are yours; 23 And 
°ye are Christ’s; and Christ 7s God’s. 


CHAPTER IV. 


ET a man so account of us, as of *the min- 
isters of Christ, "Πα stewards of the mys- 


CHAPTER IV. 
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ, 56, 
Year of Rome, 809, 


teries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in 
stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But 
with me it is a very sinall thing that I should 
be judged of you, or of man’s © judgment: yea, 
I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know 
nothing by myself; ἃ yet am I not hereby justi- 
fied: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 
5 ¢Therefore judge nothing before the time, 


o Rom. 14.8; chap. 11. 3; 
24. 45: chap. 3.5; 4.17; 2 
Titus 1.7; 1 Pet. 4. 10. 


22. Whether Paul, or Apollos—God designs 
to help you by all things and persons ; you have a 
personal interest and proprietorship in every 
teacher sent from him, who will become a blessing 
to you if you abide faithful to your calling. God 
will press every thing into your service. The min- 
isters of the Church of Christ are appointed for 
the hearers, not the hearers for the ministers. In 
like manner, all the ordinances of grace and mercy 
are appointed for them, not they for the ordinances. 
Or the world—Kécyoc, material and social, the 
inhabitants of the world and its substance. (John 
iii, 16, 17; vi, 33; xiv, 31; xvii, 21.) Or life, or 
death—|The eye of the apostle thus rises at once 
from the concrete and empirical to the most gen- 
eral whole, in point of matter, condition, time. All 
these things are the heritage of the children of the 
kingdom, See Meyer. ] 

23. And ye are Christ’s—You are called by 
his name; you have embraced his doctrine; you 
depend on him for your salvation; he is your 
foundation stone ; he has gathered you out of the 
world, and acknowledges you as his people and fol- 
lowers. [Our salvation is complete because it is 
ἐν Χριστῷ, in Christ ; and in redeeming us he has 
made us his own.] And Christ is God’s— 
Χριστὸς δὲ Θεοῦ, and Christ is of God. Christ, the 
Messiah, is the gift of God’s eternal love and 
mercy to mankind; “for God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only-bezotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life.” Christ, as mediator between God and 
man, must be considered, in a certain way, sub- 
ordinate to God; but in his own essential, eternal 
nature, there is no inequality—he is God over all. 
Ye, therefore, do not belong to men. You have 
not Paul, Apollos, Kephas, or any other man, for 
your head! All these are your servants, for ye are 
Christ’s. [The strict Monotheism of the New Test- 
ament, and the relation of Christ as the Son to 
the Father, necessarily gives the idea of the sub- 
ordination of Christ under God. As his equality 
with God, and his divine glory before the incarna- 
tion, (Phil. ii, 6,) although essential, were still de- 
rived, (Cul. i, 15; Heb. i, 3,) so also the divine 
glory, which he has attained by his exaltation 
after his obedience rendered to God, (his death on 
the cross,) is again a glory bestowed upon him, 
(Phil. ii, 9,) and his dominion is destined to be 
given back to God. (1 Cor. xv, 28.)—Meyer.] 


2Cor. 10.7; Gal. 3. 29.—da Matt. 


A want of spirituality seems to have been the 
grand fault of the Corinthians. They regarded 
outward things chiefly, and were carried away with 
sound and show. They lost the treasure while 
they eagerly held fast the earthen vessel that con- 
tained it. It is a true saying, that he who lends only 
the ear of his body to the word of God, will follow 
that man most who pleases the ear ; and these are 
the persons who generally profit the soul least. 


Cor, 6.4; Col. 1. 25.—d Luke 12, 42; 


eGr. day, chapter 3. 13.—d Job 9, 2; Psa, 130. 3; 
Prov. 21,2; Rom 3, 20; 4. 2,—e Matt. 7. 1: Rom. 2. 
14. 4, 10, 13; Rev. 20. 12, 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Let a man so account of us—This is a con- 
tinuation of the subject in the preceding chapter, 
which in its sense is not divided from it. As of 
the ministers of Christ—'Q¢ ὑπηρέτας Χριστοῦ. 
The word ὑπηρέτης means an under rower, or one, 
who, in the galleys, rowed in one of the undermost 
benches ; but it here means any inferior officer or 
assistant. By the term here the apostle shows the 
Corinthians that, far from being heads and chiefs, 
he and his fellow apostles considered themselves 
only as inferior officers employed under Christ, 
from whom alone they received their appointment, 
their work, and their recompense. Stewards of 
the mysteries of God — Kai οἰκονόμους μυστη- 
piov Θεοῦ, (Matt. xxiv, 45; Luke viii, 3; xii, 42.) 
The steward, or oikonomos, was the master’s deputy 
in regulating the concerns of the family, providing 
food for the household, seeing it served out at the 
proper times and seasons and in proper quantities. 
[Such were the relations of the apostles (and such 
are those of all ministers of the Gospel) to 
Christ as head of the Church, on the one hand, and 
to the Church, as his household.] The “‘ mysteries ” 
—the doctrines of God—relative to the salvation of 
the world by the passion and death of Christ ; and 
the inspiration, illumination, and purification of the 
soul by the Spirit of Christ, were the treasures in- 
trusted to the hands of the stewards by their heay- 
enly Master, to be dispensed at proper. times, sea- 
sons, and in proper proportions to the children of 
the Church, which is the house of God. ᾿ 

3. It is a very small thing that I should be 
judged of you—[Since I received all my authority 
as an apostle directly from God, (Gal. i, 1,) and 
must render to him an account of my “ steward- 
ship,” without any disrespect I may say, that 
your judgment (favourable or unfavourable),is to me 
a matter of very little account.] Or of man’s 
judgment—'H ὑπὸ ἀνθρωπίνης ἡμέρας, literally, or 
of man’s day: a day set apart by a judge or 
magistrate on which to try a man. [Whoever may 
set up his judgment seat, and fix the day of his 
judgment, does not especially interfere with my du- 
ties to my own Master.] I judge not mine own 
self—Having done what I could, I leave myself en- 
tirely to God, whose I am and whom I serve. 

4. For I know nothing by myself—Oiév γὰρ 
ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα. I am not conscious that I am guilty 
of any evil, or have neglected to fulfil faithfully 
the duty of a steward of Jesus Christ : cvvevdeiv, to 
be conscious of guilt. Yet am I not hereby jus- 
tified—[The clearness of my conscience as to my 
official duties is, nevertheless, not the ground on 
which my justification rests. — Meyer.] I leave 
these things to God; he shall pronounce in my fa- 
vour, not I myself. By these words the apostle, in 
a very gentle, yet effectual, manner, censures the 
rash and precipitate judgments of the Corinthians, 

5. Judge nothing before the time—God, the 

111 


143, 2; 
1, 16; 


A. M. 4080. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 509. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


The apostle cautions against 
self-sufiiciency and pride, 


until the Lord come, ‘who both will bring to 
light the hidden things of darkness, and will 
make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and 
€then shall every man have praise of God. 
6 And these things, brethren, »I have in a 
figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for 
your sakes; ‘that ye might learn in us not to 
think of men above that which is written, that 
no one of you *be puffed up for one against 


another. % For who !maketh thee to differ 
From another? and ™ what hast thou that thou 
didst not receive? now if thou didst receive ἐξ, 
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not re- 
ceived it? Ὁ Now ye are full, "now ye are 
rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and 
I would to God ye did reign, that we also 
might reign with you. 9 For I think that 
God hath set forth °us the apostles last, Pas it 


FChap. ἢ. 13.—g Rom, 2, 29; 2 Cor. 5. 10.—h Chap. 1. 12; 
3..4.— 7 Rom. 12. 3.—k Chap. 3. 21; 5. 2, 6.—/ Gr. distin- 
guisheth th er. 


m John 3. 27% James 1.17: 1 Pet..4. 10.—an Rev. 3. 17. 
oOr, us the last apostles, as.—m p Psa. 44. 22; Rom. 8. 36; 
chap. 15. 30), 31; 2 Cor, 4. 11; 6, 9. : 


righteous judge, will determine everything shortly ; 
it is his province alone to search the heart, and 
bring to light the hidden things of darkness. 
[The faet that the Lord is our Judge, (whether we 
understand that fact in respect to a general “ day 
of judgment,” or the ever-progressing operations of 
his Spirit and providence,) is, on the one hand, a 
source of comfort to all true servants of God, 
amid the various criticisms and censures passed up- 
on them; and, on the other hand, it serves to abate 
the confidence of their own self-estimation. — 
LIange.| Then shall every man have praise 
of God—| Literally, Zo each one the praise ; that 
is, the praise which is due, according to its various 
measures and degrees, corresponding to its worth. 
—Lange.| Some refer the praise to St. Paul and 
his companions. 

6. These things (chapter iii, 5, ete.) I have in 
a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos 
—Bishop Pearce paraphrases the verse thus: “I 
have made use of my own and Apollos’s name in my 
arguments against your divisions, because I 
would spare to name those teachers among you who 
are guilty of making and heading parties ; and be- 
cause I would have you, by our example, not to 
value them above what I have said of teachers in 
general in this epistle; so that none of you ought 
to be puffed up for one against another.” Doubtless 
there were persons in Corinth who, taking advan- 
tage of this spirit of innovation among that, people, 
set themselves up for teachers, and endeavoured to 
draw disciples after them. Possibly Déiotiephes 
was one of the ringleaders in these schisms at Cor- 
inth. (See chapter i, 14.) 

7. For who maketh thee to differ—[To this 
question different answers may be given, according 
to its supposed meaning. 1) No one: You are in 
no wise different from others. All are alike before 
God. 2) Not any of us, apostles and teachers: for 
we have no parties in the Church, and we know 
all alike as subjects of the grace of the Gospel. 
8) God: for whatever any of us have, we receive 
from him. This last sense best agrees with what 
follows.| God is the fountain of all good; no man 
possesses any good but what he has derived from 
God. If any man possess that grace which saves him 
from outbreaking sins, let him consider that he has 
received it as a free gift from God’s mercy. Let 
him not despise his neighbour who has it not; 
there was a time when he himself did not possess 
it; and the time may come when the man whom he 
now affects to despise, and on whose conduct he is 
unmerciful and severe, may receive it, and probably 
may make a more evangelical use of it than he is 
now doing. This caution is necessary to many re- 
ligious people, who imagine that they have been eter- 
nal objects of God’s favour, and that others have 
been eternal objects of his hate, for no reason that 
they can show for either the one or the other, He 

112 


can have little acquaintance with his own heart 
who is not aware of the possibility of pride lurking 
under the exclamation, Why me / when comparing 
his own gracious state with the unregenerate state 
of another. 

8. Now ye—Ye Corinthians; are full of secu- 
lar wisdom ; now ye are rich, both in wealth and 
spiritual gifts ; (chapter xiv, 26 ;) yehave reigned 
as kings, flourishing in the enjoyment of these 
things, in all tranquillity and honour; without any 
want of us; and I would to God ye did reign 
in deed, and not in conceit only, that we also, 
poor, persecuted, and despised apostles, might 
reign with you.—Whilby. Though this para- 
phrase appears natural, yet I am of opinion 
that the apostle here intends a strong 7rony. It is 
not an unusual thing for many people to forget, if 
not despise, the men by whom they were brought to 
the knowledge of the truth, and take up with 
others to whom, in the things of God, they owe 
nothing. Reader, is this thy case ? 

9. God hath set forth us the apostles last 
—[In what precedes, Paul has just exhorted them 
to modesty in accordance with the pattern set by 
himself and Apollos, and reminded them of their 
dependence on God for all their endowments—a de- 
pendence which excluded boasting. Now he re- 
minds them, not only that they were unmindful of 
this dependence, but that they were also cradling 
themselves in the vain conceit of their own perfec- 
tion—they, the very persons whom he had just be- 
fore convicted of great imperfection and moral per- 
versity. Ἤδη, already, (repeated for emphasis,) 
points to a goal remote, and hints that all true sat- 
isfaction and true riches and true kingship be- 
longed not to the present period of the world, [cer- 
tainly not to their spiritual state; and hence it 
implies that they were vainly anticipating the glory 
which was to come hereafter. ... We have here a 
picture of that self-conceit, that senke of sufficiency 
and fulness, which the sectarian spirit generally en- 
genders. — Lange.| [The climax of irony gives 
place to a sober and earnest intimation of the ex- 
treme opposite of reigning, in their cases, and es- 
pecially in that of the apostles.] This whole pas- 
sage is well explained by Dr. Whitby: ‘“ Here the 
apostle seems to allude to the Roman spectacles, 
τὴς τῶν θηριομάχων, καὶ μονομαχίας ἀνδροφονοῦ, that 
of the bestiarii and the gladiators, where in the 
morning men were brought upon the theatres to 
ficht with wild beasts, and to them was allowed ar- 
mour to defend themselves and weapons with which 
to smite the beasts; but in the meridian or noonday 
spectacles the gladiators were brought forth naked, 
and without anything to defend themselves from 
the sword of the assailant; and he that then es- 
caped was only kept for slaughter to another day, 
so that these men might well be called ἐπιθανάτιοι, 
men appointed for death ; and this being the dasé 


Snfferings avd exemplary conduct 
of the apostles, 


were appointed to death: for 4 we are made a 
rspectacle unto the world, and to angels, and 
tomen. 10 * We are ' fools for Christ's sake, 
but ye ave wise in Christ; "we are weak, but 
ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are 
despised, ΕΠ ¥ Even unto this present hour 
we both hunger, and thirst, and *are naked, 
and * are buffeted, and have no certain dwell- 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4°60. A. TD. 56, 
Year of Rome, §1.9, 


ingplace; 22 ¥ And labour, working with our 
own hands: *being reviled, we bless; being 
persecuted, we suffer it: 28 Being defamed, 
we entreat: *we are made as the filth of the 
world, and are the offscouring of all things 
unto this day. 24 I write not these things to 
shame you, but 'as my beloved sons I warn 
you. 4s For though ye have ten thousand 


q.Heb. 10. 33.— Gr. theat'e.—s Chapter 2. 3.—+? Acts 
17. 18; 26.24; chap. 1. i8; 2.14: 3. 18; see 2 Kings 9. 11.—- 
u2 Cor, 13. 9.—v 2 Cor. 4. ὃ: 11. 23-27: Phil. 4. 12.—ro Job 
22. 6; Rom, 8, 35. 


wv Acts 23,' 2.—y Acts 18.3; 20, 34: 1 Thess. 2.9; 2 Thess. 
3.2: 1_Tim. 4. 10. 2 Matt. 5.44; Luke 6.28; 23. 34; Acts 
7.60; Rom. 12. 14, 20; 1 Pet. 2. 23; 3. 9.—a Lan, 3. 45.— 
41 Thess, 2. 11, 


appearance on the theatre for that day, they are 
said here to be set forth ἔσχατοι, the last.” We 
are made a spectacle—'Or: θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν, 
We are exhibited on the theatre to the world; we 
are lawful booty to all mankind, and particularly 
to the men of the world, who have their portion in 
this life. Angels are astonished at our treatment, 
and so are the more considerate part of men. Who 
at that time would have coveted the apostolate ? 

10. We are fools for Christ’s sake [Διὰ Χρι- 
στόν, through Christ, because of our relations to 
him]—At the public spectacles they were accus- 
tomed to hiss, hoot, mock, and variously insult the 
poor victims. Thus, says the apostle, we are fools 
on Christ’s account, we walk in a conformity to his 
will, and we bear his cross; and did we walk ac- 
cording to the course of this world, or according to 
the man-pleasing conduct of some among you, we 
should have no such cross to bear. Ye are wise 
in Christ—[By virtue of νοῦν Christian profes- 
sion.] Surely all these expressions are meant 
ironically; the apostles were neither ‘ foo/s,” nor 
weak, nor contemptible ; nov were the Corinthians, 
morally speaking, “wise,” and strong, and hon- 
ourable. 

11. We both hunger and thirst, ete—Who 
would then have been an apostle of Christ, even 
with all its spiritual honours and glories, who had 
not a soul filled with love both to God and man, 
and the fullest conviction of the reality of the 
doctrine he preached, and of that spiritual world 
in which alone he could expect rest? Have no 
certain dwellingplace—We are mere itinerant 
preachers, and when we set out in the morning 
know not where, or whether we shall or not, get a 
night’s lodging. [This is evidently not to be taken 
strictly as indicative of the situation of Paul at 
the time of writing the epistle, but as generally 
describing the kind of life to which, then and 
always, he and the other apostles were exposed.— 
Alford.] 

12. Working. with our own hands—They 
were obliged to labour in order to supply them- 
selves with the necessaries of life while preaching 
the Gospel to others. This, no doubt. was the 
case in every place where no Church had been as 
yet formed: afterward, the people of God sup- 
plied their ministers, according to their power, with 
food and raiment. Being reviled, we bless, 
ete.—Man is naturally a proud creature. and his 
pride prompts him always to avenge himself in 
whatever manner he ean, and repay insult with in- 
sult. It is only the grace of Christ that can make 
a man patient in bearing injuries, and render bless- 
ing for cursing, beneficence for malevolence, ete. 
The apostles suffered all indignities for Christ’s 
sake ; for it was on fis account that they were 
exposed to persecutions. [And, agreeable to his 
example, they submitted to suffer them.] 

Vor, Il.—s 


13. Being defamed — Biacdnpoipevor, being 
blasphemed. I have already remarked that (32ac- 
φημεῖν signifies to speak injuriously, and may have 
reference either to God or to man. Gop is blas- 
phemed when his attributes, doctrines, providence, 
or grace are treated contemptuously, or any thing 
said of him that is contrary to his holiness, justice, 
goodness, or truth. Jan is blasphemed when any 
thing injurious is spoken of his person, character, 
conduct, ete. Blaspheming against men is any 
thing by which they are éjured in their persons, 
characters, ov property. We are made as the 
filth of the world... the offscouring of all 
things—Ilepixabapuara, filth, a purgation, ov lus- 
trative sacrifice ; περίψημα, offscouring, a redemp- 
tion sacrifice. To understand the full force of 
these words, as applied by the apostle in this 
place, we must observe that he alludes to certain 
customs among the heathens, who, in the time of 
some public calamity, chose out some unhappy men 
of the most abject and despicable character to be 
a public expiation for them; these they maintained 
a whole year at the public expense, and then they 
led them out, crowned with flowers, as was custom- 
ary in sacrifices, and, having heaped all the curses 
of the country upon their heads, and whipped them 
seven times, they burned them alive, and after- 
ward their ashes were thrown into the sea, while 
the people said these words: Περίψημα ἡμῶν γίνου, 
be thou ony propitiation. Hence Origen says that 
our Lord, in giving up himself as a_propitiation 
for our sins, was, much more than his apostles, 
περικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου, πάντων περίψημα, the lus- 
tration of the world, and the peculiar sacrifice for 
all men. The apostle, therefore, means that he 
and his fellows were treated like those wretched 
beings who were judged to be fit for nothing but 
to be expiatory victims to the infernal gods, for 
the safety and redemption, of others. Our words 
“filth” and “offscouring” convey no legitimate 
sense of the original. 

14. I write not these things to shame you 
—It is not by way of finding fault with you for 
not providing me with the necessaries of life that 
I write thus; but I do it to warn you to act differ- 
ently for the time to come; and be not so ready 
to be drawn aside by every pretender to apostle- 
ship, to the neglect of those to whom, under God, 
you owe your salvation. 

15. For though ye have ten thousand in- 
structors—Mvpiorc παιδαγωγοὺς, myriads of lead- 
ers, that is, an indefinite multitude. The zadayw- 
yéc, from which we have our word pedagogue, which 
we improperly apply to’a schoolmaster, was, among 
the Greeks, the person or servant who attended a 
child, had the general care of him, and who ded 
him to school for the purpose of being instructed 
by the διδάσκαλος, or teacher. It seems there were 
many at Corinth who offered their services to in- 

113 


A. M. 4060. A. D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 808, 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


The apostles were endowed with 
power to govern the Church, 


instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fa- 
thers: ἔοι οἴη Christ Jesus I have begotten you 
through the gospel. 16 Wherefore I beseech 
you, ‘be ye followers of me. 2&7 For this 
cause have I sent unto you ¢ Timotheus, τ who 
is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, 
who shall bring you £into remembrance of my 
ways which be in Christ, as I *teach every 
where ‘in every church. 88 * Now some are 
puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 
19 ' But I will come to you shortly, ™if the 


Lord will, and will know, not the speech of 
them which are puffed up, but the power. 
20 For "the kingdom of God 8 not in word, 
but in power. 22 What will ye? ¢shall I 
come unto you with a rod, or in love and in 
the spirit of meekness ? 


CHAPTER V. 


T isreported commonly that there is forni- 
cation among you, and such fornication as 
is not so much as *named among the Gentiles, 


c Acts 18. 11; Rom. 15. 20; chap. 3. 6; Gal. 4. 19; Philem, 10; 
James 1. 18. d Chap. 11. 1; Phil. 3. 17:1 Thess. 1.6; 2 Thess, 
8. 9.—e Acts 19. 22; chap. 16.10; Phil. 2.19; 1 Thess. 3. 2. 
Plime 1s) Vim: τ Ὡς 


Chan. 11. 2.—hA Chap. 7. 17. i Chap. 14. 33. Chap. 
a De 1 Acts 19. 21; chap. 16. 5; 2 Cor, 1. 15. 23. m Acts 
18. 21: Rom. 15, 32; Heb. 6. 3; James 4. 15. nm Chap, 2. 4; 
1 Thess. 1. ὃ. o2 Cor. 10. 2; 13. 10. ——a@ Eph. 5. 3. 


struct this people, and who were not well affected 
toward the apostle. Not many fathers—Many 
offer to instruct you who have no parental feeling 
for you; and how ean they? you are not their spir- 
itual children; you stand in this relation to me 
alone; for in Christ Jesus, by the power of his 
Spirit, I have begotten you; 7 was the means 
of bringing you into a state of salvation, so that 
you have been born again: ye are my children 
alone in the Gospel. 

16. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye fol- 
lowers of me—Muwyrai, imitators. As children 
should imitate the example of godly parents, the 
apostle calls on these Corinthians to imitate him, 
as he claims them for his children. Follow and 
imitate me, as I follow and imitate Christ: do not 
imitate them who, from their worldly pursuits, 
show themselves to be actuated with a worldly 
spirit. ; 

17. For this cause—Ava τοῦτο, that is, that 
you imitate me, and know in what this consists. 1 
sent unto you Timotheus — The same person 
to whom he wrote the two epistles that are still 
extant under his name, and whom he ealls here 
his beloved son, one of his most intimate dis- 
ciples; and whom he had been the means of 
bringing to God through Christ. My ways 
which be in Christ—This person will also in- 
form you of the manner in which I regulate all 
the Churches ; and show to you that what I require 
of you is no other than what I require of all the 
Churches of Christ which I have formed, as I fol- 
low the same plan of discipline in every place. 

18. Some are puffed up—Some of your teach- 
ers act with great haughtiness, imagining them: 
selves to be safe, because they suppose that I shall 
not revisit Corinth. [On the presumption that I 
would not come to you, some (among you) are as- 
suming great things to themselves — becoming 
“yuffed up.’’] 

19. But I will come to you shortly—God 
being my helper, I fully purpose to visit you; and 
then I shall put those proud. men to the proof, not 
of their speech—eloquence, or pretensions to 
great knowledge and influence, but of their power 
—the authority they profess to have from God, and 
the evidences of that authority in the works they 
have performed, 

20, For the kingdom of God—The religion 
of the Lord Jesus. Is not in word—Excellence 
of speech, or even in doctrines. But in power— 
‘Ev δυνάμει, in the mighty energy of the Holy Spirit ; 
enlightening, quickening, converting, and sanctify- 
ing believers. [In the New Testament idea of the 
kingdom of God, both the governmental and the 
ethical are united, prominence being given some- 


114 


times to one and sometimes to the other. The 
power, δύναμες, in this place includes both.] 

21. Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in 
love—Here he alludes to the case of the teacher 
and father, mentioned in verse 15. Shall I come 
to you with the authority of a teacher, and use the 
rod of discipline? or shall [ come in the tender- 
ness of a father, and entreat you to do what I 
have authority to enforce? [Man determines for 
himself the treatment he shall receive—whether it 
shall be severity or mildness. Well for him who is 
still enjoying the gracious period of discipline. He 
is better than one.altogether reprobate. God has a 
twofold staff—the staff mildness and the staff of 
woe. (Zech. xi, 7-14.)—Heubner in Lange.| | That 
there were many irregularities in this Church, which 
required both the presence and authority of the 
apostle, we shall see in the subsequent chapters. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 


1. [Itis... commonly—'OAwe, actually, clearly. 
The report was widespread and entirely credible. ] 
There is fornication among you—lIlopveia, in 
this place, must be understood in its utmost lati- 
tude of meaning, as implying all kinds of (sexual) 
impurity; for that the Corinthians’ were noto- 
viously guilty of every species of irregularity and 
debauch we have already seen; and it is not 
likely that in speaking on this subject, in reference 
to a people so very notorious, he would refer to 
only one species, and that not the most flagitious. 
Named—[’Ovoyateraz, is not found in the best MSS. 
and Versions. See R. V.] That one should 
have his father’s wife—It is sufficiently clear 
that a man who professed Christianity had married 
his father’s wife. That the father was a/ive seems 
evident from 2 Cor. vii, 12, where, speaking of 
the person who did the wrong, the apostle intro- 
duces also him who had suffered the wrong; which 
must mean the father, and the father then alive. 
This was a crime which the text says was -not 
among the Gentiles; the apostle must only mean 
that it was not allowed by them, for it certainly 
did often occur; but by their best writers who 
notice it, it was branded as superlatively infa- 
mous. Cicero styles it, scelus incredibile et inandi- 
tum, an ineredible and unheard-of wickedness ; 
but it was heard of and practised; and there are 
several stories of this kind in heathen authors, but 
they reprobate, not commend, it. Some think that 
this woman might have been a proselyte to the 
Jewish religion from heathenism ; and the rabbis 
taught that proselytism annulled all former re- 
lationships, and that a woman was at liberty, in such 
a case, to depart from an unbelieving husband, and 
to marry even with a believing son, that is, of her 


Transgressors of God's laws are 
not to reinatn in the Church, 


‘that one should have his ¢father’s wife. 
2 ‘And ye are puffed up, and have not rather 
emourned, that he that hath done this deed 
might be taken away from among you. 3 For 
I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, 
have & judged already, as though I were pres- 
ent, concerning him that hath so done this 
deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, 
"with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 


CHAPTER τ. 


Δ. Μ. 4060. A.D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809, 


5 ΤῸ deliver such a one unto «Satan for the 
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be 
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 ! Your 
glorying is not good. Know Ye not that "a 
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump 7 
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye 
may be a new lump, as ye are unleayencd. 
For even *Christ our °passover Pis sacrificed 
for us: & Therefore 4let us keep ' the feast, 
‘not with old leaven, neither t with the leaven 


b Lev. 18. 8: Deut. 22. 30: 27. 20, —e9 Cor. 7. 12.—d Chap. 
4. 18.--- 2 Cor. 7. 7, 10.—FCol. 5. 5. —g Or, determined, 
A Matt. 16.19; 18. 18; Jolin 20, 23 ss Cor 2. 102" 13.3. 10“----.- 
i Job 2.6: Psa. 109. 6; 1 Tim, 1, 20.—% Acts.26. 18.—Z Verse 
2, chap. 3. 21; 4.19; James 4, 16. 


m Chapter 15, 33; Gal. 5. 9: 2 Tim. 2. 17.—n Isa. 53. 7: 
John 1. 29; chap. 15. 3; 1 Pet. 1. 19; Rev. 5. 6, 12,—0o John 
19. 14.—p Or, is slain.—g Exod. 2. 14; 13. 6.—z7 Or, hol- 
ee ἐπὶ Deut. 10. $F Matt 16. 6, 12; Mark 8, 15; Luke 


husband by some former wife, [But of this there 
is really no proof nor probability. ] 

2. Ye are puffed up—[Both Alford and Meyer, 
following most of the very best MSS., make this 
verse a question. Are you inflamed with pride, and 
not rather grieved, (age¢rieved,) so that he who has 
done that (base) deed might be removed from 
among you?] Had vou considered the greatness 
of this crime, ye would have rather mourned, and 
have put away this flagrant transgressor from 
among you. The Christian Church was at this time 
too young to have those forms of excommunication 
which were practised in succeeding centuries, 
Probably no more is meant than a simple disowning 
of the person, accompanied with the refusal to ad- 
mit him to the sacred ordinances, or to have any 
intercourse or connexion with him, 

3. Absent in body, but present in spirit— 
[Probably nothing more is here meant than that, 
though personally absent, the apostle would be in 
full sympathy with the Church at Corinth in the 
performance of its painful but necessary duty. ] 

4. In the name of our Lord Jesus—Who is 
the head of the Church; and under whose authority 
every act is to be performed. And my spirit— 
My personal concurrence and my apostolical au- 
thority derived from Christ. 

5. To deliver such a one unto Satan—There 
is no evidence that delivering to Satan was any 
form of excommunication known either among the 
Jews or the Christians. Lightfoot, Selden, and 
Schoettgen, who have searched all the Jewish ree- 
ords, have found nothing that answers to what af- 
terward came into use. [Excommunieation as 
practised in the Church of Rome, especially in the 
times of its political ascendeney, was in fact a most 
fearful and refined aggregation of horrors, for 
which no authority is found in this passage, nor in 
any other part of the New Testament.] No such 
power as this remains in the Church of God ; hone 
such should be assumed ; the pretensions to it are 
as wicked as they are vain, [According to Prot- 
estantism, excommunication, being the means of 
securing the purity of the Church, is simply the 
Severance of the guilty from the sacraments and 
from all membership of the Church.— Dr. Whedon. } 
[It is a punishment only as it is a deprivation, but 
in respect to the Church it is a measure for pro- 
tecting its own purity.] [To deliver such a one 
unto Satan,” Παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ. The delivery 
over to Satan can only be viewed as 
declaratory act of relegation from Christian fellow- 
ship into the power of the ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου, the 
ruler of this world. (Eph, ii, 2.)—Meyer.] For 
the destruction of the flesh — [Σάρξ, depraved 
nature, not σῶμα, the physical organism. After all 


an express and | 


that has been said and written on this phrase and 
that which follows it, and the fearful assumptions 
of power over men’s bodies and souls conferred by 
it on the professed successors of the apostles, prob- 
ably nothing more is here meant than that, being 
excluded from the communion of the faithful, it 
might be hoped that the offender, thus confronted 
with his gross sinfulness, would learn to restrain 
and destroy his depraved lusts, (capé,) and so, 
through restoring mercy, the soul, ( πνεῦμα, the 
spiritual man, as distinguished from his material 
organism,) might at last be saved. The notion 
that it was intended that the devil should inflict 
physical chastisement on the outcast is a relic of 
an exploded superstition. Separation from the 
communion of the faithful may, probably often 
does, become a means of reclamation to the suf- 
ferer. This is its highest purpose in respect to 
himself, while the Church also guards its own purity, 
even though it be at the cost of the final casting 
away of the offender. According to this view, 
the day of the Lord Jesus would mean, the pres- 
ent day of grace and salvation by the effectual agen- 
cies of the Gospel. ] 

6. Your glorying is not good—You are tri- 
umphing in your superior knowledge, and busily 
employed in setting up end Supporting your re- 
spective teachers, while the Church is left under 
the most scandalous corruptious—corruptions which 
threaten its very existence if not purged away. 
Know ye not—With all your boasted wisdom, do 
you not knew and acknowledge the truth of a com- 
mon maxim, a little leaven leaveneth the 
whole lump. If this “leaven”—the incestuous 
person—be permitted to remain among you; if his 
conduct be not exposed by the most formidable 
censure; the floodgates of impurity will be opened 
on the Church, and the whole state of Christianity 
ruined in Corinth. {Not that a little leaven will, jf 
not purged out, leaven the whole lump, but that it 
has already done so, and this case is only a sample; 
proving that instead of their glorying, καύχημα, 
there was cause for the deepest shame. See Al- 
ford. ] 

7. Purge out therefore the old leaven—As 
it is the custom of the Jews previously to the pass- 
over to search their houses in the most diligent 
manner for old leaven, and to throw it out, sweep- 
ing every part clean; so act with this incestuous 
person. (See Exod. xii, 27.) 

8. Therefore let us keep the feast—Perhaps 
the time of the passover was now approaching, 
when the Church of Christ would be called to ex- 
traordinary acts of devotion in commemorating the 
passion, death, and resurrection of Christ; aud of 
this circumstance the apostle takes advantage in 

115 


A. M. 4060, A. D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 809. 


of malice and wickedness; but with the un- 
leavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 | 
wrote unto you in an epistle “not to company 
with fornicators: 9 * Yet not altogether 
with the fornicators of this world, or with 
the covetous, or extortioners, or with idola- 
ters; for then must ye needs go * out of the 
world. ΜΠ But now I have written unto you 
not to keep company, Yif any man that is 
called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, 
or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Transgressors to be cut off 
from the Church. 


extortioner; with such a one 7no not to eat. 
12 For what have I to do to judge *them also 
that are without? do not ye judge 'them that 
are within? &8 But them that are without 
God judgeth. Therefore ‘put away from 
among yourselves that wicked person. 


CHAPTER. VI. 


ARE any of you, having a matter against 
another, go to law before the unjust, and 
not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that 


1, See verses 2,7; 2 Cor. 6. 14; Eph. 5. 11; 2 Thess, 3. 14.— 
# Chap. 10, 27. —2 Chap. 1. 20.— Jobn 17. 15; 1 John 4, 19. 
—y Matt. 18.17; Rom. 16.17; 2 Thess. 3. 6, 14; 2 John 10, 


his exhortation to the Corinthians. ([Since, then, 
Christ has been (is) slain as the Christians’ paschal 
lamb, they too must keep their feast in an ethical 
sense, that is to say, by leading a holy life, without 
sinful admixture, with pure and true Christian virtue. 
—WMeyer.| The apostle refers here not more to 
wicked principles than to wicked men ; “let us keep 
the feast,” not with old leaven—the impure prin- 
ciples which actuated vou while in your heathen 
state ; neither with the leaven of malice and 
wickedness — κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, wickedness, 
radical depravity, producing unrighteousness in the 
life; nor with the persons who are thus influenced 
and thus act; but with the unleavened bread, 
ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἀζύμοις, but with upright and godly men, who 
have sincerity, εἰλικρινία, such purity of affections 
and conduct, that even the light of God shining 
upon them discovers only the truth. 

9. I wrote unto you in an epistle—The words 
ἔγραψα ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ May be translated, J have 
written to you in this epistle; for there are many in- 
stances in the New Testament where the aorist, 
which is here used, and which is a sort of indefinite 
tense, is used for the perfect and even the pluper- 
fect. Dr. Whitby produces several proofs of this, 
and contends that the conclusion drawn by some, 
namely, that it refers to some epistle that is lost, is 
not legitimately drawn from any premises which 
either this text or antiquity affords. The principal 
evidence against this is 2 Cor. vii, 8, where the same 
words as above appear to refer to this jirst epistle. 
Possibly the apostle may refer to an epistle which 
he had written though not sent. [The question is 
one simply of criticism, for it involves nothing 
either ethical or doctrinal. Many of the best bib- 
lical scholars believe that there was an earlier epis- 
tle to the Corinthians, which is not now extant. ] 
Not to company (mingle) with fornicators— 
With which, as we have already seen, Corinth 
abounded, It was not only the grand sin, but staple, 
of the place. 

10. Yet not altogether — [In the ordinary 
affairs of life it often becomes necessary to have 
business relations with men of corrupt lives, but 
all closer contact with such should be diligently 
avoided.] For then must ye needs go out of 
the world—The Christians at Corinth found it 
necessary to transact the ordinary affairs of life with 
fornicators, covetous persons, extortioners, railers, 
drunkards, and idolaters, because there were but 
few others in the place! 

11. But now I have written—TI not only 
write this, but 1 add more: if any one that is 
called a brother—that is, professes the Christian 
religion—be a fornicator, covetous, idolater, 
railer, drunkard, or extortioner, do not even eat 

116 


2 Gal. 2. 12.—c« Mark 4. 11; Col. 4. 5: 1 Thess. 4. 12; 1 Tim. 
ὃ Chap. 6. 1, 2, 3, 4.----Ο Deut. 13.5; 17.7; 21. 2b; 22. 


with such—have no communion with such a one in 
things either sacred or civil. You may transact 
your worldly concerns with a person that makes no 
profession of Christianity, whatever his moral char- 
acter may be; but ye must not even thus far 
acknowledge a man professing Christianity, who is 
scandalous in his conduct. Let Aim have this extra 
mark of your abhorrence of all sin; and let the 
world see that the Church of God does not tolerate 
iniquity. [This rule, as that in 2 Thess. iii, 14, re- 
gards only their private intercourse with the offend- 
ing person; nothing is here said of public excom- 
munication, though for some of these crimes it 
would be implied.— Alford. | 

12, 18. For what have Ito do to judge them 
also that are without—[Ti yap μοι, for what con- 
cern have [? 1 am concerned in this letter only with 
those who claim the name of believers, τοὺς ἔσω, 
(those within ;) them it is your duty to judge, to 
inquire into and pass judgment upon their conduct, 
and if necessary to exclude them from the brother- 
hood.] Does it belong to me to pass sentence on 
those which are without—rovc ἔξω- τοῦ members of 
the Church ? By no means, (οὐ χί.) Pass ye sentence 
on them which are within—which are members of 
the Church: those which are without—which are not 
members of the Church— God will pass sentence on, 
in that way in which he generally deals with the 
heathen world. But put ye away the evil from 
among yourselves. Here there appears to be an al- 
lusion to Deut. xvii, 7, where the like directions are 
given to the congregation of Israel relative to a 
person found guilty of idolatry. “Thou shalt put 
away the evil from among you.” [ Zhem that ave 
without, God judgeth, or, to judge those without is 
God’s matter, (κρίνει, present,) the unbeliever, though 
not liable to be “judged” by the Church, is not 
therefore exempt from all judgment; God knows 
him, and judges him perpetually. ] 


NOTES ON CILAPTER VI. 


1. Dare any of you, ete—From the many 
things that are here reprehended by the apostle, we 
learn that the Church at Corinth was in a decidedly 
bad state, although it contained not a few eminent 
characters. They were divided among themselves, 
and there was no one who possessed any public 
authority to settle their differences; they were 
therefore obliged to carry their contentions before 
heathen magistrates; and perhaps some of these 
litigations arose out of their ecclesiastical divisions. 
This thing, and this issue of it, the apostle strongly 
reprehends. Before the unjust, and not before 
the saints— The heathen judges were termed 
δικασταί, from their presumed righteousness in the 
administration of justice; here the apostle calls 


Differences to he settled by the 
Church, not by courts of law. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4060. A. 1D. 56, 
Year of R me, 809, 


*the saints shall judge the world? and if {πὸ to judge the smallest matters? $ Know ye 


world shall be judged by yon, 


are ye unworthy | not that we shall 'judge angels? how much 


a Psa. 49, 14; Dan. 7. 22; Matt. 19. 28; Luke 22, 30: 


Rev. 2. 265 3. 21; 20. 4. —b2 Pet. 2. 4: Judes, 


them ἄδικοι, unrighteous persons; and not improb- 
ably at Corinth, where such corruption of manners 
reigned, there was a great perversion of public jus- 
tice. [Ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδίκων, before the unrighteous, a 
specially significant designation of the heathens (see 
Gal. ii, 5) as contrasted with the Christians who are 
called saints, ἅγιοι. Instead of carrying on law- 
suits against each other before the heathens, they 
were to adjust their disputes before Christians, 
which could of course be done only in the way of 
arbitration. (Verse 5.)—Meyer.] 

2. The saints shall judge the world—Nothing 
can be more evident than that the writers of the New 


Testament often use 6 κόσμος, the world, to signify | 


the Jewish people, and sometimes the Roman em- 
pire and the Jewish state ; and in the former sense 
it is often used by our Lord. “ When,” says he, 
“the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, 
ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. xix, 28.) It is sup- 
posed that he refers to the same subject as that 
mentioned here—the saints judging the world ; and 
that St. Paul has Ais words in view in what he says 
here to the Corinthians. By “judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel,” some have imagined that having 
authority in the Church is mevely intended; but 
Dr. Lightfoot contends, that the words referred to 
the coming of our Lord to execute judgment on the 
Jews, and to destroy their state; and that the doe- 
trine of the apostles, not themselves, was to judge 
and condemn that most disobedient people. The 
place before us is generally understood to imply 
that the redeemed of the Lord shall be, on the great 
day, assessors with him in judgment ? and shall give 
their award in the determinations of his justice. 
On reviewing this subject, I am fully of opinion 
that this cannot be the meaning of the words, and 
that no such assessorship as is contended for ever 
will take place; and that the interpretation is 
clogged with a multitude of absurdities: 1) The 
saints themselves are to appear before the judg- 
ment seat of Christ, and shall be judged by him, aft- 
er which they shall reign with him; but it is nev- 
er said in Scripture that they shall judge with him. 
2) It would be absurd to suppose that thrones 
should be evected for the purpose of saints sitting 
on them to give their approbation in the condem. 
nation of the wicked; of what use ean such an ap- 
probation be? is it necessary to the validity of 
Christ’s decision? I agree with Dr. Lightfoot, that 
these words of the apostle refer to the prediction 
of Daniel, (chapter vii, 18, 27,) and such like 
prophecies, where the kingdoms of the earth are 
promised to the saints of the Most High ; that is, 
that a time shall come when Christianity shall so far 
prevail that the civil government of the world shall 
be administered by Christians, which, at that time, 
was administered by heathens. And this is even 
now true of all those parts of the earth which may 
be considered of the greatest political consequence. 
They profess Christianity, and the kings and other 
governors are Christians in this general sense of the 
term. [The saints, the whole body of believers, ex- 
tending through the ages as the promulgators, 
both by their words and their works, of the princi- 
ples of eternal righteousness, shall judge the world 
—all men.] 


3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels 
—Dr. Lightfoot observes that “ the apostle does not 
say here, as he said before, the saints shall judge 
the angels, but we shall judge angels.” By “an- 
gels,” all confess that demons are intended -: (?) but 
certainly all saints, according to the latitude with 
which that word is understood, that is, all who pro- 
fess Christianity, shall not judge angels. Nor is 
this judging of angels to be understood of the last 
day; but the apostle speaks of the ministers of the 
Gospel, himself and others, who, by the preaching 
of the Gospel, through the power of Christ, should 
spoil the devils of their oracles and their idols, 
should deprive them of their worship, should drive 
them out of their seats, and strip them of their do- 
mninion.” [It seems to be assumed that a com- 
mentator must find or invent a meaning for every 
passage of Scripture, and accordingly some strange 
things are occasionally encountered. Verses second 
and third of this chapter present a case in point, 
where they say “the saints shall judge the world,” 
and “we shall judge angels.’ The sense of the 
chief words here used scarcely admits of any doubt. 
“The world,” τὸν κόσμον, means “all men,” “man- 
kind,” “ angels ;” ἀγγέλους, (without the article,) 
“spiritual beings, God’s creatures,” they may be 
good or bad, or both; κρινοῦσιν, predicated of the 
saints, and κρινοῦμεν, (in the first person plural, 
Without the subject-pronoun,) signities primarily, 
“to determine judicially,” to pass judgment re- 
specting some person or thing; it may also mean 
“to accuse,” “to condemn,” (Matt. vi, 1.) and 
also “to administer government,” in which sense 
the name κριταί is given to a class of Israelitish 
rulers. Applying the word in the first sense, we 
are taught that the saints shall pass judgment upon 
the world, and we (either the saints or the apos- 
tles) will pass judgment upon angels. This judg- 
ing the world is variously construed. Some, who 
are millenarians, refer it to the reign of Christ on 
earth, (the parousia,) when the saints shall reign 
with their descended Head in his mundane king- 
dom; others refer it to the “day of judgment,” 
when (say they) the saints will be assessors with 
Christ, (judging each other by turns) ; (2) still others 
hold, that by virtue of their mystical union with 
Christ, (ἐν Χριστῷ,) the saints shall also participate 
in his active royalty. The reader who may not feel 
compelled to find a solution of this sentence will 
probably conclude that all of these are forced in- 
terpretations, and will yield them a scanty assent, 

But the second case is still more difficult. Who 
are to be the judges and who the judged? Some 
Say, as to the first, the saints, as in the former 
case: others say, the apostles, in virtue of their 
higher office, (see Matt. xix, 28,) though the text 
referred to applies only to the Israelites. Some 
make the angels exclusively the good ; others only 
the bad; and still others both kinds. But how, 
when, or where this is to be done, is left in the ut- 
most uncertainty. If it were allowable for ἃ com- 
mentator to confess that a portion of Scripture 
is beyond his powers of elucidation, perhaps this 
is peculiarly the place for the use of that privilege. 
As matters are—since the learned doctors are not 
at all agreed among themselves, and since also some 
of their diverse expositions do not especially com- 

117 


A. Μ. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Better to suffer wrong than 
tu do wring. 


more things that pertain to this life? 4 «If 
then ye have judgments of things pertaining 
to this life, set them to judge who are least 
esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your 
shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man 
among you? no, not one that shall be able to 
judge between his brethren? 6 But brother 
goeth to law with brother, and that before the 
unbelievers. '% Now therefore there is utterly 
a fault among you, because ye go to law one 
with another. 4 Why do ye not rather take 
wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer your- 
selves to be defrauded? & Nay, ye do wrong, 


and defraud, ὁ and that your brethren. 9 Know 
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit 
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: ‘nei- 
ther fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with 
mankind, 40 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor 
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall 
inherit the kingdom of God. ΑΚ And such 
were some of you: but ye are washed, but 
ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of 
our God. 42 ‘All things are lawful unto me, 
but all things are not Semper all things 


eChap. 5. 12.—d Prov. 20. 22; ; 
Rom. 12. 17,19; 1 Thess. 5.15. 61 Thess. 4. 6.—/Chap. 15. 50; 
Gal. 5. 21; Eph. 5. 5; 1 Tim. 1. 9; Heb. 12. 14; 13. 4; Rev. 


Matt. 5.39,40:; Luke 6, 29; 


22. 15.—g Chap. 12. 2; Eph. 2. 2; 4. 22; 8: Col. 3.7: Titus 
Dunes ἢ Chap. 1. 30; Heb. 10. 22. Shan 10. 23: iE Or, 
profitable. 


mend themselves to the average understanding, it 
may be wise to confess our ignorance, and wait for 
more light. The practical ‘lessons, however, are 
plain enough. | 

4. Things pertaining to this life—They could 
examine all civil cases among themselves, which 
they were permitted to determine without any hin- 
derance from the heathen governments under which 
they lived. Who are least esteemed in the 
church— Τοὺς ἐξουθενημένους, those who were in 
the lowest order of judges. The apostle certainly 
does not mean persons of no repute, but such as 
these arbitrators, who were chosen for the purpose 
of settling private differences, and preventing them 
from going before the regular magistrates. 

5. Is it so, that there is not a wise man 
among you— Have you none among yourselves 
that can be arbitrators of the differences which 
arise, that you go to the heathen tribunals ? 

6. Brother goeth to law with brother—One 
Christian sues another atlaw! This is almost as 
great a scandal as can exist in a Christian society. 
Those in a religious community who will not sub- 
mit to a proper arbitration, made by persons among 
themselves, should be expelled from the Church of 
God. 

7. There is utterly a fault among you—There 
is a most manifest defect among you, 1) Of peace- 
ableness ; 2) Of brotherly love ; 3) Of nutual confi- 
dence ; and 4) Of reverence for God, and concern 
for the honour of his cause. Why do ye not 
rather take wrong—Better suffer an injury than 
take a method of redressing yourselves which must 
injure your own peace, and greatly dishonour the 
eause of God. 

8. Nay, from suffering, ye 
are the aggressors ; and defraud your own brethren, 
who submit to this wrong rather than take those 
methods of redressing their grievances which the 
spirit of Christianity forbids. 

9. The unrighteous shall not inherit the 
kingdom—The unrighteous, ἄδικοι, unjust ones, 
those who act contrary to right, cannot inherit the 
kingdom of God. He who is not a child of God [is 
not joined to him by faith, for the just shall live 
by faith, and therefore he] has no right to the fam- 
ily inheritance, for that is for the childven. There 
are here ¢en classes of transgressors which the apos- 
tle excludes from the kingdom of God; and any 
man who is guilty of any one of the evils mentioned 
above is thereby excluded from this kingdom, 
whether it imply the Church of Christ here below, 
or the state of glory hereafter. Several of the evils 
here enumerated will not bear to be particularly 

118 


explained; they are, however, sufficiently plain of 
themselves, and show us what abominations were 
commonly practised among the Corinthians. 

11. And such were some of you—It was not 
with the prospect of collecting saints that the apos- 
tles went about preaching the Gospel of the king- 
dom. None but sinners were to be found over the 
face of the earth ; they preached that sinners might 
be converted unto God, made saints, and consti- 
tuted into a Church ; and this was the effect as well 
as the object of their preaching. [It seemed need- 
ful to remind such self-sufficient ones of what they 
had been only a little while before, that the remem- 
brance of those things might teach them humility, 
while the recollection of what God’s grace had ef- 
fected for them, and in them, might give them good 
hope through Christ.] But ye are washed— 
Several suppose that the order in which the opera- 
tions of the grace of God take place in the soul is 
here inverted; but I am of a very different mind. 
Every thing will appear here in its order when we 
understand the terms used by the apostle. “Ye 
are washed,” ἀπελούσασθε: ye have been baptized 
into the Christian faith, and ye have promised in 
this baptism to put off all filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit; and the washing of your bodies is emble- 
matical of the purification of your souls. [It seems 
more than doubtful whether there is in this place 
any direct reference to baptism; nor is it at all 
needful to presume that in naming these several 
processes of grace, any definite order of sequence 
is to be presumed.] Ye are sanctified —‘Hy:- 
dotyte, made holy, separated from earthly things 
to be connected with spiritual. Ye are justified 
-᾿ Εδικαιώθητε : ye have been brought into a state 
of favour with God, your sins having been blotted 
out through Christ Jesus. [The process of the 
justification of penitent but believing sinners, 
though effectuated quite independently of any 
eoodness, either of action or spirit, in those so 
justified, is never without the accompanying power 
of the Holy Spirit, by which both a relative and a 
real sanctification is also effected. | 

2. Allthings are lawful unto me—[At this 
point a new line of thought is opened, in order to 
combat the doctrine of Christian freedom, which 
has become current among them: that as meats 
were indifferent, so was fornication. In opposition 
to this pernicious sophism the apostle now presents 
a strong dissuasive. See Alford.] [The sentiment 
is a true Christian axiom, the πάντα (all things) be- 
ing of course understood, as it evidently was even 
by the abusers of the doctrine, of things (ἀδιάφορα) 
indifferent. The apostle does not either deny or 


The bodies of Christians and the 
temples of the Holy Ghost. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A.M. 4960. A. Ὦ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


are lawful for me, but I will not be brought | joined to a harlot is one body? for "two, saith 


under the power of avy. 18 ! Meats for the 
belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall 
destroy both it and them. Now the body is 
not for fornication, but ™for the Lord; "and 
the Lord for the body. 834 And °God hath 
both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up 
us Pby his own power. 25 Know ye not that 
ἃ your bodies are the members of Christ ? shall 
I then take the members of Christ, and make 
them the members of a harlot? God forbid. 
16 What! know ye not that he which is 


Z7Matt. 15. 17: Rom. 14.17; Col. 2. 22, 23.—sm Verses 15, 19, 
20; 1 Thess, 4. 3, 7.—wn Eph. 5, 23. Ὁ Rom. 6. 5.8; 3. 1]: 
2 Cor. 4. 14.—p Eph. 1. 19, 20.—-q¢g Rom. 12. 5: chap. 12. 27; 
Eph. 4. 12, 15, 16; 5. 30.—vr Gen, 2. 24; Matt. 19. 5; Eph. ὃ. 31. 


he, shall be one flesh. E27 * But he that is 
joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 ‘Flee 
fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is 
without the body; but he that committeth 
fornication sinneth “against his own body. 
19 What! * know ye not that your body is the’ 
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, 
which ye have of God, " and ve are not your 
own? 20 For *ye are bought with a price: 
therefore glorify God in your body, and in 
your spirit, which are God’s. 


8 John 17. 21, 22, 23; Eph. 4, 4: δ, 30.—?Rom 6, 12, 13: Heh, 
13, 4. Rom, 1, 24:1 Thess. 4. 4. © Chap. 3. 16; 2 Cor. ὁ. 
16.—w Rom. 14. 7, $.—=a Acts 20. 28: chap. 7. 23; Gal. 3.13: 
Heb. 9, 12; 1 Pet, 1. 18, 19; 2 Pet. 2.1; Rey. 5. 9. 


qualify the ἔξεστιν, (lawful, or rather, permissible,) 
but takes up the matter from another point of 
view, namely, the συμφέρει, (the expedient, the ad- 
vantageous.) I will not be brought under the 
power of any — Allowing that there is no law 
against them, yet they are not expedient; there is 
no necessity for them. But some of them are abom- 
inable, and forbidden by the law of God and _ na- 
ture, whether forbidden by yours or not; while 
others, such as eating meats offered to idols, will 
almost necessarily lead to bad moral consequences. 
And who that is a Christian would obey his ap- 
petite so far as to do these things for the sake of 
gratification ? A man is brought ‘under the power 
of any” thing which he cannot give up. He is the 
slave of that thing, whatsoever it be, which he can- 
not relinquish ; and then to him it is always peril- 
τ ous, and often sinful. 

13. Meats for the belly—I suppose that κοιλία 
means the animal appetite, or propensity to food, 
ete., and we may. conceive the apostle to reason 
thus: I acknowledge that God has provided differ- 
ent kinds of aliments for the appetite of man, and 
among others those which are generally offered to 
idols ; and he has adapted the appetite to these ali- 
ments and the aliments to the appetite; but God 
shall destroy both it and them; none of these 
is eternal; all these lower appetites and sensations 
will be destroyed by death. [The comparative 
worthlessness of merely outward and material 
things is shown by their perishableness. Meats and 
the belly answer each to the other ; but their purpose 
is a humble one, and only for a little while. The 
really excellent is in the sphere of the ethical and 
spiritual.] Now the body is not for fornica- 
tion—| As ἡ κοιλία (the belly) stands for the whole 
animal system, with which τὰ βρώματα is correlated, 
80 τὸ σῶμα (the body) must be taken in its largest 
sense, as implying the whole man, so as to be ca- 
pable of a correlation with πορνεία, (fornication, ) 
which is especially an ethical entity. (See Matt. v, 
8.) The right which God has in every one’s per- 
son infinitely transcends that implied in any pos- 
sible human relation. To him we owe our first, 
perpetual, and supreme devotion. } 

14. And God hath both raised up the Lord 
—He has raised up the human nature of Christ 
from the grave, (hades,) as a pledge of our resur- 
rection ; and will also raise us up by his own power, 
that we may dwell with him in glory forever. 

15. Know ye not that your bodies (per- 
sons) are the members of Christ—Because 
he has taken our nature upon him, and thus, as be- 
lievers in him, we are members of him. Shall I 


then take, ete.—Shall we, who profess to be mem- 
bers of his (mystical) body, connect ourselves with 
harlots, and thus dishonour and pollute our souls, 
which are members of Christ? God forbid. 

16. He which is joined to a harlotis one body 
—|Persons sexually united are, by divine ordinance, 
“one flesh.” (Gen. ii, 24.) And an illicit union is 
a perversion of the order of God, and at once a 
sin against God and the soul. ] 

17. Is one spirit—He who is united to God by 
faith in Jesus Christ receives his Spirit, and be- 
comes a partaker of the divine nature. Hence the 
admonition, 

18. Flee fornication—Abominate, detest, and 
escape from, every kind of uncleanness. Some 
sins, or solicitations to sin, may be reasoned with; 
in the above cases, if you parley you are undone ; 
reason not, but FLy! Sinneth against his own 
body—Though sin of every species has a ten- 
dency to destroy life, yet none are so mortal as 
those to which the apostle refers; they strike im- 
mediately at the basis of the physical and spiritual 
being. By the just judgment of God, all these ir- 
regular and sinful connexions are married to death. 
It would be easy to show, and prove also, how the 
end of these things, even with respect to the body, 
is death ; but I forbear, and shall finish the subject 
with the words of the prophet: “The show of 
their countenance doth witness against them; and 
they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. 
Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil 
unto themselves.” (Isa. iii, 9.) 

19. Your body is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost—[Your self, your person. (See chap. iii, 16; 
2 Cor. v, 16.) As God is spirit, so his temple must be 
spiritual. He dwelleth not in temples made with 
hands. (Acts xv, 24.)] And ye are not your 
own—Ye have no right over yourselves, to dis- 
pose either of your body or any of its members, 
as you may think proper or lawful; you are bound 
to God, and to him you are accountable. 

20. Ye are bought with a price—As one pur- 
chased with money was the sole property of that 
master, so ve, being bought with the price of the 
blood of Christ, are not your own; you are his prop- 
erty. As the slave is bound to use all his skill 
and diligence for the emolument of his master, so 
you should employ body, soul, and spirit in the ser- 
vice of your Lord; promoting, by every means in 
your power, the honour and glory of your God, 
whom you must also consider as your Lord and 
Master. [The closing words, and in your spirit, 
which are God’s, are not found in the best MSS., 
and should be omitted. | 

119 


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I. CORINTHIANS. 


. Advices concerning marriage 
and married persons, 


CHAPTER VII. 
OW concerning the things whereof ye 
wrote unto me: */¢ is good for a man 


a Verses 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VII. 

1. The things whereof ye wrote unto me— 
It is sufficiently evident that the principal part of 
this epistle was written in answer to some questions 
which had been sent to the apostle in a letter from 
the Corinthian Church, (by whom, or in what in- 
terest, does not appear,) and the first question 
seems to be this: “15. it proper fora man to marry 
in the present circumstances of the Church?” 
[Few passages of Scripture have given commen- 
tators and exegetes more trouble than the few 
words that make the first sentence of Paul’s reply 
to the questions submitted to him. If it could be 
rendered interrogatively, a great amount of diffi- 
culty would be obviated; but for that there seems 
to be no authority. Meyer, who gives to the dec- 
laration its proper ethical sense, making καλὸν 
significant of moral duty, and of course carrying 
with it Jerome’s counter implication, that if “ not 
to touch” 7s (morally) good, then “to touch” is 
morally ev//, nevertheless confines the prohibition 
to the wemarried man, a solution of the case 
which, if accepted, obviates the difficulty on that 
side, but leaves us in doubt in respect to the mild- 
ness of the terms by which the apostle declares 
against gross fornication. Alford, on the contrary, 
says, of καλὸν, ‘not morally good, not the opposite 
of sin, but of inexpediency, (in certain cases and con- 
ditions, ) but EXPEDIENT generally ;” which rendering 
would be quite acceptable if only it rested on any 
sufficient authority. He also adds, that “this ex- 
pression is obviously here used in the widest sense, 
without present regard to the difference between 
the lawful and unlawful use of the woman.” 
Olshausen is in virtual agreement with this. And 
he further seems to doubt whether the apostle spoke, 
in this case, by divine authority, and concludes 
that “no absolute validity can be ascribed to the 
words καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ, asa false asceticism pretends 
Dr. Kling, (in Lange,) with the help of his Amer- 
ican editor, Dr. Poor, (whose remarks are enclosed 
in brackets in the following extracts,) traverses the 
whole subject, but fails of a completely satisfac- 
tory solution. He remarks, “The question is, 
whether by it (the καλὸν ἀνθρώπ ῳ) the apostle 
means to express the idea of suitableness or allow- 
ableness, in consideration of the superior advan- 
tages of celibacy, by reason of the religious oppor- 
tunities it gave iv erse 26;) or whether “he here has 
in view the moral beauty of continence. If we 
understand it relatively, then it cannot be inferred, 
as by Jerome, that the opposite is wrong; and so 
the value and dignity of marriage, as set forth in 
the context, will remain unaffected. (See chapter vi; 
also verses 7, 8, 26, 84,35, and 40.) “ Good,” that 
is, becoming, suitable for liberty and exemption from 
the marriage due, (verse 8 ») and for entire restraint 
over one’s self. [᾿ Good,” not in view of marriage as 
originally designed, for in that case it was not 
good for a man to 'be alone; but good in view of 
the evils which sin had engendered, and by which 
it had marred that which was designed to be one 
of man’s chief blessings. Καλὸν (in the text) 
means beautiful, praisewor thy, yet only under cer- 
tain circumstances and in view of the traits thus 
exhibited. And so all must admit it to be, e 

120 


o 
ΠΑΝ 


Christ’s “ 


not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to 
avoid fornication, let every man have his own 
wife, and let every woman have her own hus- 


8, 26. 


when practised by Paul. But not universally, for 
certainly he cannot be supposed to contradict in- 
tentionally what he says elsewhere of marriage as 
“honourable in all;” or as a type of the union of 
the Church with Christ; (Eph. v, 28-32;) oras a 
thing to forbid, which was ἐν: of the signs of the 
great apostasy. (1 Tim. iv, 3.)] W esley, whose 
life was chiefly that of a celibate, and who had a 
touch of asceticism in his spirit, writes, in approval 
of Paul’s position, ‘““So great and many are the ad- 
vantages of a single life ; » but Dr. Whedon, who 
is a happy husband and "father, thinks, “that the 
apostle sees no superior holiness in celibacy is 
plain. He utters no rapturous eulogy upon it, like 
the later monastic writers ; advocates no vows of 
virginity, proposes no convents or monasteries. 

. Protestantism prefers, for many good reasons, 
that even her foreign missionaries should be mar- 
ried.” If it were allowable to conclude that Paul 
wrote that sentence not “οἵ the Lord,” but from 
the natural bias produced by his own case, the dif- 
ficulty caused by the passage would be obviated, 
and the harmony of his fuller teachings on the sub- 
ject would be preserved, and his lessons as a 
whole would be brought into harmony with the re- 
sults of the world’s ‘and the Church’s experience 
respecting the subject in hand. No point in social 
science, tested by the principles of Christian ethics, 
is more clearly ascertained than that it is καλὸν av- 
θρώπῳ, good for a man to be married.| Not to 
touch a woman — Γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι. The 
learned reader need not be informed in what sense 
ἅπτομαι is used among the Greeks, and tangere 
among the Latins. 

2. To avoid fornication—Aa@ τὰς πορνείας, 
[(plural,) points to the manifold and irregular sex- 
ual vices which prevailed at Corinth—ATing. | 
Let every man have his own wife—Let every 
man have one woman, Ais own ; and every woman 
one man, her own. Here, plurality of wives and 
husbands is most strictly forbidden. [This second 
verse, interpreted by the first, taken as a universal 
moral maxim, would seem to be simply the per- 
mission of a lesser evil, but an evil still, for the 
purpose of avoiding a greater one.| [| Here, then, 
we have a view of marriage in its lowest aspect 
and bearings, as a safeguard against Incontinence. 
But this pedagogical or practical view of marriage, 
as meeting a contemplated necessity, by no means 
excludes the ideal view given in Eph. v, 29, ete.— 
Kling.| [The whole is written under strong impres- 
sion of the near approach of the end of the present 
state of things, (verses 29, 31,) and as advising the 
Corinthians under circumstances in which persecu- 
tion and family divisions for the Gospel’s sake might 
at any time break up the relations of life.—A/ford. ] 
[If in the verses referred to (29-81) the near ap- 
proach of the “second advent ”’—the parousia—is 
spoken of, and a motive drawn from it respecting 
present actions, then the experience of eighteen 
hundred years stands opposed to Paul’s expecta- 
tions. To admit this would be to introduce a 
widely effective element into the theory of apostol- 
ical inspiration, and largely influence our under- 
standing of what Paul has written respecting 
coming again.” 


Advises concerning marriage 
and married persons. 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. M. 4060, A.D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


band. % "Let the husband render unto the 
wife due benevolence: and likewise also the 
wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not 
power of her own body, but the husband: 
and likewise also the husband hath not power 
of his own body, but the wife. 6 © Defraud 
ye not one the other, except it be with consent 
for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fast- 
ing and prayer; and come together again, that 
4 Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. 

6 But | speak this by permission, *and not of 


commandment. % For ‘I would that all men 
were even ἃ5 1 myself. But "every man hath 
his proper gift of God, one after this manner, 
and another after that. §& 1 say therefore to 
the unmarried and widows, ‘It is good for 
them if they abide even as I. 9 But "if they 
cannot contain, let them marry: for it is bet- 
ter to marry than to burn. 40 And unto the 
married I command, ! yet not I, but the Lord, 
"Let not the wife depart from her husband: 
Ε1 But and if she depart, let her remain un- 


7.—eJoel 2.16; Zech, 7. 3; see 


Yer. 12, 25 


ὃ Exod. 21. 10; 1 Pet. 3. 
Exod. 19. 15; 1 Sam. 2 
2 Cor. 8, 8; il. 17. το ‘Acts 26, 29. 


g Chap. 9. 5, hs Matt. 19. 12; chap. 12. 11.—7 Verses 1, 26. 
—kK1 Yim. 5. 14. 1 See verses 12, 25, 40, m Mal. 2. 14, 163 
Matt.d. 32; 19. 6,9: Mark 10. 11,12; Luke 16. 18. 


3. Let the husband render unto the wife due 
benevolence—Tyjv ὀφειλομένην εὔνοιαν. Though 
our Version is no translation of the original, yet 
few persons are at a loss for the meaning, and the 
context is sufficiently plain. Some have rendered 
the words, not unaptly, the matrimonial debt or con- 
jugal duty—that which a wife owes to her husband 
and the husband to his wife: and which they must 
take care mutually to render, else alienation of 
affection will be the infallible consequence, and 
this, in numberless instances, has led to adulterous 
connexions. In such eases the wife has to blame 
herself for the infidelity of her husband, and the 
husband for that of his wife. What miserable 
work has been made in the peace of families by a 
wife or a husband pretending to be wiser than the 
apostle, and too holy and spiritual to keep the 
commandments of God! 

4. The wife hath not power, ete.—Her person 
belongs to her husband: her husband’s person be- 
longs to her; neither of them has any authority to 
refuse what the other has a right to demand. 

5. Defraud ye not one the other—What ye 
owe thus to each other never refuse paying, unless 
by mutual consent; and let that be only for a cer- 
tain time, when prudence dictates the temporary 
separation, or when some extraordinary spiritual 
occasion may render it mutually agreeable, in order 
that ve may fasf and pray, and derive the greatest 

' possible benefit from these duties by being enabled 
to wait on the Lord without distraction. That 
Satan tempt you not for your incontinency— 
It is most evident that the separations permitted by 
the apostle, for he enjoins none, are only for a 
season, on extraordinary occasions; and that the 
persons may come together again, lest Satan, 
taking advantage of their matrimonial abstinence, 
might tempt either party to illicit commerce. “ In- 
continency,” ἀκρασία, is want of strength to regulate 
one’s desires or appetites. It is remarkable that 
the apostle supposes that even this ἐδ mporary con- 
tinence might produce incontinence ; and universal 
observation confirms the supposition. 

6. I speak this by permission, ete.—We may 
understand the apostle here as saying, that the 
directions already given were from his own judg- 
ment, and not from any divine inspiration. [And 
if this is only a human judgment, it may not be 
infallibly correct. 

7. For I would that all men, etec.—He wished 
that all that were then in the Church were, like 
himself, wxmarried ; but this was in reference to 
the necessities of the Church, or what he calls 
(verse 26) the present distress ; for it never could 
be his wish that marriage should cease among men, 
and that the human race should cease upon ‘earth : 
nor could he wish that the Church of Christ should 


always be composed of single persons ; but as the 
Church was then in straits and difficulties, it was 
much better for its single members not to encum- 
ber themselves with domestic embarrassments. 
[This comprehensive wish he utters in view of the 
near approach of Christ’s second coming, when 
humanity would be made like unto the angels, and 
all marriage and giving in marriage would cease.— 
Kling.| Every man hath his proper gift of God 
—Continence is a state that cannot be acquired by 
human art or industry; a man has it from God, or 
not at all; and if he have it from God, he has it 
from him as the author of his nature. 

8. The unmarried and widows—It is sup- 
posed that the apostle in the word ayamor speaks 
here of men who had been married, but were now 
widowers ; as he does in the word χῆραι of women 
who had been married, but who were now widows. 
And when he says ὡς Kayo, even as I, he means that 
he himself was a widower ; for several of the an- 
cients rank Paul among the married apostles. 
{On the contrary, Alford remarks: “This brings 
the apostle’s own circumstances more clearly be fore 
us than verse 7, which might be misunderstood ; 
and there can be little doubt from this that he never 
was married.” 

9. But if they cannot contain—If they find it 
inconvenient and uncomfortable to continue as 
widowers and widows, let them remarry. It is 
better to marry than to burn—Bishop Pearce 
translates the original thus: For it is better to 
marry than to be made uneasy. ἹΤΠυροῦσίθαι, says he, 
“ sionifies primarily ¢o burn ; but in a metaphorical 
sense, to be troubled, vexed, or made uneasy. So in 
2 Cor. xi, 29, ‘Who is offended and I burn not,’ 
καὶ ae ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι, and I am not troubled.” It 
would be well to soften the sense of this word in 
reference to the subject of which the apostle 
speaks. All this may be said with the strictest 
truth in such cases where the impure desive has no 
existence. 

10. I command, yet not I, but the Lord—I 
do not give my own private opinion or judgment in 
this case: for the Lord Jesus commands that man 
shall not put asunder them whom God hath joined. 


(Matt. v, 32; xix, 6.) The law among the Jews 
was very loose relative to the marriage bond. 


Sometimes they parted with mutual consent, and 
this also was considered legal, as was also the mar- 
riage of the separated parties to others. Divorces 
were easily obtained among them, and they were 
considered the dissolving of the marriage bond; 
and, in consequence of these, the parties might re- 
marry with others. This was contrary to the orig- 
inal institution of marriage, and is opposed both by 
our Lord and the apostle. 

11. But and if she depart—[J// she is scpa- 

121 


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I. CORINTHIANS. 


Advises concerning marriage 
and married persons. 


married, or be reconciled to Her husband: and 
let not the husband put away his wife. 
12 But to the rest speak I, "not the Lord: If 
any brother hath a wife that believeth not, 
and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him 
not put her away. 23 And the woman which 
hath a husband that believeth not, and if he 
be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave 
him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanc- 


n Ver. 6.- —o Mal. 2 3p Rom, 12. 18; 14. 19; ‘chap. 1. 33; 


tified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is 
sanctified by the husband: else °were your 
children unclean; but now are they holy. 
£5 But if the unbelieving depart, let him de- 
part. A brother or a sister isnot under bond- 
age in such cases; but God hath called us ρα το 
peace. 86 For what knowest thou, O wife, 
whether thou shalt "save thy husband? or 
show knowest thou, O man, whether thou 


Heb. 12. 14.—gq Gr. in peace. 1 Pet. 3. 1.—s Gr. what. 


rated. | ‘The apostle puts the case as probable, be- 
cause it was frequent, but lays it under restrictions. 
[This must refer to separations already accom- 
plished ; all future ones are forbidden. 1 Let her 
remain unmarried—One having so departed must 
not marry another: she must either continue un- 
married, or be reconciled to her husband. And 
let not the husband put away his wife—Di- 
vorces cannot be allowed but in the case of forni- 
cation: an act of this kind dissolves the marriage 
vow; but nothing else can. It is a fact that 
among the Jews the wife had just as much right 
to put away her husband as the husband had to put 
away his wife. As divorces were granted, it was 
but right that each should have an equal power, 
for this served as a mutual eheck. [But all such 
acts are forbidden by the Gospel. ] 

12. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord— 
As if he had said: For what I have already spoken 
I have the testimony of the Lord by Moses, and of 
my own Lord and Master, Christ; but for the direc- 
tions which I am now about to give there is no 
written testimony, and I deliver them now for the 
first time. These words do not intimate that the 
apostle was not now under the influences of the di- 
vine Spirit; but that there was nothing in the 
sacred writings which bore directly on this point. 
If any brother, a Christian man, have a wife 
that believeth not, that is, who is a heathen, not 
converted to the Christian faith, and she be 
pleased (is willing) to dwell with him, notwith- 
standing his turning Christian since their marriage, 
let him not put her away because she still con- 
tinues in her heathen superstition. 

13. And the woman, converted from heathen- 
ism to the Christian faith, which hath a hus- 
band, who still abides in heathenism, if he be 
pleased to dwell with her, notwithstanding she 
has become a Christian since their marriage, let 
her not leave him because he still continues a 
heathen. 

14. The unbelieving husband is sanctified 
by the wife—Or, rather, is to be reputed as sanc- 
tified on account of his wife; she being a Christian 
woman, and he, though a heathen, being by mar- 
riage one flesh with her, her sanctity, as far as it 
refers to outward things, may be considered as im- 
puted to him, so as to render their connexion not 
unlawful. The case is the same when the wife is 
a heathen and the husband a Christian. The word 
sanctification, here, is to be applied much more to 
the Christian state than to any moral change in the 
persons ; for ἅγιοι, saints, is a common term for 
Christians—those who were baptized into the faith 
of Christ; and as its corresponding term, Dw), 
kedoshim, signified all the Jews who were in the 
covenant of God by cireumcision, the heathen hus- 
band and wife were considered to be in this holy 
state by means of their connexion with those who 
were by their Christian profession saints. [Holi- 

122 


ness under the Gospel answers to dedication to God, 
under the law ; the ἡγιασμένοι under the Gospel are 
the body of Christian men dedicated to God, and 
thus become his in a peculiar manner; and this 
being so, things belonging to, relatives inseparably 
connected with, the prople of God, are said to be 
hallowed by hem ἁγιότης, (hallowing.}—Alford. | 
Else were your children unclean—If this kind 
of relative sanctification were not allowed, the 
children of these persons could not be received 
into the Christian Church, nor enjoy any rights or 
privileges as Christians; but the Church of God 
never scrupled to admit such children as members, 
just as well as she did those who had sprung from 
parents both of whom were Christians. The Jews 
considered a child as born owt of holiness whose 
parents were not proselytes at the time of the 
birth, though afterward they became proselytes. 
On the other hand, they considered the children of 
heathens born in holiness, provided the parents 
became proselytes before the birth. All the chil- 
dren of the heathens were reputed “unclean” by 
the Jews; and all their own children holy. 

15. But if the unbelieving depart— Whether 
husband or wife; if such obstinately depart, and 
utterly refuse all cohabitation, a brother or a 
sister, a Chiistian man or woman, is not under 
bondage to any particular laws, so as to be pre- 
vented from remarrying. Such, probably, (?) the 
law stood then ; but it is not so now ; for the mar- 
riage can only be dissolved by death or by the 
ecclesiastical court. Even fornication or adultery 
does not dissolve the marriage contract; nor will 
the obstinate separation of any of the parties, how- 
ever long continued, give the party abandoned 
authority to remarry. If the person have been 
beyond sea and not heard of for seven years, it is 
presumed he may be dead; and marriage has been 
connived at in such cases. If there be no person 
to complain, it may be presumed that there is none 
injured. But I have known instantes where even 
a marriage after seven years’ absence has been very 
unfortunate; the husband returning at the end of 
ten or twelve vears, and to his utter distress find- 
ing his wife married to another man, and with issue 
of that marriage! There can be no safety in this 
case, unless there be absolute certainty of the death 
of the party in question. [For illustration, see Ten- 
nyson’s “Enoch Arden.”] God hath called us 
to peace—The refractory and disagreeing party 
should not be compelled to fulfil such matrimonial 
engagements as would produce continual jarring and 
discord. At the same time each should take care 
that he give no cause for disagreements and sepa- 
rations, for the Author of the Christian religion is 
the Author of “ peace,” and has “called us” to it. 

For what knowest thou, O wife—You 
that are Christians, and who have heathen part- 
ners, do not give them up because they are such, 
for you may become the means of saving them 


Directions for men to abide in 
their providential callings, 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. M. 4060. A. D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 509. 


shalt save thy wife? 17 But as God hath 
distributed to every man, as the Lord hath 
called every one, so let him walk. And 180 
ordain I in all churches. ΕΒ Is any man 
called being circumcised? let him not become 
uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircum- 
cision? “let him not be circumcised. £9 ¥ Cir- 
cumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is 
nothing, but ~the keeping of the command- 


ments of God. 20 Let every man abide 
in the same calling wherein he was called. 
28 Art thou called being a servant? care not 
for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it 
rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, 
being a servant, is * the Lord’s ¥ freeman: like- 
wise also he that is called, being free, is 
*Christ’s servant. 28 *Ye are bought with 
a price; be not ye the servants of men. 


tChap. 4. 17; 2 Cor. 11. 28.—w Acts 15. 1,4, 19, 24, 28; Gal. 
5. 2.—v Gal. 5. δ: 6. 15.—re John 19. 14; 1 John 2. ὃ: 3. 24. 
— zx John 8, 36; Rom. 6, 18, 22; Philem. 16. 


unto eternal life. Bear your cross, and look up 
to God, and he may give your unbelieving husband 
or wife to your prayers. 

17. But as God hath distributed to every 

_man, etc.—Let every man fulfil the duties of the 
state to which God, in the course of his providence, 
has called him. So ordain I in all churches— 
I do not lay on you a burden which others are not 
called to bear; this is the general rule which, by 
the authority of God, I impose on every Christian 
society. 

18. Is any man called being circumcised— 
Is any man who was formerly a Jew converted to 
Christianity ? Let him not become uncircum- 
cised—Let him not endeavour to abolish the sign 
of the old covenant which he bears in his flesh. 
The Greek words μὴ ἐπισπάσθω, let him not draw 
over, are evidently an elliptical expression; the 
words ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ being understood. Some, in 
their zeal against Judaism, endeavoured to abolish 
this sign of it in their flesh; it is most evidently 
against this that the apostle speaks. Let him 
not be circumcised—Let no man who, being a 
Gentile, has been converted to the Christian faith, 
submit to circumcision as something necessary to 
his salvation. (See Gal. ν, 2.) 

19, Circumcision is nothing — Circumcision 
itself, though formerly commanded of God, is 
nothing of itself, it being only a sign of the justi- 
fication which should be afterward received by 
faith, At present, neither the fact of circum- 
cision nor the want of it either hinders or furthers 
the work of grace; and keeping of the command- 
ments of God, from his love shed abroad in a be- 
lieving heart, is the sum and substance of religion. 
[Jn themselves circumcision and uncireumcision are 
alike indifferent; such things are of importance 
only in so far as they are an observing of the 
commandments of God.— Meyer. ] 

20. Let every man abide in the same call- 
ing—As all who are in Christ have the same ad- 
vantages, and enjoy the same facilities, so any 
situation of life may be equally friendly to the sal- 
vation of the soul if a man is faithful to the 
grace he has received. Therefore, in all situations 
a Christian should be content, for all things work 
together for good to him who loves God. [In 
Christian missions this becomes a practical ques- 
tion, which is rightly answered by requiring the 
converts to forsake all their heathen customs, but 
permitting them to retain all that are simply social 
and national.] 

21. Art thou called being a servant—<Aoi- 
Aog ἐκλήθης, art thou converted to Christ while thou 
art a s/ave—the property of another person, and 
bought with his money? Care not for it—This 
will not injure thy Christian condition; but if thou 
canst obtain thy liberty, use it rather; prefer 


v Greek, made free.—z Chapter 9. 21; Galatians 5. 13; Ephe- 
sians 6. 6; 1 Peter 2. 16.—a Chapter 6. 2U; 1 Peter 1. 15,19; 
see Leviticus 25, 42. 


this state for the sake of freedom and the tem- 
poral advantages connected with it. [The mean- 
ing of the phrase, μᾶλλον χρῆσαι, “use it rather,” 
is very uncertain in respect to what that is which 
is to be wsed—the estate of slavery or the possible 
Sreedom. Verbal and grammatical criticism can- 
not help the case, as either rendering will meet all 
requirements of the words. If to escape harass- 
ing care were the ruling motive, slavery might be 
preferable to freedom, and Paul seems here to be 
in an accommodating mood; but for himself he 
certainly valued freedom, which he might also de- 
sire for all his brethren. Meyer, who never forgets 
the second advent, speaks of the recommendation to 
obtain freedom as (in Paul’s estimation) ‘an advice 
comparatively unimportant and paltry in view of 
the parousia believed to be at hand.” ] [It may be 
added, that the idea of true Christian equality car- 
ries in itself the germ of the abolition of slavery ; 
the latter is the ripe fruit of the former. The 
moral consciousness of Christendom has not in 
this respect advanced beyond the standpoint of 
Paul.—Meyer.]  [This, which was prophecy when 
first enunciated, has now become history in this 
country. | 

22. For he that is called—The man who, 
being a slave, is converted to the Christian faith, is 
the Lord’s freeman; his condition as a slave does 
not vitiate any of the privileges to which he is en- 
titled as a Christian; on the other hand, all free- 
men who receive the grace of Christ, must con- 
sider themselves the bondservants of the Lord, 
that is, his real property, to be employed and dis- 
posed of according to his godly wisdom, who, 
notwithstanding their state of subjection, will find 
the service of their Master to be perfect freedom. 

23. Ye are bought with a price—As truly as 
your bodies have become the property of your 
master, in consequence of his paying down a price 
for you; so sure vou are now the Lord’s property, 
in consequence of your being purchased by the 
blood of Christ. [In whatever condition of life 
you may be called, be content therein to abide; 
but as you now recognise yourselves as eminently 
the servants of God, bought with a price, render to 
him your supreme devotion.| In these verses the 
apostle shows that the Christian religion does not 
abolish our civil connexions; in reference to ¢hem, 
where it finds us there it leaves us. In whatever 
civil relation we stood before our embracing Chris- 
tianity, there we stand still; our secular condition 
being no further changed than as it may be affected 
by the amelioration of our moral character. But 
slavery, and all buying and selling of the bodies 
and souls of men, no matter of what colour or com- 
plexion, is a high offence against the holy and just 
God, and a gross and unprincipled attack on the 
liberty and rights of our fellow creatures. 

123 


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I, CORINTHIANS. 


Dissuasions from marriage 
at that time. 


24 Brethren, "let every man, wherein he is 
salled, therein abide with God. 26 Now con- 
cerning virgins 1 have no commandment of 
the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one 
‘that hath obtained mercy of the Lord ¢to be 
faithful. 26 I suppose therefore that this is 
good for the present ‘distress, J say, that 7 
15 good for aman so to be. 27 Art thou bound 


ὁ Verses 6, 10, “403 2 Cor. 8 8. | 8, 10. Ba ‘Tim. 
1. 16.—e Chap. 4, Ἢ 1 Tim. 1. 12. 


24, Let every man... abide with God— 
Let him live to God in whatsoever station he is 
placed by Providence. If he be a slave, God will 
be with him even in his slavery, if he be faithful 
to the grace which he has received. It is very 
likely that some of the slaves at Corinth who had 
been converted to Christianity had been led to 
think that their Christian privileges absolved them 
from the necessity of continuing slaves; or, at 
least, brought them on a level with their Christian 
masters. <A spirit of this kind might have soon 
led to confusion and insubordination, and brought 
scandals into the Church. It was therefore a very 
proper subject for the apostle to interfere in, and 
to his authority the persons concerned would 
doubtless respectfully bow. [The complicated vil- 
lany of slavery was in many cases to be patiently 
endured, for in the apostle’s time the condition of 
the slaves was scarcely worse than that of the 
freedmen. And any possible effort on the part of 
the slaves for self-emancipation would be simply 
hopeless. It was therefore best for them to quietly 
“abide with God” —wait on the course of his 
providence. ] 

25. Now concerning virgins—This was an- 
other subject on which the Chureh at Corinth had 
asked the advice of the apostle. The word παρθέ- 
voc, virgin, we take to signify a pure, unmarried 
young woman ; but it is evident that the word in 
this place means young unmarried persons of either 
sex, as appears from verses 26, 27, 32-84, and 
from Rev. xiv, 4. The word παρθένος, virgin, is 


ὃ Verse 20. 


frequently applied to men as well as to women. In 
verse 36 the word is supposed to mean the state of 


virginity or celibacy, and very probable reasons are 
assigned for it; and it is evident that persons of 
either sex in a state of celibacy are the persons in- 
tended. Ihave no commandment of the Lord— 
There is nothing in the sacred writings that directly 
touches this point, neither have I received any spec- 
ial instruction. Yet I give my judgment— 
Τνώμην, view, opinion, as every way equal to such 
commandments, had there been any, seeing I 
have received the teaching of his own Spirit, and 
have obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful 
to this heavenly gift, so that it abides with me to 
lead me into all truth. In this way I think the 
apostle’s words may be safely understood. 

26. This is good for the present distress— 
There was no period in the heathen times when the 
Church was not under persecutions and afflictions ; 
on some occasions these were more oppressive than 
at others. The word ἀνάγκη signifies necessity, dis- 
tress, tribulation, and calamity. (See Luke xxi, 23 ; 
2 Cor. vi, 4; xii, 10.) In such times, when the peo- 
ple of God had no certain dw ellingplace, when 
they were lying at the mercy of their enemies with- 
out any protection from the state—the state itself 
often among the persecutors—he who had a family 
to care for would find himself in very embarrassed 

124 


unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou 
loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28 But 
and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned. And 
if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nev- 
ertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: 
but I spare you. 29 But ‘this I say, breth- 
ren, the time és short: it remaineth, that both 
they that have wives be as though they had 


JF Or, necessity.—g Verses 1, 8.——A Rom, 13, 11: 1 Pet. 4.7 
2 Pet. 3. 8, 9. 


circumstances, as it would be much more easy to 
provide for his personal safety than to have the 
care of a wife and children. On this account it 
was much better for unmarried persons to continue 
for the present in their celibacy: [because the 
parousia is near, and still nearer, therefore, must 
be the ee calamities which are to precede it. 
(Matt. xxiv, 3.)—Meyer.|  [But, in fact, the pa- 
rousia, as generally uuderstood, was not at hand: 
was Paul, then, in error, and did that error enter 
into his apostolic utterances ἡ" 

27. Art thou bound unto a wife—That is, 
marr “ied ; for the marriage contract was considered 
in the light of a bond. Seek not to be loosed— 
Neither regret your circumstances, notwithstanding 
the present distress, nor seek on this account for a 
dissolution of the marriage contract. But if thou 
art under no matrimonial engagements, do not for 
the present enter into any. 

28. But and if thou marry—As there is no 
law against this, even in the “present distress,” 
thou hast not sinned ; ; and it is only on account of 
prudential reasons that I give this advice. And 
if a virgin marry—Both the man and the woman 
have equal privileges in this case; either of them 
may marry without sin. It is probable, as there 
were many sects and parties in Corinth, that there 
were among them those who forbade to marry, 
(1 Tim. iv, 8,) and who might have maintained other 
doctrines of devils besides. These persons, or such 
doctrines, the apostle has in view when he says, 
if they marry they do not sin. Trouble in the 
flesh—F rom the simple circumstance of the Incum- 
brance of a family while under persecution; be- 
cause of the difficulty of Pane for its comfort 
and safety while flying before the face of persecu- 
tion. But I spare you—The evil is coming ; but 
I will not press upon you the observance of a pru- 
dential caution which you might deem too heavy 
ἃ Cross. 

29. The time is short—These persecutions and 
distresses are at the door, and life itself will soon 
be run out. Even then Nero was plotting those 
erievous persecutions with which he not only 
afflicted, but devastated, the Church of Christ. 
[ Many commentators insist that Paul is here refer- 
ring to the time forward, to the second advent, 
which, they say, he supposed would be short, συνεσ- 
ταλμένος, compressed, full of distress. But how 
could an event that was certainly not to occur for 
more than 1800 years be used as a motive for dis- 
regarding temporal interests ? Some nearer event— 
the persecution under Nero, or, perhaps, the de- 
struction of Jerusalem—was evidently that espee- 
ially contemplated as impending.| They that 
have wives—Let none begin to think of any 
comfortable settlement for his family; let him sit 
loose to all earthly concerns, and stand ready pre- 
pared to escape for his life, or meet death, as the 
providence of God may permit. The husband will 


Dissuasions from marriage 
at that time, 


CHAPTER Vat. 


A. M. 4080, A.D. 56. 
Year of Kome, 809, 


none; $0 Andthey that weep, as though they 
wept not; and they that rejoice, as though 
they rejoice not; and they that buy, as though 
they possessed not; #8 And they that use 
this world, as not 'abusing it: for * the fash- 
ion of this world passeth away. 82 But I 
would have you without carefulness. !He 
that is unmarried careth for the things "that 
belong to the Lord, how he may please the 


the ΠΙ͂ΝΕ that are of the world, how he may 
please Ais wife. 4 There is difference a/so 
between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried 
woman "careth for the things of the Lord, that 
she may be holy both in body and in spirit: 
but she that is married careth for the things 
of the world, how she may please Aer husband. 
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not 
that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that 


Lord: $8 But he that is married careth for | which is comely, and that ye may attend upon 
4 Chap. 9. 13.—k# Psa. 39. 63 James 1.10; 4. 14; 1 Pet. 1. | 21 Tim. 5. 5. —m Gr. of the Lord, as verse 34.—n Luke 10, 
4.7; 1 John 2, 17. 40, ete. 


be dragged from the side of his wife to appear 
before the magistrates, and be required either to 
abjure Christ or die. 

30. They that weep, etc.—There will shortly 
be such a complete system of distress and confu- 
sion that private sorrows and private joys will be 
absorbed in the weightier and more oppressive 
public evils: yet let every man still continue in his 
calling ; let him buy and sell and traffic as usual ; 
though ina short time, either by the coming per- 
secution or the levelling hand of death, he that had 
earthly property will be brought into the same cir- 
cumstances with him who had none. 

31. And they that use this world—Let them 
who have earthly property or employments dis- 
charge conscientiously their duties, from a convic- 
tion of the instability of earthly things. Make a 
right use of every thing, and pervert nothing from 
its use. To wse a thing, is to employ it properly in 
order to accomplish the end to which it refers. 
To abuse a thing, signifies to pervert it from that 
use. So pass through things temporal as not to 
lose those which are eternal. [Xpauevor .. . κατα- 
xpausvot, they that use the world as they that do not 
over-use it, not to surfeiting, abuse.| For the 
fashion of this world—T0d σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου 
τούτου signifies properly the present state or con- 
stitution of things; the frame of the world, that 
is, the world itself. But often the term κόσμος, 
world, is taken to signify the Jewish state and pol- 
ity; the destruction of this was then at hand, and 
this the Holy Spirit might then signify to the apostle. 

32. Without carefulness — Though all these 
things will shortly come to pass, yet do not be 
anxious about them. Every occurrence is under 
the direction and management of God. The wrath 
of man shall praise him, and the remainder of it 
he shall restrain, and none can harm you if ye be 
followers of that which is good. He that is un- 
married careth for the things that belong to 
the Lord—He has nothing to do with a family, 
and therefore can give his whole time to the ser- 
vice of his Maker, having him alone to please. 

33. But he that is married—He has a family 
to provide for and his wife to please, as well as to 
fulfil his duty to God and attend to the concerns of 
his own soul. The single man has nothing to attend 
to but what concerns his own salvation; the mar- 
ried man has all this to attend to, and, besides, to 
provide for his wife and family, and take care of 
their eternal interests also. The single man has 
very little trouble, comparatively ; the married man 
has a great deal. The single man is a: atom in 
society; the married man is a small community in 
himself. The former is the centre of his own exis- 
tence, and lives for himself alone; the latter is dif- 
fused abroad, makes a much more important part 
of the body social, and provides both for its sup- 


port and continuance. The single man lives for 
and does good to himself only; the married man 
lives both for himself and the public. Both the 
State and the Church of Christ are dependent on 
the married man, as from him, under God, the one 
has subjects, the other members; while the single 
man is but an individual in either, and by and by 
will cease from both, and, having no posterity, 
lost to the public for ever. The married ἔρον 
therefore, far from being in ἃ state of inferiority 
to the single man, is beyond him out of the limits 
of comparison. He can do all the good the other 
can do, though perhaps sometimes in a different 
way; and he can do ten thousand goods that the 
other cannot possibly do. And therefore both 
himself and his state are to be preferred infinitely 
before those of the other. Nor could the apostle 
have meant any thing less; only for the present 
distress he gave his opinion that it was best for 
those who were single to continue so. And who 
does not see the propriety of the advice ? 

34. There is a difference also between a 
wife and a virgin—That is, there is this differ- 
ence between a married and an unmarried woman. 
The unmarried careth (only) for the things of 
the Lord, having no domestic duties to perform. 
That she may be holy—Separated to divine em- 
ployments, both in body and spirit. Whereas 
she that is married careth (also) for the things 
of the world, how she may please her hus- 
band, having many domestic duties to fulfil, her 
husband being obliged to leave to her the care of 
the family and all other domestic concerns. [ In- 
terpreted in the light of the world’s history and 
experience, these words of the apostle take on a 
widely different meaning from what they must have 
seemed to mean when first written. What seemed 
to indicate the speedy coming of Christ must now 
be referred to events which occurred during the 
first century, or else more generally to the vanity 
of all human affairs, the brevity of life, and the 
certainty of death. Nor are the views of the apos- 
tle respecting the comparative devotedness and re- 
ligious activity of the single and the married well 
sustained by the experiences of the Church. ] 

35. This I speak for your own profit—The 
advices belong to yourselves alone, because of the 
peculiar circumstances in which you are placed. 
Nothing spoken here was ever designed to be of 
general application; it concerned the Church at 
Corinth alone, or Churches in similar cireumstances. 
Not that I may cast a snare upon you—Oiy 
ἵνα βρόχον ὑμῖν ἐπιβάλω. The apostle intimates 
that what he says was not intended absolutely to 
bind them, but to show them the propriety of fol- 
lowing an advice which in the present case would 
be helpful to them in their religious connexions. 
For that which is comely, and that ye may 

125 


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I. CORINTHIANS. 


Marriage, if contracted, should 
be “in the Lord.” 


the Lord without distraction. 86 But if any 
man think that he behaveth himself uncomely 
toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her 
age, and need so require, let him do what he 

will, he sinneth not: let them marry. 37 Nev- 

ertheless he that standeth steadfast in his heart, 
having no necessity, but hath power over his 
own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that 


he will keep his virgin, doeth well. 88 °So 
then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; 
but he that giveth Aer not in marriage doeth 
better. 839 Pp The wife is bound by the law as 
long as her husband liveth; but if her husband 
be dead, she is at liberty to be married to 
whom she will; ¢only in the Lord. 40 But 
she 1 is happier if she so abide, ‘after my judg- 


ο Heb. “13. 4, =p Rom. 7 


43 Cor. 6. 14.— Verse 25. 


attend upon the Lord without distraction— 
The original, ἀλλὰ 7 πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπάρεδρον 
τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως, is thus translated by Bish- 
op Pearson: But for the. sake of decency, and of 
attending more easily upon the Lord without dis- 
traction. 

36. Uncomely toward his virgin—Different 
meanings have been assigned to this verse. I shall 
mention three of the principal: 1) ‘In those early 
times, both among the Hebrews and Christians, the 
daughters were wholly in the power of the father, 
so that he might give or not give them in marriage 
as he chose; “and. might bind them to perpetual 
celibacy if he thought proper. If, however, the 
father found cause ‘to change his purpose in the 
matter, believing that it would be wrong to force 
his daughter to continue in her state of celibacy, 
he might alter his purpose without sin, and per- 
mit her to marry.” 2) “The whole verse and 
its context speaks of young women dedicated to 
the service of God, who were called παρθένοι, vir- 
gis, in the primitive Church. And a case is put 
here, ‘that circumstances might occur to render the 
breach -of even a vow of this kind necessary, and 
so no sin be committed.” 3) ‘The apostle, by 
παρθένος, does not mean a virgin, but the state of 
virginity ov celibacy, whether in man or woman.” 
30th Mr. Locke and Dr. Whitby are of this opin- 
ion, and the /atter reasons on it thus :— 

It is supposed that these three verses (36-38) 
relate to virgins under the power of parents and 
guardians, and the usual inference is, that children 
are to be disposed of in marriage by the parents, 
guardians, ete. Now this may be true, but it has 
no foundation in the text, for τηρεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ Tap- 
Gévov is not to keep his daughters, but his own, 
virginity, ov rather his purpose of virginity ; for, 
as Phavorinus says, ‘He is called a virgin who 
freely gives himself up to the Lord, renouncing 
matrimony and preferring a life spent in conti- 
nency.” And that this must be the true import of 
these words appears from this consideration, that 
this depends upon the purpose of his own heart, 
and the power he has over his own will, and the 
no necessity arising from himself to change this 
purpose. Whereas the keeping a daughter unmar- 
ried depends not on these conditions on her fa- 
ther’s part, but on her own; for, let her have a ne- 
cessity, and surely the apostle would not advise the 
father to keep her a virgin because he had deter- 
mined so to do; nor could there be any doubt 
whether the father had power over his own 
will or not, when no necessity lay upon him to be- 
troth his virgin. This last opinion seems to be the 
true sense of the apostle. It may be necessary to 
make a few general observations on these verses, 
summing up what has been said: 

1) Παρθέ νος, here, should be considered as im- 
plying not a virgin, but the state of virginity or 
celibacy. 2) Ὕπέρακμος, over-aged, must refer to 
the passing of that time in which both the laws 

126 


and customs of Jews and Gentiles required men to 
marry. 8) Καὶ οὕτως ὀφείλει γίνεσθαι, and need so 
require, or, if there appear to be a nec ssity, is to 
be understood of any particular change in his cir- 
cumstances or in his feelings; or, that he finds, 
from the law and custom in the case, that it is a 
scandal for him not to marry; then let him do 
what he wills or purposes. 4) Instead of γομείτωσαν, 
let THEM marry, γαμείτω, let HIM marry, is the read- 
ing of a number of respectable MSS. and Versions. 
This reading is nearly of the same import with the 
other : Let him do what he willeth, he sinneth not, let 
him marry, or, he sinneth not if he marry. 5) The 
whole of the 87th verse relates to the purpose that 
the man has formed, and the strength that he has 
to keep his purpose of perpetual celibacy, being 
under no necessity to change that purpose. 6) In- 
stead of 6 ἐκγαμίζων, he who giveth her in marriage, 
I purpose to read ὁ γαμίζων, he who marrieth, 
which is the reading of the Codex Alexandrinus, 
the Codex Vaticanus, No. 1209, [Codex Sinaiticus, ] 
and some others; with Clement, Methodius, and 
Basil. Τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον, his own virgin, is 
added after the above by several very ancient and 
reputable MSS., as also by the Syriac, Armenian, 
Vulgate, Athiopic, Clement, Basil, Optatus, and 
others; but it seems very much like a gloss. He 
then who marrieth, though previously imtending 
perpetual virginity, doeth well; as this is agree- 
able to laws both divine and human; and he who 
marrieth not, doeth better, because of the present 
distress. (See verse 26.) 

39. The wife is bound by the law—This 
seems to be spoken in answer to some other ques- 
tion of the Corinthians to this effect: ‘May a 
woman remarry whose husband is dead, or who has 
abandoned her?” To which he replies, in general, 
That as long as her husband is living the law 
binds her to him alone; but if the husband die, 
she is free to remarry, but... only in the Lord; 
that is, she must not marry a heathen nor an inne. 
ligious man; and she should not only marry a gen- 
uine Christian, but one of her own religious senti- 
ments; for, in reference to domestic peace, much 
depends on ‘this. 

40, But she is happier if she so abide—If 
she continue in her widowhood because of the pres- 
ent distress, for this always must be taken in, that 
consistency in the apostle’s reasoning may be pre- 
served. She who had tried both the state of celi- 
bacy and the state of marriage could certainly best 
tell which was most for her comfort ; ; and he could 
not tell any thing, but by an express revelation from 
heayen, relative to the future state of any widow; 
it is certain that Paul ean never be understood as 
speaking in general, as there are multitudes of 
persons abundantly more happy in their married 
than in their single state; and there are many wid- 
ows also much more happy in their second marriage 
than they have been in their first. After my 
judgment—According to the view I have of the 


Pen) declares his statements as to 
marriage to be advisory, 


ment: and *I think also that I have the Spirit 
of God. 


81 Thess. 4. 8, 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. Μ. 4060. A. D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 809. 


CHAPTER VIII. 
“as touching things offered unto idols, 


Now 


a Acts 15, 20, 29; chap. 10. 19, 


subject, which view I take by the light of the di- 
vine Spirit, who shows me the tribulations which 
are coming on the Church. But, says he, (verse 28,) 
I spare you—I will not be more explicit concerning 
coming evils, as I wish to save you from all fore- 
bodings which bring torment. I think... Ihave 
the Spirit of God—Aoxré δὲ κἀγὼ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ 
ἔχειν might be translated: J also seem to have 
[am conscious of having] the Spirit of God. The 
word δοκεῖν is used by the ancients, not always to ex- 
press what is pousrrut, but often to express what is 
TRUE and certain. They must have understood 
him as asserting that he had the direction of the 
Spirit of Godin giving those opinions, else they 
would not have been ready to obey them. 


1. In the preceding chapter we have met with 
subjects both of difficulty and importance. As to 
the difficulties, it is hoped that they have been so 
generally considered in the notes that few or none 
of them remain; and on the subjects of peculiar 
importance much time has been spent, in order to 
impress them on the mind of the reader. 

2. On the important subject of marriage, I have 
said what I believe to be true, and scruple not to 
say that it is the most useful state in which the 
human being can be placed ; and consequently that 
in which most honour may be brought to God. 
The doctrine of the greater sanctity of celibacy is 
both dangerous and anti-scriptural: and I hope I 
have sufficiently vindicated Paul from being its 
patron or supporter. 

8. While I contend for the superior excellence 
of the marriage state, 1 am not the apologist of in- 
discriminate marriages; many of which are indeed 
blamable in a very high degree. If, instead of 
common sense and propriety, childish affections, 
brutish passions, or the love of money are the rul- 
ing motives ; such marriages are miserable, and 
cannot be otherwise. Butas a rule, genuine Christ- 
ians can never be so useful in any state as that of 
marriage ; but to be happy, the marriage must be 
in the Lord. When believers match with unbe- 
lievers, generally the good becomes perverted ; and 
Satan has his triumph when he has got an immortal 
soul out of the Church of Christ into his own syn- 
agogue. But who among young people will lay this 
to heart? And how few among young men and 
young women will not sell their Saviour and his 
people for a husband οὐ a wife ! 

4. The doctrine of second marriages has been long 
a subject of controversy in the Church. The Scrip- 
tures, properly understood, have not only nothing 
against them, but much for them. And in this 
chapter St. Paul, in the most pointed manner, ad- 
mits of them. A widow may marry again, only let 
it be in the Lord ; and a widower has certainly the 
same privilege. 

5. The conversion which the Scripture requires, 
though it makes a most essential change in our souls 
in reference to God, and in our works in reference 
both to God and man, makes none in our civil 
state. Evenif a man is called, that is, converted, in 
a state of slavery, he does not gain his manumission 
in consequence of his conversion; he stands in the 
same relation both to the state and to his fellows 
that he stood in defore; and is not to assume any 


civil rights or privileges in consequence of the con- 
version of his soul to God. The apostle decides 
the matter in this chapter, and recommends that 
every man should abide in the calling wherein he 
is called. [While freedom is every man’s natural 
right, it may not always be expedient to assert that 
right; especially if it can be successfully asserted 
only by violence. | 

6. From the 20th to the 23d verse the apostle re- 
fers to the state of slavery among the Greeks ; and 
from what he says, we find that even among the 
slaves there were Christian converts, to whom, though 
he recommends submission and contentment, yet he 
intimates that if they could get their freedom they 
should prefer it; and he strongly charges those 
that were free not to become again the slaves of 
men, (verse 23 ;) from which we learn that a man 
might dispose of his own liberty, which, in a 
Christian, would be a disgrace to his redemption 
by Christ. The word ἐλεύθερος means properly 
Sreedman, one who had been a slave but had re- 
gained his liberty. It is the same as /ibertus among 
the Romans, one who was manumitted. [The 
seeming permission to Christian masters to still 
hold their brethren in Christ as_ slaves, (see 
Philemon,) must be understood as exceptional, like 
the dissuasives against marriage, “by reason of 
the distress” (and disability) that then rested on the 
Church. (Verse 26.)] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIIL. 
1. As touching things offered unto idols— 
Περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, about the meats dedicated to 
idols.| This was another subject on which the Co- 
rinthians had asked the apostle’s advice, which he 
now gives with both fulness and precision. [Kpéa 
εἰδωλόθυτα, (iv. Mace. v, 1.) These were those por- 
tions of the animal (which had been) offered in 
sacrifice which had not been laid on the altar, and 
which belonged partly to the priests, partly to those 
who had offered them. These remnants were 
sometimes eaten at feasts holden in the temple, 
(see verse 10,) or in private houses, (chapter x, 27,) 
sometimes sold in the market by the priests, or by 
the poor, or by the niggardly. ... Christians were 
thus in continual danger of meeting with such rem- 
nants. Partaking of them was an abomination 
among the Jews, (see Numbers xxv, 2 ; Psa. evi, 28,) 
and was forbidden by the apostles and elders. 
(Acts xv, 29; xxi, 25.) That Paul, in this whole 
passage, makes no allusion to that decree, but deals 
with the question on its own merits, probably 
is to be traced to his wish to establish his posi- 
tion as an independent apostle, endowed with God’s 
Holy Spirit sufficiently himself to regulate such 
matters. But it also shows how /ittle such decisions 
were at that time regarded as lastingly binding on 
the whole Church; and how fully competent it was, 
even during the lifetime of the apostles, to Christians 
to open and question, on its own merits, a matter 
which they had, for a special purpose, once already 
decided. — A/ford.] [Out of the differences of 
opinions on the subject there came to be] much 
misunderstanding and offence in the Corinthian 
Chureh; the converted Jews abominated every 
thing that they knew had been used in the heathen 
worship, while the converted Gentiles would feel no 
127 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56, 
Year of Rome, 509. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Of eating things that have been 
offered to idols. 


we know that we all have " knowledge. 
«Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 
2 And ‘if any man think that he knoweth any 
thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to 
know. 8% Butif any man love God, ¢the same 
is known of him. 4 As concerning therefore 
the eating of those things that are offered in 
sacrifice unto idols, we know that ‘an idol is 
nothing in the world, ¢and that there is none 
other God but one. & For though there be 


that are called gods, whether in heaven or in 
earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 
6 But'to us there is but one God, the Father, 
kof whom are all things, and we 'in him; and 
mone Lord Jesus Christ, "by whom are all 
things, and we by him. % Howbeit there is 
not in every man that knowledge: for some 
° with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat 
it asa thing offered unto an idol; and their 
conscience being weak is rdefiled. S$ But 


b Rom. 14. 14, 22.—e Rom. 14. 3, 10.—d Chap. 13. 2, 9% 12; 
Gal. 6.3; 1 Tim. 6. 4.--—e Exod. 33. 13, 17: Nah. 1.7; Matt. 
: Gal. 4. 9; 2 Tim, 2. 19.—/ Isa. 41. 24: chap. 10. 19. 


scruple on the account. We know that we all 
have knowledge—[ We know, oidayev, that is, 
the apostle himself and all others who have γνῶσιν, 
knowledge, clear understanding, all such very well 
knew that ‘‘an idol is nothing.” (Verse 4.) See 
Meyer.] All we who are converted to God _ by 
Christ have sufficient knowledge concerning idols 
and idol worship; and we know also the liberty 
which we have through the Gospel, not being bound 
by Jewish laws; but many carry their knowledge in 
this liberty too far, and do what is neither seemly 
nor convenient, and thus give offence to others. 
Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth— 
This knowledge may, however, become very nearly 
allied to pride; it puffeth wp the mind with vain 
conceit, makes those who have it bold and rash, 
and renders them careless of the consciences of 
others. And this knowledge, boasted of by the 
Corinthians, led them to contemn others. [On the 
other hand, true charity (brotherly love) would in- 
cline the strong, the knowing, to deal tenderly with 
the scruples of others, in order to their edifica- 
tion, anl confirmation in the faith.] 

2. He knoweth nothing yet, etc.—The person 
who acts in this rash, unfeeling way, from the gen- 
eral knowledge which he has of the vanity of idol- 
atry and the liberty which the Gospel affords from 
Jewish rites, with all his knowledge does not know 
this, that though the first and greatest command- 
ment says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart,” ete., yet the second is like unto it, 
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” He, 
then, that can offend his neighbour’s weak or ten- 
der conscience with his food or his conduct, does 
not love him as himself, and therefore knows noth- 
ing as he ought to know. 

3. But if any man love God—In that way 
which the commandment requires, which will neces- 
sarily beget love to his neighbour, the same is 
known of him—is approved of God, and acknowl- 
edged as his genuine follower. 

4. Things that are offered in sacrifice—[Tov 
εἰδωλοθύτων, (See on verse 1.)] An idol is noth- 
ing in the world—[The idols of the heathens 
—not strictly the images, but the persons repre- 
sented by them—have no existence in the world. 
That they who worship idols worship devils the 
apostle himself asserts, (chapter x, 20;) but that 
is no contradiction to the present sentence, which 
asserts that the deities imagined by them have ab- 
solutely no existence.— A/ford. | 

5. There be that are called gods—There are 
many images that are supposed to be representa- 
tions of divinities; but these divinities are noth- 
ing, the figments of mere fancy; and these images 
have no corresponding realities. Whether in 
heaven or in earth—As the sun, moon, planets, 

128 


1 Tim. 2. 5.—A John 10. 34.—7 Mal. 2, 10; Eph. 4. 6.—A Acts 
17. 28; Rom. 1]. 36.— Or, for him. John 13, 1383 Acts 2. 
365 chap. 12. 33 Eph. 4.4; Phil. 2. 11.—v2 John 1. 3; Col, 1. 
16; Heb. 1. 2. o Chap. 16. 28, 29. p Rom, 14. 14, 23. 


stars, the ocean, rivers, trees, etc. And thus there 
are, nominally, gods many and lords many. 

6. But to us there is but one God, the 
Father—Who produced all things, himself un- 
created and unoriginated. And we in him—Kai 
ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν, and we for him; |we exist, εἰς, in 
respect to him;] all intelligent beings having been 
created for the purpose of manifesting his glory, 
by receiving and reflecting his wisdom, goodness, 
and truth. And one Lord Jesus— Only one visi- 
ble Governor of the world and the Church. By 
whom are all things—Who was the Creator, as 
he is the Upholder, of the universe. And we by 
him—Being brought to the knowledge of the true 
God by the revelation of Jesus Christ; for it is 
the only-begotten Son alone that can reveal the 
Father. The gods of whom the apostle speaks 
were their divinities, or objects of religious wor- 
ship; the lords were the rulers of the world, the 
emperors, Who were considered next to gods, and 
some of them were deified. In opposition to those 
gods he places ‘God the Father,” the fountain of 
plenitude and being; and in opposition to the lords 
he places Jesus Christ, who made and who gov- 
erns all things. We, as creatures, live in reference, 
εὶς αὐτόν, to him, God the Father, who is the foun- 
tain of our being; and, as Christians, we live δὲ 
αὐτοῦ, by or through him, Jesus Christ; by whom 
we are bouglit, enlightened, pardoned, and saved. 

7. There is not in every man that knowl- 
edge—This is spoken in reference to what is said, 
verse 4: We know that an idol is nothing in the 
world ; for some with a conscience of the idol— 
namely, that it is somethina—cat it: the flesh that 
was offered to the idol, as being thus offered, 
considering the feast as a sacred banquet, by which 
they have fellowship with the idol. And their 
conscience being weak—Not properly instructed 
in divine things. Is defiled—He performs what he 
does as an act of religious worship, and thus his 
conscience contracts guilt through this idolatry. 

As in the commencement of Christianity, among 
the Jews that were converted, there were many 
found who incorporated the rites of the law with 
the principles of the Gospel; so, doubtless, among 
the Gentiles, there were some who did not at 
once throw aside all their idolatry or idolatrous no- 
tions, but preserved some of its more spiritual and 
imposing parts, and might think it allowable to 
mingle idolatrous feasts with the rites of Christian- 
ity; as the sacrament of the Lord’s supper was 
certainly considered as a feast upon a sacrifice. 
As the minds of many of these young Gentile con- 
verts could not, as yet, have been deeply endued 
with spiritual knowledge, they might incorporate 
these feasts, and confound their nature and prop- 
erties. 


Ajdnonitions against doing aught to 
cause a brother to stuinble, 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A. M. 4069, A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


4meat commendeth us not to God: for nei-! those things which are offered to idols; 


ther, if we eat, "are we the better; neither, 
if we eat not, ‘are we the worse. 9 But 
ttake heed lest by any means this “liberty 
of yours become ἡ ἃ stumblingblock to them 
that are weak. 49 For if any man see 
thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the 
idol’s temple, shall not “the conscience of 
hii which is weak be *emboldened to eat 


q Rom. 14. 17.—-,r Or, have we the more.—=s Or, have we the 
less.—t Gal. δ. 13.—u Or, power.—v Rom. 14. 13, 20. 


Aa And ¥through thy knowledge shall the 
weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 
£2 But when ye sin so against the brethren, 
and wound their weak conscience, ye sin 
against Christ. 13 Wherefore, *if meat make 
wy brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while 
the world standeth, lest I inake my brother to 
offend. 


aw Chap. 10 28, 32.—a Gr. edified.—vy Rom. 14, 15, 20.—— 
2 Matt. 25. 40, 43. a Rom, 14. 21; 2 Cor. 11. 29. 


8. Meat commendeth us not to God—No 
such eating or abstaining can be a recommendation 
of our souls or persons to the Supreme Being. As 
to the thing, considered in itself, the eating gives 
us no spiritual advantage ; and the eating not is no 
spiritual loss. 

9. But take heed—Lest by frequenting such 
feasts and eating things offered to idols, under the 
conviction that ‘‘an idol is nothing,” and that you 
may eat those things innocently, this liberty of 
yours, which may be well enough for you, should 
become a means of causing a weak brother to 
stumble who has not your knowledge, or inducing 
one who respects you for your superior knowledge 
to partake of these things with the conscience and 
belief that an idol is something, and to conclude 
that as vou partake of such things, so he may 
also, and with safety. He is not possessed of your 
information on this point, and he eats ¢o the idol 
what you take as a common meal. 

10. If any man see thee which hast knowl- 
οαρο---Γ νῶσιν. (See verse 1.) Sit at meat in 
the idol’s temple—It seems strange that any pro- 
fessing the knowledge of the true God should even 
enter one of those temples, and much more so that 
any Christian should be found to feast there. 
Perhaps the man of knowledge mentioned by the 
apostle was one of those who, possessing a con- 
venient conscience, could accommodate himself to 
all circumstances; be a heathen without and a 
Christian within, and vice versa, as circumstances 
‘might require. [Were these temples used as places 
for taking occasional meals, after the manner of 
modern restawrants, much used in large cities Ὁ] 
Be emboldened to eat—OixodounOjoera, be built 
up, be confirmed and established in that opinion 
which before he doubtingly held, that on seeing 
you eat he may be led to think there is no harm in 
feasting in an idol temple, nor in eating things 
offered to idols. 

11. Shall the weak brother perish—Being 
first taught by thy conduct that there was no harm 
in thus eating, he grieves the Spirit of God; be- 
comes again darkened and hardened, and, sliding 
back into idolatry, dies in it, and so finally perishes. 
For whom Christ died—So we learn that a man 
may perish for whom Christ died: this admits of 
no quibble. If a man “for whom Christ died,” 
apostatizing from Christianity, (for he is called a 
“brother,” though “weak,”) return again to and 
die in idolatry, then a man for whom Christ died 
may perish everlastingly. And so, if it is possible 
for a believer, whether strong or weak, to retrace 
his steps back to idolatry and die in it, it is equally 
possible for a man who had escaped the pollutions 
that are in the world, to return to it, live and die 
in its spirit, and perish everlastingly also. Let him 
that readeth understand. 

12. But when ye sin so against the breth- 

Vou. IL.—9 


ren—[The manner in which they had used their 
liberty had rendered the otherwise allowable act 
positively sinful—/Poor.| Ye sin against Christ 
— By causing to err from the truth, and so sending 
to perdition, through your bad example, a soul for 
whom Christ shed his blood, thus defeating the gra- 
cious intentions of his sacrificial death. 

13. Wherefore, etc.—Rather than give any 
occasion to a Christian to sin against, and so to 
harden his conscience that he should return to 
idolatry and perish, I would not only abstain from 
all meats offered to idols, but I would eat no flesh 
should I exist through the whole course of time, 
but live on the herbs of the field, rather than 
cause my brother to stumble, and thus fall into 
idolatry and final ruin. The following words of 
Origen contain a very solemn lesson and warning : 
“Tf we did more diligently attend to these things, 
we should avoid sinning against our brethren and 
wounding their weak conscience, that we might 
not sin against Christ; our brethren that are 
among us, for whom Christ died, often perishing, 
not only by our knowledge, but by many other ways 
and things, in which things we, sinning against 
Christ, shall suffer punishment; the souls of them 
that perish by us being required of and avenged 
upon us.” 


1. Tue greater our reputation for knowledge and 
sanctity, the greater mischief we shall do by our 
influence and example if we turn aside from the 
holy commandment delivered unto us. Every man 
should walk so as to light and lead his brother to 
heaven. 

2. [A forcible and perfectly legitimate use is 
made of this injunction, in favor of abstinence 
from intoxicating drinks; for though a Christian 
may feel that he is in no danger from that cause, 
yet his Christian liberty used by some other—in 
that particular a “ weak brother ’’—may be the oc- 
casion of his perdition. This caution is enforced 
by thousands of examples of ruins so accom- 
plished. } 

3. It is the duty of every Christian to watch 
against apostasy in his own case, and to prevent it 
as much as possible in that of others. That a 
person for whom Christ died may finally perish is 
strongly argued from this place and Rom. xiv, 15 ; 
for here the apostle dissuades the Corinthians from 
scandalizing their weak brethren by an argument 
taken from the irreparable mischiefs they may do 
them, the eternal ruin they may bring upon them 
by this scandal; whereas if it be, as some assert, 
that all things, even the sins of the elect, work to- 
gether for their good, and that they shall never 
perish, there can be no danger. 

Moreover, by thus offending, saith the apostle, 
“ve sin against Christ ;” namely, by sinning against 
those whom he has purchased by his blood, and de- 

129 


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Year of Rome, δ09, 


I, ‘CORINTHIANS. 


! 
St. Paul vindicates his 
apostolical authority. 


CHAPTER IX. 
M I not an apostle? am I not free? thave 
I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? © are not 
ye my work in the Lord? 2 If I be not an 
apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: 


for 4 the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the 
Lord. 8% Mine answer to them that do exam- 
ine me is this: 4 *Have we not power to 
eat and to drink? & Have we not power to 
lead about a sister, a ‘wife, as well as other 


a Acts 9. 15; 13. 23 26. 17: ] 
Ὁ Dima 1.115 δ᾽ Acts 9. 3, 17; 18. 93 22. 


BiGorias Le wGalews ἡ. 8 Levins 
14, 18; 23. 115 


chap. 15, & eChap. 3. 6: 4. 15. ad2 Cor. 3. 2: 12, 12.—— 
é Verse 14: 1 Thess. 2. 6; 2 Thess, 3, 9.—/Or, woman. 


destroying them for whose salvation he suffered. 
If this intent of Christ’s death be denied, how can 
we show in what Christ has demonstrated his great 
love to them that perish ? 

4, It is natural for man to wish and affect to be 
wise ; and when this desire is cultivated in refer- 
ence to lawful objects, (and with due humility,) it 
will be an indescribable good; but when, like Eve, 
we see ina prohibition something to be desired to 
make one wise, we ave then, like her, on the verge 
of our fall. Though extensive knowledge is not 
given fo all, yet it is given for all, and is the pub- 
lie property of the Church. For the misuse and 
misapplication of this talent we shall give account 
to God, as well as of other gifts and graces. 

5. Persons of an over-tender and scrupulous con- 
science may be very troublesome in a Christian so- 
ciety; but as this excessive scrupulosity comes 
from want of more /ight, more experience, or more 
judgment, we should bear with them. Though such 
should often run into ridiculous extremes, yet we 
must take care that we do not attempt to cure them 
either with ridicule or wrath. Such persons re- 
quire the most. judicious treatment, else they will 
be stumbled, and turned out of the way. We 
should be very careful lest in using what is called 
Christian liberty we oceasion their fall; and for 
our own sake, we must take heed that we do not 
denominate sinful indulgences Christian liberties. 

6. Though we are bound to take heed that we 
put not a stumblingblock in the way of a weak 
brother, yet if such a brother be stumbled at any 
part of our conduct which is not blamable in it- 
self, but of which he may have taken a wrong 
view, we are not answerable for the consequences. 
We are called to walk by the testimony of God ; 
not according to the measure of any man’s con- 
science, how sincere soever he may be. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. 


1. Am I not free—After the waiving of his own 
liberties in respect to eating, etc., and especially 
his general declaration (chapter viii, 13) that he-is 
ready to permanently forego the use of his natural 
and Christian freedom for the benefit of his 
“brother,” the apostle now returns to reassert his 
freedom and his apostolic rights and_ privileges. 
Am I not an apostle—It is sufficiently evident 
that there were persons at Corinth who questioned 
the apostleship of St. Paul; and that he was 
obliged to walk very cireumspeetly that they might 
not find any occasion against him. It appears that 
he had given them all his apostolical labours 
gratis; and even this, which was the highest proof 
of his disinterested benevolence, was produced 
by his opposers as an argument against him. 
“Prophets and all divinely commissioned men have 
a right to their secular support; you take nothing: 
is not this from a conviction that you have no 
apostolical right?” On this point the apostle im- 
mediately enters on his own defence. Am J not 
an apostle? AmTI not free? [The best authori- 
ties require that the order of these two questions 
should be reversed.] These questions are all de- 

13 


signed as assertions of the affirmative: Zam an 
apostle ; and I am free—possessed of all the rights 
and privileges of an apostle. Have I not seen 
Jesus Christ—From whom, on his personal appear- 
ance to me, 1 received my apostolic commission. 
This seeing Christ was judged essentially necessary 
to constitute an apostle. (See Acts xxii, 14, 15; 
xxvi, 16.) Are not ye my work—Your conver- 
sion from heathenism (and induction into the priv- 
ileges of the Church) is the proof that I have 
preached with the divine unction and authority. 

2. If I be not an apostle unto others—If 
there be other Churches in which my apostleship 
has not been demonstrated, it is not so with you. 
The seal of mine apostleship are ye—Your 
conversion is God’s seal to my apostleship. Had 
not God sent me, I could not have profited your 
souls. The σφραγίς, or seal, was a figure cut in a 
stone, and that set in a ring, by which letters of 
credence and authority were stamped. The an- 
cients, particularly the Greeks, excelled in this 
kind of engraving. [The significance of the seal 
was to designate ownership and approval.) In 
the Lord—It was, however, by the grace and in- 
fluence of God alone that he was an apostle, and 
that they were converted to Christianity. 

8. Mine answer to them—H ἐμὴ ἀπολογία 
τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσιν. This is my defence against 
those who examine me. The words are forensic ; 
and the apostle considers himself as brought before 
a legal tribunal, and questioned so as to be obliged 
to answer as upon oath, His defence, therefore, 
was this, that they were converted to God by his 


means. This verse belongs to the two preceding 
verses. [Atry, this, namely, this fact, that you 


are the seal of mine ἀποστολῇ (apostleship.)}— 
Meyer.| 

4, Have we not power to eat and to drink 
- ᾿Εξουσίαν, the right. The necessaries, not the 
superfluities, of life were what those primitive 
messengers of Christ required; it was just that 
they who laboured in the Gospel should “ive by the 
Gospel; a living was all they desired. It was 
probably in reference to the same moderate and 
reasonable desire that the provision made for the 
clergy in this country was called a living; and 
their work for which they got this living was called 
the eure (cura, care) of souls. Such a labourer is 
worthy of (morally entitled to) his hire; and he 
that preaches the Gospel should live by the Gos- 
pel. [It is usually the most profitable to all par- 
ties for those who receive the services of a min- 
ister of the Gospel to contribute directly for his 
temporal support, and this law extends also to mis- 
sions among the heathen. ] 

5. Have we not power to lead about a 
sister, a wife—The word ἐξουσίαν, as above, im- 
plying authority or right; authority from Him who 
gave them that office; from the constitution of 
nature; and from universal propriety or the fitness 
of things. When the apostle speaks of leading 
about a sister, a wife, he means that he and all 
other apostles, and consequently all ministers of 
the Gospel, had a right to marry. For it appears 


‘Gospel preachers to he supported 
by tuose whom they serve. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4060. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


apostles, and as * the brethren of the Lord, and 
*'Cephas? 6 Or I only and Barnabas, 'have 
not we power to forbear working? % Who 
kgoeth a warfare any time at his own charges? 
who 'planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of 
the fruit thereof? or who "feedeth a flock, 
and eateth not of the milk of the flock? ® Say 
I these things as « man? or saith not the law 
the same also?) 9 For it is written in the law 
of Moses, "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth 
of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth 
God take care for oxen? 40 Or saith he it 
altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no 
doubt, this is written: that °he that plougheth 
should plough in hope; and that he that 

g Matt. 13. 55; Mark 6. 3: Luke 6. 16; Gal. 1. 19.—/ Matt, 
8. 14.—7i2 Thess. 3. 8, 9.——k&2 Cor. 10. 4; 1 Tim. 1. 18: 6. 12; 
2 Tim. 2. 3; 4. 7.—-/ Deut. 20. 6; Prov. 27. 18; chap. 3. 6, 7,3. 


—m John 21.15; 1 Pet. 5. 2.—n Deut, 25. 4; 1 Tim. 5, 18. 
—o 2 Tim. 2. 6.— p Rom. 15. 27: Gal. 6. 6. 


that our Lord’s brethren, James and Jude, were 
married ; and we have infallible evidence in Matt. 
viii, 14, that Peter was a married man. [᾿Αδελφὴν 
γυναῖκα, a sister, that is, a believer, a wife; not a 
servicus matrona, which is against the plain mean- 
ing of the words, without shadow of historical sup- 
port, and supposes a somewhat unseemly relation. 
—Meyer.| 

6. Or I only and Barnabas—It appears from 
this that the apostles did not generally support 
themselves by their own labour, but that Paul and 
Barnabas did. Some of the others probably had 
not a business at which they could conveniently 
work, as these had. 

7. Who goeth a warfare... at his own 
charges—These questions, which are all supposed 
from the necessity and propriety of the cases to be 
answered negatively, point out more forcibly the 
providence of God, which indicates that every 
man should live by the fruits of his labour. The 
first question applies particularly to the case of 
the apostle, τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις. Does 
a soldier provide his own rations? Ὀψώνιον is 
used to express the military pay or wages, by the 
Greek writers; for the Roman soldiers were paid 
not only in money, but in victuals; and hence corn 
was usually distributed among them. (See Luke 
iii, 14.) 

8. Say I these things as a man—Is this only 
human reasoning? or does not God say in effect 
the same things? (Rom. vi, 19.) 

9. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the 
ox—(See on Deut. xxv, 4.) Doth God take 
care for oxen—This question is to be understood 
thus: Is it likely that God should be solicitous for 
the comfort of oxen, and be regardless of the wel- 
fare of man? [What Paul means is, that this 
class of creatures, the oxen, are not (primarily) the 
objects of the divine solicitude in that provision of 
the law; that which expresses the care to be taken 
for the oxen is said, not for their sakes, but δὲ 
ἡμᾶς, for us.— Meyer. | 

10. That he that thresheth in hope should 
be partaker of his hope—lInstead of ὁ ἀλοῶν, 
τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτοῦ μετέχειν, ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι, many of the 
best MSS. and Versions read the passage thus: ὁ 
ἀλοῶν ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι τοῦ μετέχειν, and he who thresheth 
in hope of partaking, {which reading is now gen- 
erally accepted.] [The command (not to muzzle 
the ox) was written on account of us, (Christian 


teachers,) because we ploughers (in the γεώργιον | might plead the authority of God in the 


thresheth in hope should be partaker of his 
hope. 8 r If we have sown unto you spirit- 
ual things, 7s ἐξ a great thing if we shall reap 
your carnal things? #2 If others be partakers 
of this power over you, are not we rather? 
4 Nevertheless we have not used this power; 
but suffer all things, "lest we should hinder the 
gospel of Christ. 13 *Do ye not know that 
they which minister about holy things ‘live of 
the things of the temple? and they which wait 
at the altar are partakers with the altar? 
14 Even so "hath the Lord ordained ἡ that 
they which preach the gospel should live of 
the gospel. 15 Bet »I have used none of 
these things: neither have I written these 


4 Acts 20. 33; verses 15, 18: 2 Cor. 11. 7,9; 12. 13: 1 Thess. 2. 6. 
---ὉὉ ὃ Cor. 11.12. 8 Lev. 6. 16,26; 7 6, ete.: Num 5. 9, 10; 
18. &2); Deut. 10. 9; 18.1. t Or, feed.——u Matt. 10, 10; Luke 
10. 7.—v Gal. 6. 6: 1 Tim. 5. 17.—e Acts 15. 3; 20. 34; chap. 
4.12: verse 12; 1 Thess. 2. 9; 2 Thess. 3. 8. 


Θεοῦ, the Lord's field, chapter iii, 9) ought to plough 
in hope, and we tlireshers (answering to the βοῦς 
ἀλοῶν, oxen of the threshing floor) ought to work 
in hope of (as the ox) having a share.—<A//ord.] 

11. If we have sown unto you spiritual 
things—If we have been the means of bringing 
you into a state of salvation by the divine doc- 
trines which we have preached unto you, is it too 
much for us to expect a temporal support when we 
give ourselves up entirely to this work? Every 
man who preaches the Gospel has a right to his 
own support and that of his family while thus 
employed. 

12. If others be partakers of this power— 
If those who in any matter serve you have a 
right (ἐξουσία) to a recompense for that service, 
surely we who have served you in the most essen- 
tial matters have a right to our subsistence while 
thus employed in your service. We have not 
used this power—Though we had this right, we 
have not availed ourselves of it, but have worked 
with our hands to bear our own charges, lest any 
of you should think that we preached the Gospel 
merely to procure a temporal support, and so be 
prejudiced against us, and thus prevent our success 
in the salvation of your souls. [Which was allow- 
able as a temporary expedient, but not as a general 
rule. | 

13. They which minister about holy things 
—all the officers about the temple had a right to 
their support while employed in its service. The 
priests partook of the sacrifices; the others had 
their maintenance from tithes, firstfruits, and 
offerings made to the temple; for it was not law- 
ful for them to live on the sactifices. Hence the 
apostle makes the distinction between those who 
“ minister about holy things” and those who wait 
at the altar. 

14. Even so hath the Lord ordained—This 
is evidently a reference to our Lord’s ordination, 
(Matt. x, 10,) “The workman is worthy of his 
meat;” (and Luke x, 7,) “ The labourer is worthy 
of his hire.’ Andin both places it is the preacher 
of the Gospel of whom he is speaking. It was a 
maxim among the Jews, “that the inhabitants of a 
town where a wise man had made his abode should 
support him, because he had forsaken the world 
and its pleasures to study those things by which 
he might please God and be useful to men.” 

15. Neither have I written, ete—Though I 

law, of 
131 


? 


A. M. 4°60, A, ™, 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


things, that it should be so done unto me: for 
xit were better for me to die, than that any 
man should make my glorying void. 16 For 
though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to 
glory of: for ¥ necessity is laid upon me; yea, 
woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel ! 
U7 For if I do this thing willingly, 51 have a 
reward: but if against my will, a *dispensa- 
tion of the gospel is committed unto me. 
218 What is my reward then? Verily that, 
when I preach the gospel, I may make the 
gospel of Christ without charge, that I ¢abuse 
not my power in the gospel. &9 For though 


1. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul asserts the obligation resting 
on him to preach the gospel. 


I be 4free from all men, yet have ¢I made my- 
self servant unto all, ‘that I might gain the 
more. 29. And ¢unto the Jews I became asa 
Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to thenythat 
are under the law, as under the law, that I 
might gain them that are under the law; 
28 5To'them that are without law, as with- 
out law, («being not without law to God, but 
under the law to Christ,) that I might gain 
them that are without law. 22 !To the weak 
became I as weak. that I might gain the weak: 
™T am made all things to all men, "that I might 
by all means save some. 23 And this I do 


72 Cor. 11. 10. y Rom, 1. 14. ap. 3. 8, 14. a Chap. 
4,1; Gal. 2.7; Phil. 1.17; Col.1 b Chap. 10. 33; 2 Cor, 
4, δ: 11.\7.—c Chap. 7. 31. ὦ Vat —é Gal. 5. 13. 


J Matt. 18. 15: 1 Pet..3. 1——9 Acts 16.3; ΠΝ 18 : 90, 28, ete. 
h Gal. 8. 2.---ἰ Rom. 2. 12, 11.----᾽ὦ Chap. 7. 22 -——2 Rom, 15. 1 
2 Cor. 11. 29. me Chap. 10, 88: --- Ron the 14; chap. 7. 16. 


Christ in the Gospel, the common consent of our 
own doctors, and the usages of civil society, yet I 
have not availed myself of my privileges; nor do 
I now write with the intention to lay in my claims. 

16. For though I preach the gospel—I have 
indeed cause of glorying that I preach the Gospel 
free of all charges to you, and of this no man 
shall deprive me; but I cannot glory in being a 
minister of Christ’s Gospel, because I have received 
both the office and the grace by which I execute 
the office, from God. I have not only his authority 
to preach, but that authority obliges me to preach ; 
and if I did not, I should endanger my salvation : 
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gos- 
pel. As every genuine preacher receives his com- 
mission from God alone, it is God alone who can 
take it away. Woe to that man who runs when 
God has not sent him; and woe to him who refuses 
to run, or who ceases to run, when God has sent 
him. 

17. For if I do this thing willingly—If I be 
a cordial co-operator with God. Ihave a reward 
—An incorruptible crown. (Verse 25.) Or, if I 
freely preach this Gospel without being burden- 
some to any, I have a special reward; but if I do 
not, I have simply an office to fulfil, into which God 
has put me, and may fulfil it conscientiously, and 
claim my privileges at the same time; but then I 
lose that special reward which I have in view by 
preaching the Gospel without charge to any. These 
tivo verses (17 and 18) nave been. variously trans- 
lated: Sir Norton Knatchbull, and after him Mr. 
Wakefield, translate the two passages thus: Jor if 
I do this willingly, 1 have a reward ; but if I an 
intrusted with an office without my consent, what is 
my reward then? to make the Gospel of Christ, 
while I preach it, without charge, in not using to the 
utmost my privileges in the Gospel. 

18. That ITabuse not my power—Karaypi- 
σασθαι is here to be understood, not in the sense of 
abusing, but of using to the uttermost—exacting 
every thing that a man can claim by law. [Paul’s 
making the Gospel to be without cost was not his 
μισθός, (wages,) but his καύχημα (boasting, ground 
of exultation) only. The two are not identical ; 
the latter is present, the former futwre.— Alford. | 

19. For though I be free—Although i am 
under no (especial) obligation to any man, yet I act 
as if every individual had a particular property in 
me, and as if I were the s/ave of the public. [In 
the first instance, the idea of enslavement to all is 
sugeested by the servile labour he had undertaken, as 
distinct from the free independence which he might 
have enjoyed as an apostle; but he rapidly passes 

L332 


from this to his accommodation to the various feel- 
ings of his converts, in the hope that of this mass 
he. might gain the greater part, τοὺς πλείονας, (all 
the more,) to the cause of Christ.—Stanley in Al- 


ford.) 


20. Unto the Jews I became as a Jew— 
(Acts xvi, 3.) Once, for the sake of the unconverted 
Jews, he circumcised Timothy. ‘To them that are 
under the law—To those who considered them- 
selves still under obligation te observe its rites and 
ceremonies, though they had in the main embraced 
the Gospel, he became as if under the same obli- 
gations ; and therefore purified himself in the tem- 
ple. (Acts xxi, 26.) After the first clause, “zo 
them that are under the law as under the law,” the 
words μὴ ὧν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ νόμον, not being myself under 
the law, are added [by many highly respectable 
authorities, among them Griesbach.] [It is now 
generally accepted. Here Paul again asserts his 
Christian liberty. ] 

21. Tothem that are without law—[’Avéyore, 
heathens, not under the law of Moses. To such 
Paul became as not under the merely formal de- 
mands of the Jewish law; he disregarded its cere- 
monial requirements, but its moral and spiritual re- 
quirements he still recognised as incumbent upon 
him.] He might among the heathens appear as if 
he were not a Jew, and discourse with them on the 
great principles of that eternal law, the outlines of 
which had been written in their hearts, in order to 
gare them the necessity of embracing that Gospel. 

. To the weak became I as weak—Those 
ne were conscientiously scrupulous, even in re- 
spect to lawful things. (Chapter viii, 9-13.)] Iam 
made all things ‘to all men—I assumed every 
shape and form consistent with innocency and per- 
fect integrity ; giving up my own will, my own tastes, 
my own ease, my own pleasure, and my own profit, 
that I might save the souls of all. Let those who 
plead for the system of accommodation on the ex- 
ample of St. Paul, attend to the end he had in view, 
and the manner in which he pursued that end. It 
was not to get money, influence, or honour, but to 
save souls! It was not to get ease, but to increase 
his labours. It was not to save his life, but rather 
that it should hea sacrifice for the good of im- 
mortal souls! [Τοῖς πᾶσιν, to (the) all. This sums 
up the above, and others not enumerated in our 
general rule, and the various occasions of his prac- 
tising the condescension in one general rule, .. . 
τινάς, some, out of each class, (still recognising the 
painful truth that some, probably, will not be 
saved.)—A//ord. | 

23. And this I do for the Gospel’s sake—In- 


The necessity of self-denial in order 
to the obtaining of salvation. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4060. A.D. 56, 
Year of Ronic, 809, 


for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker 
thereof with you. 24 Know ye not that they 
which run in a race run all, but one receiveth 
the prize? °So run, that ye may obtain. 
25 And every man that Pstriveth for the mas- 
tery is temperate in all things. Now they do 
it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we 4an 
incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, ‘not as 
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beat- 


eth the air: 27 *But I keep under my body, 
and ‘ bring it into subjection: lest that by any 
means, when I have preached to others, I my- 
self should be “a castaway. 


CHAPTER X. 
\ OREOVER, brethren, I would not that ye 
should be ignorant, how that all our fa- 
thers were under «the cloud, and all passed 


23 


- 2.2; 5. 7: Phil. 2. 16; 3. 14; 2 Tim. 4, 7: Heb, 12. 1. 
-» Eph. 6.12; 1 Tim. 6. 12; 2 Tim, 2. δ: 4. 7.—q 2 Tim. 4. 8; 
James 1. 12; 1 Pet. 1. 4; 5. 4; Rev. 2. 105 8. 1. 


r2 Tim. 2. 5,8 Rom. 8. 13; Col. 3. 5.—7z Rom 6. 8, 19.—— 
w Jer. 6. 30; 2 Cor. 13. 5, 6.—a Exod, 13. 9] : 40. 34; Num. 


stead of τοῦτο, this, πάντα, all things, (I do all things 
for the Gospel’s sake,) is the approved reading. 
[1 do all things on account of the Gospel. Its fur- 
therance was his ruling purpose.] That I might 
be partaker thereof with you—[Swvxomwvic ai- 
τοῦ γένωμαι, that I may become asharer of τ. That 
I might attain with you to the reward which the 
Gospel offers. Td εὐαγγέλιον may be rendered here 
prize, ov reward ; this is a frequent meaning of the 
original word. 

24. They which run in a race run all—It is 
sufficiently evident that the apostle alludes to the 
athletic exercises in the games which were cele- 
brated every fifth year on the isthmus, or narrow 
neck of land, which joins the Peloponnesus, or 
Morea, to the mainland; and were thence termed 
the Isthmian Games. The exercises were running, 
wrestling, boxing, throwing the discus or quoit, etc.; 
to the three first of these the apostle especially al- 
ludes. But one receiveth the prize—[This is 
my aim in all Ido; but inasmuch as many run ina 
race, many reach the goal, but one only receives the 
prize. I as anapostle run my course, and you must 
80 run yours as each to labour not to be rejected at 
last, but to gain the glorious and incorruptible 
prize.— Alford. } 

25. Every man that striveth—[Ilac δὲ ὁ ἀγω- 
νιζόμενος, every agonist. [Every one who engages 
in any athletic contest.—<Alford.] Is temperate 
in all things—[Ildvra ἐγκρατεύεται, is self-com- 
manding as to all things.] ΑἹ] those who con- 
tended in these exercises went through a long state 
and series of careful preparations. ΤῸ this line 
Epictetus refers, (cap. 35:) “ Do you wish to gain 
the prize at the Olympic Games? Consider the re- 
quisite preparations and the consequences; you 
must observe a strict regimen ; must live on food 
which you dislike; you must abstain from all deli- 
cacies ; must exercise yourself at the necessary and 
prescribed times both in heat and in cold; vou 
must drink nothing cooling; take no wine as for- 
merly; in a word, you must put yourself under the 
directions of a trainer as you would under those of 
a physician, and afterward enter the lists. Here 
you may get your arm broken, your foot put out of 
Joint, be obliged to swallow mouthfuls of dust, to 
receive many stripes, and after all be conquered.” 
This shows the propriety of the apostle’s words: 
“ Buery man that striveth for the mastery,” πάντα 
ἐγκρατεύεται, “ is temperate, self-restrained, in all 
things. They do it to obtain a corruptible 
crown—The “crown” won by the victor in the 
Olympian Games was made of the wild olive ; in the 
Pythian Games, of laurel ; in the Nemean Games, of 
parsley; and in the Isthmian Games, of the pine: 
all of them highly perishable. In opposition to 
these, the apostle contended for an incorruptible 
crown, the heavenly inheritance that fadeth not 
away. (1 Pet. v, 4.) 


9. 15: 14. 14; Deut. 1.33; Neb. 9. 12,19; Psa. 78.14: 108. 39. 


26. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly— 
In any of those games, how many soever ran, only 
one could have the prize; therefore, all ran uncer- 
tainly. In the Christian course, every one who runs 
according to rule receives the prize. The word 
ἀδήλως, which we translate “ uncertainly,” has other 


meanings. It signifies ignorantly, or without ob- 
servation. [Not without a clearly conscious assur- 


ance and certainty of running so as to reach the 
goal.—Meyer.] Not as one that beateth the air 
—|Here he passes over to another kind of contest, 
namely, boxing, (TuKTEtw,) as not striking in the air, 
in random strokes, which, instead of hitting the an- 
tagonist, spend themselves in the air... . He is 
representing himself as engaged in actual fight.— 
Kling.] 

27. But I keep under my body—By all kinds 
of self-denial. And bring it into subjection— 
To my spirit and to God. The words are strongly 
figurative, and signify the mortification of the body 
of sin, by an allusion to the natural bodies of those 
who were bruised or subdued in combat. Lest 
that by any means, when I have preached— 
Discharged the office of a herald, (still carrying on 
the allusion,) whose office it was te proclaim the con- 
ditions, and to display the prizes. I myself should 
be a castaway—Disapproved by the Judge, and 
so falling short of the prize. [This single text may 
give usa just notion of the scriptural doctrine of 
election and reprobation, and it clearly shows us 
that particular persons are not in Holy Writ rep- 
resented as elected unconditionally to eternal life ; 
but that believers in general are elected to enjoy 
the Christian privileges on earth, which, if they 
abuse, those very elect persons will become repro- 
bate. St. Paul was certainly an elect person, and 
yet he declares it was possible he himself might 
become a reprobate. Nay, he actually would have 
become such if he had not thus kept his body 
under, even though he had been so long an elect 
person, a Christian, and an apostle.— Wesley. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER X. 

1. I would not that ye should be ignorant 
—It seems as if the Corinthians had supposed that 
their being made partakers of the ordinances of 
the Gospel, such as baptism and the Lord’s supper, 
would secure their salvation, notwithstanding they 
might be found partaking of idolatrous feasts. To 
remove this destructive supposition, which would 
have led them to endless errors both in principle 
and practice, the apostle shows that the Jews had 
sacramental ordinances in the wilderness similar to 
those of the Christians; and that, notwithstanding 
they had the typical baptism from the cloud, and 
the typical eucharist from the paschal lamb and 
the manna that came down from heaven, yet when 
they joined with idolaters and partook of idolatrous 
feasts God was not only displeased with them, but 

133 


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Year of Rome, 809. 


TI. CORINTHIANS. 


Warnings to us drawn from God’s 
punishment of the Israelites, 


through *the sea; 2 And were all teenree 
unto “Moses in fie “aloud and in the sea; 
Φ And did all eat the same “spiritual rife 
4 And did all drink the same ‘spiritual drink; 
for they drank of that spiritual Rock that 
«followed them :%and that Rock was Christ. 
6 But with many of them God was not well 
pleased: for they ‘were overthrown in the 
wilderness. 6 Now these things were ‘our 


examples, to the intent we should not lust after 
evil things, as "they also lusted. 7 ' Neither 
be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is 
written, «The people sat down to eat and 
drink, and rose up to play. 8 ! Neither let us 
commit fornication, as some of them com- 
mitted, and "fell in one day three and twenty 
thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as 
"some of them also tempted, and ° were de- 


D 19) χοᾶ, 14. ean Num. 33. 8; Tosh. 4, 23: 
ἧς dd 9, 


Psa. 78, 1: .-—c¢ Exod. 
15, 20; Psa. 78, 24. αἱ Exod. 17, 6; Num, 20, 
.—e(r, went with them, Deut. 9. 21; Psa. 
FNum. 14, 29, 32,35; 26. 64, 65; Psa. 106, 26: ‘Heb. ΠΕΣ 


105. 41, 


Jude 5.—g Gr. owr 7 χη δα, ΞΞ τι Num. 11. 
14.—7Z Verse 14.—/: Exod. 32 

-—m Num, 35. 1,9; Psa. 106, 29. 
5; Deut. 6. 16; Psa, 78, 18, 56; 95. 9 


4, 38, 51: Psa. 106, 
18: Rev. 2. 14. 

Pal ee tree οἷς 

: 106. 14.—o Num, 21. 6. 


signified this displeasure by pouring out his judg- 
ments upon them. Under the cloud—The mi- 
raculous cloud in the wilderness performed a three- 
fold office to the Israelites: 1) In the form of a 
pillar it was a cloud to direct their journeyings by 
day 2) It was a pillar of fire to give light to the 
camp by night. 3) It was a covering for them dur- 
ing the day, preserving them from the scorching 
rays of the sun; and its Auwmidity was so abundant 
that the apostle here represents the people as thor- 
oughly sprinkled and enveloped in its aqueous va- 
pour. (See Exod. xiii, 21.) 

2. And were all baptized unto (εὶς, into) 
IMioses—Into the covenant of which Moses was the 
mediator; and by this typical baptism they were 
brought under the obligation of acting according to 
the Mosaic precepts, just as Christians receiving 
Christian baptism are said to be baptized 1nTo 
Christ, and are thereby brought under obligation to 
keep the precepts of the Gospel. 

Spiritual meat—The manna is here called 
“spiritual,” because it was provided supernaturally, 
and because it was a type of Jesus Christ, who, 
speaking of it, tells us (John vi, 31, etc.) that it was 
a type of that true Bread which came down from 
heaven, which gives life unto the world, (verse 33,) 
and that himself was that Bread of life. (Verse 48.) 

4. Spiritual drink—By the βρῶμα πνευματικὸν, 
“spiritual meat,” and πόμα πνευματικὸν, “ spiritual 
drink,” the apostle certainly meant both meat and 
drink, which were furnished to the Israelitish 
assembly miraculously as well as typically. That 
spiritual Rock that followed them — [The 
thoughts to which Paul here gives expression are 
the following : 1) To guard and help the Israelites 
in their journey through the wilderness, Christ 
accompanied them, namely, in his preexistent di- 
vine nature, and consequently as the Son of God, 
(the Logos, John i, 1,) who afterward appeared as 
man. 2) The (spiritual) “Rock” from which the 
water they drank flowed was not an ordinary nat- 
ural rock, but a πέτρα πνευματική, (a spiritual Rock ;) 
not the mere appearance or phantasm of a rock, 
but an actual one, although of supernatural and 
heavenly origin, inasmuch as it was the real self- 
revelation and manifestation of the Son of God, 
who invisibly accompanied the host in its march ; 
it was, in other words, the very Christ from 
heaven, as being his own substantial and efficient 
presentation of himself to men. 3) Christ, in his 
preexistent condition, went constantly with them, 
so that everywhere in the wilderness his essential 
presence could manifest itself in their actual ex- 
perience through the Rock with its abundant waters. 
—Meyer.| And that Rock was Christ—|Or, 
Christ was that “ Rock.” | 

5. They were overthrown in the wilder- 
ness—<And yet au these persons “ were under the 

134 


cloud ”—“‘all passed through the sea ’—‘‘all were 
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” 
—“all ate the same spiritual meat ’’—“all drank 
the same spiritual drink ;” they all were made 
partakers of the “spiritual Rock, Curisr.” [The 
practical lesson here taught is, that they who have 
enjoyed the special privileges of God’s elect may, 
nevertheless, fall away and be lost. (Heb. vi, 5-7; 
x, 26 -28.)] 

6. These things were our examples—The 
punishments which God inflicted on them furnish 
us with evidences of what God will inflict upon us 
if we sin after the similitude of those transgressors. 
We should not lust after evil things—The 
apostle shows them that their sin was of the same 
nature as that of the murmuring, rebellious Israel- 
ites whom God so severely punished ; and if he did 
not spare the natural branches, there was no likeli- 
hood that he would spare them. (See Numbers 
xi, 4.) 

7. Neither be ye idolaters—The apostle con- 
siders partaking of the idolatrous feasts (if eaten 
doubtingly, Rom. xiv, 23) as being real acts of idol- 
atry ; because those who offered the flesh to their 
gods considered them as feeding invisibly with them 
on the flesh thus offered, and that every one that 
partook of the feast was a real participator with 
the god to whom the flesh or animal had been 
offered in sacrifice. (See verse 21.) Rose up to 
play—See on Exod. xxxii, 6. The Jews generally 
explain this word as implying idolatrous acts only ; 
I have considered it as implying acts of impurity, 
with which idolatrous acts were often accompanied. 
It also means those dances which were practised in 
honour of their gods. [This comprised dancing, 
(Exod. xxxii, 19,) and from ancient customs, gener- 
ally at sacrificial feasts; but to understand the 
phrase as indicating unchastity is contrary to the or- 
ee use of the language employed. Meyer. | 

8. Neither let us commit fornication—| An- 
other prominent point in the sins of the Corinthian 
Church.—A/ford.| Fell in one day three and 
twenty thousand—In Num. xxv, 9, the number is 
24,000; and, allowing this to be the genuine read- 
ing, (and none of the Hebrew MSS. exhibit any 
various reading in the place,) Moses and the apostle 
disagree. [A slip of memory on the apostle’s part, 
(Meyer,) coneurred in by Alford and Kling.) [Sup- 
posing that it could be proved that St. Paul’s 
knowledge was imperfect, this need not surprise us, 
for there seems no reason to suppose that divine 
inspiration would instruct the apostles in truths dis- 
coverable by uninspired research and non essential 
to their religious mission. — Conybeare and Howson. | 
[Kither Paul erred in the number, or the abbrevia- 
tion was falsely read by the transeribers. Josephus 
has only 14,000,— Olshausen. ] 

9, Neither let us tempt Christ—I have al- 


Encouragements to bear trial, and 
admonitions to watchfulness. 


CHAPTER X. 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 509, 


stroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, 
as Psome of them also murmured, and 4 were 
destroyed of ‘the destroyer. UE Now all 
these things happened unto them for * ensam- 
ples: and ‘they are written for our admoni- 


tion, “upon whom the ends of the world are 


come. 4&2 Wherefore *let him that thinketh 


he standeth take heed lest he fall. 


13 There 
hath no temptation taken you but such as is 


*common to man: but * God és faithful, y who 
will not suffer you to be tempted above that 
ye are able; but will with the temptation 
also make a way to escape, that ye may be 
able to bear ἐξ. 84 Wherefore, my dearly 
beloved, *flee from idolatry. 14 I speak as to 
*’wise men; judge ye what I say. 4&6 °The 
cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the 
communion of the blood of Christ? 4¢The 


p Exod. 16. 2; 17.2: Num. 14. 2, 29; 16. 41.—g Num. 14. 37; 
16. 49.—r Exod, 12. 23; 2 Sam. 24. 16; 1 Chron 21, 15.—s Or, 
ty pes.—t Rom. 15. 4: chap. 9. 10.—vw Chap. 7. 29; Phil. 4. 5; 
Heb. 10. 25, 37; 1 John 2, 18.—v Rom. 11. 20, 


w Or, moderate.—~+ Chap. 1. 9.—~y Psa. 125. 3; 2 Pet. 2. 9, 
—=z Jer. 39. 11.—a Verse7; 2 Cor. 6.17: 1 John 5. 21.— 
b Chap. 8. 1.—ce Matt. 26. 26, 27, 28.—d Acts 2, 42, 46; chap. 


11, 23, 24 ν 


ready supposed (in the note on verse 4) that Christ 
is intended by the spiritual Rock that followed 
them: and that it was he, not the rock, that did 
follow or accompany the Israelites in the wilder- 
ness. This was the angel of God’s presence who 
was with the Church in the wilderness, to whom our 
Fathers would not obey. (Acts vii, 88, 89.) In- 
stead of Χριστόν, Christ, several MSS. and Versions 
have Κύριον, the Lord, [and that reading is now ac- 
cepted.]| By tempting Christ (or the Lord) is 
meant disbelieving the providence and goodness of 
God; and presuming to prescribe to him how he 
should send them the necessary supplies, and of 
what kind they should be, ete. 

10. Neither murmur ye—(See Exod. xvi, 2; 
xvii, 2; Num. xiv, 2, 29.) Probably the Corin- 
thians were murmuring against God and his apos- 
tle on account of the constraints laid upon them, 
just as the Israelites did in the wilderness in ref- 
erence to a similar subject. See the history of 
Phineas, with Zimri and Cozbi, and the rebellion 
of Korah and his company, etc., ete. Destroyed 
of the destroyer—|The destruction referred to 
must be that related Num. xvi, 49, when the 
pestilence took off 14,700 people-—A/ford.] Those 
who die violent deaths, or deaths that are not in 
the common manner of men, were by the Jews 
considered as perishing by immediate judgments 
from God. 

11. Happened unto them for ensamples— 
Τυπικῶς, typically. [By. way of figure.—A/ford. | 
[In such a way that, as they fill out a typical char- 
acter, a predictive reference impressed itself upon 
them, (the ravta.)—Meyer.] Upon whom the 
ends of the world are come—Tai τέλῃ τῶν aid- 
vov, The end of the times included within the 
the whole duration of the Mosaic economy. We 
ave to consider the apostle’s words as referring to 
the end of the Jewish dispensation and the com- 
mencement of the Christian, which is the last dis- 
pensation which God will vouchsafe to man in the 
State of probation. [Ta τέλη τῶν αἰώνων is iden- 
tical (in meaning) with ἡ συντελεία τῶν aidvur, 
(since the foundation of the world, Heb. ix, 26,) 
the consummation of the ages.] [The “ages,” 
here are the great world periods preceding the 
manifestation of Christ, (at the incarnation,) and 
the outgoings of which mark the incoming of the 
manifestation. Christianity (the Christian dispen- 
sation) is the goal and end of all earlier revelations. 
—Kling.| [All the ages before Christ’s coming 
were times of preparation for that event, at which 
all the ends (purposes, τέλα) of those ages reached 
their fulness. (See Gal. iv, 4.) The reference is 
wholly retrospective. ] 

12. Let him that thinketh he standeth — 
"Ὥστε ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι βλεπέτο μὴ πέσῃ. Let him 
who has the fullest conviction in his own con- 


science that his heart is right with God, and that 
his mind is right in the truth, take heed lest he 
fall from his faith and from the state of holi- 
ness in which the grace of God has placed him. I 
have already shown that the verb δοκεῖν, which we 
render to seem, to think, to suppose, is used by the 
best Greek writers, not to lessen or weaken the 
sense, but to render it stronger and more emphatic. 
(See Luke viii, 18.) Ina state of probation every 
thing may change ; while we are in this life we may 
stand or fall; our standing in the faith depends on 
our union with God; and that depends on our 
watching unto prayer, and continuing to possess 
that faith that takes hold upon Christ; and also 
works by love. The highest saint under heaven can 
stand no longer than he depends upon God and con- 
tinues in the obedience of faith. He that ceases to 
do so will fall into sin, and get a darkened under- 
standing and a hardened heart; and he may con- 
tinue in this state till God come to take away his 
soul. Therefore, let him who most assuredly stand- 
eth take heed lest he fall; not only partially, 
but finally. 

13. But such as is common to man—’Arfipd- 
πιίνος. [No temptation has taken you, except human, 
such as are according to the normal, ordinary con- 
ditions of men ] God will not suffer you to be 
tried above the strength he gives you; but as the 
trial comes, he will provide you with strength to re- 
sist it; as the trial comes in, he will make your 
way out. The words are very remarkable, ποιΐσει 
σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ Kai τὴν ἔκβασιν, “ He will, with the 
temptation, make the deliverance, or way out.” 
Satan is never permitted to block up our way, 
without the providence of God making a way 
through the wall. Should an upright soul get into 
difficulties and straits, he may rest assured that 
there is a way out, as there was a way in; and 
that the trial shall never be above the strength 
that God shall give him to bear it. 

14. Wherefore ... flee from idolatry—tThis 
is a trial of no great magnitude; to escape from so 
gross a temptation requires but a moderate portion 
of grace and cireumspection. [This verse would it- 
self, by inference, forbid the Corinthians to have 
any share in the idol feasts.—_A/ord. | 

15. I speak as to wise men—[Probably a 
concession (not in irony) that they were wise, and 
therefore the apostle appeals to their own sense of 
what is congruous and possible. See Alford.] 

16. The cup of blessing—The apostle speaks 
here of the eucharist, which he illustrates by the 
cup of blessing, over which thanks were expressed 
at the conclusion of the passover. (See Matt. xxvi.) 
The communion of the blood of Christ—We 
who partake of this sacred cup, in commemoration 
of the death of Christ, are made partakers of his 
body and blood, and thus have fellowship with him ; 

155 


A. M. 4060, A, Ὁ. 56, 
Year of Rome, 8v9. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Directions concerning eating 
things offered to idois. 


bread which we break, is it not the commun- 
ion of the body of Christ? ΗΑ For ¢ we being 
many are one bread, and one body: for we are 
all partakers of that one bread. as Behold 
f Israel ¢after the flesh: »are not they which 
eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 
19 What savy I then? ‘that the idol is any 
thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice 
to idols is any thing? 20 But J say, that 
the things which the Gentiles * sacrifice, they 
sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I 


would not that ye should have fellowship 
with devils. 28 'Ye cannot drink the cup 
of the Lord, and ™the cup of devils: ye can- 
not be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of 
the table of devils. 22 Do we "provoke the 
Lord to jealousy? °are we stronger than he? 
23 P All things are lawful for ne, but all things 
are not expedient : all things are lawful for me, 
but all things edify not. 24 4 Let no man seek 
his own, but every man another’s wealth. 
25 ' Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that 


hap. 12. 27.—/Rom. 4. 12; Gal. : 
τῷ Cor. 11. 18 h Lev. 33:7 ae gal Chap. 
7; Deut. 32.17; Psa, 106. 37; Rev. 9, 20. 


6 Rom. 12. ἘΝ 
@ Rom. 4. is ἘΝ 
8. 4.—k Lev. 17. 


c 
ΠῚ 


12 Cor. 6. 15, 16.—m Deut, 32. 38.—mwn Deut. 32. 21. 
o Ezek, 22. 14. me anes 6. 12. ram em. 15. 1, 2; verse 33; 
chap. 1: ὅς Phil. 2. 4, 21. 71 Tim. 


as those who partake of an idol feast, thereby, as 
much as they can, participate with the idol, to whom 
the sacrifice was offered. [[t is a question, here, 
whether the word “body” is used figuratively of 
the Church, which is the body of Christ, as some 
would interpret it both here and in verse 16.— 
Kling.| [lt appears from this passage that the 
Lord’s supper has been instituted as a real com- 
munion, and not as a mere symbol.—Neander. | 

17. For we being many are one bread — 
The original would be better translated thus: Be- 
cause there is one bread, or loaf, we, who are many, 
are one body. As only one loaf was used at the 
passover, and those who partook of it were con- 
sidered to be one religious body; so we, who par- 
take of the eucharistical bread and wine in com- 
memoration of the sacrificial death of Christ, are 
one spiritual society, because we are all made par- 
takers of that one Christ whose blood was shed for 
us to make an atonement for our sins. | For 
it is one bread; one body are we, the many; that is, 
for through one bread being eaten in the supper, we 
Christians, although as individuals we are many, 
form together one (ethical) body.—Meyer.| [As at 
the Lord’s table all real believers meet together as 
children of the saine family, so we many are ONE ; 
and because we a/l use this sacrament with like 
faith in the same Christ, sacrificed and risen again 
for us, we are thus brought into communion (koe. 
vevia) with him, and, through him, with all that 
are partakers of the same blessed faith.] 

18. Behold Israel after the flesh—[The whole 
Jewish nation contempl: ited in its theocratical re- 
lations.] All who join together in celebrating the 
Lord’s supper, and are partakers of that one bread, 
profess in that act that they are Christians, and 
have fellowship with Christ, just as all the Israelites 
who offer sacrifice, and partake of those sacrifices, 
confess that they are Jews, and are in fellowship 
with the object of their worship : so they who join 
in idol festivals, and eat things which have been 
offered to idols, give proof that they are in com- 
munion with those idolaters, and that they have 
fellowship with the demons they worship. 

19. What say 1 then—I conclude, therefore, 
that although an idol is nothing—has neither power 
nor influenee—and that the things offered to idols 
are essentially no worse for being thus offered ; 
yet, as the things sacrificed by the Gentiles are 
sacrificed to demons and: not to God, those who 
partake of them have (or may seem to themselves 
to have) fellowship with demons; and therefore, 
those who profess Christianity cannot have fellow- 
ship both with Christ and with demons. 

21. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord— 
It is in vain that you who frequent those idol fes- 
tivals profess the religion of Christ, and commem- 

136 


orate his death and passion in the holy eucharist ; 
for you cannot have that fellowship with Christ 
which this ordinance implies while you are par- 
takers of the table of demons. The Gentiles, in 
their sacrifices, partook of the slain beasts, and ate 
bread and drank wine im honour of their gods. 

22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy— 
All idolatry is represented as a sort of spiritual 
adultery ; it is giving that heart to Satan that should 
be devoted to God ; and he is represented as being 
jealous, because of the infidelity of those who have 
covenanted to give their hearts to him. Are we 
stronger than he—Sinners should consider, while 
they are in rebellion against God, whether they are 
able to resist that power whereby God will inflict 
vengeance. 

23. All things are lawful for me—I may law- 
fully eat all kinds of food; but all... are not ex- 
pedient—0Ov πάντα συμφέρει. It would not be be- 
coming in me to eat of all, because 1 should by this 
cause many weak minds to stumble. (See chapter 
vi, 12; etc.) 

24. Let no man seek his own, ete.—[Though 
lawful for one like Paul, yet because the free use 
of his better knowledge and more intelligent faith 
might prove unedifying to others, he charitably and 
conscientiously abstained. He would not seek his 
own. | 

25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, 
that eat—The case to which the apostle refers is 
simply this: one part of the sacrifice was consumed 
on the altar of the idol; a second part was dressed 
and eaten by the sacrificer; and a third belonged 
to the priest, and was often sold in the shambles. 
To partake of the second share was forbidden, be- 
cause this was one part of the religious worship 
which was paid to the idol ; and was therefore in- 
compatible with receiving the sacrament of the 
Lord’s supper, which was the communion of the 
body and blood of Christ. But as to the third 
share, the apostle leaves them at liberty either to 
eat of it or forbear; except that, by eating, their 
weak brethren should be offended ; in that case, 
though the thing was lawful, it was their duty to 
abstain. (See chapter viii, 1.) Asking no ques- 
tion for conscience’ sake— Dr. Lightfoot ob- 
serves, that “the Jews were vexed with innumer- 
able scruples as to the eating of the thing, as well 
as to the company with which they ate; and even 
the manner of their eating. Of fruits and herbs 
brought to the table, they were to inquire whether 
they were tithed, whether they were duly conse- 
crated, whether they were clean, or touched with 
some pollution, ete. And concerning flesh set on 
the table, they were to inquire whether it was of 
that which had been offered to idols; whether it 
were the flesh of an animal that had been torn by 


The Christian to do all things to 
the glory of God, 


CHAPTER X. 


A. M. 4060. A.D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 809. 


eat, asking no question for conscience’ sake: 
26 For "the earth is the Lord’s, and the ful- 
ness thereof. 27 If any of them that believe 
not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to 
go; °whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking 
no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if 
any man say unto you, This is offered in sacri- 
fice unto idols, eat not Ρ for his sake that showed 
it, and for conscience’ sake: for 4the earth is 
the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; 29 Con- 
science, I say, not thine own, but of the other: 
for "why is my liberty judged of another 
man’s conscience? 80 For if I by ‘grace be 
a partaker, why am I evil spoken of, for that 
‘for which I give thanks? 88 «Whether 


therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye 
do, do all to the glory of God. 82 Give 
none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the 
ἡ Gentiles, nor to * the church of God: 88 Even 
as ¥I please all men in all things, «not seeking 
mine own profit, but the profit of many, that 
they may be saved. 


CHAPTER XI. 


E “ye followers of me, even as I also am 

of Christ. 2 Now I praise you, brethren, 
‘that ye remember me in all things, and © keep 
the ¢ordinances, as 1 delivered them to you. 
8 But I would have you know, that ethe head 
of every man is Christ; and ‘the head of the 


nm Exod. 19. 5; Deut, 10. 14; Psa. 24. 1; 50, 12: verse 28,— 
o Luke 10. 7. p Chap. 8. 19, 12. f, Deut. 10. 14; Psa.24. 1; 
ἐ 
1 


verse 28, ---γ' Rom. 14. 1ῦ. -----ἶα Or, thanksgiving. t Rom. 
14. 6: 1 Tim. 4. 3, 4.——w Col. 3. 17; 1 Pet. 4. 11.—w Rom, 14. 
13; chap. 8. 13: 2 Cor. 6. 3.—eGr. Greeks, 


@ Acts 20, 28: chap. 11. 22; 1 Tim. 3. 5.——vy Rom. 15. 2; chap. 
9. 19, 22. 2 Verse 24.— «a Chap. 4.16; Eph. 5. 1: Phil. 3. 17. 
1 Thess 1.6; 2 Thess. 3. 9.——L Chap. 4. 17.—c Chap. 7. 17. 
——4¢ Or, traditions ; 2 Thess. 5, 15; 3. 6.—e Eph. 5. 23.,— 
J Gen, 3. 16; 1 Tim. 2. 11, 12; 1 Pet. 3. 1,5, 6, 


wild beasts ; or of that which had been strangled, or 
not killed according to the canons, ete. All which 
doubts the liberty of the Gospel abolished as to 
one’s own conscience, with this proviso, that no 
scandal or offence be cast before another man’s 
weak or scrupulous conscience.” 

26. For the earth is the Lord’s—And _be- 
cause God made the earth and its fulness—all ani- 
mals, plants, and vegetables—there can be nothing 
in it or them impure or unholy; because all are 
the creatures of God. 

27. Ifany ... bid you toa feast—Any com- 
mon meal, not an idol festival. Whatsoever is 
set before you, eat—Do not act like the Jews, 
torturing both themselves and others with ques- 
tions such as those mentioned on verse 25. 

28. This is offered in sacrifice unto idols— 
While they were not apprized of this circumstance 
[or no notice was taken of it] they might lawfully 
eat; but when told that the flesh set before them 
had been offered to an idol, then they were not to eat, 
[because they might not seem to take any part with 
the worship of idols, as well as] for the sake of his 
weak conscience who pointed out the circumstance. 
For the apostle still takes it for granted that even 
the flesh offered in sacrifice to an idol might be 
eaten innocently at any private table, as in that 
case they were no longer in danger of being par- 
takers with devils, as this was no idol festival. 
For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness 
thereof—This whole clause, which appears also in 
verse 26, has scarcely any authority to support it in 
this place. 

29, 30. For why is my liberty judged of 
another man’s conscience, ete.—Though in the 
case of flesh offered to idols, and other matters 
connected with idolatry, (on which it appears there 
Was much tenderness of conscience among some of 
the Corinthians,) it was necessary to sacrifice some- 
thing to over-scrupulousness, yet the Gospel of 
Christ did not lay any man under this general bur- 
den, that he must do nothing at which any weak 
brother might feel hurt or be stumbled; for the 
liberty of the Gospel must not take for its rude the 
scrupulosity of any conscience ; for if a man, by 
grace—by the allowance or authority of the Gospel 
—partake of any thing that God’s bounty has sent, 
and which the Gospel has not forbidden, and give 
thanks to God for the blessing, no man has right 
or authority to condemn such a person. This seems 
to be the meaning of these two verses; and they 


read a lesson of caution to rash judges, and to those 
who are apt to take offence 

31. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink— As 
no specific rules covering all possible cases can be 
laid down in reference to the above particulars, there 
is one maxim of which no Christian must lose sight— 
that whether he eats or drinks of this or the other 
kind of aliment, or whatever else he may do, he 
must do it so as to bring glory to God. This is a 
sufficient rule to regulate every man’s conscience 
and practice in all indifferent things, where there 
are no express commands or prohibitions. 

32. Give none offence, etc. — Scrupulously 
avoid giving any cause of offence to either Jews or 
Gentiles, so as to prejudice them against Christian- 
ity. Nor to the church of God—Made up, as it 
is, of converts from the above parties. 

33. Even asI please all men—Act as 7} do: 
forgetting myself, my own interests, convenience, 
ease, and comfort, I labour for the welfare of others ; 
and particularly that they may be saved. How 
blessed and amiable was the spirit and conduct of 
this holy man! Though many of the advices given 
in this chapter appear to respect the Corinthians 
alone, yet there is none of them that is not appli- 
cable to Christians in general in certain cireum- 
stances. God has given no portion of his word to 
any people or age exclusively; the whole is given 
to the Church universal in all ages of the world. 
In reading this epistle let us seriously consider what 
parts of it apply to ourselves ; and if we are dis- 
posed to appropriate its promises, let us act con- 
scientiously, and inquire how many of its reprehen- 
sions we may fairly appropriate also. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. 

1. Be ye followers of me—This verse certain- 
ly belongs to the preceding chapter, and is the 
hortatory conclusion of what the apostle had just 
stated respecting his practice in the cases named. 
[It is so arranged in the Revised Version. } 

2. I praise you, brethren—[ A conciliatory pre- 
amble to the sharp correction which follows. 
Keep the ordinances—[Ilapaddcerc, ( precepts, tra- 
ditions,) might refer to doctrines as well as to 
usages and discipline; but the tenor of the follow- 
ing context shows that Paul means here directions 
of the latter sort, which he had before delivered to 
them.—Meyer. ] 

3. The head of every man is Christ—The 
apostle is speaking particularly of Christianity and 

137 


A. Μ. 4069. A. Ὁ. 56, 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


; 


Important directions for the 
deportuuent of females, 


woman is the man; and £the head of Christ és 
God. 4 Every man praying or " prophesying, 
having Ais head covered, dishonoureth his head. 
5 But ‘every woman that prayeth or prophe- 
sieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth 
her head: for that is even all one as if she were 
k shaven. 6 For if the woman be not covered, 


let her also be shorn: but if it be!a shame for 
a woman to be shorn or shaven, Jet her be 
covered. % For a man indeed ought not to 
cover his head, forasmuch as "he is the image 
and glory of God: but the woman is the glory 
of the man. 8 For "the man is not of the 
woman; but the woman of the man. 9 ° Nei- 


gJohn 14. 28; chap. 3. 23; 15. 27,25; Phil. 2. 7, 8, 9.—-A Chap. 
i eut, 21. 12 


12. 10, 28; 14. 1, ete.—7 Acts 21. 9——k 


Z7Num, 5.18; Deut. 22. 5.-—m Gen. 1. 26, 27; 5.1; 9, 6,— 
m Gen. 2. 21, 22.—o Gen. 2. 18, 21, 23. 


its ordinances: Christ is the Head or Author of 
this religion, and is the Creator, Preserver, and 
Lord of every man. The man, also, is the lord or 
head of the woman; and the Head or Lord of 
Christ, as Mediator between God and man, is God 
the Father. Here is the order: God sends his 
Son Jesus Christ to redeem man; Christ comes and 
lays down his life for the world; every man who 
receives Christianity confesses that Jesus Christ is 
Lord, to the glory of God the Father; and every 
believing woman will acknowledge, according to 
Genesis iii, 16, that God has placed her in a de- 
pendence on and subjection to the man. So far 
there is no difficulty in this passage. [Paul is not 
thinking of the general order of creation, accord- 
ing to which Christ is the head of all things, (Col. 
i, 16; ii, 10,) but of the organization of Christian 
fellowship as it is based upon the work of redemp- 
tion... . The relation indicated by κεφαλῇ (head) is 
that of organic swbordination, even in the last 
clause: He to whom Christ is subordinate is God, 
(chapter iii, 23 ; xv, 28 ; viii, 6; Col.i, 5; Rom. ix, 5;) 
not simply Christ in his human nature, nor, again, 
in his voluntary subjection, hut the objective, and, 
notwithstanding his essential equality with God. 
(Phil. ii, 6,) necessary subordination of the Son 
to the Father in the divine economy of redemp- 
tion.... The gradation of ranks rises up to the 
supreme Head over all, who is the Head of the man 
also, mediately, through Christ.—eyer. | 

4, Praying or prophesying—Any person who 
engages in public acts in the worship of God, 
whether praying, singing, or exhortation; for we 
learn from the apostle himself that προφητεύειν, to 
prophesy, signifies to speak unto men to edification, 
exhortation, and comfort. (Chapter xiv, 8.) And 
this comprehends all that we understand by exhor- 
tation, or even preaching. Having his head 
covered—With his cap or turban on, dishonoureth 
his head ; because the head being covered was a 
sign of subjection; and while he was employed in 
the public ministration of the word, he was to be 
considered as a representative of Christ, and on 
this account his being veiled or covered would be 
improper. [God is the head of Christ, is not said 

“of his essence, but of his ministries. The Son, as 

Mediator, accepts service according to the divine 
counsel, as he often said, Zhe Father sent me. 
This is said, not of the essential arcana, (secret 
things of the divine Being,) but of ministry.— 
Melanchthon.| (Even the exalted and reigning 
Christ is engaged in this ministeriwm, and finally 
delivers up the kingdom to the Father. (See chap. 
xv, 28.)] 

5. But every woman that prayeth, etc. 
Whatever may be the meaning of praying and 
prophesying, in respect to the man, they have pre- 
cisely the same meaning in respect to the woman. 
So that some women at least, as well as some men, 
might speak to others to edification, and exhorta- 
tion, and comfort. The only difference marked by 

138 


the apostle was, the man had his head uncovered, 
because he was the representative of Christ; the 
woman had hers covered, because she was placed 
by the order of God in a state of subjection to the 
man, and because it was a custom, both among the 
Greeks and Romans, and among the Jews an ex- 
press daw, that no woman should be seen abroad 
without a veil, If, then, a woman should appear 
in public without a veil she would dishonowr her 
head—her husband. And she must appear like to 
those lewd women who had their hair shorn off that 
their character might be known. 

6. For if the woman be not covered—If she 
will not wear a veil in the public assemblies, let 
her also be shorn—let her carry a public badge of 
infamy. But if it be a shame—lIf to be shorn or 
shaven would appear, as it must, a badge of in- 
famy, then let her be covered—let her by all 
means wear a veil. In Hindustan a woman cuts 
off her hair at the death of her hnsband, as a 
token of widowhood; but this is never pertormed 
by a married woman, whose hair is considered an 
essential ornament. The veil of the Hindu women 
is nothing more than the outer garment brought over 
the face, which is always very carefully done by 
the higher classes of women when they appear in 
the streets.—W arp’s Customs. 

7. A man indeed ought not to cover his 
head—He should not wear his cap or turban in the 
public congregation, for to cover the head was a 
badge of servitude; and besides, it was contrary 
to the custom that prevailed both among the 
Greeks and Romans. Heis the image and glory 
of God—He is God’s vicegerent in this lower 
world; and, by the authority which he has received 
from his Maker, he is his representative among the 
creatures, and exhibits, more than any other part 
of the creation, the glory and perfections of the 
Creator. But the woman is the glory of the 
man—aAs the man is the representative of the 
glory and perfections of God, so the, woman is, in 
the house and family, the representative of the 
power and authority of the man. I believe this 
to be the meaning of the apostle; and that he is 
speaking here principally concerning power and 
authority, and skill to use them. It is certainly 
not the moral image of God nor his celestial glory 
of which he speaks in this verse. [Jan is God's’ 
glory: He has put on him his majesty, and he rep- 
resents God on earth; woman is mans glory: 
taken from man, shining not with light direct from 
God, but with light derived from (through) man, 
..- This, of course, is true only as regards her 
place in creation and her providential subordina- 
tion, not in respect of the dependence of every 
woman’s individual soul directly on God.—A/ford. | 

8. For the man is not of the woman-—[The 
fact that the woman was formed out of the man, 
(ἐξ avdpoc,) and was destined to be his helper, (διὰ 
τὸν avdpa ἐκτίσθη.) is employed by Paul to exhibit 
her dependence,(social subordination.)}— Olshausen. ] 


Ι 


The woman, in public, should be veiled, 
as a sign of subjection. 


ther was the man created for the woman; but 
the woman for the man. 10 For this cause 


CHAPTER XI. 
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ought the woman Pto have 4power on her 
head 'becatfse of the angels. 11 Neverthe- 


p Gen, 24. 65.—g That is, a covering, in sign that she 


is under the power of her husbund.—-,r Eccles. 5. 6. 


9. Neither was the man created, etc.— Kai 
γὰρ οὐκ ἐκτίσθη, for the man was not created upon 
the woman’s account. The reason is plain from 
what is mentioned above; and from the original 
creation of woman she was made for the man, to 
be his proper or suitable helper. (See Gen. ii, 
22-24.) 

10, For this cause ought the woman to have 
power (ἐξουσίαν) on her head because of the 
angels—There are few portions in the sacred writ- 
ings that have given rise to such a variety of conjec- 
tures and explanations, and are less understood, than 
this verse. Our translators were puzzled with it; 
and have inserted here one of the largest marginal 
readings found anywhere in their work: but this 
is only on the words “power on her head,” which 
they interpret thus: that is, a covering, in sign. that 
she is under the power of her husband. But admit- 
ting this marginal reading to be a satisfactory so- 
lution so far as it goes, it by no means removes all 
the difficulty. Mr. Locke ingenuously acknowledged 
that he did not understand the meaning of the 
words; and almost every critic and learned man 
has a different explanation. Bishop Pearce con- 
tends, 1) That the original should be read, Where- 
Jore the woman ought to have & power upon her head, 
that is, the power of the husband over the wife; the 
word power (ἐξουσίαν) standing for the sign or token 
of that power, which was a covering or veil. 2) The 
word “angels ” presents another difficulty. Some 
Suppose that by these the apostle means the fallen 
angels, or devils; others, the governors of the 
Church; and others, those who were deputed 
among the Jews to espouse a virgin in the name of 
alover. All these senses the learned bishop re- 
jects, and believes that the apostle uses the word 
“angels”? in its most obvious sense, for the heay- 
enly angels ; and that he speaks according to the 
notion which then prevailed among Jews, that the 
holy angels interested themselves in the affairs of 
men, and particularly were present in their religious 
assemblies, as the cherubim, their representation, 
were present in their temple. All which supposes 
that the angels know what passes here upon earth ; 
which notion, whether just or not, prevailed among 
the Jews ; and if so, St. Paul might speak according 
to the common opinion. 3) Another difficulty lies in 
the phrase διὰ τοῦτο, wherefore, which shows that 
this verse is a conclusion from what the apostle 
was arguing before; which we may understand 
thus: that his conclusion, from the foregoing ar- 
gument, ought to have the more weight upon ac- 
count of the presence, real or supposed, of the holy 
angels, at their religious meetings. See Bishop 
Pearce, in loc. The learned bishop is not very 
willing to allow that the doctrine of the presence 
of angelic beings in religious assemblies is legiti- 
mate; but what difficulty ean there be in this, if 
we take the words of the apostle in another place : 
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to 
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation 2” 
(Heb. i, 14.) And perhaps there is no time in which 
they can render more essential services to the fol- 
lowers of God than when they are engaged in di- 
vine ordinances. On the whole, the bishop’s sense 
of the passage and paraphrase stands thus: “ And 
because of this superiority in the man, I conclude 


that the woman should have on her head a veil, the 
mark of her husband’s power over her, especially 
in the religious assemblies, where the angels are 
supposed to be invisibly present.” 

In his view of this text, Kypke differs from all 
others ; and nothing that so judicious a critic ad- 
vances should be lightly regarded. He contends 
that ἐξουσίαν occurs nowhere in the sense of veil, 
and yet he supposes that the word κάλυμμα, veil, is 
understood, and must in the translation of the pas- 
sage be supplied. He shows that both the Latins 
and Greeks use debere and ὀφείλειν to express that 
to which one is obnoxious or liable. He contends 
that the words taken in this sense agree perfectly 
with the context, and with dca τοῦτο, wherefore, in 
this verse, “ Because the man was not created for 
the woman, but the woman for the man, therefore 
she is subject to his authority, and should have a 
veil on her head as a token of that subjection; and 
particularly before the holy angels, who are present 
in the congregation of the saints.” For Dr. Light- 
foot’s opinion, that by “angels” we are to understand 
the paranymphs, or messengers who came on the 
part of others to look out for proper spouses for 
their friends, see Works, vol. ii, p. 772. The reader 
has here before him whatever may be likely to east 
light on this difficult subject, and he must either 
adopt what he judges to be best, or else think for 
himself. 

After all, the custom of the Nazarite may cast 
some light upon this place. As Nazarite means one 
who has separated himself by vow to some religious 
austerity, wearing his own hair, ete. ; so a married 
woman was considered a Nazarite for life, that is, 
Separated from all others, and joined to one hus- 
band, who is her lord; and hence the apostle, al- 
luding to this circumstance, says, “The woman 
ought to have power on her head,” that is, wear 
her hair and veil, for her hair is a proof of her 
being a Nazarite, and of her subjection to her haus- 
band, as the Nazarite was under subjection to the 
Lord, according to the rule or law of his order. 
(See Num. vi, 5-7.) [Modern commentators are 
but very little more successful in dealing with this 
text than were their predecessors, though each 
one, like the suitors with the bow of Ulysses, must 
try his hand, and, like them, only to demonstrate 
their inability. Alford, followed by Meyer and 
others, and following most of the later critics, 
makes ἐξουσία mean power to which the woman is 
subject, that is, of her husband, which ought to 
teach her proper modesty, an interpretation that 
harmonizes sufficiently with the context. As tothe 
more difficult phrase, because of the angels, διὰ τοὺς 
ἀγγέλους, there is less unanimity. Neander inclines 
to reckon it a gloss, in which he has a respectable 
but not numerous following, but he shows not much 
authority for his conjecture, which, however, would 
be welcome if only moderately well sustained. 
There is also a question whether good or evil an- 
gels are meant. St. Clement thought they were pions 
men; Beza, prophets; Ambvosiaster, those presiding 
in the assembly; and a host of German commenta- 
tors, spies; and Meyer, while claiming that only 
good angels can be meant, speaks of the passage as 
showing “a fine trait of apostolic mysticism.” | 

[The most generally accepted interpretation of 

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less ‘neither is the man without the woman, 
neither the woman without the’ man, in the 
Lord. #2 For as the woman ἐκ of the man, 
even so is the man also by the woman; t but 
all things of God. 23 Judge in yourselves: is 
it comely that a woman pray unto God un- 
covered? U4 Doth not even nature itself 
teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is 
ashame unto hin? £5 But if a woman have 
long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is 
given her for a “covering. 4&6 But vif any 
man seem to in contentious, we have no 


TI. CORINTHIANS. 


The Corinthians reproved for their 
heresies and divisions. 


such custom, “neither the churches of God. 
17 Now in this that I declare wnto you I praise 
you not, that ye come together not for the 
better, but for the worse. £8 For first of all, 
when ye come together in the church, * I hear 
that there be Ydivisions among you; and I 
partly believe it. 29 For zthere must be also 
‘heresies among you, 'that they which are 

approved may be made manifest among you, 

20 When ye come together therefore into one 
place, «this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 
2 For in eating gee one taketh before other 


. 36. u Or, veil.—vr1 Tim. 6, 4. 
# Chap. 1. 10, 11, 12; 3. 3.—vy Or, 


sGal. 3. 2s 
—w Chap. 7. 
schisms. 


17; 14. 33. 


these words, which a large share of the best com- 
mentators endorse, evidently for want of some- 
thing better, is thus expressed by Alford: “ Be- 
cause in the Christian assemblies the holy angels 
of God are present, and delighting in the due or rder 
and subordination of the ranks of God’s ser vants, 
and by a violation of that order we should be giving 
offence to them.” Perhaps this is as good, and as 
probable, as any that can be given; it may be pre- 
sumed, however, that it would not be so satisfac- 
tory were it not all that can be gotten. Here, as 
everywhere, it seems that commentators must say 
something; but as there is great difference of 
opinion among the learned, the unlearned may se- 
Ject among them, or still more wisely, consent to 
remain without an opinion. ] 

1. Neither is the man without the woman 
—Probably the apostle means that the human race 
is continued by an especial providence of God. 
Others think that he means that men and women 
equally make a Christian society, and in it have 
equal rights and privileges. 

12. For as the woman is of the man—For 
as the woman was at first formed out of the side of 
man, man has ever since been formed of the sub- 
stance of the woman; but they, as all other created 
things, are of God. [Probably there is here no 
reference to either creation or generation, but to 
the relations of the man and the woman in the or- 
der of God.] 

13. Judge in yourselves—Consider the sub- 
ject in your own common sense, and then say 
whether it be decent for a woman to pray in public 
without a veil on her head? The heathen priest- 
esses. prayed or delivered their oracles bareheaded 
or with dishevelled hair; to be conformed to them 
would be very disgraceful to Christian women. 
And in reference to such things as these, the apos- 
tle appeals to their sense of honour and decency. 

14. Doth not... nature... teach you, that, 
if a man have long hair — The φύσις is the 

natural relation of the judgment and feeling to the 
matter in question, the native inborn sense and 
perception of whatis seemly. This instinctive con- 
sciousness of propriety had been, as respected the 
point in hand, established by custom, and had be- 
come φύσις, (second nature,)... a something in its 
own nature accidental and subsisting as an actual 
fact only for the man accustomed to it, (but still) 
the confirmation of what the order of things in con- 
Sormity with their creation teaches, independently 
of all other instruction.—J/cyer. | 

15. But if a woman have long hair—The 
Author of their being has given a large covering 
of hair to the head of women: and to them it is an 

140 


z Matt. 18. 7; Luke 17. 1: Acts 20. 80: 1 Tim. 4. 12,2 Pet. 2. 
ἼΣΩΣ a Or, sects. δ Luke 2, 35; 1 John 2. 19; see Deut. 
13. 3.—c Or, ye cannot eat. 


especial ornament, and may in various cases serve 
as a veil. 

16. But if any man seem to be contentious 
—Ei δέ τις δοκεῖ φιλόνεικος εἶναι. If any person 
sets himself wp as a wrangler—puts hinself for- 
ward as a defender of such points, that a woman 
may pray or teach with her head uncovered, and that 
a inan may, without reproach, have long hair ; let 
him know tliat we have no such custom as either, 
nor are they sanctioned by any of the Churches of 
God, whether among the Jews or the Gentiles. 
From the attention Paul has paid to the subject of 
veils and hair, it would seem to have been a dis- 
turbing element in the Church of Corinth. Like 
trifles have often produced like effects. 

17. Now in this...I praise you not—In 
the beginning of this chapter the apostle did 
“praise” them for their attention in general to the 
rules he had laid down, (see verse 2 ;) but here he 
is obliged to condemn certain irregularities which 
had crept in among them, particularly relative to 
the celebration of the Lord’s supper. The teachers 
which had crept into the Corinthian Church appear 
to have perverted the whole of this divine institu- 
tion, making it among them part of an ordinary 
meal. The people came together, and, it appears, 
brought their provisions with them; some had 
much, others had less; some ate to excess, others 
had scarcely enough to suffice nature. One was 
hungry, and the other was drunken, μεθύει, was 
Jilled to the full; (this is the sense of the word in 
many places of Scripture.) These irregularities, 
connected with so many indecencies, the apostle re- 
proves; for, instead of being benefited by the divine 
ordinance, they were injured ; they came together 
not for the better, but for the worse. 

18. There be divisions among you—They 
had σχίσματα, schisms, among them; the old par- 
ties were kept up, even in the place where they as- 
sembled to eat the Lord’s supper. 

19. There must be also heresies—Aipécerc, 
sects, parties. Not a common consent of the mem- 
bers of the Church, either in the doctrines of the 
Gospel or in the ceremonies of the Christian re- 
ligion. Their difference in religious opinion led to 
a difference in their religious practice, and thus the 
Church of God, that should have been one body, 
was split into sects and parties. The “division” 
and the “heresies” sprung out of each others. I 
have spoken largely on the word heresy in Acts 
v, 17, to which place I refer the reader. 

20. This is not to eat the Lord’s supper— 
They did not come together to eat the Lord’s sup- 
per exclusively, which “they should have done, and 
not have made it a part of an ordinary meal, 


Corinthians reproved for their 
abuses of the Lord’s supper. 


CHAPTER XI. 


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Year of Rome, 809. 


his own supper: and one is hungry, and 4an- 
other is drunken. 22 What! have ye not 
houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye 
ethe church of God, and ‘shame ¢them that 
have not? What shall I say to you? shall I 
praise you in this? I praise you not. 23 For 
4] have received of the Lord that which also | 
delivered unto you, ‘That the Lord Jesus, the 
same night in which he was betrayed, took 
bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, 
he brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my 
body, which is broken for you: this do "in 
remembrance of me. δῷ After the same 
manner also he took the cup, when he had 


supped, saying, This cup is the new testament 
in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, 
in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as 
ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, 'ye 
do show the Lord’s death "till he come. 
27 » Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, 
and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, 
shall be guilty of the body and blood of the 
Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, 
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of 
that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh 
unworthily, eateth and drinketh ? damnation 
to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly 


d ἃ Pet. 2. 13; Jude 12.—eChap. 10. 32.—/James 2. 6. 
g Or, them that are poor ?—h Chap. 15. 33 Gal. 1.1, 11, 12. 
— Matt. 26. 26; Mark 14. 22; Luke 22. 19, k Or, for ὦ re- 
membrance. 1 Or, show ye. 


m John 14,3; 21. 22; Acts1.11; chap. 4. δ: 1d. 23; 1 Thess. 
4. 16; 2 Thess. 1. 10; Jude 14; Rev. 1. 7. nm Num, 9. 10, 13; 
John 6. 51, 68, 64: 13. 27; chap. 10. 21. Ὁ ἃ Cor. 18. 5; Gal. 
6. 4.--- Or, judgment, Rom. 13. 2. 


21. Every one taketh before... his own 
supper—They had a grand feast, though the dif- 
ferent sects kept in parties by themselves; but all 
took as ample a supperas they could provide (each 
bringing his own provisions with him) before they 
took what was called the Lord’s supper. (See on 
verse 17.) 

22. Have ye not houses to eat and to drink 
in—They should have taken their ordinary meal 
at home, and have come together in the assembly 
only to celebrate the Lord’s supper. Despise ye 
the church of God—Ye render the sacred as- 
sembly and the place contemptible by your con- 
duet, and ye show yourselves destitute of proper 
respect for the place set apart for divine worship. 
And shame them that have not—Tove μὴ ἔχον- 
ταῦ, them that are poor; not them who had not 
victuals at that time, but those who were so poor as 
to be incapable of furnishing themselves as others 
had done. (Matt. xiii, 12.) [What an abuse of fel- 
lowship, what a mockery of charity, when in this 
épavoc, or hollowed repast of free contributions, the 
poor man fasts till he is famished, the rich man 
feasts till he is drunken! Face to face, Hunger 
with revel, and this in the holy congregation! I am 
amazed! Give you praise herein? Praise I do 
not.—Speaker’s Com. | 

23. Ihave received of the Lord—[By reve- 
lation direct, ἀπὸ τοῦ Kupiov, whether in ecstatic or 
other form we know not... . How well calculated 
to shock into sobriety the frivolity of the Corin- 
thian agapze.—Speaker’s Com.| It is possible that 
some of the people at Corinth did receive the bread 
and wine of the eucharist as they did the paschal 
bread and wine, as a mere commemoration of an 
event. And as our Lord had by this institution 
consecrated that bread and wine, not to be the 
means of commemorating the deliverance from 
Egypt, and their joy on the account, but their de- 
liverance from sin and death by his passion and 
cross, therefore the apostle states that he had re- 
ceived from the Lord what he delivered; namely, 
that the eucharistic bread and wine were to be un- 
derstood of the accomplishment of that of which the 
paschal lamb was the type—the body broken for 
them, the blood shed for them. The Lord Jesus 
... took bread—See on Matt. xxvi. 

24. This is my body... for you—[K/ayevor, 
broken, is spurious ; Meyer (; ) sustained by the great 
preponderance of MSS.] This do in remem- 
brance of me—[This presupposes his absence in 
body for the future. (See Luke xxii, 19.)—evyer.] 

26. Ye do show the Lord’s death—|The 


apostle is substantiating the application of the 
Lord’s words by the acknowledged nature of the 
rite. [1015 ἃ proclamation of his death ; and thus is 
a remembrance of him, (especially in his sacrificial 
office.) It is so, by our making mention of it, and 
seeing visibly before us and partaking of (the 
symbols of) his body broken, and his blood shed.— 
Alford.) 

27. Whosoever shall eat... drink... un- 
worthily—’Avagioc, carelessly. To eat and drink 
the bread and wine in the Lord’s supper “un- 
worthily,” is to eat and drink as the Corinthians did, 
without any proper reference to Christ’s sacrificial 
death. These mongrel Christians at Corinth used 
it simply as an historical commemoration of the 
death of Christ; but did not discern (apprehend 
by faith) the Lord’s body and blood as a sacrificial 
offering for sin; and besides, in their celebration 
of it, they acted in a way utterly unbecoming the 
gravity of a sacred ordinance. Shall be guilty of 
the body and blood of the Lord—lIf he use it 
irreverently, if he deny [or fail to realize] that 
Christ suffered for our sins, then he in effect joins 
hands with the Jews in their condemnation and eru- 
cifixion of the Lord Jesus, and renders himself 
euilty of the death of our blessed Lord. Some, 
however, understand the passage thus: Js guilly, 
that is, eats and drinks “ unworthily,” and brings on 
himself that punishment mentioned verse 80, 

28. Let a man examine himself—Let him try 
whether he has. proper faith in the Lord Jesus; 
and whether he discerns the Lord’s body ; [that is, 
that he clearly and from the heart confesses that 
Christ’s body, person, was offered as a sin-offering, 
and whether he duly considers that the bread and 
wine point out the crucified body and spilt blood 
of Christ.] 

29. Eateth and drinketh damnation— Kpiua, 
judgment, condemnation; and yet this is for their 
emendation. (See verse 32.) 

30. For this cause—That they partook of this 
sacred ordinance without discerning the Lord’s 
body. Many are weak and sickly—lIt is hard 
to say whether these words refer to the consequences 
of their own intemperance or to some extraordinary 
disorders inflicted immediately by God himself. 
[Experimental proof of the κρίμα ἑαυτῷ, (condem- 
nation to himself,) from the present sicknesses and 
frequent deaths among the Corinthian believers.— 
Alford.| Many sleep—Not a few. Physically 
and perhaps morally, “ weak.’’ — Speaker's Com] 
[The explanation which refers this to moral weak- 
ness and deadness is not to be rejected on the 

141 


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among you, and many sleep. 88 For aif we 
would judge ourselves, we should not be 
judzed. 82 But when we are judged, "we 
are chastened of the Lord, that we should not 
be condemned with the world. %8 Where- 
fore, my brethren, when ye come together to 
eat, tarry one for another. 84 And if any 
man ‘hunger, let him eat at thome; that ye 
come not together unto "condemnation. And 
the rest ¥ will I set in order when “I come. 


1. CORINTHIANS. 


Christ to be known only by the 
teaching of the Lloly Ghost. 


CHAPTER XII. 

OW *concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, 

I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye 
know >that ye were Gentiles, carried away 
unto these «dumb idols, even as ye were led. 
8 Wherefore I give you to understand, 4 that 
no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth 
Jesus eaccursed: and ‘that no man can say 
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 
4 Now &there are diversities of gifts, but "the 


q Psa. 32.53 1 John 1. 9.—7 Psa. 94. 12, 13; Heb. 12. ou 
——s Verse 21.—+t Verse 22. judgment, v Chap. 
17; ‘Vitus 1. ὦ. —w Chap. ἡ: 19.--- Chap. id. RBI ea Chap. 
iG. tas Eph, 2 fe tks 1251 1 Thess. 1. 9; Titus 3.3; 1 Pet. 4 ΣᾺ 


ground that this moral sickness and deadness must 
have been represented as the cause of the unworthy 
participation, for from the Pauline standpoint they 
might as well be regarded as its consequences, 
(See Rom. i, 24.)—Meyer.] [The apostle here alludes 
to some extraordinary widespread weakness and 
disease prevailing at that time in the Church, and 
often proving fatal, which he regarded as a divinely- 
inflicted punishment on their desecration of the 
Lord’s supper.— Kling.|] [So Calvin, Neander, and 
many others.| [We are strongly inclined to prefer 
understanding Paul as declaring the judicial effects 
of their dishonouring the communion to be, their 
becoming weakly, sickly, sleeping Christians.— 
Whedon. ne only rational meaning. | 

31. If we... judge ourselves—Ii, having acted 
improperly, we condemn our conduct and humble 
ourselves, we shall not be judged, that is, pun- 
ished, for the sin we have committed. [Hi δὲ ἑαυτοὺς 
dvexpivopev.—If we pass judgment on ourselves, bring 
ourselves to judgment. This denotes the thorough. 
going self-condemnation which springs from earnest 
self -examination, involving a thorough severance of 
the carnal from the spiritual within us.—A7ing. | 
[As to the divine chastisement which lies within the 
sphere of the divine redemptive agency, see Heb. 
xi, 6; Titus’ ii, 12; 1 Tim. i, 20; 2 Tim. ii, 25.— 
Meyer. | 

32. But when we are judged—See on verse 29. 

33. When ye come together to eat (the Lord’s 
supper) tarry one for another—Do not eat and 
drink in parties as ye have done heretofore; and 
do not connect it with any other meal. 

32. And if any man hunger—Let him not 
come to the house of God to eat an ordinary meal, 
let him eat at home; take that in his own house 
which is necessary for the support of his body 
before he comes to that sacred repast where he 
should have the feeding of his soul alone in view. 
That ye come not together unto condemna- 
tion—That ye may avoid the ewrse that must fall 
on such unworthy communicants as those above 
mentioned ; and that ye may get that especial bless- 
ing which every one that discerns the Lord’s body 
in the eucharist must receive. The rest will I set 
in order, etc.—All the other matters relative to this 
business, to which you have referred in your letter, 
I will regulate when I come to visit you; as, God 
permitting, I fully design. The apostle did vtsit 
them about one year after this, as is generally be- 
lieved. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 


1. Now concerning spiritual gifts—This was 
a subject about which they appear to have written 
to the apostle, and concerning which there were 
probably some contentions among them, The 
142 


c Psa. 115. 5.—d Mark 9, 39; 1 John 4. 2, 3.—eOr, anath- 
ema.—F Matt. 16.17; John 15. 20; 2 Cor, 3. 5.—g Rom, 12. 
4,etc.; Heb. 2.4; 1 Pet. 4. 10.—/ Eph. 4. 4. 


words περὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν may as well be trans- 
lated concerning spiritual persons, as spiritual gifts; 
and indeed the former agrees much better with the 
context. [Taken as a neuter, the word may mean 
things spiritual, and so include both gifts and per- 
sons, and also manifestations generally.| I would 
not have you ignorant—I wish you fully to 
know whence all such gifts come, and for what end 
they are given, that each person may serve the 
Church in the capacity in which God has placed 
him’; that there may be no misunderstandings and 
no oo in the body. 

. Ye were Gentiles—Previously to your con- 
version to the Christian faith ye were heathens. 
Carried away— Not guided by reason or truth, but 
hurried by your passions into a senseless worship, 
the chief part of which was calculated only to ex- 
cite and gratify animal propensities. Dumb idols 
—[Ta εἴδωλα τὰ ἄφωνα, speechless images.| Though 
often supplicated, they could never return an an- 
swer; so that not only the image could not speak, 
but the god or demon pretended to be represented 
by it could not speak: a full proof that an idol was 
nothing in the world. {The spiritual condition into 
which they had entered as Christians was, of 
course, an entirely new one to men who had been 
heathen, entirely without precedent or analogy in 
the experiences of their former sad estate,—all the 
more, therefore, requiring to be subjected to a 
trustworthy and correct judgment.—Weyer. | 

8. No man speaking by the Spirit of God— 
It was granted on all hands that there could be no 
religion without divine inspiration, because God 
alone could make his will known to men; hence 
heathenism pretended to this inspiration; Judaism 
had it in the law and the prophets; and it was the 
very essence of the Christian religion. The heathen 
priests and priestesses pretended to receive, by in- 
spiration from their god, the answers which they 
cave to their votaries. And as far as the people 
believed their pretensions, so far were they led by 
their teaching. But as the Holy Spirit through all 
the law and the prophets gave testimony to the Mes- 
siah, and as Jesus proved himself to be the Christ 
both by his miracles and doctrines, no man under 
the inspiration of the divine Spirit could say to him 
anathema—thou art a deceiver, and a person worthy 
of death, ete., as the Jews did. INo man can say 
that Jesus is the Lord—[The confession dictated 
by the Spirit, which is here given as the criterion of 
the Spirit’s inspiration, is, that Jesus of Nazareth is 
very God. (See 1 John iv, 1, 2, where the human 
side of this confession is set forth.)] [The founda- 
tion of all spiritual utterance is the confession of 
“ Jesus” as the “ Lord;” and without the Spirit no 
such confession can be made... . Jesws—not Christ, 
the name of office, but Jesus, the personal name 5 


Diversities of spiritual gifts 
and administrations. 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4960. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


same Spirit. & ‘And there are differences of 
κ᾿ administrations, but the same Lord. ὦ And 
there are diversities of operaiions, but it is the 
same God ! which worketh all in all. 7% ™ But 
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every 
man to profit withal. Βα For to one is given 


by the Spirit *the word of wisdom: to anoth- 
er °the word of knowledge by the same Spirit ; 
9 PTo another faith by the same Spirit; to 
another 4the gifts of healing by the same 
Spirit; 19 'To another the working of mir- 
acles; to another * prophecy ; tto another dis- 


4Qom. 15. 6, 7, 3: Eph. 4. 11,—Z Or, ministries.—l Eph. 
1. 23.—m Rom. 12. 6,7,8; chap. 14. 26; Eph. 4. 7; 1 Pet. 4. 
10. 11.— wz Chap. 2. 6, 7.—o Chap. 1. 5; 13. 2; 2 Cor. 3. 1. 


the historical person whose life was matter of fact ; 
the curse and the confession are in this way far 
deeper. ‘ Lord,” Κύριος, is used in the Septuagint 
as the equivalent of the Hebrew Jehovah.— Alford. | 

4. Now—[Rather, but; as contrasted with the 
absolute unity of the test-confession. All believers 
have the gift of faith that confesses the Messiahship 
of Jesus; after that, and in respect to other and 
less important matters, diversities find place in the 
ministrations of the Holy Spirit.] There are di- 
versities of gifts—Xapioudtwv; gracious endow- 
ments, leading to miraculous results. And these all 
came by the extraordinary influences of the Holy 
Spirit. 

5. Differences of administrations—Avaxoviév ; 
various offices in the Church, such as_ apostle, 
prophet, and teacher ; the qualifications for such of- 
fices, as well as the appointments themselves, com- 
ing immediately from the one Lord Jesus Christ. 
[Διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν, varieties of ministries (ser- 
vices) appointed in the Church, in which, as their 
channels of manifestation, the χαρίσματα (gifts) 
would work.—A/ford. } 

6. Diversities of operations —Evepynudror. 
Miraculous influences exerted on others. All these 
proceeded from God the Father, as the fountain of 
all goodness and power, and the immediate dis- 
penser of every good and perfect gift. [Thus we 
have Gop tHE Farner, the first source and operator 
of all spiritual influences in all; Gop THE Sov, the 
ordainer in his Church of all ministries by which 
this influence may be brought out for edification; 
Gop THE Hoty Guost, dwelling and working in the 
Church, and effectuating in each man such meas- 
ures of his gifts as he sees fit.—A/ford. ] 

7. The manifestation of the Spirit—arépworc 
Tov πνεύματος ; the illumination, or demonstration, 
or operation, of the Spirit. Whatever gifts God has 
bestowed, or in what various ways soever the Spirit 
of God may have manifested himself, it is all for 
the common benefit of the Church. God has given 
no gift to any man for his own private advantage 
or exclusive profit. He has it for the benefit of 
others, as well as for his own salvation. To 
every man—[‘Exdo7w , to each one—showing the 
individual distinction of gifts. — Alford.] [Meyer 
gives the following arrangement, (of the things 
hereinafter named.) I. Gifts having reference to 
intellectual power: 
wisdom ;) 2) Λόγος γνώσεως, (doctrine of knowl- 
edge.) IL. Gifts whose condition is an exalted faith : 
1) Faith itself ; 2) Practical workings of the same, 
viz., @) ἰαμάτα, (healings ;) 6) δυνάμεις, (miracles ;) 
8) Oral working of the same, viz., προφητεία, 
(prophecy ;) 4) Critical working of the same, the 
διακρίσεις πνευμάτων, (discriminating among spirits.) 
Ill. Gifts having reference to the γλῶσσαι: 1) Speak- 
ing with tongues; 2) Interpretation of tongues. All 
of which may be a proper classification, but not es- 
pecially available as a means of interpretation, so 
as to lead to the proper meaning of the apostle’s 
Janguage.] 


1) Λόγος σοφίας, (doctrine of | 


p Matt. 17. 19, 20: chap. 13.2: 2 Cor. 4. 13.—g Mark 16. 183 
James 4. 14. — 7 Verses 28, 20; Mark 16. 17: Gal. 3.5.—s Rom. 
12. 6; chap. 13. 2; 14. 1, ete.—7Chap. 14. 29; 1 John 4..1. 


8. Word of wisdom—<Adyoc, doctrine. It is 
very difficult to say what is intended here by the 
different kinds of gifts mentioned by the apostle: 
they were probably all supernatural, and were nec- 
essary at that time only, for the benefit of the 
Church. 1) Doctrine of wisdom, the mystery of our 
redemption, in which the wisdom of God is emi- 
nently conspicuous, (chapter ii, 7, 10,) and which is 
called the manifold wisdom of God, (Eph. iii, 10.) 
Christ, the great teacher of it, is called the wisdom 
of God, (chapter i, 24,) and in him are said to be 
contained (Col. ii, 3) all the treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge. The apostles to whom this doctrine 
was committed are called wise men, (Matt. xxiii, 
34, ) and they are said to teach this Gospel accord- 
ing to the wisdom given them. (2 Peter iii, 15.) 
2) By the doctrine of knowledge we may understand 
either a knowledge of the types, ete, in the Old 
Testament, or what are termed mysteries—the call- 
ing of the Gentiles, the recalling of the Jews, the 
mystery of duiquity, of the beast, ete., and especially 
the mystical sense or meaning of the Old Testament, 
with all its rites, types, ceremonies, etc., ete. 
[‘‘ Wisdom "—knowledge. According to Neander, 
σοφία (wisdom) is the skill (aptitude) which is able 
to reduce the whole practical Christian life into its 
due order in accordance with its foundation princi- 
ples; γνῶσις is the theoretical insight into divine 
things. With this agree Olshausen and others, which 
affords a good Pauline sense, but with a rather 
more finespun distinction than is agreeable to 
Paul’s usual method.] 8) By faith (verse 9) we 
are to understand that miraculous faith by which 
they could remove mountains, (chapter xiii, 2,) or a 
peculiar impulse, as Dr. Whitby calls it, that came 
upon the apostles when any difficult matter was to 
be performed, which inwardly assured them that 
God’s power would assist them in the performance 
of it. Others think that justifying faith, received 
by means of Gospel ¢eaching, is what is intended. 
[‘‘ Faith,” πίστις---ποῦ saving faith in general, for 
that is possessed by every Christian; nor yet ex- 
clusively the faith of miracles, as this would in- 
elude only “ healings ” and “ wonders ”—but rather 
a high degree of faith in Christ, produced by the 
Holy Spirit, a heroism of faith, manifested in the 
several ways named. See Meyer.] 4) Gifts 
of healing, simply refers to the power which at 
particular times the apostles received from the 
Holy Spirit to cure diseases; a power which was 
not always resident in them; for Paul could not 
cure Timothy, nor remove his own thorn in the 
flesh ; because it was given only on extraordinary 
oceasions, though perhaps more generally than 
many others. 5) The working of miracles— 
᾿Ενεργήματα δυνάμεων. (Verse 10.) This seems to 
refer to the same class as the operations, ἐνεργήμα- 
των, (verse 6.) as the words are the same; and 
to signify those powers by which the apostles were 
enabled at particular times to work miraculously 
on others; ejecting demons, or inflicting punish- 
ments or judgments, as in the cases mentioned 

143 


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Yeur of Rome, 509. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Christ the Head, the Church the 
members of his body. 


cerning of spirits; to another "divers kinds of 
tongues; to another the interpretation of 
tongues: ΕΠ But all these worketh that one 
and the selfsame Spirit, ἡ dividing to every man 
severally ~as he will. 12 For *as the body 
is one, and hath many members, and all the 
members of that one body, being many, are 
one body; Yso also ds Christ. 23 For 7 by 
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, 
*whether we be Jews or 'Gentiles, whether we 
be bond or free; and ‘have been all made to 


drink into one Spirit. 1848 For the body is not 
one member, but many. 48 If the foot shall 
say, Because I am not the hand, Iam not of 
the body; is it therefore not of the body? 
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not 
the eye, Iam not of the body; is it therefore 
not of the body? 4&7 If the whole body were 
an eye, where were the hearing? If the 
whole were hearing, where were the smelling ? 
28 But now hath 4 God set the members every 
one of them in the body, eas it hath pleased 


2  Acts’2. 4; 10. 46: chap. 13. ony Rom. 12. 6: chap. (gle 
2Cor. 10. 13; Eph. 4. 7. w John 3. 8; Heb. 2. Lo Rom. 
12. 4,5; Eph. 4, 4, 16. —~y Verse 27; Gal. 3. 16. 


2 Rom. 6. 5.——a Gal. 8, 28; Eph, 2 2. 13, 14, 16;-Col. 8. 11.— 
b Gr. Greeks. ὁ John ὁ. 633 7. 87, 38, 39.-—d Verse 28,—— 
6 Rom, 12.3; chap. 8. ὃ: verse 1]. 


under verse 6, Mighty operations. 6) Prophecy— 
This seems to import two things: (1) The predici- 
ing future events, such as then particularly con- 
cerned the state of the Church and the apostles ; 
as the dearth foretold by Agabus, (Acts xi, 28,) and 
the binding of St. Paul, and delivering him to the 
Romans, (Acts xxi, 10;) and St. Paul’s foretelling 
his own shipwreck on Malta, (Acts xxvii, 25,) ete.: 
and (2) as implying the faculty of teaching or ex- 
pounding the Scriptures, which is also a common 
acceptation of the word. [Zhe prophet (one hav- 
ing the προφητεία) is one who, standing in the fore- 
ground of God, announces on divine impulse and 
with divine power truths unveiled to his spiritual 
perception.—Speaker’s Com.] 7) Discerning of 
spirits—A gift by which the person so privileged 
could discern a false miracle from a true one; or a 
pretender to inspiration from him who was made real- 
ly partaker of the Holy Ghost. It probably extended 
also to the discernment of false professors from true 
ones, aS appears in Peter in the case of Ananias 
and his wife. [Judgments which avail, and that 
immediately on hearing the utterances, for the 
preservation of the Church from misleading in- 
fluences, by informing it from what spirits the ut- 
terances proceeded and by whom they were carried 
on—whether by the Holy Spirit, or the human 
spirit merely, or even demoniac spirits. (1 Timothy 
iv, 1; 1 John iv, 1.)—Meyer.] 8) Divers kinds of 
tongues— Πένη γλωσσῶν ; different languages which 
they had never learned, and which God gave them for 
the immediate instruction of people. of different 
countries who attended their ministry. (See chapter 
xii, 1.) 9) Interpretation of tongues—It was neces- 
sary that while one was speaking the deep things 
of God in a company where some were present who 
did not understand, there should be a person who 
could immediately interpret what was said to that 
part of the congregation that did not understand 
the language. This power to interpret was also an 
immediate gift of God’s Spirit, and is classed here 
among the miracles. 

1. But all these worketh that one and the 
selfsame Spirit—aAll these gifts are miraculously 
bestowed ; they cannot be acquired by human art 
or industry, but they were given in such a way and 
in such circumstances as sufficiently prov Βα that 
they also were miraculous gifts, [and were all in 
harmony. ] 

12. For as the body is one—Though the hu- 
man body has many members, and though it is 
composed of a great variety of parts, yet it is but 
one entire system ; every part and ΤΠ δι χθὺ being 
necessary to the integrity and completeness of the 
whole. So also is Christ—That is, So is the 
Church the body of Christ, being composed of the 
different officers already mentioned, and especially 

144 


of those enumerated, (verse 28,) apostles, prophets, 
teachers, ete. It cannot be supposed that Christ is 
composed of many members, ete., and therefore the 
term Church must be understood; unless we sup- 
pose, which is not improbable, the term ὁ Χριστός, 
the Christ, is used to express the Church, or whole 
body of Christian believers. 

13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized, 
etc.—As tlie body of man, though composed of 
many members, is informed and influenced by one 
soul; so the Church of Christ, which is his body, 
though composed of many members, is informed 
and influenced by one Spirit, the Holy Ghost, actu- 
ating and working by his spiritual body, as the hu- 
man soul does in the body of man. To drink in- 
to one Spirit—We are to understand being made 
partakers of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, agreeably 
to the words of our Lord, (John vii, 87:) “If any 
man thirst, let him come unto me and drink:.. . 
this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe 
on him should receive.” [We have all been made to 
drink into one Spirit: Render, and we all with one 
Spirit were drenched. No doubt here flashes across 
the writer’s mind the first grand instalment of the 
spiritual outpouring on the Pentecostal birthday of 
the infant Church,... The special allusion, how- 
ever, is to the after-effusion of these miraculous 
gifts, in which they were all consciously interested. 
—Speaker’s Com. | 

14. For the body is not one member—The 
mystical body, the Church, as well as the nalwral 
body, is composed of many members. [The har- 
monious growth and gradual coalition of the many- 
membered community into a single totality in the 
all-combining unity of the Holy Ghost, is founded 
upon the fact that in one Spirit also we all into one 
body were baptized. ... The idea expanded is, 
unity must dominate multiplicity, until the myriads 
upon myriads of living members, of whatever na- 
tionality and of whatever social status, all of them, 
one by one engrafted into the Church through the 
coming centuries, shall from a growing multiplicity 
become a settled totality, Into one pody—Lic ὃ ἕν 
caer ἃ a view to forming one body.—Speaker’s 

Com.| [As the natural (human) body is made up 
of many individual members, and yet is really one, 
(not many,) so the Church of God, though com- 
posed of many (and diversely cifted) members, 
(persons,) is still one, the mystical body of Christ, 
the holy Catholie Church. ] 

15. If the foot shall say, ete—As all the 
members of the body are necessarily dependent on 
each other, and minister to the general support of 
the system, so is it in the Church, All the mem- 
bers are intimately connected among themselves, 
and also with their pastors ; without which union 
no Church can subsist. 


Need of union amonz the 
members of the bocy 


him. 19. And if they were all one member, 
where were the body? 20 But now are they 
many members, yet but onebody. 28 And the 
cye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need 
of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have 
no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those 
members of the body, which seem to be more 
feeble, are necessary: 28 And those mem- 
bers of the body, which we think to be less 
honourable, upon these we ‘bestow more 
abundant honour; and our uncomely parts 
have more abundant comeliness, 24 For our 
comely parts have no need: but God hath 


S Or, put on.—g Or, division.—h Rom. 12. 5: Eph. 1. 235 
4, 12: 5.28, 30: Col. 1. 24.—d Eph. 5. 30.—Z4 Eph, 4. 11. 
2 Eph. ἃ. 20; 3. 5. 


19. Where were the body—[What kind of a 
body would it be ?] 

21. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, 
I have no need of thee—The apostle goes on, 
with his principal object in view, to show that the 
gifts and graces with which their different teachers 
were endowed were all necessary for their salvation, 
and should be collectively used; for not one of 
them was unnecessary, nor could they dispense 
with the least of them; the body of Christ needed 
the whole for its nourishment and support. 

22. Those members... which seem to be 
more feeble—These, and the less honourable 
and uncomely, mentioned in the next verses, seem 
to mean the principal viscera or internal organs. 
These, when compared with the arms and limbs, 
are comparatively weak; and some of them, con- 
sidered in themselves, uncomely and less honour- 
able; yet these are more essential to life than any 
of the others. Hence these parts are not only 
covered, but the parts in which they are lodged are 
surrounded, ornamented, and fortified for their 
preservation and defence, on the proper perform- 
ance of whose functions life so immediately de- 
pends. 

23-25. Upon these we bestow (in the form 
of apparel) abundant honour — In comparison 
with the comely face, which, with the neck and 
hands, is left bare and exposed to the weather and 
to view. It is plain that St. Paul here almost per- 
sonifies the human body and its members (sever- 
ally.) The last clause, (of verse 25,) “have the 
same solicitude,” proves this. That there should 
be no schism—[(Setting of member against mem- 
ber,) ἵνα μὴ 7 σχίσμα, (expressing a caution against 
a possible result.) The mutual recognition of their 
several duties, and of the interdependence among 
themselves, is a condition necessary for thus avoid- 
ing the dreaded σχίσματα.) [The more abundant 
(verse 24) indicates a seemliness in excess of others, 
and denotes nature adorned versus nature un- 
adorned, that is, God’s gift of clothing added to 
God’s gift of (in) creation. See Speaker's Com.] 

26. And whether one member suffer—<As 
there is a mutual exertion for the general defence, 
so there is a mutual sympathy. If the eye, the 
hand, the foot, ete., be injured, the whole man 
suffers ; and if by clothing, or any thing else, any 
particular member or part is adorned, strengthened, 
or better secured, it gives a general pleasure to the 
whole man. 

27. Ye are the body of Christ—The apostle, 
having finished his apologue, comes to his applica- 
tion. As the members in the human body, so the 

Vor. II.—10 


CHAPTER XII. 


A, Δ, 40960. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


tempered the body together, having given 
more abundant honour to that part which 
lacked: 25 That there should be no & schism 
in the body; but that the members should 
have the same care one for another. 26 And 
whether one member suffer, all the members 
suffer with it; or one member be honoured, 
all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now "ye 
are the body of Christ, and ‘members in par- 
ticular. 28 And «God hath set some in the 
church, first ! apostles, secondarily ™ prophets, 
thirdly teachers, after that "miracles, then 
gifts of healings, Phelps, 4governments, " di- 

m Acts 13. 1; Rom. 12. 6.—v”n Verse 10.—o Verse ¥,— 


p Num. 11. 17.—q Rom, 12, 8; 1 Tim. 4. 17; Heb. 13, 17, 24.— 
r Or, kinds, verse 10, 


different members of the mystical body of Christ. 
All are intended by him to have the same relation 
to each other; to be mutually subservient to each 
other; to mourn for and rejoice with each other. 
He has also made each necessary to the beauty, 
proportion, strength, and perfection of the whole. 
Not one is useless; not one unnecessary. Paul, 
Apollos, Kephas, ete., with all their variety of gifts 
and graces, are ‘‘for the perfecting of the saints, 
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of 
the body of Christ.” (Eph. iv, 12.) 

28. God hath set some in the church—As 
God has made evident distinctions among the mem- 
bers of the human body, so that some occupy a 
more eminent place than others, so has he in the 
Church. First apostles —’Aroor6/ovc, persons 
immediately designated by Christ, and sené by him 
to preach the Gospel to all mankind; (to propa- 
gate the Gospel and establish the Church of God 
among men.) [The name apostle indicates here 
only the twelve, (what about Paul and Barnabas, 
and James, our Lord’s brother?) so that we may 
plainly see from their relation to the other classes 
of teachers how the twelve were regarded as pos- 
sessing an especial, and, indeed, the highest, rank 
among all the teachers of the Church. The body 
of the twelve apostles, however, was intended only 
for the earliest times of the Church; it was not to 
be successively filled up. Even on the death of 
James the elder we hear of no new election in his 
place. (Acts xii, 1.)}—Olshausen.| Secondarily 
prophets—IIpogyrac, a person who, under divine 
inspiration, predicts future events; but the word is 
often applied, and probably so in this case, to those 
who preach the Gospel. (See on verse 10.) [The 
gift of prophecy was that charism which enabled its 
possessor to utter, with the authority of inspiration, 
divine strains of warning, exhortation, encourage- 
ment, or rebuke; and to teach and enforce the 
truths of Christianity with supernatural energy and 
effect.... The apostle looks upon the gift of 
prophecy as one of the great instruments for the 
conversion of unbelievers, and as far more service- 
able in this respect than the gift of tongues.— 
Conybeare and Howson.| Thirdly teachers— 
Διδασκάλους, persons whose chief business it was to 
instruct the people in the elements of the Christian 
religion and their duty to each other. (Rom. viii, 8.) 
[Διδασκάλους, teachers. These had the gift of the 
Holy Spirit for preaching the Gospel in the way 
of the intellectual development of its teaching.— 
Meyer.| Miracles—Avvayerc. [After naming the 
three chief “ gifts,” Paul passes from the concrete to 
the abstract.| Endowments of miraculous gifts 

145 


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Year of Rome, 809, 


I CORINTHIANS. 


Gifts for the edification 
of the Church. 


versities of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? are 
all prophets? are all teachers? are all‘ workers 
of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of heal- 


ing? do all speak with tongues? do all inter- 
pret? 8 But ‘covet earnestly the best gifts: 
und yet show I unto youa more excellent way. 


8 Or, powers. 


(Mark xvi, 17, 18) for casting out devils, speaking 
with new tongues, ete. (Verse 10.) Gifts of 
healings — Χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων. Such as laying 
hands upon the sick and healing them, (Mark xvi, 
18,) which, as being one of the most beneficent 
miraculous powers, was most frequently conceded. 
Helps— AvriAjuerc, (aids, reliefs, not persons,) 
though Dr. Lightfoot conjectures that these were the 
apostles’ helpers; persons who accompanied them, 
baptized those who were converted by them, and 
were sent by them to such places as they could 
not attend to, being otherwise employed. (See Luke 
i, 54; Rom. viii, 26.) Governments—KvBeprijcere, 
ability to direct. _ Dr. Lightfoot contends that. this 
word does not refer to the power of ruling, but to 
the case of a person endued with a deep and com- 
prehensive mind, who is profoundly wise and pru- 
dent; and he thinks that it implies the same as 
“discerning of spirits.” (Verse 10.) Diversities 
of tongues—Iévy γλωσσῶν, hinds of tongues ; that 
is, different kinds. The power to speak, on all 
necessary occasions, languages which they had not 
learned. (Verse 10.) 

29. Are all apostles, ete.—That is, all are not 
apostles, all are xot prophets, ete. God has dis- 
tributed his various gifts among various persons, 
each of whom is necessary for the complete edifica- 
tion of the body of Christ. (Verses 7-10.) 

31. But covet earnestly — Desire earnestly. 
This disposition toward heavenly things is highly 
laudable ; toward earthly things, is deeply criminal. 
A man may possess the best of all these gifts and 
yet be deficient in what is essentially necessary to 
his salvation, for he may be without that love or 
charity which the apostle here calls the more ex- 
cellent way, and which he proceeds in the next 
chapter to describe. Some think that this verse 
should be read affirmatively: Ye earnestly eontend 
about the best gifts ; but I show unto you a more ex- 
cellent way: that is, get your hearts filled with dove 
to God and man—love, which is the principle of 
obedience, which works no ill to its neighbour, and 
which is the fulfilling of the law. This is a not 
improbable reading, for there were certainly more 
contentions in the Church of Corinth about the 
gifts than about the graces of the Spirit. 


Bishop Pearee, who could neither see Church 
government nor State government in these words 
“helps” and “governments,” expresses himself 
thus: “ These two words, after all that the commen- 
tators say about them, I do not understand; and in 
no other part of the New Testament is either of them, 
in any sense, mentioned as the gift of the Spirit ; 
especially it is observable that in verses 29, 30, 
where the gifts of the Spirit ave again enumerated, 
no notice is taken of any thing like them, while all 
the other several parts are exactly enumerated. 
Some men are peculiarly qualified for governing by 
either providence or grace; and others can neither 
govern nor direct, but are good helpers. These 
characters are often seen in different places in the 
Church of God; happy is it for the Church if each 
of these stand in his own lot. [Respecting the 
spiritual gifts, πνευματικῶν, the spirituals, spirit 
gifts, spoken of chapters xii, 1; xiv, 1, much has 

146 


t Chap. 14. 1, 39. 


been written, but still the subject is not entirely 
cleared up. What follows is taken from the Speak- 
ers Commentary, introduction to chapter xii.] 
[The first divine impulse which, in the form of a 
charismata, or miraculous grace-gift, was communi- 
cated to the new creation of the Christian Church, 
was destined in the course of two or three centuries 
to subside by degrees into the quiet pulses and 
more regular life of a growing organism. The in- 
fancy of Christianity from the day of Pentecost 
was, in all who yielded themselves to the divine in- 
fluence, emphatically marked by depth of purpose 
and power of action, and in particular by ex- 
traordinary experiences of mystical raptures, mani- 
fested in a threefold ecstasy—mystic, prophetic, 
and glussolalic. This marvellous light shone all the 
brighter frem its marked contrast with the mar- 
ginal darkness of the heathen world that environed 
the luminous centre. The initial outpouring of 
miraculous endowments seems to have settled down 
slowly within more defined limits into a calm cur- 
rent of spiritual graces and of acquired knowledge. 
As regards the singular manifestations recorded 
in these chapters, (xii and xiv,) the following re- 
marks may help to clear away some of the haze 
(ἀσάφειαν) which, to us moderns, owing to our lack 
of experimental knowledge, continues to veil these 
mysteries of apostolic ecstasies. 

[That which, in man, thinks and wills and expe- 
riences, is called in general πνεῦμα, or spirit. The 
noblest and innermost region of human nature is 
self-conscious, and appears to be tripartite. ... 
This culminating point seems to be the quin- 
tessence (the reality) of man’s spirit-nature; it is 
the meeting-place between God condescending and 
man apprehending; the central point of contact 
between the divine Spirit and the human, which are 
two substantially kindred natures, for spirits hu- 
manus et substantia et efficientia simillimus divino est 
This eminent nature, towering above the ποθῶν and 
the logos, and yet in constant communication with 
both, excepting in cases of ecstatic glossolalia, is the 
serene region of immediate experience of the di- 
vine love, and also of immediate intuition into di- 
vine mysteries. All three, nods and logos and 
pneuma, are in their nature consbstantial, that is, 
of one spiritual contexture; and thus all three 
together make up the human spirit, regarded as 
one division in the human trichotomy. (1 Thess. 
v, 23.) 

[This idea, that it is the inmost spirit of man’s 
spirit-nature which comes into immediate contact 
and ineffable communion with the Holy Spirit will 
serve to account for the order of sequence which, 
in the cardinal texts of chapter xii, 4, 5, 6, St. 
Paul assigns to the three divine persons... . This 
idea may also tend to throw some light into the re- 
cesses of the two ecstasies of prophesying and 
uttering with tongues; for that which is common 
to both those divine raptures is consciousness 
exalted above the human sphere, yet consciousness 
exercised in what may be termed man’s shrinal 
spirit. In this penetrale, possessed in the ecstasy 
by the divine influence, experience or tasting of 
heavenly mysteries seems to precede intuition or 
comprehension. It may here be remarked, in 


Importance of the grace of 
charity or love. 


CHAPTER XIII. 
MOUGITI I speak with the tongues of men 


reference to chapter xiv, that in the g/ossolalia 
communications between man’s higher pucuna and 
his nods, or between “the citadel and the city,” are 
during the ecstasy interrupted and suspended ; in 
the prophetic utterance they are maintained with- 
out interruption. ] 

[Conybeare and Howson (Life and Epistles of 
St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 460-462) discuss the subject 
with characteristic frankness and learning, assum- 
ing also that the “gift” was not known after 
the apostolic times, which however is not inti- 
mated by St. Paul, and so whether or not it has 
ceased to be among possibly attainable “gifts ” in 
the Church and the Christian experience of later 
times becomes a question of fact, of Church his. 
tory, or the records of our own times.] [With re- 
gard to “the gift of tongues,” from the passages 
where it is mentioned, (Mark xvi, 17; Acts xi, 15- 
17; 1 Cor. xii; 2 Cor. xiv,) we may gather thus 
much concerning it: first, that it was not a knowl- 
edge of foreign languages, as is often supposed ; 
we never read of its being exercised for the conver- 
sion of foreign nations, nor (except on the day of 
Pentecost alone [where also it is doubtful]) for 
that of individual foreigners, and even on that oc- 
casion the foreigners present were all Jewish prose- 
lytes, and most of them understood the Hellenistic 
dialect. Second, we learn that this gift was the re- 
sult of a sudden influx of supernatural inspiration, 
which came upon the new believer immediately 
after his baptism, and recurred afterward at un- 
certain intervals. Zhird, we find that while under 
its influence the exercise of the understanding was 
suspended, while the spirit was rapt in a state of 
ecstasy by the immediate communication of the 
Spirit of God. In this ecstatic trance the believer 
was constrained by an irresistible power to pour 
forth his feelings of thanksgiving and rapture in 
words: yet the words which issued from his mouth 
were not his own; he was even (usually) ignorant 
of their meaning; they were the words of some 
foreign language, and not intelligible to the by- 
standers, unless some of these chanced to be na- 
tives of the country where the language was spoken. 
St. Paul desired that those who possessed this gift 
should not be suffered to exercise it in the congre- 
gation unless some one present possessed another 
gift (subsidiary to this) called “the interpretation of 
tongues,” by which the ecstatic utterances of the 
former might be rendered available for general 
edification. Another gift also was needful for the 
checking of false pretensions to this and some 
other charisms, viz., the gift of discerning spirits, 
the recipients of which could distinguish between 
the real and the imaginary possessors of spiritual 
gifts. (1 Thess. v, 21.)—Conybeare and Houson.| 

[The foregoing are the best and ablest discus- 
sions of this difficult subject, found in recent biblical 
writings. That they are ably written, and in a de- 
vout spirit, will be granted; but their attempted 
solution of the case will not prove altogether satis- 
factory. What were the forms of these πνευματί- 
ka, things spiritual, cannot be certainly determined, 
and this is especially the case with the λαλῶν γλώσ- 
on, speaking with tongues, a matter very largely 
discussed by St. Paul, and yet left in great perplex- 
ity. Evidently there had oceurred certain remark- 
able physical, or rather psychological, phenomena, 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. M. 4°60. A.D. 56. 
Year εὖ Rome, 809, 


and of angels, and have not charity, I am be- 
come as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 


among the religious exercises of the Corinthian be- 
lievers, which had caused some agitation among 
them, and to which the apostle’s attention had 
been called. These are spoken of by him as gen- 
uine “spiritual gifts,” products of the operation of 
the Spirit of God, and therefore to be desired ; but 
he counts them inferior to the less showy but 
more useful “gift” of prophesying, (chapter xiv,) 
which is defined as simply ¢eaching divine truth, 
intellectually conceived, but enforced by the power 
of the Spirit. And though it is said (chap. xiii, &) 
that the “tongues shall cease,” the same thing 
is also said in the same place of “ prophecies” and 
“knowledge ;”’ and as these are to continue in the 
Chureh during the whole of the present dispensa- 
tion, αἰών, there seems to be an implication that the 
same will be the case with “tongues.” The 
assumption, therefore, that this phenomena was de- 
signed only for these earliest times is not sustained 
by the words of the apostle, nor are we sufficiently 
informed in respect to the nature of that “ gift” to 
enable us to determine the case on general prin- 
ciples. Nor is the case so clearly settled hy the 
fact of its non-appearance in the later Church as to 
entirely free it frem all doubt. Phenomena bear- 
ing striking resemblance to those here indicated 
have appeared in modern times, in seasons of high 
religious interest; but in these, as in those, their 
spiritual import seems to be doubtful. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII. 


1. Though I speak, etc.—At the conclusion of 
the preceding chapter the apostle prcmised to show 
the Corinthians a “more excellent way” than that 
in which they were now proceeding. They were so 
distracted with contentions, divided by parties, and 
envious of each other's gifts, that unity was nearly 
destroyed. This was a full proof that love to God 
and man was wanting, and that, without this, their 
numerous gifts and other graces were nothing in 
the eyes of God; for it was evident that they did 
not love one another, which is a proof that they 
did not love God, and consequently, that they had 
not true religion. [Ἐὰν 7a/@ supposes a case 
which never has been exemplified. Tongues— 
Τλώσσαις, languages. Of men and of angels—(f 
all men and ail angels, whatever those tongues may 
be.—Alford.] [“ Of angels,” added simply for the 
sake of making the statement as strong as possible, 
and not with any distinct idea that angels used 
either tongues or language.—A‘ling.] Some think 
that the apostle means only the most splendid elo- 
quence; but it is more likely that he speaks here 
after the manner of his countrymen, who imagined 
that there was an angelic language which was the 
key to many mysteries ; a language which might be 
acquired, and which, they say, had been learned by 
some. Sounding brass—Xa/xdc¢ ἠχῶν; that is, 
like a trumpet made of brass ; for although ye7 Koc 
signifies brass, and @s signifies the same, yet we 
know the latter is often employed to signify the 
trumpet, because generally made of this metal. 
Tinkling (clanging) cymbal—The cymbal was a 
concavo-convex plate of brass, the concave side of 
which being struck against another plate of the 
same kind, produced a clanging, unmelodious 
sound, 


147 


A. M. 4960, A. TD. 56. 
Year of Rome, 509. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Nature and properties of 
charity, or love. 


2 And though I have the gift of *prophecy, 
and understand all mysteries, and ali knowl- 
edge; and though I have all faith, "so that I 
could remove mountains, and have not char- 
ity, Iam nothing. 8% And ¢though I bestow 
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I 
give my body to be burned, and have not 


charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 4 Charity 
suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth 
not; charity ¢vaunteth not itself, is not puffed 
up, ὦ Doth not behave itself unseemly, ‘ seek- 
eth not her own, is not easily provoked, think- 
eth no evil; 6 & Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
"rejoiceth ‘in the truth; 7% *Beareth all 


a Chap. 12. 8, 9, 10. 28° 
17.20 
15: 


14. 1, οἷς, : see Matt, 7. 22.—b Matt. 
a Munk τὶ, 23 Luke 17. 6.—-c Matt. 6. 1, a Proy. 10. 
: et 


e Or, is fot rash.—T chap. 10. 24; Phil. 2, 4.—g Psa. 10.3; 
Rom. 1. 3 h2 panne 4.—i Or, with the truth. a Rom, 
15:1 Ὁ δὲν 6. 2; 2 Tim. 2. 24. 


2. Though Ihave... ἘΡΣΤ ΤΣ οίο.--- Gifts, 
howev er excellent for their own purposes, are 
valueless except as they are the endowment of a 
heart in which the divine love dwells and abounds. ] 
Have not charity—[ Without this grace the most 
excellent and splendid gifts are valueless: with 
these, without that, I am nothing—worthless spirit- 
ually and ethically. The word ἀγάπη, rendered 
in our version charity, is by most modern commen- 
tators rendered Jove. It is conceded by all, that in 
most places where the word occurs in the New Test- 
ament the latter is the nearer English equivalent, 
though it is also conceded that the English word 
love is not the same in sense with the original ἀγάπη, 
which is exclusively a New Testament word, and 
not simply the equivalent of any other found in 
the Greek writings. It is also well known that the 
English word love often signifies much that is al- 
together alien to that here spoken of—épwc, Lat. 
amor. The philosophical conception of love as an 
affection of the heart is that of emotion, an out- 
moving impulse; while that treated of in this chap- 
ter is simply character, very decided and effective 
indeed in directing the outgoings of all the impulses 
of the soul, a disposition to kindliness, abiding in 
and distinguishing the ethical character, and giving 
its own qui alities to all the acts and purposes of the 
man. It is a principle of universal goodwill abid- 
ing in the soul, and ever ready to direct the out- 
goings of its active powers. The ordinary idea of 
love carries with it the notion of personal partial- 
ity, which is excluded from the ἀγάπη here spoken 
of. If, therefore, the English word /ove is taken as 
the rendering of that term, it must be largely modi- 
fied in its sense from its ordinary acceptation. The 
New Testament writers, having a something to call 
by name for which no word was found in their 
language, adapted the word ἀγάπη to the case, and 
St. Jerome, in rendering it into Latin, finding 
neither amor nor amicitia its proper equivalent, 
adopted charitas, which, though it has sometimes 
been minified into simply almsgiving, i is still, as to 
the conceptions which it expresses, the best render- 
ing of the inspired original, godlikeness, in the 
form of universal and ever-abiding benevolence. | 

3. And though I bestow all my goods to 
feed—The word ψωμίζω, which we translate “to 
feed the poor,” signifies to divide into morsels and 
put into the mouth ; which implies carefulness and 
tenderness in applying the bounty thus freely given. 
[Jf 1 should dole out in food all my substance.| 
And though I give my body to be burned— 
Ἵνα καυχήσωμαι, if Timmolate myself. [The apos- 
tle evidently means se/f-saerifice for country or 
friends. Both the deeds mentioned in this verse 
are such as ordinarily are held to be the fruits of 
love, but they may be done without it, and if so 
are worthless.—A/ford. ] 

4. Charity suffereth long—Maxkpofuuei, has a 
long mind, to the end of which neither trials, ad- 
versities, persecutions, nor provocations can reach. 

148 


for 


The love of God, and of our neighbour for God's 
sake, is patient toward all men; it suffers all the 
weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the 
children of God, and all the malice and wickedness 
of the children of this world. It also waits God’s 
time of accomplishing his gracious or providential 
purposes without murmuring or repining; and 
bears its own infirmities, as w ell as those of others, 
with humble submission to the will of God. Is 
kind—Xpyorevera. It is tender and compassionate 
in itself, and ‘‘kind” and obliging to others ; mild, 
gentle, and benign. Charity envieth not—0Ov 
ζηλοῖ. Is not gieved because of another’s pos- 
sessions or prosperity. Those who have this pure 
love rejoice as really at the happiness, the honour, 
and comfort of others as they can do in their own. 
Charity vaunteth not itself—Ov περπερεύεται, 
acteth not rashly, insolently. There is a phrase in 
our own Janguage that expresses what I think to 
be the meaning of the original, does not set itself 
forward, (is not self-asserting.) Is not puffed up 
-Οὐ φυσιοῦται, is not inflated. Every man whose 
heart is full of the love of God is full of humility. 

5. Doth not behave itself unseemly—Ov« 
ἀσχημονεῖ, does not misbehave. [So far from “the 
manners making the man,” the man makes the man- 
ners. True politeness is one of the many fruits of 
the divine root; it is based upon the principle of 
respect for God’s image in man: ‘“ Why dost thou 
set at naught thy brother 2” (Rom. xiv, 10.)— 
Speaker's Com.| Seeketh not her own — Οὐ 
ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, is not specially careful for her own 
things. Love is never satisfied but in the welfare, 
comfort. and salvation of αἱ That man is no 
Christian who is solicitous for his own happiness 
alone, and cares not how the world goes so that 
himself be comfortable. Is not easily provoked 
-—Ov παροξύνεται, is not provoked, is not irritated, 
is not made sour or bitter. Irritation of any kind 
is inconsistent with self-government, and with 
peace and communion with God. , However favour- 
ably we may think of our own state, and however 
industrious we may be to find out excuses for sal- 
lies of passion, οἷο. still the testimony of God is, 
Love is not provoked ; and if I have not such a 
love, whatever else I may possess, it profiteth me 
nothing. Thinketh no evil—0i λογίζεται τὸ κα- 
κόν, does not indulge in evil surmisings ; does not 
invent or devise any evil; does not reason on any 
particular act or word so as to infer evil from it; 
this would be inconsistent with love to his 
brother; it would be ruinous to charity and be- 
nevolence. 

6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity—Ov χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ 
ἀδικίᾳ, rejoiceth not in falsehood, but, on the con- 
trary. ‘rejoiceth in the truth: this meaning ἀδικία 
has in different parts of the Scriptures. Rejoiceth. 
in the truth—[ Σὺν χαίρει δὲ τὴ ἀληθείᾳ. Truth is 
here personified, meaning especially the spread of 
the truth of the Gospel, and indeed of truth in gen- 
eral, in opposition to those ‘who hold the truth in 


Superlority of charity, or love, 
over other graces. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. M. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56, 
Year of Rome, δ 5, 


things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
endureth all things. Charity never faileth: 
bat whether there be prophecies, they shall 
fzil; whether there be tongues, they shall 
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall 
vanish away. 9 !For we know in part, and 
we prophesy in part. 10 But when that 
which is perfect is come, then that which is in 


ZChap. 8 2.— Or, reasoned.—n 2 Cor, 3. 18; 5. 7; Phil. 


part shall be done away. I When I wasa 
child, 1 spake as a child, I understood as a 
child, I ™thought as a child: but when I be- 
came a man, I put away childish things. 
12 For "now we see through a glass, °darkly; 
but then eface to face: now I know in part; 
but then shall I know even as also 1 am 
known. 18 And now abideth faith, hope, 


3. 12.— o Gr. in a riddle.—p Matt. 18. 10; 1 John 8, 2. 


(undistinguished from) unrighteousness,” (Rom. i, 
18,} and who “turn away their ears from the truth.” 
(2 Tim. iv, 4.)\—A/ford.] 
' ἢ Beareth all things—Ildvta στέγει. This 
word is also variously interpreted ; to endure, bear, 
sustain, cover, conceal, contain. [Bears whatever 
may in any way be borne.—Grotius.| [She covers 
up all, that is, is disposed to excuse all 
wrong: the opposite of a distrustful (or censorious) 
spirit.—Meyer.| Believeth all things—lIlavra 
πιστεύει, is ever ready to believe the best of every 
person, and will credit no evil of any but on the 
most positive evidence; gladly receives whatever 
may tend to the advantage of any person who 
may have suffered from obloquy and detraction, or 
even justly because of misconduct. Hopeth all 
things—Ildvra ἐλπίζει. Love comes in with its 
hope where it could not work by its faith; and 
is ready to make allowances as far as a good con- 
science can permit; and further, anticipates the 
repentance of the transgressor, and his restoration 
to the good from which he had fallen. Bndureth 
all things—Ilavra ὑπομένει, bears up under all 
persecutions and maltreatment from open enemies 
and professed friends; bears adversities with an 
even mind, as it submits with perfect resignation to 
every dispensation of the providence of God, and 
never says of any trial, affliction, or insult, this 
cannot be endured. 

8. Charity never faileth—Never falleth off 
ἐκπίπτει. Love to God and man is essential to 
social and religious life; without it there can be no 
communion with God, nor a preparation for eternal 
glory. Without it there never was true religion, 
nor ever can be; and it not only is necessary 
through life, but will exist to eternity. Prophecies 
... Shall fail—Though the accurate prophet and 
the eloquent, persuasive preacher may be useful in 
their day, they shall not be always so; nor shall 
their gifts fit them for glory ; nothing short of Jove 
can fit a soul for the kingdom of God. Tongues 
... Shall cease—The miraculous gift of different 
languages, that also shall cease as being unneces- 
sary. Knowledge... shall vanish away—All 
human arts and sciences, as being utterly useless 
in the eternal world, though so highly extolled and 
useful here. [Prophecy, speaking with tongues, 
deep knowledge, are all appointed for the good of 
the Church, for the ¢ime; afterward these tem- 
porary phenomena shall fall away, even the γνῶσις 
(Christian learning) shall do so; for then comes in 
the perfect knowledge, (verse 12,) and that as the 
common heritage of all, whereby the deep knowl- 
edge of gifted individuals, which is still but imper- 
fect, will necessarily cease to exist.—Mcyer. | 

9. For we know in part—We have here but 
little knowledge even of earthly, and much less of 
heavenly, things. He that knows most knows little 
in comparison of what is not known. 

10, But when that which is perfect—The 
state of eternal blessedness. Then that which is 


in part—That which is imperfect, shall be done 
away. [The appearance of the perfected condi- 
tion of things necessarily brings with it the aboli- 
tion of what is only partial. With the advent of 
the absolute the imperfect finite ceases to exist, as 
the dawn ceases at the rising of the sun.—Meyer. | 
11. When I was a child—This future state of 
blessedness is as far beyond the utmost perfection 
that can be attained in this world as our adult state 
is above our state of natural infaney, in which we 
understand only as children understand. — [Inas- 
much as our present condition, when compared with 
our condition in the future state, (αἰὼν μέλλων.) is 
like that of the child in comparison with that of 
the man. The man has given up the practices 
(the speaking, understanding, and reasoning) of 
the child. ’Ed@pévovv (J understood) refers to the 
interests and efforts, device and endeavour; ἐλογες- 
Céunv (1 reasoned) to the judgment and reflective 
faculties—reflective intellectual activity—Weyer. | 
12. Now we see through a glass, darkly— 
AC ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι. The word ἔσοπτρον, which 
we translate a glass, literally signifies a mirror or 
reflector; and among the ancients mirrors were 
certainly made of fine polished metal. The word 
here may signify any thing by which the image of a 
person is reflected, as in our looking-glasses. The 
word is not used for a glass to look through ; nor 
would such an image have suited the apostle’s de- 
sign. [Our knowledge of divine things is, in our 
present condition, no immediate Anowledge, but one 
coming through an imperfect medium. We must 
(here) think not only of our glass mirrors, but 
(more particularly) of the imperfectly-reflecting 
metal mirrors of the ancients. The words ἐν aiviy- 
ματι, (in an enigina,) which we render “darkly,” 
will help us to the true meaning of the place. We 
see in an enigma, in which one thing answers or 
stands in correspondence to, or as the representa- 
tive of, another, which is in some respects similar 
to it. ‘“Now”’—in this life—we see by means of a 
mirror reflecting the images of heavenly and spir- 
itual things in an enigmatical manner, invisible 
things being represented by visible, spiritual by 
natural, eternal by temporal; but then—in the 
eternal world—face to face, every thing being seen 
in itself, and not by means of a representative or 
similitude. [By following the figure of the mirror 
a little further, we should get the idea that all our 
present knowledge of spiritual or heavenly things 
is thrown out of shape by the medium through 
which it comes to us, just as all images seen in the 
glass” are seen in a reversed position. | 
13. And now (in this present life) abideth 
faith, hope, charity — These three supply the 
place of that direct vision which no embodied spirit 
can have; these abide or remain for the present 
state. ‘Faith,’ by which we apprehend spiritual 
blessings, and walk with God. ‘“ Hope,” by which 
we view and confidently expect eternal blessedness, 
and so pass through things temporal as not to lose 
149 


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Yeur of Rome, 809. 


charity, these three; but the greatest of these 
és charity. 
CHAPTER XIV. 

OLLOW after charity, and «desire spiritual 

gifts, »but rather that ye may prophesy. 
2 For he that «speaketh in an unknown tongue 
speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no 
man ‘understandeth him; howbeit in the 
spirit he speaketh mysteries. 8% But he that 
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Of speaking in an unknown tongue 
and of prophesying. 


and exhortation, and comfort. 4 He that 
speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth him- 


self; but he that prophesieth edifieth the 
church. & 1 would that ye all spake with 


tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for 
greater is he that prophesieth than he that speak- 
eth with tongues, except he interpret, that the 
church may receive edifying. 6 Now, breth- 
ren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, 
what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to 


aChap. 12. 31.—? Num. 11. 25, 29. 


ὁ Acts 2. 4; 10. 46.—d Gr. heareth, Acts 22. 9. 


sight of those which are eternal. ‘“ Charity,” or ove, 
which is the essential grace which we receive by 
faith, and in which we live a life of obedience to 
God and of goodwill and usefulness to man. But 
the greatest of these is charity— Without “faith” 
it is impossible to please God ; nor can we partake 
of the grace of our Lord Jesus: without ‘ hope” we 
could not endure as seeing Him who is invisible ; 
nor have any adequate notion of the eternal world; 
nor bear up under the afflictions and difficulties of 
life: but great and useful and indispensably neces- 
sary as these are, yet “‘charity,” or ove, is greater. 
Love is the fulfilling of the law ; but this is never 
said of faith or hope. Love is properly the image 
of God in the soul; for God is Love. By faith we 
receive from our Maker; by hope we expect a future 
and eternal good; but by love we are like God ; 
and by it alone are we qualified to enjoy heaven, 
and be one with him forever. Faith, says one, is 
the foundation of the Christian life, and of good 
works; hope gives stability to the superstructure ; 
but dove finishes, completes, and crowns it in a 
blessed eternity. aith and hope respect ovzselves 
alone; /ove takes in both Gop and man. Faith 
saves us, and hope sustains us; but love to God 
and man makes us obedient and useful. This is 
sufficient to show that Jove is greater than either 
Jaith or hope, and that it abides forever. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIV. 


1. Follow after charity — Most earnestly la- 
bour to be put in possession of this divine love. 
This clause belongs to the preceding chapter. De- 
sire spiritual gifts—[Pursue after love; mean- 
time, however, eagerly desire the Spirit-gifts, yet, 
more than all the rest, (desire) that ye (may) proph- 
esy.—Speaker’s Com.| Particularly desire that ye 
may prophesy; that ye may be able to teach and 
instruct others in the things of their salvation. 

2. For he that speaketh in an unknown 
tongue—This chapter is crowded with difficulties. 
It is not likely that the Holy Spirit should, in the 
Church, suddenly inspire a man with the knowledge 
of some foreign language, which none in the Church 
understood but himself, and lead him to treat the 
mysteries of Christianity in that language, though 
none in the place could profit by his teaching. Dr. 
Lightfoot’s mode of reconciling these difficulties is 
the most likely I have met with. He supposes that 
by the unknown tongue the Hebrew is meant, and 
that God restored the true knowledge of this lan- 
guage when he gave the apostles the gift of tongues. 
[ Which, however, is quite too improbable a theory 
to allow it to be seriously entertained, or to require 
to be disproved.]| Speaketh not unto men, but 
unto God—God alone knowing the truth and im- 
port of what he says. [No one but one who is 
specially gifted... has a perceiving ear for such 

150 


utterances of spirit-created tongues, which are akin 
to the ἄρρητα ρήματα (unspeakable words) that fell 
on the apostle’s spiritual ear in paradise.—Speak- 
er’s Com.| In the spirit he speaketh mysteries 
—Though his own mind (for so πνεύματι is under- 
stood here, by many eminent critics) apprehends 
the mysteries contained in the words which he 
reads or utters; but if by the spirit we understand 
the Spirit of God, (which probably we should not,) 
it only shows that it is by that Spirit that he is en- 
abled to speak and apprehend these mysteries. (See 
verse 19.) [The mysterious character of the speak- 
ing with tongues did not consist in the things them- 
selves, but in the mode of expression; which, as not 
being brought about and determined by the intellee- 
tual activity of the νοῦς, (the wunderstanding,) there- 
by lacked the condition connecting it with the in- 
tellectual activity of the hearer.—Meyer. | 

3. But he that prophesieth—The person who 
has the gift of teaching is much more useful to the 
Church than he who has only the gift of tongues, 
because he speaks to the profit of men: namely, to 
their edification by the Scriptures he expounds ; 
to their exhortation by what he teaches; and to 
their comfort by his revelation. — Whitby. [| Edifi- 
cation — οἰκοδομὴν, wpbuilding, spiritual increase ; 
exhortation—rapakAyjory, admonition, warning ; com- 
fort—rapapviiav, encouragement. The first may 
be taken as a generical term, of which the other 
two are species. | 

4. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue 
—[The intensity of the feeling of prayer or praise 
in which he utters the words is edifying to himself, 
though the words themselves are unintelligible (to 
himself.) This view is necessary on account of 
what is said in the next verse.—A/ford.| But he 
that prophesieth — Has the gift of preaching. 
Edifieth the church—Speaketh unto men to edi- 
fication, exhortation, and comfort. (Verse 3.) 

5. I would that ye all spake with tongues— 
The word θέλω does not so much imply a wish or 
desire as a command or permission. As if he had 
said: I do not restrain you to prophesying or teach- 
ing, though I prefer that. The apostle said tongue, 
in the singular number in verses 2, 4, because he 
spoke of a single man ; now he says tongues, in the 
plural number, because he speaks of many speak- 
ing; but he has the same meaning in both places.— 
Lightfoot. Greater is he that prophesieth— 
[Superior in wsefulness, and therefore in dignity.— 
Alford.| A useful, zealous preacher, though un- 
skilled in learned languages, is much “ greater” in 
the sight of God, and in the eyes of sound common 
sense, than he who has the gift of those learned 
tongues, except he interpret: and we seldom 
find great scholars good preachers. 

6. Speaking with tongues— Without interpret- 
ing. Whai shall I profit you—I shall not profit 


Religious doctrines and experience 
should be stated intelligently. 


you either by ¢revelation, or by knowledge, or 
by prophesying, or by doctrine? % And even 
things without life giving sound, whether pipe 
or harp, except they give a distinction in the 
f sounds, how shall it be known what is piped 
or harped? & For if the trumpet give an 
uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to 
the battle? 9 So likewise ye, except ye utter 
by the tongue words easy to be understood, 
how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye 
shall speak into the air. 10 There are, it may 
be, so many kinds of voices in the world, 
and none of them 7s without signification. 
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of 
the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a 


CHAPTER XIV. 


A. M. 4960. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


barbarian, and he that speaketh sha// be a bar- 
barian unto me. 12 Even so ye, forasmuch 
as ye are zealous “of spiritual gifts, seek that 
ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 
13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an wn- 
known tongue pray that he may interpret. 
14 For if I pray in an wnrknown tongue, ny 
spirit prayeth, but my understanding is un- 
fruitful. 16 What is it then? I will pray 
with the spirit, and I will pray with the un- 
derstanding also: +I will sing with the spirit, 
and I will sing * with the understanding also. 
16 Else, when thou shalt bless with the spirit, 
how shall he that occupieth the room of the 
unlearned say Ainen 1 αὖ thy giving of thanks, 


e Ver.26.—/ Or, tunes.—g Gr. significant.—h Gr. of spir- 


its.—i Eph. 5. 19; Col. 3. 16.—é Psa. 47. 7.—/ Chap. 11. 24. 


you. Except I shall speak to you either by 
revelation—Of some secret thing ; 07 by knowledge 
of some mystery; or by prophesying, disclosing 
some divinely-given truth; or by doctrine, instruct- 
ing you what to believe and practise. These four 
words are taken in different acceptations by learned 
men. ‘The general sense of the terms is that given 
above; but the peculiar meaning of the apostle is 
perhaps not easily discerned. [The apostle pos- 
sessed the gift of “‘ tongues,” (verse 18,) but might 
also be his own interpreter, and he might apply 
these apostolic charisma (gifts) which belonged to 
him for prophesying and teaching.—Meyer. | 

7. And even things without life—If the pipe 
or harp were to utter mere sounds without order, 
harmony, or melody, though every tone of music 
might be in the sounds, surely no person could dis- 
cern a tune in such sounds, nor receive pleasure 
from such discords ; even so is the person who speaks 
in an unknown tongue but does not interpret. 

8. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound 
—lIf, when the soldier should prepare himself for 
the battle, the trumpet should give a different sound 
to that ordinarily used on such occasions, the sol- 
dier would not be informed of what he should do, 
and therefore would not arm himself ; consequently 
that vague, unintelligible sound of the trumpet 
would be of no use. |The bugle notes must be sig- 
nificant by being intelligible; and so must it be 
with the words of warning and instruction of the 
Christian teacher. ] 

9. Likewise ye—If ye do not speak in the 
Church so as to be understood, your Jabour is use- 
less. Ye shall speak into the air—Your speech 
will be lost, without conveying any meaning to any 
person. Such gifts, so used, are valueless. 

10. There are, it may be—Ei τύχοι, for ex- 
ample. So many kinds of voices—I'évy φωνῶν, 
kinds of sounds. So many different languages, each 
of which has its distinct articulation, pronunciation, 
emphasis, and meaning, (are not without significa- 
tion, or inarticulate.) 

11. If I know not the meaning of the voice 
—Thv δύναμιν τῆς φωνῆς, the power and significa- 
tion of the language. I shall be unto him that 
speaketh a barbarian—lI shall appear to him, and 
he to me, as a person who had no distinet and ar- 
ticulate sounds which can convey any kind of 
meaning. (For the meaning and origin of the word 
“barbarian” see the note on Acts xxviii, 2. 

12. Forasmuch as ye are zealous — Seeing 
ye affect so much to have spiritual gifts, seek that 
ye may get those by which ye may excel in edifying 


the Church. [Πνευμάτων͵ of spirits, in the same sense 
as πνευματικῶν, of spiritual gifts, (verse 1,) but here 
with a suggestion of “possession” by a spirit. ] 

13. Pray that he may interpret—| Wherefore 
let him who speaketh with a tongue in his prayer, 
(or when praying,) strive that he may interpret.— 
Alford. | 

14. For if I pray in an unknown tongue— 
[If I utter words in prayer whose import I do not 
umderstand, though my heart may be in my utter- 
ances, there is no thought in them, and such an ex- 
clusively spiritual exercise would be unfruitful of 
good results. ] 

15. I will pray with the spirit—I will en- 
deavour to have all my prayers influenced and 
guided by the Spirit of God ; and to have my own 
heart deeply affected in and by the work. [An in- 
telligent sense of one’s spiritual wants is requisite to 
profitable praying.} And I will pray with the 
understanding also—I will endeavour so to pray 
that others may understand me, and thus be edified 
and improved by my prayers. And therefore I will 
pray in a language in the public congregation that 
may be understood by all present, so that all may 
join, not only in the act, but in the spirit, of 
devotion. I will sing with the spirit—As the 
practice of singing psalms or spiritual hymns came 
originally through an immediate afflatus or inspira- 
tion of God, there is no doubt that it was ex- 
ceedingly edifying: and must have served greatly 
to improve and excite the devotional spirit of all 
that were present. Probably their singing consisted 
in solemn, well-measured vecitative, and not the 
jingling and sprightly sounds which we use when a 
single monosyllable is sometimes shivered into a 
multitude of semiquavers! [It appears from these 
words that the two departments in which the gift 
of tongues was exercised were prayer and praise. 
On the day of Pentecost it was confined to the lat- 
ter of these.—A/ford. | 

16. He that occupieth the room of the un- 
learned—One who is not acquainted with the lan- 
guage in which you speak, sing, or pray. Say 
Amen—Give his assent and ratification to what he 
does not understand. It was very frequent in 
primitive times to express their approbation in the 
public assemblies by the Amen. [The “ Amen:” 
From the Jewish synagogue was derived to the 
Christian Church the time-hallowed usage οὗ 
pronouncing the loud Amen at the close of a 
public prayer; it was an expression of assent to 
the contents of the prayer, and a declaration of 
faith in its being heard of God.—Speaker’s Com.] 

151 


A.M. 4060. A. D, 56. 
Year of Rome, 809, 


I. CORINTHIANS 


Paul’s preference for teaching 
over speaking with tongues. 


secing he understandeth not what thou sayest ? 
47 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the 
other-is not edified. ΓΒ I thank my God, I 
speak with tongues more than ye all: 19 Yet 
in the church I had rather speak five words 
with my understanding, that by my voice I 
might teach others also, than ten thousand 
words in an wnknown tongue. 20 Brethren, 
be not children in understanding: howbeit 
in malice "be ye children, but in understand- 
ing be*men. 2H PIn the law it is 4 written, 


With men of other tongues and other lips will 
I speak unto this people; and yet for all that 
will they not hear me, saith the Lord. 
22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not 
to them thatbelieve, but to them that be- 
lieve not: but prophesying serveth not for 
them that believe not, but for them which be- 
lieve. 28 If therefore the whole church be 
come together into one place, and all speak 
with tongues, and there come in those that are 
unlearned, or unbelievers, * will they not say 


Matt. 11. 25: 18. 3; 19.14; Rom. 16.19: chap. 
nm Matt. 18. 3; 1 Pet. 2. 2. 


m Psa. 171. 2: 
3.1: Eph. 4. 14; Heb. 5. 12, 13. 


17. Thou verily givest thanks well—Be- 
cause he felt gratitude, and, from a sense of his 
obligation, gave praise to God; but because this 
was in an unknown tongue those who heard him 
received no edification. 

18. I speak with tongues (a tongue) more 
than ye all—He understood more languages than 
any of them did; and this was indispensably neces- 
sary, as he was the apostle of the Gentiles in gen- 
eral, and had to preach to different provinces 
where different dialects, if not languages, were 
used. [It is worthy of note, that, according to the 
correct reading—‘‘a tongue” and not “ tongues "4 
both here and elsewhere, when an individual is 
spoken of as endowed with this gift, he is said to 
speak only with a single tongue. This shows 
that the gift in question did not signify a faculty 
for speaking in various languages.—Dr. Poor, in 
Lange.) [But this declaration of the apostle 
casts no light on the question respecting the nature 
and the design of the “gift of tongues.” ] 

19. Yet in the church—As the grand object of 
public worship is the edification of those who at- 
tend, five (a very few) words spoken so as to con- 
vey edification were of much more consequence 
than ten thousand (a great many) which, not being 
understood, could convey none. One of the great- 
est difficulties, says Bishop Pearce, in this epistle, 
is contained in the words πνεῦμα and νοῦς, spirit 
and understanding, which are frequently used in 
this chapter; and fixing the true meaning of these 
words will solve the difficulty. In this verse the 
apostle explains λαλεῖν τῷ voi, to speak with the un- 
derstanding, by wa ἄλλους κατηχήσω, that I might 
teach others; so that the sense of νοῦς, under 
standing, seems to be that understanding which the 
hearer has of what is said; and this sense will 
agree well with, Z will sing with the spirit, and with 
the understanding. (Verse 15.) He observes also 
that πνεῦμα, spirit, and νοῦς, understanding, have a 
sense opposite to each other; so that if νοῦς is 
rightly rendered, the wnderstanding which another 
has of what is said; then πνεῦμα will signify a 
mas own mind, that is, his own understanding, 
(consciousness,) of what he himself speaks; and this 
sense agrees well with verse 2: “In the spirit he 
speaketh mysteries.” 

20. Brethren—[An affectionate address, min- 
gling tenderness with authority.) Be not children 
in understanding—There are tree words here to 
which we must endeavour to affix the proper sense: 
1) Iladia signifies children in general, but particu- 
Jarly such as are grown up, so as to be fit to send 
to school in order to receive instruction; 2) Νήπεος 
signifies an infant; one that cannot yet speak, and 
is in the lowest stage of infaney; 8) Τέλειοι, com- 
pleted or perfected, signifies those who are arrived 

152 


ὁ Gr. perfect, or, ofa rine age, chan. 2. 6.—p John 10, 34. 


——qisa. 28-115 12: 7 Acts 2. 13. 


at perfect maturity, both of growth and understand- 
ing. We shall now see the apostle’s meaning: 
Brethren, be not παιδία, as little children, just 
beginning to go ¢o school, in order to learn the first 
elements of their mother tongue, and with an 
understanding only sufficient to apprehend those 
elements. In malice—Kakia, in wickedness, νηπι- 
ἄζετε, be ye as infants, who neither speak, do, nor 
purpose evil. But in understanding—Téievo yi- 
veolle, be ye perfect (grown-up) men, whose vigour of 
body and energy of mind show a complete growth 
and a well-cultivated understanding. 

21. In the law it is written—(Isa. xxviii, 11.) 
For the term Law was frequently used by the Jews 
to express the whole Scriptures, and they used it to 
distinguish these sacred writings from the words of 
the scribes. With men of other tongues—To 
enter into the apostle’s meaning we must enter into 
that of the prophet. The Jewish people were un- 
der the teaching of the prophets who were sent 
from God; these instructed, reproved, and cor- 
rected them by this divine authority. They, how- 
ever, became so refractory and disobedient that 
God purposed to cast them off and abandon them 
to the Babylonians; then they had a people to 
teach, correct, and reprove them whose language 
they did not understand. The discipline that they 
received in this way was widely different from that 
which they received while under the teaching of 
the prophets and the government of God; and yet 
for all this they did not humble themselves before 
their Maker that this affliction might be removed 
from them. 

22. Wherefore tongues are for a sign—The 
miraculous gift of tongues was never designed for 
the benefit of those who have already believed, but 
for the instruction of unbelievers, that they might 
see from such a miracle that this is the work of 
God, and so embrace the Gospel. [The most satis- 
factory explanation is to take “sign” in the gen- 
eral sense of any indication of the divine presence. 
“Tongues are a manifestation of God, having 
reference not to believers, but to unbelievers.”— 
Hodge.| Prophesying—Teaching the things of 
God in a known language [is for the edification of 
believers, and] is of infinitely more consequence 
than speaking in all the unknown tongues in the 
universe, 

23. Will they not say that ye are mad— 
[Conybeare and Howson remark, in a note on this 
passage: ‘‘ We must not be led, from any apparent 
analogy, to confound the exercise of the gift of 
tongues in the primitive Chureh with modern ex- 
hibitions of fanaticism, which bear a superficial 
resemblance to it. We must remember that such 
modern pretensions to this gift must, of course, re- 
semble the manifestations of the original gift in 


In worship all things should be 
done unto edification. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


A. M. 4060. A.D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


that ye are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, 
and there come in one that believeth not, or 
one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is 
judged of all: 25 And thus are the secrets 
of his heart made manifest; and so falling 
down on his face he will worship God, and 
report * that God is in you of a truth. 26 How 
is it then, brethren? when ye come together, 
every one of you hath a psalm, ‘hath a doc- 
trine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath 


Isa. 45. 14; Zech. 3. 2. 7 Verse 6: chapter 12. 8, 9, 10,— 
u Chap. 12.7; 2 Cor. 12.19; Eph. 4. 12. 


external features, because these very features have 
been the objects of intentional imitation.” But 
this wholly fails to meet the demands of thecase. An 
“apparent analogy”? and resemblance between the 
two sets of phenomena is conceded ; and since their 
“external features” are alike, and their internal 
natures not understood, who can say that the for- 
mer is divine and the latter human? the one the 
result of inspiration, and the other of “ fanati- 
cism?” The intimation that all such ‘ exhibi- 
tions” are “intentional imitation” is not only 
gratuitous, but contrary to the plainest evidence. 
It is an easy but not altogether commendable 
method for getting rid of a difficult question of 
facts and phenomena to quietly assume that they 
are without any real importance. A wide field for 
inquiry by learned and judicious biblical scholars, 
and one that has never been satisfactorily exam- 
ined, is found in the matter of the “Spirit gifts,” 
and especially of the “tongues.” Nothing given 
above or elsewhere fully meets the necessities of 
the case. Both secular scientists on the one hand, 
and biblical and theological teachers on the other, 
have hitherto made a sorry display of their incom- 
petency to deal with the subject of “ physical phe- 
nomena” in connexion with spiritual manifesta- 
tions. | 

24. But if all prophesy—If all those who 
teach do it in the tongue which all understand ; if 
an unbeliever come in and hearin his own language 
things just suited to his own state, he is convicted 
by all and he is judged byall. [By all, ὑπὸ πάντων, 
those who “prophesy” in a language that may be 
understood. The saving work was to be done by 
the truth delivered to men’s understandings and 
hearts rather than by signs.] 

25. And thus are the secrets of his heart— 
[Nothing else can so effectively manifest to one’s 
own consciousness the hidden sinfulness of his 
heart as the truth of God, clearly and forcibly de- 
clared. (Heb. iv, 12.)] The sinner, thus convinced 
that God alone could uncover the secrets of his 
heart, is constrained to fall down on his face, 
abashed and confounded, and acknowledge that God 
was truly among them. 

26. How is it... every one of you hath a 
psalm, ete—When the whole Church came to- 
gether, among whom there were many persons with 
extraordinary gifts, each of them wished to put 
himself forward and occupy the time and attention 
of the congregation; hence confusion must neces- 
sarily take place, and perhaps not a little conten- 
tion. This was contrary to that edifying which 
was the intention of these gifts. 

27. Speak in an unknown tongue—The 77.- 
brew, as some have conjectured, (the glossalalia, 
whatever that may have been.) Let it be by two, 
or at the most by three, and that by course— 


an interpretation. «Let all things be done 
unto edifying. 27 If any man speak in an 
unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the 
most by three, and that by course; and let one 
interpret. 28% But if there be no interpreter, 
let him keep silence in the church; and let 
him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let 
the prophets speak two or three, and ¥ let the 
other judge. 80 If any thing be revealed to 
another that sitteth by, ἡ let the first hold his 


© Chap. 12. 10.——2w 1 Thess. 5. 19, 20. 


Let only two or three in one assembly act in this 
way, that too much time may not be taken up with 
one exercise; and let this be done “by course,” 
the one after the other, that two may not be speak- 
ing at the same time; and let one interpret for 
all that shall thus speak. 

28. But if there be no interpreter—If there 
be none present who can give the proper sense of 
this Hebrew (?) reading and speaking, then let him 
keep silence, and not occupy the time of the Church 
by speaking in a language which only himself can 
understand. [In verses 27 and 28 it would be the 
most natural to understand the ‘“ tongues” as only 
unknown human languages, which should be used 
in the congregation only when there was some one 

present able to interpret it,so that all might under- 
stand it; but in other places this most rational sense 
of the term is scarcely admissible. ] 

29. Let the prophets—Those who have the 
gift of speaking to men to edification and exhorta- 
tion and comfort. (Verse 3.) Two or three—As 
prophesying implied psalmody, teaching, and .ex- 
hortation, the meaning of the place may be: Let 
one sing who has a psalm; let another teach who 
has a doctrine; and let a third exhort, or comfort, 
who has a gift of that kind. And let the other 
judge—The other prophets, or qualified persons, 
should judge of the correctness and propriety of 
what had been spoken. It appears to have been 
taken for granted that a man might pretend to 
this spirit of prophecy who was not sent of God; 
and therefore it was the duty of the accredited 
teachers to examine whether what he spoke was 
according to truth and the analogy of faith. For 
the spirits of the prophets are subject to the proph- 
ets ; every man’s gift was to be judged of by 
those whose age, experience, and wisdom gave them 
a right to decide. 

30. Be revealed to another that sitteth by 
—Probably those who were teachers sat on a par- 
ticular seat or place, from which they might most 
readily address the people; and this may be the 
meaning of sitting by. [These minute directions 
concerning matters not very well understood afford 
to the commentators the opportunity for not a lit- 
tle of exegetical gymnastics. The following is taken 
directly from Lange’s Commentary (Dr. Kling, with 
notes by Dr. Poor) at this place: “The fact 
that the Spirit impelled another to speak was a 
| hint to the first speaker that it was time for him to 
| be done.” —Burger. “It was of more importance to 
catch the first burst of a prophecy than to listen to 
| the completion of one already begun.”—Stanley. 
But this would imply that an inspired discourse 
reversed the order of ordinary address, where the 
peroration is generally the most eloquent part. “ By 
this injunction the apostle does not intend that the 
second speaker shall wait until the first one had 

153 


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Year of Rome, v9. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Order and regularity should 
mark God’s worship. 


peace. $8 For ye may all prophesy one by 
one, that all may learn, and all may be com- 
forted. $2 And «the spirits of the prophets 
are subject to the prophets. 88 For God is 
not the author of ¥ confusion, but of peace, 5 as 
in all churches of the saints. 84 «Let your 
women keep silence in the churches: for it is 
not permitted unto them to speak; but » they 
are commanded to be under obedience, as also 


saith the claw. 88 And if they will learn 
any thing, let them ask their husbands at 
home: for it is a shame for women to speak 
in the church. 386 What! came the word of 
God out from you? or came it unto you only ? 
37 ‘If any man think himself to be a prophet, 
or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the 
things that | write unto you are the command- 
ments of the Lord. 88 But if any man be 


#1 John 4. 1.—y Gr, tumult, ory, wnquietness. —z Chap. 
11. 16.—a 1 Tim. 2. 11 


712. 


Ὁ Chap. 11. Ἢ Eph. ἢ 22; Col. 8. 18: Titus 2.5: 
ὁ Gen, 3. 1 42 Cor. 10.7 


WARE ani -- 
:1 John 4. θ. 


finished, (Hodge,) but that in case he gives some 
token, perhaps by rising, that he has ‘received a 
revelation and wishes to speak immediately, the 
first should not, then prolong his speech, but should 
give way to the first gush of inspiration in the 
other, although perhaps not so as to break off too 
abruptly.” ‘Did not the apostle also intend here to 
suggest a convenient way by which tedious and 
long-winded speakers could have a period put to 
their too protracted harangues ?”—Dr. Poor. Be- 
sides, the revelation is not to be regarded precisely 
in the light of a new disclosure occasioned by the 
speech just heard; although, as a general thing, a 
susceptibility for further revelations would be 
awakened and furthered by the prophetic discourse 
of another. The proper meaning of all this is still 
to be ascertained. To the Church of the present 
day the apostle’s words are scarcely more intelligible 
than were the “tongues,” which he so wisely de- 
preciates. | 

31. For ye may all prophesy one by one— 
The gifts which God grants are given for the pur- 
pose of edification; but there can be no edification 
where there is confusion; therefore let them speak 
one by one. 

32. And the spirits of the prophets, etc.— 
Let no one interrupt another; and let all be ready 
to prefer others before themselves; and let each 
feel a spirit of subjection to his brethren. God 
grants no ungovernable gifts. [The “ subjection” 
is that which is involved in a sound Christian dis- 
position, and accords with the true prophetic spirit. 
—Kling.| 

33. For God is not the author of confusion 
—The apostle calls such conduct ἀκαταστασία, tu- 
mult, sedition ; and such it is in the sight of God, 
and in the sight of all good men. How often is a 
work of God marred and discredited by the folly 
of men! for nature will always, and Satan, too, 
mingle themselves as far as they can in the gen- 
uine work of the Spirit, in order to discredit ‘and 
destroy it. Nevertheless, in great revivals of re- 
ligion it is almost impossible to prevent wildfire 
from getting in among the true fire; but it is the 
duty of the ministers of God to watch against and 
prudently check this; but if themselves encourage 
it, then there will be confusion and every evil w ork. 

34. Let your women keep silence in the 
churches—This was a Jewish ordinance ; women 
were not permitted to teach in the assemblies, or 
even to ask questions. The rabbins taught that “a 
woman should know nothing but the use of her 
distaff.” This was their condition till the time of 
the Gospel, when, according to the prediction of 
Joel, the Spirit of God was to be poured out on 
the women as well as on the men, that they might 
prophesy; that is, teach. And that they did pro- 
phesy or teach is evident from what the apostle 
Says, (chapter xi, 5,) where he lays down rules to 

154 


regulate this part οἱ their ee while minister- 
ing in the Church. It was permitted to any man 
to ask questions, to object, altercate, attempt to re- 
fute, ete., in the synagogue; but this liberty was not 
allowed to any woman. St. Paul confirms this in 
reference also to the Christian Church; he orders 
them to keep silence; and, if they wished to /earn 
any thing, let them inquire of their husbands at 
home; because it was deemed indecorcus for 
women to be contending with men in public assem- 
blies, on points of doctrine, cases of conscience, ete. 
[Paul does not intend to say that their women, 
(wives,) in distinction from all others, were to keep 
silence in the Churches; but the point is made in 
reference to women in general. . The prohibition 
is confirmed by a reference to the established order 
in this respect.—KJing.| But...to be under 
obedience, as also saith the law—This is a ref- 
erence to Gen. iii, 16: ‘‘ Thy desire shall be to thy 
husband, and he shall rule over thee.” From this 
it is evident that it was the disorderly and dis- 
obedient that the apostle had in view, and not any 
of those on whom God had poured out his Spirit. 

35. Let them ask their (own) husbands at 
home—[The verb ἐπερωτάω generally means fo in- 
quire, and is not to be taken as expressing a de- 
sire to hear yet more in addition to that which they 
had heard in the Church.— Osiander.] For itis a 
shame for womento speak in the church—The 
Jews would not suffer a woman to read in the syna- 
gogue ; though a servant or evena child had this per- 
mission ; but the apostle refers to irregular conduct, 
such conduct as proved that they were not under 
obedience. (Verse 34.) [As the peculiar power 
and usefulness of women depend on their being ob- 
jects of admiration and affection, any thing which 
tends to excite the opposite sentiments should, for 
that reason, be avoided.— Hodge. | 

36. Came the word of God out from you— 
Was it from you that other Churches received the 
Gospel? Are you the mother Church? that you 
should have rules, and orders, and customs, differ- 
ent from all others; and set yourselves up for a 
model to be copied by all the Churches of Christ ? 
Or came it unto you only—| Were you the first 
and only recipients of the will of God, respecting 
the order of the Chureh’s affairs?] [This seems 
to refer to all the points of church custom which 
Paul has been noticing, and to be inseparably con- 
nected with what follows—the recognition of his 
apostolic orders as those of God.—<A/ford. } 

37. If any man think himself to be a proph- 
et, etc.—[As an inspired apostle, Paul had the 
right to test all pretences to inspiration by their 
agreement with himself, as only an apostle could. ] 

38. But if any man be ignorant—lIt he be so 
entirely ignorant, let him be ignorant; let him 
keep it to himself, and not attempt to teach 
others. 


Th. ability to prophesy to be 
πο στο eee gifts, 


ignorant, let him be ignorant. 89 Where- 
fore, brethren, ¥ covet to prophesy, and forbid 
not to speak with tongues. 40 7 Let all things 
be done decently and in order. 


CHAPTER XV. 


OREOVER, brethren, I declare unto you 
the gospel *which I preached unto you, 
which also ye have received, and "wherein ye 


CHAPTER XV. 


A, M. 4060. Α. 1). 56, 
Year of Rome, 809, 


stand; 2 ¢By which also ye are saved, if ye 
4keep in memory ὁ what I preached unto you, 
unless fye have believed in vain. 8 For «1 
delivered unto you first of.all that * which 1 also 
received, how that Christ died for our sins 
‘according to the Scriptures; 4 And that he 
was buried, and that he rose again the third 
day "according to the Scriptures: 5 ! And 
that he was seen of Cephas, then ™of the 


y Chap. 12. 31; 1 Thess, 5. 20,—2 Verse 33.—< Gal. 1. 11.- 
db Rom. 5. 2.—e Rom. 1. 16: chap. 1. 21.—d Or, hold Just. 
—e Gr. by what speech.—T Gal. 3. 4.—g Ch. 11. 2, 23.— 
AGul. 1 12.-—i Psa, 22. 15, ete. ; Isa. 53.5, 6: Dan. 9. 26; Zech. 


13. 7; Luke 24, 96, 46; Acts 3.18: 96. 23: 1 Pet. 1. 11; 2. 4.— 
A Psa, 2.73 16. 10; Isa. 53. 10: Hos. 6. 2; Luke 24, 26,46; Acts 
9, 95-31: 13, 33,34, 35: 2.2%, 23: 1 Pet, 1, [1.- ἡ Luke 24, δ᾽." τς 


m Matt.28.17; Mark 16.14; Luke 24.36; Jolin 20.19,26; Acts 10.41. 


39. Covet to prophesy—Let it be your en- 
deavour and prayer to be able to teach the way of 
God to the ignorant; this is the most valuable, be- 
cause the most useful, gift of the Spirit. And for- 
bid not to speak with tongues—[ Whatever the 
gift of tongues may have been, and there seems 
to be no satisfactory explanation of what it was, 
the apostle, though he accounted it an inferior gift, 
did not altogether discountenance it. ] 

40, Let all things be done decently—Eic y7- 
μόνως, in their proper forms ; with becoming rever- 
ence; according to their dignity and importance. 
Every thing in the Church of God should be con- 
ducted with gravity and composure, suitable to the 
importance of the things, the infinite dignity of the 
object of worship, and the necessity of the souls in 
behalf of which those religious ordinances are in- 


stituted. And in order — Κατὰ τάξιν. In due 
gradation. Every thing in its place, every thing 


in its time, and every thing suitably. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XV. 


It appears from this chapter that there were 
some false apostles at Corinth, who denied the res- 
urrection, (see verse 12;) in consequence of which 
St. Paul discusses [the subject in the form of] three 
questions in this chapter: 


1. Whether there be a resurrection of the 
dead ? verses 1-35. 

2. What will be the nature of the resurrec- 
tion? verses 35-51. 

8. What should become of those who would 
be found alive in the day of judgment ? 
verses 51-57. 

I. The resurrection [of Christ] he proves : 

1. From Scripture, verses 1-4. 

2. From eyewitnesses, verses 5-12. 

II. He proves the resurrection by showing the 

absurdity of the contrary doctrine: 

If the dead rise not, Christ is not risen, 
verse 13. 

2. It would be absurd to have faith in him, 

according to the preaching of the Gospel, 
if he be not risen, verse 14. 

3. The apostles must be false witnesses who 
attest this resurrection, verse 15. 

The faith of the Corinthians must be vain 
who believe it, verses 16, 17. 

All the believers who have died in the faith 
of Christ have perished, if Christ be not 
risen, verse 18. 

Believers in Christ are in a more miserable 
state than any others, if there be no res- 
urrection, verse 19. 

Those who were baptized in the faith that 
Christ died for them and rose again, are 
deceived, verse 29. 


1; 


6. 


Ἧς 


8. The apostles, and Christians in general, 
who suffer persecution on the ground 
that, after suffering awhile here, they 
shall have a glorious resurrection, are 
acting a foolish and unprofitable part, 
verses 30-32. 

1. I declare—[I now proceed to restate to you 
the Gospel in some of its principal and distin- 
guishing parts.]| The gospel which I preached 
unto you— This Gospel is contained in Christ 
dying for our sins, being buried, and rising again 
the third day. |This first paragraph (verses 1, 2) 
of this chapter shows us, that not only the doc- 
trine of the resurrection of the dead, (mentioned 
in Heb. vi, 2 as one of the principles of Chris- 
tianity,) but also the fact of Jesus’s resurrection, 
belonged essentially to the doctrinal teaching of 
Christian antiquity.— Olshausen. ] 

2. By which also ye are saved—[ Σώζεσθε, are 
being saved, are in the way of salvation.] That is, 
ye are now in a salvable state; and are saved from 
your Gentilism and from your former sins. If ye 
keep in memory—Your future salvation, or be- 
ing brought finally to glory, will now depend on 
your faithfulness to the grace that ye have received. 

3. For I delivered unto you first of all— 
Ἔν πρώτοις, among the chief things, as some of the 
matters of the greatest importance; fundamental 
truths. That whichI...received—By reve- 
lations from God himself, and not from man. 
[Paul here and elsewhere asserts his own prophetic 
character, as himself the recipient, by direct reve- 
lation from God, of the doctrines which he taught. ] 
That Christ died for our sins—The death of 
Jesus Christ, as a vicarious sacrifice for sin, is ἐν 
πρώτοις ; among the things that are of chief im- 
portance, and is essential to the gospel scheme of 
salvation. According to the Scriptures—[As 
respects his death, see Psalms xxii and Isaiah iii; 
as to his rising again, see Psa. xvi, 10, and Hosea 
vi, 1, 2.) Bishop Pearce and others refer to Matt. 
xii, 40; xvi, 21; and Luke ix, 22; “which two 
gospels having been written at the time when Paul 
wrote this epistle, may have been called by the 
name of the Sacred Scriptures.” 

5. That he was seen of Cephas—[Our Lord’s 
appearance to Peter is not related in the form of a 
narrative, but is referred to as a fact in Luke 
xxiv, 24.] Then of the twelve—Instead of 
δώδεκα, twelve, evdexa, eleven, is the reading of some 
respectable authorities. (See also Mark xiv, 14.) 
Perhaps the term fwelve is used here merely to 
point out the society of the apostles, who, though 
at this time they were only eleven, were still called 
the twelve, because this was their original number, 
and a number which was afterward filled up. (See 
John xx, 24.) [The reference is to the appear- 
ance of Jesus to the disciples on the evening (as 

155 


A. Μ΄. 4060. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul] asserts his own abundant 
labours in the Gospel. 


twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above 
five hundred brethren at once; of whom the 
greater part remain unto this present, but 
some are failen asleep. % After that he was 
seen of James; then "of all the apostles. 
§ °And last of all he was seen of. me also, as 
of Pone born out of due time. 9. For 1 am 
q the least of the apostles, that am not meet to 
be called an apostle, because * I persecuted the 


n “na Duke 24. a: Acts 1. 3, fea a Acts 3, 4,17; 22, 14, 18; chap. 
91, p Or, an abortive. rir ὃ ee δὲ 8. — ?r Acts 8. 3; 9. 1; 
Gal 1.13; Phil. 3.6; 1 Tim. 1. 


we should say) of the resurrection day, after the 
return of the two from Emmaus. (See Luke 
xxiv, 13, 36.)] 

6. Above five hundred brethren at once— 
This was probably in Galilee, where our Lord had 
many disciples. (See Matt. xxviii, 16.) Five hun- 
dred persons saw him at one time; the greater 
part of whom were alive when the apostle wrote, 
before some of whom he might have been con- 
fronted had he dared to assert a falsity. 

7. After that he was seen of James—But 
where, and on what occasion, we are not told; nor 
indeed do we know which James is intended. 
[Probably, from no distinguishing epithet being 
added, the celebrated James, the brother of the 
Lord. (See Gal. i, 19.)+—Alford.| Then of all 
the apostles—Including, not only the eleven, but, 
as some suppose, the seventy-two disciples. [This 
is decisive for a much wider use of the term ἀπόσ- 
τολος than as applying to the twelve only, and it 
is a strong presumption that the James just men- 
tioned, and evidently here and in Gal. i, 19 in- 
cluded among the apostles, was not one of the 
twelve.—A/ford. | 

8. And Jast of all—[‘“ Last of all” up to the 
time of this writing. He was afterward seen of 
St. John, as narrated Rev. i, 18.] It seems that it 
was essential to the character of a primitive apos- 
tle that he had seen and conversed with Christ; 
and it is evident, from the history of Saul’s con- 
version, (Acts ix, 4-7,) that Jesus Christ did ap- 
pear to him; and he pleaded this ever after as a 
proof of his call to the apostleship. He was seen 
of me also—[{Namely, on the road to Damascus. 
(Acts ix, 8, 6, 17.) This and this only can here be 
meant, as he is not speaking of a succession of 
visions, but of some one definite apparition.—Al- 
ford.| [And yet there seem to be intimations of 
special and marked revelations made to the apostle 
subsequently to that first manifestation of Christ to 
him. (See 2 Cor. xii, 2-5.)] As of one born 
out of due time—The apostle considers himself as 
coming after the time in which Jesus Christ per- 
sonally conversed with his disciples; and_ that, 
therefore, to see him at all, he must see him in this 
extraordinary way. Probably the apostle refers to 
the original institution of the twelve apostles, in 
the rank of whom he never stood, being appointed 
not to fill up a place among the twelve, but as an 
extra and additional apostle. 

9. Tam the least of the apostles—This was 
literally true in reference to his being chosen last, 
and chosen not in the number of the twelve, but as 
an extra apostle. Taken as a man and a minister 
of Christ, he was greater than any of the twelve; 
taken as an apostle he was less than any of the 
twelve, because not originally in that body. Am 
not meet to be called an apostle—None of the 
twelve had ever persecuted Christ, nor withstood 

156 


church of God. 10 But © by the grace of God 
I am what I am: and his grace which was be- 
stowed wpon me was not in vain; but tI Ja- 
boured more abundantly than they all: “yet 
not I, but the grace of God which was with 
me. UR Therefore whether it were 1 or they, 
so we preach, and so ye believed. 12 Now if 
Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, 
how say some among you that there is no res- 


s Ephesians 3. 7, 8.—?2 Corinthians 11. 23; 
thew 10. 20: Romans 15, 18, 19; 2 
2.8; Ephesians 3. 7: 


311. 25; 12, 11.—w Mat- 
millet ἢ Corinthians 3, 5; Galatians 
Philippians 2. 13. 


his doctrine; Saul of Tarsus had been, before his 
conversion, a grievous persecutor; and therefore 
he says, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς, 1 am not proper to be called 
an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God, 
that is, of Christ, which none of the [other] apos- 
tles ever did. [Although he liad deeply repented 
of his sins, and had received the most abundant 
assurance that he was freely and fully forgiven, yet 
he could never cease to remind himself of the fact 
that he had persecuted the Lord in the persons of 
his disciples. | 

10. But by the grace of God Iam what I 
am — God, by his free grace and goodwill, has 
called me to be an apostle, and has denominated 
me such. [I accept my calling thankfully, and 
confess that it is all of grace.] And his grace, 
etc.—Nor have I been unfaithful to the divine 
call; I used the grace which he gave me; and 
when my labours, travels, and sufferings are con- 
sidered, it will be evident that J have laboured 
more abundantly than the whole twelve. Yet not 
I, but the grace of God—[And even in the work 
that I have done, I have been only the willing in- 
strument, while all the efficiency has been of God. ] 

11. Whether it were I or they—All the 
apostles of Christ agree in the same doctrines; we 
all preach the same things; and, as we preached, 
so ye believed; having received from us the true 
apostolical faith, that Jesus died for our sins, and 
rose again for our justification ; and that his res- 
urrection is the pledge and proof of ours. Who- 
ever teaches contrary to this does not preach the 
true apostolic doctrine. Paul was the last of the 
primitive apostles. There were many apostles 
after this time, but they were all secondary; they 
had a divine call, but it was éternal, and never 
accompanied by any vision of external demonstra- 
tion of that Christ who had been manifested in the 
flesh. 

12. Now if Christ be preached, etc.—Sceing 
it is true that we have thus preached Christ, and 
ye have credited this preaching, how say some 
among you, who have professed to receive this 
doctrine from us, that there is no resurrection 
of the dead. [It is an interesting question wHo 
these τινές (‘“some”’) were; and it can only be an- 
swered by the indications which the argument in 
the chapter furnishes. It seems scarcely probable 
that they were Sadducees, for the apostle’s argu- 
ments do not appear to be addressed to such deniers 
as were they; nor is there any reason to believe that 
any of that sect were found among the early dis- 
ciples. On the other hand, and for like reasons, the 
Epicureans must be excluded, for the apostle’s use of 
their maxim, ‘“ Let us eat and drink,” ete., implies 
that those whom he opposed would by no means 
accept that maxim. They could not have been 
Jews, either Pharisees or Essenes, for neither of 
these sects denied the resurrection ; nor could they 


rove the resur- 


Arguments to 
re the dead. 


rection οἱ 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. M. 4060. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 509, 


- το -- ςο..----τ τ΄“ Ἶ  Ἦ  .ττΤ “΄΄“΄Π΄Π΄Π΄ΠρΠρΦΦ4Φ60ιΟΌῃ;ΡΟΦ΄΄΄ἷἷρῆρῆρρι::: 1... 


urrection of the dead? #8 But if there be πὸ 
resurrection of the dead, ¥then is Christ not 
risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then zs 
our preaching vain, and your faith 7s also vain. 
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of 
God; because “ we have testified of God that 
he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, 
if so be that the dead rise not. 46 For if 


the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : 
47 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is 
vain; *ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they 
also which are fallen asleep in Christ are per- 
ished. 19.011 in this life only we have hope 
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 
20 But now 7is Christ risen from the dead, 
and become *the firstfruits of them that sleep. 


@1 Thessalonians 4, 14.—70 Acts 2. 24, 32; 4.10, 33; 13. 30.—- 
@ Romans 4, 25. 


have been of the company of Hymenzeus and Phi- 
letus, who allegorized the doctrine, for evidently the 
apostle is arguing not against such, but against 
those who denied the fact of Christ’s resurrection, 
and the doctrines derived from that great truth. 
Whether the apostle regarded the resurrection of 
the body as inseparably bound up witha future exist- 
ence does not very clearly appear in this chapter, 
(though all that he says will admit of that con- 
struction.) From the use of the word ἀπώλοντο, 
have perished, (verse 18,) which must refer not to 
annihilation but to perdition, it would seem that he 
admitted an independent existence of the soul. 
(See also Phil. i, 23.) But from verse 82 it would 
seem that the apostle regarded the denial of the 
resurrection as involving that of the future state 
and judgment, (or else he regarded the ἀνάστασις 
νεκρῶν, simply the rising into that better state of 
being for which he longed, (Phil. i, 23,) as “ far 
better” than the present. On the question to 
which of the (supposed) Corinthian parties the op- 
ponents belonged, I have nothing to say, not ree- 
ognising the divisions into Pauline, Petrine, ete., 
parties, as having any historical foundation.—See 
Alford.]| That there was some false teacher (or 
teachers) among them, who was endeavouring to 
incorporate Mosaic rites and ceremonies with the 
Christian doctrines, and even to blend Saddu- 
ceeism with the whole, appears pretty evident. To 
confute this mongrel Christian, and overturn his 
bad doctrine, the apostle writes this chapter. 

13. If there be no resurrection of the dead 
—There seems to have been some at Corinth who, 
though they denied the resurrection of the dead, 
admitted that Christ had risen again: the apostle’s 
argument goes therefore to state that, if Christ 
was raised from the dead, mankind may and most 
certainly will be raised. [This argument has force 
only if the resurrection is understood as a glorifi- 
cation of the body, (the σῶμα, self, me, ipsum,) and 
therefore an overcoming of death._—Olshausen | 

11. Then is our preaching vain—Our whole 
doctrine is useless, nugatory, and false. And 
your faith is also vain—Your belief of a false 
doctrine must necessarily be to you unprofitable. 
[A second consequence, the absurdity of holding 
that the Gospel, with all its provisions and promises, 
with all it had done and yet proposed to effect, 
was a delusion, (must follow the denial that Christ 
is risen.)—Dr. Poor. 

15. False witnesses—<As having testified the 
fact of Christ’s resurrection, as a matter which our- 
selves had witnessed. [VDersons who have testified 
what is false against God, (rather, concerning God. } 
— Alford.| Every consciousiy false giving of 
testimony that God has done something, is testi- 
mony against God, because an abuse of his name 
and an injury to his holiness. — Meyer.] [The 
apostles’ everywhere, and on all occasions, pro- 
claimed as a fact known by themselves, that Christ 


y 2 Timothy 3, 12.—2e1 Peter 1. 3.—a Acts 26, 


ἢ 23; verse 23; 
Colossians 1. 18; Revelation 1. ὃ. 


had risen (had been raised) from the dead. Its 
denial was therefore an impeachment of their 
veracity.] [Why may not a man admit that Christ, 
the incarnate Son of God, arose from the dead, and 
yet consistently deny that there is to be a general 
resurrection of the dead? Because the thing de- 
nied was, that the dead could rise. The denial was 
placed on ground which embraced the case of 
Christ.— Hodge. ] 

17. Ye are yetin your sins—[Paul evidently 
assumes, all through this argument, that the resur- 
rection of Christ was an essential part of his work 
of redemption, and that to deny that fact was to 
render invalid the whole scheme of salvation 
through and by him. (See Rom. v, 10.)] 

18. They also which are fallen csleep—aAll 
those who, either by martyrdom or natural death, 
have departed in the faith of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, are perished; their hope was without 
foundation, and their faith had not reason and 
truth for its object. [‘* Perished,” perdition, (per- 
ishing,) according to Scripture, is not annihilation, 
but the state of damnation, remaining in Gehenna, 
as a consequence of being yet in sin.—ATing. | 
(See John v, 25, 28, 29; xi, 25, 26, etc.) 

19. If in (at, or during) this life only we have 
hope—[If our hope in Christ extends only to the 
present life, we are. .. most miserable, for, 1) we 
have consented to forego the present life, in order 
to win the future ; and 2) because all our high 
hopes of eternal life are doomed to disappoint- 
ment.]  [If, therefore, there was no resurrection, 
(ἀνάστασις, uprising,) and consequently no (future) 
kingdom of God, xo restoration of (and fo) paradise, 
the Christians sacrificing everything in this life in 
order to gain all in the next, were (would be) the 
most miserable of men.—Olshausen.| [Here, as 
elsewhere, it would appear that the resurrection 
and the future life are either identified or the two 
are inseparably bound up together. ] 

20. But now is Christ risen—| Rather, raised.] 
On the contrary, Christ is raised from the dead, 
and is become the firstfruits of them that 
slept. His resurrection has been d monstrated, 
and it is assumed that our resurrection follows as a 
result. Just as the firstfruits are the promise of the 
future harvest, so the resurrection of Christ is the 
assurance of ours. Christ being security for our res- 
urrection—the firs(fruits only of those who slept— 
the resurrection (of the whole human race) had com- 
meneed with him.— Olshansen. | [ Now Christ, the 
Jirstfruits of them that sleep, has risen (waked up) 
from thedead. By virtue of Christ’s conquest over 
death, they who are in Christ, in departing from the 
body, fall asleep (1 Thess. iv, 13-15) in him, and be- 
come also partakers of his resurrection.  Christ’s 
resurrection was not for himself on/y or personally, 
but as the head of the race, the second Adam, 
(verse 22.) he triumphed over death as the me- 
diator and the representative of redeemed humanity, 

157 


A, M, 4060, A.D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul’s arguments to prove the 
resurrection of the dead. 


21 For since by man came death, * by man came 
also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For 
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all 
be made alive. 23 But ‘every man in his 
own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward 
they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then 
cometh the end, when he shall have delivered 
up «the kingdom to God, even the Father; 


1 Thess, 4. 15, 16, 17.——e Dan. 7. 14, 27.—/ Psa 110. 1; Acts 2. 


when he shall havé put down all rule, and all 
authority and power. 286 For he must reign, 
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 
26 «The last enemy that shall be destroyed is 
death. 27 For he "hath put all things under 
his feet. But when he saith, All things are 
put under Aim, it is manifest that he is ex- 
cepted, which did put all things under him. 


34, 35; Eph. 1. 22; Heb. 1. 135 10. 13.—g 


2 Tim. 1. 10: Rev. 
20. 14.—A/ Psa. 8.6; Matt. 28, 18; Heb. 2. 8; 1 


Pet. 3.22. 


and in that act achieved the resurrection of those 
that sleep in him. ] 

21. For since by man came death—Death 
came by Adam, life from the dead by Christ; so 
sure as all have been subjected to death by Adam, 
so sure shall all be raised again by Christ Jesus. 
(See on Rom. v, 12-18.) 

22. Asin Adam...so in Christ—[In commu- 
nity with, as partakers of a common nature with, 
“Adam” and “Christ,” (both of whom were the 
divinely appointed heads and representatives of the 
race,) who are (also) respectively the sources to the 
whole of that nature (πάντες, all men) of death and 
life. The fact of Christ’s being the Lord of life 
and righteousness, and the second and spiritual 
head of our nature, is assumed; to us, he is the 
bringer-in of life, as Adam was the bringer-in of 
death.— Alford. ] 

23. But every man in his own order—The 
apostle mentions three orders here: 1) Christ, 
who rose from the dead by his own power. 2) Them 
that are Christ’s: all his apostles, martyrs, con- 
fessors, and faithful followers. 8) Then cometh 
the exd, when the whole mass shall be raised. 
Whether this order be exactly what the apostle 
intends, I shall not assert. Of the jirst, Christ's 
own resurrection, there can bé no question. The 
second, the resurrection of his followers before 
that of the common dead, is thought by some very 
reasonable. ‘They had here a resurrection from a 
death of sin to a life of righteousness, which the 
others had not, because they wou/d not be saved in 
Christ’s way. That they should have the privilege 
of being raised jirsf, to behold the astonishing 
changes and revolutions which shall then take 
place, has nothing in it contrary to propriety and 
fitness ;"’ but it seems contrary to verse 52, in 
which all the dead are said to rise in a moment, in 
the twinkling of an eye. ‘ And, thirdly, that all 
the other mass of mankind should be raised last, 
just to come forward and receive their doom, is 
equally reasonable:” but it is apparently incon- 
sistent with the manner in which God chooses to 
act. (See verse 53.) Some think that by them 
that are Christ's at his coming, “we are to under- 
stand Christ’s coming to reign on earth a thousand 
years with his saints previously to the general 
judgment ;” but I must confess I find nothing in 
the sacred writings distinctly enough marked to 
support this opinion of the millennium or thousand 
years’ reign; nor can I conceive any important end 
that can be answered by this procedure. We 
should be very cautious how we make a figurative 
expression, used in the most figurative book in the 
Bible, the foundation of a very important literal 
system that is to occupy a measure of the faith, 
and no small portion of the hope, of Christians. 
The strange conjectures formed on this very un- 
certain basis have not been very creditable either 
to reason or religion, [Hach one (not “ every 

158 


man”) in his own order, τάγματι, is indicative of 
gradation of dignity rather than of time.| [The 
key to the understanding of this passage is to be 
found in the prophecy of our Lord, (Matt. xxiv 
and xxv,)—A/ford ;] but it has been shown that the 
predictions of those chapters found their fulfil- 
ment in the destruction of Jerusalem. (See the 
notes on these places.) 

24. Then... the end—([Hira τὸ τέλος ; the 
consummation, coming in its proper order, after 
Christ’s resurrection, (the firstfruits,) and the bring- 
ing with him those that are his, (1 Thess. iv, 14,) 
which shall be the final act of the great drama of 
the world’s redemption—the accomplishment of 
which is the purpose of ‘the kingdom of God,” 
that is, the mediatorial reign. (See on Matt. iii, 2.)] 
When he shall have delivered up the king- 
dom—The mediatorial kingdom, which compre- 
hends all the displays of his grace in saving sinners, 
and all his spiritual influence in governing the 
Church. All rule, and all authority and power 
—Apyiyv... ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν. Our Lord Jesus 
is represented here as administering the concerns 
of the kingdom of grace in this lower world during 
the time that this divine economy lasts; and when 
the end—the time determined by the wisdom of 
God comes, then the kingdom is delivered up unto 
the Father. 

25. For he must reign, ete.—This is according 
to the promise, (Psa. ex, 1,) “‘ The Lord said unto my 
Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine 
enemies thy footstool.” Therefore the kingdom 
cannot be given up till all rule and government be 
cast down. So that while the world lasts, Jesus, 
as the Messiah and Mediator, must reign; and all 
human beings are properly his subjects, under his 
government, and accountable to him. 

26. The last enemy (death) shall be de- 
stroyed — Karapyeita, shall be counter-worked, 
subverted, and finally overturned. But death can- 
not be destroyed by there being siniply no further 
death ; death can only be destroved and annihi- 
lated by a general resurrection: if there be no gen- 
eral resurrection it is most evident that death will 
still retain his empire. Therefore, the fact that 
death “shall be destroyed” assures the fact that 
there shall be a general resurrection ; and this is a 
proof, also, that after the resurrection there shall 
be no more death (or dying.) 

27. For he hath put all things under his 
feet—The Father hath put all things under the 
feet of Christ, according to the prophecy of Psa. ex. 
He is excepted—That is, the Father, who hath 
put all things under the Son. This observation 
seems to be introduced by the apostle to show 
that he does not mean that the divine nature shall 
be subjected to the human nature. Christ, as 
Messiah and Mediator between God and man, must 
ever be considered inferior (secondary) to the 
Father: and his human nature, however dignified 


After the resurrection, our Lord him- 
self to become ubject to Gd. 


28 ‘And when all things shall be subdued un- 
to him, then *shall the Son also himself be 
subject unto him that put all things under him, 


ὦ Phil, 3. 21. 


in consequence of its union with the divine nature, 
must ever be inferior to God. [As it is the Father 
who has subjected all things to the Son, it follows 
of course that he is to be excepted from the “all 
things” placed under him; rather, he exalts the 
Redeemer, as having taken man’s nature in him- 
self, to the joint possession of his throne, (Psa. 
ex, 1;) that is, the Father reigns through the Son. 
—Olshausen.| The whole of this verse should be 
read in a parenthesis. 

28. The Son also himself be subject—When 
the administration of the kingdom of grace is finally 
closed; when there shall be no longer any state of 
probation, and consequently no longer need of a 
distinction between the kingdom of grace and the 
kingdom of glory ; then the Son, as being man and 
Messiah, shall cease to exercise any distinct do- 
minion ; and (rod be all in all: there remaining 
no longer any distinction in the persons of the 
glorious Trinity as acting any distinct or separate 
parts in either the kingdom of grace or the king- 
dom of glory ; and so the one Infinite Essence shall 
appear undivided and eternal. And yet, as there 
appears to be a personality essentially in the in- 
finite Godhead, that personality must exist eter- 
nally ; but ow this shall be we can neither tell 
nor know till that time comes in which we shall 
SEE HIM AS HE 15, (1 John iii, 2.) [This whole 
section (verses 24-28) is in explanation of the giv- 
ing up of the kingdom ; and it rests on this weighty 
verity : THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST over this world, in its 
beginning, its furtherance, and its completion, has 
one great end, THE GLORIFICATION OF THE FATHER BY 
THE SON. Therefore, when it (that is, the kingdom) 
shall be established, every enemy overcome, every- 
thing subjected to him, he will not reign over it, or 
abide its king, but DELIVER IT UP TO THE FATHER. 
Hence (verse 25) his reign will endure not like that 
of earthly kings, WHEN he shall have put all his ene- 
mies under his feet, but only unrin. he shall have 
done so, and then will be absorbed in the all-per- 
vading majesty of him for whose glory it was from 
first to last carried onward. This respects only the 
mediatorial work and kingdom; the work of re- 
demption, and that lordship over both the dead and 
the living, for which Christ both died and rose. 
Consequently, nothing is here said that can affect 
either—1) His co-equality and co-eternity with the 
Father, which is prior to and independent of this 
mediatorial work, and is not limited to the media- 
torial kingdom; or, 2) the (future) eternity of his 
humanity; for that humanity ever was and is sub- 
ordinate to the Father; and it byno means follows 
that when the mediatorial kingdom shall be given 
up to the Father, the humanity in which that king- 
dom was won shall be put off; nay, the very fact 
of Christ in the body (his humanity) being the first- 
fruits of the resurrection, proves that his body, 
(manhood,) as ours, will endure forever; as the 
truth that our humanity even in glory can only sub- 
sist before God by virtwe of his humanity, makes 
it plain that he will be very Man to all eternity.— 
Alford.) 

29. Else what shall chey do which are bap- 
tized for the dead—This is one of the most diffi- 
cult passages in the New Testament; and accord- 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. M. 4060. A.D. 56. 
Year of Kome, 809, 


that God may be all in all. 29 Else what 
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, 


if the dead rise not at all? why are they then 


. & Chap. 8. 23; 11. ὃ. 


ingly there are nearly as many different interpreta- 
tions of it as there are interpreters. I shall not 
employ my time nor that of my reader with a vast 
number of discordant and conflicting opinions ; I 
shall make a few remarks: 1) The doctrine of the 
resurrection of our Lord was a grand doctrine 
among the apostles; they considered and preached 
this as the demonstration of the truth of the Gos- 
pel. 2) The multitudes who embraced Christianity 
became converts on the evidence of this resurrection. 
3) This resurrection was considered the pledge and 
proof of the resurrection of all believers in Christ 
to the possession of the same glory into which he 
had entered. 4) The baptism which they received 
they considered as an emblem of their natural 
death and resurrection. This doctrine St. Paul 
most pointedly preaches, (Romans vi, 8, 4, 5:) 
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were bap- 
tized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his 
death ? Therefore we are buried with him by bap- 
tism into death: that like as Christ was raised up 
from the dead... even so we also should walk in 
newness of life. For if we have been planted to- 
gether in the likeness of his death, we shall be also 
in...his resurrection.” 5) It is evident from this, 
that all who died in the faith of Christ died in the 
faith of the resurrection ; and therefore cheerfully 
gave up their lives to death, as they took joyfully 
the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves 
that they had in heaven a better and an enduring 
substance. (Heb. x, 34.) 6) As those who were 
properly instructed and embraced Christianity 
believed that all who had died in the faith of 
Christ should rise again, so they were baptized in 
the same faith. 7) As many of the primitive fol- 
lowers of Christ sealed the truth with their b/ood, 
every man who took on him the profession of 
Christianity, which was done by receiving baptism, 
considered himself as exposing his life to the most 
imminent hazard, and offering his life with those 
who had already offered and laid down theirs. 
8) He was therefore baptized in reference to this 
martyrdom ; and, having a regard to those dead, he 
cheerfully received baptism, that, whether he were 
taken off by a natural or violent death, he might 
be raised in the likeness of Jesus Christ’s resurrec- 
tion, and that of his illustrious martyrs. 9) As 
martyrdom and baptism were thus so closely and 
intimately connected , βαπτιζέσθαι, to be baptized, 
was used to express the being put to a violent death 
by the hands of persecutors. (So Matt. xx, 22, 23; 
Mark x, 88; Luke xii, 50.) 10) The sum of the 
apostle’s meaning appears to be this: If there be 
no resurrection of the dead, those who, in becoming 
Christians, expose themselves to all manner of pri- 
vations, crosses, severe sufferings, and a violent 
death, can have no compensation, nor any motive 
sufficient to induce them to expose themselves to 
such miseries. But as they receive baptism as an 
emblem of death, so they now consider themselves 
to be risen with Christ. (Col. iii, 1-4.) Thus they 
are baptized for the dead, in perfect faith of the 
resurrection. [All attempted interpretations of 
this passage are proved to be failures by the fact 
that each interpreter rejects all but his own. That 
given by Dr. Kendricks, in a note to his translation 
159 


A.M, 4060. A. Ὁ. 56, 
Year of Rome, 509. 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


Exhortations founded on the 
foiegoing arguments. 


baptized for the dead? 30 And ! why stand 
we in jeopardy every hour? 81 I protest by 
mo your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus 
our Lord, °I die daily. $2 If rafter the man- 
ner of men 41 have fought with beasts at 


Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead 
rise not? ‘let us eat and drink; for to morrow 
we die. $3 Be not deceived: * evil communi- 
cations corrupt good manners. 84 tAwake 
to righteousness, and sin not; “for soine have 


72 Cor. 11. 26; Gal. 5. 11. Some read, owr.—v7 1 Thess. 
2.19, o Rom. 8. 36: chap. 4. 9; 2 Cor. 4. 10, 11; 11. 23.— 
—p Or, to speak after the munner of men. 


43 Cor. 1. 8.-—-7 Eccles. 2. 24; Isa. 22.13: 56. 12, Luke 12. 19. 
—s Chapter 5, 6.—? Romans 13. 11; Ephesians 5. 14.— 
“1 Thess. 4. 5. 


of Olshausen’s remarks on this passage, is worthy 
of a respectful consideration, though not very for- 
cibly sustained. Collating this with verse 19, he 
remarks: “The connexion clearly points to and 
seems to demand a reference to the perils of the 
Christian profession ; to the folly and senselessness 
of assuming a profession (unless there is to be a fu- 
ture life) which is almost a certain devotion to 
death.” This he thinks is what the apostle means 
by their being “baptized for the dead.” This is 
clearly a forced interpretation; but who has a 
better ?] 

30. And why stand we in jeopardy every 
hour—Is there any reason why we should volun- 
tarily submit to so many sufferings, and every hour 
be in danger of losing our lives, if the dead rise 
not? We have counted the cost, despise suffer- 
ings, and exult at the prospect of death, because 
we know we shall have a resurrection unto eternal 
life. 

31. I protest by your rejoicing —N7 τὴν 
ὑμετέραν καύχησιν, [by that glorying in you: Re- 
vised Version.] [His boast of them as his work 
in Christ.—A/ford.] [So truly as ye, yourselves, 
are the object of my boasting.—Meyer.] [As truly 
as [ can boast of you, in Jesus Christ our Lord, do 
I daily tremble myself amid the dangers of death.— 
Kling.| {By my glory that I have in you.— Olshaus- 
en.] I declare by the exultation which I have in 
Christ Jesus, as having died for my offences and 
risen again for my justification, that I neither fear 
sufferings nor death; and am daily ready to be 
offered up, and feel myself continually exposed to 
death. The phrase, your glorying, is equivalent to 
glorying on your account: I profess, by the glory- 
ing or exultation which I have on account of your 
salvation, that I anticipate with pleasure the end of 
my earthly race. I die daily—A form of speech 
for, I am continually exposed to death. 

32. If after the manner of men, etc.—[ After 
the manner of men, εἰ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, if us a man, 
(merely,) that is, according to this world’s views, as 
one who has no hope beyond the grave.— A/ford.] 
Does the apostle mean that he had literally fought 
with wild beasts at Ephesus? or, that he had met 
with brutish, savage men, from whom he was in 
danger of his life? [The former interpretation is 
rendered improbable, not only because of the 
rights of Roman citizenship, which Paul enjoyed, 
which precluded such punishment, and to which 
he could have appealed in case he had been con- 
demned to it; but also from the fact that no men- 
tion of any such an extraordinary occurrence is 
elsewhere made. (See for omissions, Acts, passim, 
and 2 Cor. ix, 23, ete.) ... Whatever be the danger 
(referred to,) it must be the same of which he 
speaks in Rom. xv, 4; 2 Cor. i, 8; Acts xx, 19.— 
Kling.| As we do not read of any imminent dan- 
ger to which he was exposed at Ephesus, sufficient 
to justify the expression I have fought with 
beasts at Ephesus, it leaves room for the conjec- 
ture that he was at some time, not directly mentioned 
by his historian or himself, actually exposed to wild 

160 


beasts at Ephesus. To something of this kind he per- 
haps refers in 2 Cor. i, 8,9, 10: “‘ For we would not, 
brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which 
came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of 
measure, above strength,” καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ἐβαρή- 
θημὲν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, insomuch that we despaired 
even of life. But we had the sentence of death in 
ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, 
but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered 
us from so great a death.” These expressions 
refer to some excessive and unprecedented danger, 
from which nothing less than a miraculous inter- 
ference could have saved him; and it might have 
been an actual exposure to wild beasts, or any other 
danger equally great. or even greater. What ad- 
vantageth it me, if the dead rise not—I be- 
lieve the common method of pointing this verse is 
erroneous; I propose to read it thus: Jf after 
the manner of men I have fought with beasts at 
Ephesus, what doth it advantage me? IPf the dead 
rise not, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die. 
What the apostle says here is a regular and 
legitimate conclusion from the doctrine that there 
is no resurrection, that is, no future life. For 
if there be no resurrection, then there can be no 
judgment—no future state of rewards and punish- 
ments ; why, therefore, should we bear crosses, 
and keep ourselves under continual discipline ? 
Let us eat and drink, take all the pleasure we can, 
for to morrow we die; and there is an end of us 
for ever. The words, Let us eat and drink, for 
to morrow we die, are taken from Isa. xxii, 13, 
as they stand now in the Septuagint, and are a 
pretty smooth proverbial saying, which might be 
paralleled from the writings of several Epicurean 
heathens, φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν αὔριον yap ἀποθνήσκο- 
μεν. 
33. Be not deceived—Do not impose on your- 
selves, and permit not others to do it. [An inti- 
mation that there was danger of such a delusion. | 
Evil communications corrupt good manners— 
There are many sayings like this among the Greek 
poets, but this of the apostle is generally supposed 
to have been taken from Menandet’s lost comedy 
of Thais: Φθείρουσιν 70n χρῆσθ᾽ ὁμιλίαι κακαί, bad 
company good morals doth corrupt. 

34. Awake to righteousness—Shake off your 
slumber ; awake fully, thoroughly, δικαίως, as ye ought 
to do ; so the word should be rendered ; not awake 
to righteousness. Be in earnest; do not trifle with 
God, your souls, and eternity. [Εγνήψατε, wake up! 
marks the quick momentary awaking, to be done 
at once ; μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε, sin not. on the other hand, 
indicates the enduring practice of abstinence from 
sin, (sinning.)—MMeyer and Alford.] Sin not— 
For this will lead to the destruction both of body 
and soul. Life is but a moment; improve it. 
Heaven has blessings without end. [It should not 
be too hastily inferred, from verses 33, 34, that the 
deniers of the resurrection would have abhorred 
the Epicurean maxim, though, as Paul assumes, his 
readers generally would have considered it anti- 
Christian, but the τινές (some, verse 12) among 


The difference between the present 
and the future body. 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. M. 4060. A. D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


not the knowledge of God: *I speak this to 
your shame. 85 But some man will say, 
w How are the dead raised up? and with what 
body do they come? 86 Thow fool, * that 
which thou sowest is not quickened, except it 
die: $7 And that which thou sowest, thou 
sowest not that body that shall be, but bare 
grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some 


Chap. 6, 5. —vw Ezek. 37. 3. 


them must, according to the apostle’s warning and 
exhortation, have been already carried away, in con- 
sequence of this denial, to a frivolous tendency of 
life; otherwise Paul would not warn against being 
led away by their immoral companionship. . . . 
The warning is not against mistaking and neglect- 
ing saving truths, but against corruption of whole- 
some Aabits, that is, immoralities.... This danger 
of going astray is not to be conceived of as having 
arisen through intercourse with heathen fellow 
countrymen, but through association with those in 
the Church who had become morally careless, by 
reason of the denial of the resurrection. This 
(understanding) is demanded by the whole con- 
nexion. See Meyer.| [The assumption is, which 
the facts in this case appear to have proved, that 
the denial of the future life is destructive of 
Christian morals.] Some have not the knowl- 
edge of God—The original is very emphatic: 
ἀγνωσίαν yap Θεοῦ; τινὲς ἔχουσιν, some have an igno- 
runce of God; they do not acknowledge God. 
They have what is their bane ; and they have not 
what would be their happiness and glory. To have 
an ignorance of God—a sort of substantial dark- 
ness, that prevents the light of God from penetra- 
ting the soul—is a worse state than to be simply in 
the dark, or without the divine knowledge.  [’Ay- 
νωσίαν Θεοῦ : atheism, a condition of spiritual in- 
scrutability and blindness, possessing and ruling the 
soul, by which all moral restraints are removed, 
and the man becomes the subject of his passions 
and lusts, a most grievous condition and an occa- 
sion for shame. | 

35. But some man will say— A220 ἐρεῖ τις. 
The apostle, by τίς, some, some one, some man, 
means any one of the τινές, (verse 12,) and partic- 
ularly some false apostle or teacher at Corinth, who 
was chief in the opposition to the pure doctrines of 
the Gospel, and to whom, in this covert way, he 
often refers. The second part of the apostle’s dis- 
course begins at this verse. What shall be the 
nature of the resurrection body? The question is 
stated (verse 35) and answered: first, by a simili- 
tude, (verses 36-38 ;) secondly, by an application, 
(verses 39-41) and thirdly, by explication. (Verses 
42-50.) 

36. Thou fool—’Agpwr. If this be addressed, 
as it probably is, to the false apostle, there is a pe- 
culiar propriety in it; as this man seems to have 
magnified his own wisdom, and set it up against 
both God and man; and none but a fool could act 
so. At the same time, it is folly in any to assert 
the impossibility of a thing because he cannot com- 
prehend it. [The term does not necessarily ex- 
press any bitterness of feeling, for our blessed Lord 
used the like to his doubting disciples. (Luke 
xxiv, 15.) It was the senselessness of the objection 
that is here attacked. — Hodge.| That which 
thou sowest is not quickened, except it die— 
Ihave shown the propriety of this simile of the 
apostle in the note on John xii, 24, to which I 

Vor, 11.--- 1} 


other grain: 885. But God giveth it a body 
as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his 
own body. 89 All flesh zis not the same flesh: 
but there is one kind of flesh of men, another 
flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another 
of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, 
and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the 
celestial 7s one, and the glory of the terrestrial 


a John 12. 24. 


must refer the reader. A grain of wheat, etc., is 
composed of the body or lobe, and the germ. The 
latter forms an inconsiderable part of the mass of 
the grain; the body, lobe, or farinaceous part, 
forms nearly the whole. This body dies—becomes 
decomposed, and forms a fine earth, from which the 
germ derives its first nourishment ; by the nourish- 
ment thus derived the germ is guickened, receives 
its first vegetable life, and through this means is 
rendered capable of deriving the rest of its nourish- 
ment and support from the grosser earth in which 
the grain was deposited. Whether the apostle 
would intimate here that there is a certain germ in 
the present body, which shall become the seed of 
the resurrection body, this is not the place to in- 
quire. [Evidently, however, this interpretation 
leads to the ‘‘ germ ” theory, which very few now 
accept. | 

27. Thou sowest not that body that shall 
be—[The point of this illustration seems to be, 
that as the plant which comes in the place of the 
seed is something quite different in character and 
appearance from that which was sown, and which 
seemed to have perished, so will the resurrection 
body differ from the natural body. It is certain 
that the life of the plant existed potentially in the 
seed before its germination. ] 

38. But God giveth it a body—[And such a 
body as was that on which the seed sown grew. 
To every seed his (its) own body—A body of 
its own distinctive nature, whether of wheat or of 
any other grain. The illustration teaches, that as 
with the seed, so with the human body. God will, 
at the resurrection, give to every dead human being 
the same body, in all its essential parts, as formerly 
belonged to it, but adapted to the changed and 
higher mode of existence on which it is about to 
enter. } 

39. All flesh is not the same flesh—Though 
the organization of all animals is, in its general 
principles, the same, yet there are no two different 
kinds of animals that have flesh of the same fla- 
vour, whether the animal be beast, fowl, or fish. 
[With the unity of the genus, (σάρξ, flesh, the 
animal kingdom,) there exists a striking difference 
in the species.—ATing.] __[If, then, we see such a 
variety in the organization of flesh and blood here, 
the inference is, that we may find a still greater 
variety of organizations existing in other spheres.— 
Dr. Poor.| [Even earthly bodies differ from 
earthly, and heavenly bodies from heavenly. What 
wonder, then, if heavenly bodies differ from earthly : 
or the bodies which rise from those that lay in the 
grave 3] 

40, There are also celestial bodies, and bod- 
ies terrestrial—The apostle certainly does not 
speak of “celéstial” and “ terrestrial” bodies in 
the sense in which we use those terms: we invari- 
ably mean by the former the sun, moon, planets, 
and stars; by the latter, masses of inanimate mat- 
ter. But the apostle speaks of human beings, 

161 


A. M. 4960. A. D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 8:9, 


I, CORINTHIANS. 


The difference between the present 
aud the future body. 


ds another. 48 There is one glory of the sun, 
and another glory of the moon, and another 
glory of the stars; for one star differeth from 
another star in glory. 42 ¥So also is the res- 
urrection of the dead, It is sown in corrup- 


tion, it is raised in incorruption: 48 210 is 
sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: it is 
sown in weakness, it is raised in power: 44 It 
is sown a natural body, it is raised-a spiritual 
body. There is a natural body, and there is a 


y Dan, 12. ὃ: Matt. 13. 43. 


2 Phil. 3. 21. 


some of which were clothed with celestial, others 
with terrestrial, bodies. [It is ποῦ agreed whether 
the apostle here means, 1) the bodies of angels, 
(respecting which we know nothing at all,) or 
2) heavenly bodies, such as the sun, moon, and 
stars. The first, is maintained by Meyer and De 
Wette, Alford and Stanley, and is apparently 
favoured by Whedon; the second, (and preferable 
one,) is favoured by Osiander and Neander, also by 
Calvin, Bloomfield, Henry, Poole, Barnes, Hodge, 
Wesley, and most others. Kling (in Lange) pre- 
fers the latter, but Dr. Poor, his translator, favours 
the former. The apostle’s intent, however, is suf- 
ficiently manifest: namely, that since there are 
such varieties and diversities in God’s works, and 
such remarkable changes occur under the opera- 
tions of his power, no inference can be made from 
men’s present bodies as to what they will be in the 
future life. This only is the entire scope and pur- 
pose of his argument: ‘It doth not yet appear 
WHAT we shall be.” 

41. There is one glory of the sun—As if he 
had said: This may be illustrated by the present ap- 
pearance of the celestial bodies which belong to our 
system. The sun has a greater degree of splendour 
than the moon ; the moon, than the planets ; and the 
planets have a greater than the stars. And even 
in the fixed stars one has a greater degree of splen- 
dour than another. [Paul is here arguing from 
existing diversities in the various organizations 
found throughout the universe, to prove that there 
may be still other and greater varieties yet to ap- 
pear; that neither the wisdom nor the power of God 
has been exhausted in the production of the dif- 
ferent kinds of bodies; and both will be made 
more signally manifest in providing for saints a 
vesture suited to the glory of Christ’s coming king- 
dom.—Dr. Poor. ] (It seems to be required that 
the word σῶμα, body, as it is used in this argu- 
ment, shall be taken in its largest and most inde- 
Re sense | 

So also is the resurrection of the dead 

_i the conclusion of the foregoing statements. | 
[The unexpressed subject of the predicates σπέι- 
᾿ς ται and &) eipeTal, “sown” and “ raised,” (verses 
2-44.) may be in each case τὸ σῶμα ; but ‘evidently 
ΠΝ word so used must be understood as indicative 
of the whole man, and not simply his material car 
eass. The “sowing” which takes place at what 
is usually called “natural death,” and which ex- 
tends to the whole man, is that falling into ruin 
of man’s complex organism which constitutes the 
complete and significant humiliation of the whole 
personality. (See Job xiv, 10; Psalms ciii, 14-16 ; 
Eccles. xii, 7; 1 Peter i, 24, ete.) To the human 
personality, (the man in his present state,) so cast 
down and destroyed BY: death, is given the promise 
of a glorious ἀνάστασις ; our υἱοθεσίαν, “ the redemp- 
tion of our body, HY (ein: vill, 23,) understanding the 
word “body” as above, Its corruption shall be 
replaced by incorruption ; its dishonour, by glory ; 
its weakness, by strength ; its psychical organism, by 
a purely spiritual mode of subsistence.] It is 
sown in corruption, it is raised in incorrup- 

162 


tion.’ Ev @opa .. . ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ, in a corruptible 
state... in an incorruptible state. 

43. Sown in dishonour—[’Ev ἀτιμίᾳ, “in dis- 
honour.” Raised in glory— Ev δόξῃ, “in glory.” 
This reference is only to the resurrection of the 
just, as throughout the whole chapter.—A/ford. | 
It is sown in weakness—The principles of dis- 
solution, cerruption, and decay have prevailed over 
t; disease undermined it, and death made it his 
prey. It is raised in power—To be no more 
liable to weakness through labour, decay by age, 
wasting by disease, and dissolution by death. 

44, It is sown a natural Ῥοᾶν- “Σῶμα ψυχικόν. 
[It (that is, the man) goes down to death, having 
existed as a complex organism, in which the merely 
animal wants and appetites and instincts have acted 
a principal, often a predominating, part; that is, 
man in his present state is very largely a creature 
of animal characteristics and propensions, from 
which he ean be entirely delivered only when he 
shall cease to bear “the image of the earthly.” 
(Verse 49.)] Itisraised a spiritual body—One 
built up on indestructible principles, and therefore 
no longer liable to death. [Recognising the essen- 
tial difference in kind between matter and spirit, it 
becomes evident that no amount of “ being subtil- 
ized” can change the former into the latter. A 
“spiritual body ” must be, therefore, in its essence, 
not a “natural” (that is, a material) body. The 
English word body, answering very fairly to the 
Greek σῶμα, signifies an individualized entity. (Σῶ- 
μα: “a whole, consisting of parts in due order.” 
Donegaws Lexicon. “Substance, reality.”,—Rob- 
inson. Body: “‘ Any substance distinct from others.” 
— Webster.) “spiritual body” is, then, a purely 
spiritual essence individualized, of which “the 
angels of God in heaven” (Matt. xxii, 30) ave dis- 
tinctive specimens.] These things must not be 
treated as rabbinical dotages. The different similes 
used by Paul have one spirit and design. As the 
seed which is sown in the earth rots, and out 
of the germ contained in it God produces a root, 
stalk, leaves, ear, and a great numerical increase of 
erains; is it not likely that God, out of some es- 
sential parts of the body that now’ is, will produce 
the resurrection body; and will then give the soul 
a body as it pleaseth him ; and so conrpletely pre- 
serve the individuality of every human being, as 
he does of every grain; giving to each its own 
body? (Verse 38.) So that, as surely as the grain 
of wheat shall produce w heat after it is east in the 

earth, corrupts, and dies, so surely shall our bodies 

produce the same bodies as to their essential indi- 
viduality. As the germination of seeds is produced 
by his wisdom and power, So shall the pure and 
perfect human body be in the resurrection. Hence 
he does not say the body is buried, but the body is 
sown; it is sown in weakness, it is sown in dis- 
honour, ete. There is a natural (psychical) body, 
and there is aspiritual body—[Such essentially 
diverse organisms are not only conceivable, but they 
actually exist, and both are found (the latter as yet 
incomplete and held in check by the former) in 
man’s complex temporal constitution. ] 


The difference between the first 
and the last Adam. 


CHAPTER XV. 


A. Μ. 4060. A.D. 56, 
Year of Rome, 809, 


spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The 
first nan Adam * was made a living soul; the 
last Adam. was made *a quickening spirit. 
46 Howbeit that was not first which js spirit- 
ual, but that which is natural; and afierward 
that which is spiritual. 47 ¢ The first man is 
of the earth, earthy: the second man és the 


Lord ‘from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, 
such are they also that are earthy: £and as is 
the heavenly, such are they also that are 
‘heavenly. 49 And *as we have borne the 
image of the earthy, 'we shall also bear the 
image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, 
brethren, that «flesh and blood cannot inherit 


aGen. 2. 7.—/ Rom. 5. 14.—c John 3d, 21: 6. 33, 39, 40, 
54,57; Phil. 3. 21; Col. 3, 4. —d John 3, 31.—e Gen. 2. 7; 3.19. 
— John 3. 13, 31. 

45. The first man Adam was made a living 
soul—These forms of expression are common 
among the Jews. ‘The apostle says this is written, 
evidently referring to Gen. ii, 7, in the words, the 
breath of lives: “the living soul” of the text. The 
last Adam... a quickening spirit—This is also 
said to be written ; but where, asks Dr. Lightfoot, 
is this written in the whole sacred book ? [Accord- 
ing to this rendering, Gen. ii, 7, expresses two dis- 
tinct processes in Adam’s creation: 1) The inbreath- 
ing of a psychical life, which man has in common 
with all animals; and 2) the superinduction on 
and over this of a rational, spiritual soul, πνεῦμα, 
something different from and infinitely above merely 
psychical being. Such a πνεῦμα, with power to 
impart his life to mankind, was our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Hence it is said that the //fe that was in 
him was “the light of men,” (John i, 4,) and he also 
declares himself to be (John xi, 25) “ the resurrection 
and the life.” (See also John v, 21, and 1 John v, 
11, 12.)] “It ought not to be passed by,” says Dr. 
Lightfoot, “that Adam, receiving from God the prom- 
ise of Christ, Zhe seed of the woman shall bruise 
the head of the serpent, and believing it, named his 
wife ΠῚ, Chavvah, that is, Life ; so the Septuagint, 
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Addu τὸ ὄνομα τὴς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Ζωῇ ; 
and Adam called the name of his wife, Life. Adam 
perceived (τὸν ἔσχατον ᾿Αδὰμ) the last Adam exhib- 
ited to him in the promise to be πνεῦμα ζωοποιοῦν, 
a quickening οὐ life-giving spirit ; and had brought 
in a better life of the soul ; and should at last bring 
in a better life of the body. Hence is that saying, 
(John i, 4,)’Ev αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἣν, In HIM was LIFE.” 
[God gave to Adam such life as other animals en- 
Joy; but the last Adam, Christ, is a quickening 
spirit. As he hath life in himself, so he quickeneth 
whom he will.— Wesley. ] 

46. That was not first which is spiritual— 
[The natural or animal body, constitution, σῶμα ψυ- 
χικόν, (verse 44,) was the first in the order of se- 
quence; that body or psychical nature in which 
Adam was created, in common with all irrational 
animals. The spiritual body, σῶμα πνευματικόν, is 
the last in order, and is that with which man was 
endowed by the breath of the Creator, (see Gen. 
ii, 7, Job xxxii, 8,) which being also indestructible, 
becomes the subject of the ἀνάστασις, the resur- 
rection. ] 

47. The first man is of the earth, earthy: 
the second man is the Lord from heaven 
— [The first man,” being “of the earth,” 
is subject to corruption and dissolution like the 
earth from which he came. “The second man,” 
St. Paul could not so well say, “is from heaven, 
heavenly; because, though man owes it to the 
earth that he is earthy, yet the Lord does not owe 
his glory to heaven. He himself made the heav- 
ens, and by descending from thence showed himself 
to us as the Lord. Christ was not the second man 
in order of time ; but in this respect, that as Adam 
was a public person who acted in the stead of all 


g Phil. 3. 20, 21.—A Genesis 5. 3. 
3. 18: 4. 11; Philippians 3. 21; 1 John 3, 2. 
John 3. 3, 4. 


4 Rom. 8, 29: 2 Cor. 
kA Matthew 16. 17; 


mankind, so was Christ. As Adam was the first 
general representative of men, Christ was the sec- 
ond and the last. And what they severally did ter- 
minated not in themselves, but affected all whom 
they represented.— Wesley. | 

48. As is the earthy, ete.—As Adam was, who 
was formed from the earth, so are all his descend- 
ants ; frail, decaying, and subject to death. As is 
the heavenly—As is the heavenly, (that is, Christ, 
the second Adam,) so are they that are ἐν Χριστῷ, 
in Christ, and so have become partakers of his 
spiritual nature, which carries with it his immor- 
tality. (1 Tim. vi, 6.) 

49. And as we have borne the image of the 
earthy—aAs being of the stock of Adam we all 
bear his likeness, and are subject to the same cor- 
ruption and death; but being also ἐν Χριστῷ, con- 
joined to Christ as our living head, (Eph. iv, 14, 
Col. i, 18,) we shall be renewed after the likeness 
of his glorious body, (Phil. iii, 21.) 

50. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
kingdom—This is a Hebrew periphrasis for man, 
and man in his present state of infirmity and de- 
cay. Manin his present state cannot inherit the 
kingdom of God; his nature is not suited to that 
place ; he could not, in his present weak state, en- 
dure an exceeding great and eternal weight of 
glory. Therefore, it is necessary that he should die 
or be changed ; that he should havea celestial body 
suited to the celestial state. The apostle is cer- 
tainly not speaking of “flesh and blood” in a 
moral sense, to signify corruption of mind and 
heart, but in a matwral sense; as such, * flesh and 
blood ” cannot inherit glory for the reasons already 
assigned. [By “flesh and blood,” not our sinful, 
fallen nature is intended, but our mortal nature, 
the animal body in its present organization. That 
this corporeal constitution cannot enter the king- 
dom of God without change is still further shown 
from the incompatibility between the two.—A Jing. ] 
[But by what “change” can this ‘ corporeal” 
substance become “incorporeal?” Jfatter, how- 
ever largely attenuated, is matfer still, and spivitual- 
ized matter is a contradiction in terms. | 
αἷμα, “flesh and blood,” are not the same in their 
united import as σῶμα ψυχικόν, and must refer to 
something of a material nature, which would seem 
to indicate that the σῶμα πνευματικὸν of the resw- 
rection is not a material body.| [St. Paul tells us that 
every individual, when he rises again, will have a 
spiritual body; but how different is the idea con- 
veyed by these words from that which some persons 
entertain, that we shall rise again with the same 
identical body. St. Paul appears effectually to pre- 
clude this notion when he says: Flesh and blood 
cannot inherit the kingdom of God—Burton’s Lec- 
tures, quoted by Conybeare and Howson.| [Ἢ φθορὰ 

ες τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν, (corruption . incorruption, ) 

the abstracts, representing the impossibility of the 

φθαρτόν (the corrupted) inheriting the ἀφθαρτόν, (the 

not corrupted,) as one grounded in these qualities. 
163 


[ Laps Kat 


A. Μ. 4060, A. 1. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


JI. CORINTHIANS. 


The resurrection body to 
be incorruptible, 


the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption 
inherit incorruption. #8 Behold, I show you 
a mystery; !We shall not all sleep, "but we 
shall all be changed, 62 In a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: "for 
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
583 For this corruptible must put on incorrup- 
tion, and °this mortal must put on immortality. 
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on 
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on 


~ 11 Thess, 4. 15, 16, 17.—m Phil. 3. 21.—n Zech, 9, 14: Matt. 
24. 31; John 5. 25; 1 Thess. 4. 16.—o2 Cor. ὅ. 4.—p Isa. 
25.8; Heb. 2. 14,15; Rev. 20. 14. 


| immortality, then shall be brought to pass the 


saying that is written, P Death is swallowed up 
in victory. 68 {0 death, where és thy sting? 
O ‘grave, where is thy victory? 56 The 
sting of death 7s si; and *the strength of sin 
is the law. 57 t But thanks be to God, which 
giveth us "the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 458 ἡ Therefore, my beloved brethren, 
be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding 
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know 
~ that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 


qa Hosen 18. 14. —r Or, hell.ms Rom. 4. 15; 5. 13; 7. 5, 13. 
——t Romans 7. 25.—w1 John 5, 4, 5.——v2 Peter 3. 15. 
w Chapter 3. 8. 


The words οὐδὲ. . . κληρονομεῖ (doth not inherit) set 
forth the absolute impossibility in the nature of 
things.— Alford. | 

51. Ishow you a mystery—That is, a thing 
which you have never known before. But what is 
this “mystery?” Why, that we shall not all 
sleep; wé shall not all die. But we shall all be 
changed—Of this the Jews had not distinct no- 
tions. For, as flesh and blood cannot inherit glory, 
and some shall not be found dead at the day of 
judgment, then these, too, must be ‘“ changed.” 
| Without doubt Paul included himself also in the 
ἡμεῖς, because he hoped to live until the coming of 
Christ.—Olshausen. So Meyer and Alford.  Elli- 
cott doubts hesitatingly. | 

52. In a moment - Ἔν ἀτόμῳ ; in an atom ; 
that is, an indivisible point of time. In the twink- 
ling of an eye—As soon as one can wink. The 
resurrection of all the dead, from the foundation 
of the world to that time, and the change of all the 
living then upon earth, shall be the work of a 
single moment. At the last trump—This, as 
well as all the rest of the peculiar phraseology of 
this chapter, is merely Jewish, and we must go to 
the Jewish writers to know what is intended. On 
this subject the rabbins use the very same expres- 
sion. Thus, Rabbi Akiba: “ How shall the holy, 
blessed God raise the dead? We are taught that 
God has a trumpet a thousand ells long, according 
to the ell of God: this trwmpet he shall b/ow, so 
that the sound of it shall extend from one extrem- 
ity of the earth tothe other.” This tradition shows 
us what we are to understand by the “last trump ” 
of the apostle; it is, that when the dead shall be 
all raised, and being clothed wpon with their eternal 
vehicles, they shall be ready to appear before the 
judgment-seat of God. [Are these ‘eternal ve- 
hicles’” made of earthy matter? and if so, have 
they the properties of matter, and, of course, sub- 
ject to its accidents? But if they are not earthy— 
“this corporeal constitution ””—then will the dust in 
the sepulchres be revivified at the resurrection ? 
Oris that great event to occur wholly within the 
spiritual realm?] F'or the trumpet shall sound 
—bBy this the apostle confirms (adapts his discourse 
to) the substance of the tradition, there shall be the 
sound of a trumpet on this great day. (See Zech. 
ix, 14; Matt. xxiv,31; John v, 25; 1 Thess. iv, 16.) 
The apostle treats this subject among the Thes. 
salonians (see the notes there) very much as he 
does here among the Corinthians. Shall be raised 
incorruptible—Fully clothed with a new body, to 
die no more. We shall be changed—That is, 
those who shall then he found a/ive. 

53. For this corruptible, ete.—Because flesh 
and blood cannot inherit glory; therefore, there 

164 


must be a refinement by death, or a change without 
it. [Is this to be a change that shall make “ flesh 
and blood” not flesh and blood 2] 

54. Death is swallowed up in victory—Ka- 
τεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος. These words are a quo- 
tation from Isa. xxv, 8: he (God) hath swallowed 
up death in victory; or, for ever. Death is here 
personified and represented as a devouring being, 
swallowing up all the generations of men; and by 
the resurrection, and the destruction of the empire 
of death, God is represented as swallowing him up. 
How glorious a time to the righteous, when the in- 
habitant shall no more say, I am sick; when God 
shall have wiped away all tears from off all faces, 
and when there shall be no more death ! 

δῦ. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, 
where is thy victory—Ilov σου, Θάνατε, τὸ Kév- 
Tpov; ποῦ cov, ἅδη, TO νῖκος. [Nearly all the later 
critics, instead of ἅδη (graves) have θάνατε (death) 
a second time, which, however, does not substan- 
tially alter the sense.] [The souls in hades being 
freed by the resurrection, death’s victory is gone.— 
Alford.| 

56. The sting of death is sin—[ Death, as sim- 
ply the transition of the spiritual self-hood (me, ἐρ- 
sum) from this to another form of existence would 
have been stingless but for sin, which itself receives 
its strength from that law of which it is the trans- 
gression. But since through Christ’s death for our 
sins (verse 8) the power of sin is removed, (Rom. 
viii, 1,) and by his resurrection, (his victory over 
death in his coming up from hades, Psa. xvi, 10,) 
which was done in his mediatorial character, by 
man for man, we are delivered from the power of 
death, our victory, so gained for us, is complete. ] 
The strength of sin is the law—Sin has its con- 
trolling and binding power from thé law. The law 
curses the transgressor, and provides no help for 
him; and if nothing else intervene, he must, 
through it, continue ever under the empire of death. 

57. But thanks be to God—What the law 
could not do, because it is /aw, (and law cannot pro- 
vide pardon,) is done by the Gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ; he has died to slay death; he has 
risen again to bring mankind from under the em- 
pire of hades. 

58. Be ye steadfast—‘Edpaio:, from ἕδρα, a 
seat ; be settled ; confide in the truth of this doe- 
trine of the resurrection, and every thing that per- 
tains to the future life, as confidently as a man sits 
down ona seat which he knows to be solid, firm, 
and safe. Unmovable—Ameraxivyrot; let nothing 
move you away from this hope of the Gospel which 
is given unto you. Always abounding in the 
work of the Lord—The ‘work of the Lord” is 
obedience to his holy word; every believer in Christ 


Paul’s directions concerning contri- 
butions fur poor Christians. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


A. M. 4000. A. Ὁ. 56. 
Year of Reme, 809. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

OW concerning *the collection for the 
saints, as I have given order to the 
churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 *Upon 
the first day of the week let every one of you 
lay by him in store, as God hath prospered 
him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 
8 And when I come, * whomsoever ye shall 
approve by your letters, them will I send to 
bring your ‘liberality unto Jerusalem. 4 ¢ And 
if it be meet that I go also, they shall go 


a Acts 11. 29; 24. 17: Rom. 15. 26; 2 Cor. 8. 4; 9.1. 12; Gal. 
2. 10.—H+ Acts 20. 7: Rev. 1. 10) ¢2Cor, 8. 19.—d Gr. gift, 
2Cor, 8. 4, 6, 19. 6 ἃ Cor. & 4, 19.—Z Acts 19, 21; 2 Cor. 1. 16. 


is aworkman of God. And he must not only work, 
but abound in that work ; ever striving to exceed 
his former self; and this not only for a time, but 
always. Your labour is not in vain—And this 
labour cannot be “in vain;” you shall have a 
resurrection unto eternal life; not because you 
have laboured, but because Christ died and gave 
you grace to be faithful. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XVI. 


1. The collection for the saints—Ilepi . . . τῆς 
Aoyiac, from λέγω, to gather or collect ; translated 
by the Vulgate, de collectis, a contribution made by 
the rich for the relief of the poor. 
living at Jerusalem, we may naturally suppose, were 
greatly straitened; as the enmity of their country- 
men to the Gospel of Christ led them to treat those 
who professed it with cruelty, and spoil them of 
their goods; (see Heb. x, 34, and Rom. xv, 26;) 
and the apostle hereby teaches that it was the duty 
of one Christian congregation to help another when 
in distress. [That poverty was no doubt increased 
by the continual troubles with which Jerusalem 
was harassed in this, the distressful close of the 
Jewish national history.— Alford. | 

2. Upon the first day of the week—The 
apostle prescribes the most convenient and proper 
method of making this contribution, Every man 
was to feel it his duty to succour his brethren in 
distress, and this he was to do, according to the 
ability which God gave him, at the conclusion of 
the week, when he had cast up his weekly earnings 
and had seen how much God had prospered his 
labour, He was to bring it on the “first day of 
the week,” probably to the church or assembly, 
that it might be put into the common treasury. It 
also appears that the ‘first day of the week” was 
the day on which their principal religious meetings 
were held in Corinth and the Churches of Galatia, 
and most likely in all other places where Christian- 
ity prevailed ; and this is a strong argument for the 
keeping of the Christian sabbath. [Just contrary 
to the practice now prevalent, by which the mother 
Churches not only bestow the Gospel but also 
large pecuniary gifts upon the heathens, these 
heathen converts send their thankofferings of 
“temporal things” to those from whom they had 
received “spiritual things.’’] 

8. Whomsoever ye shall approve by your 
letters—It is probable that Paul refers here to 
letters of recommendation which they had sent to 
him while he was away; and he now promises, 
that when he should come to Corinth he would ap- 
point those persons whom they had recommended 
to carry the alms to Jerusalem. [Some MSS. and 


The Christians * 


with me. §& Now I will come unto yon, 
fwhen I shall pass throngh Macedonia: for [ 
do pass through Macedonia. 6 And it may 
be that I will abide, yea, and winter with 
you, that ye may & bring me on my journey 
whithersoever I go. 7 For I will not see you 
now by the way; but 1 trust to tarry awhile 
with you, *if the Lord permit. αὶ But I will 
tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For ‘a 
great door and effectual is opened unto me, 
and «there are many adversaries. 10 Now 


5. 33 17. 15: 31. 5; Rom. 15, 24; 2 Cor. 1. 16, 
g 2 Acts 14. 27; 2 Cor. 2, 12; 


g Acts 15. 3; 
18, 21; chap. 4. 19; James 4. 15. 
Col. 4.3; Rev. ὃ. 3.—& Acts 19. 9. 


several Versions join δ ἐπιστολῶν, by letters, to the 
following words, and read the verse thus: ‘*‘ When 
I come, those whom ye shall approve I will send 
with letters to bring your liberality to Jerusalem.” 
This seems most natural. | 

4. And if it be meet, ete.—If it be a business 
that requires my attendance, and it be judged 
proper for me to go to Jerusalem, I will take those 
persons for my companions. [With what admi- 
rable delicacy Paul managed this whole business, 
and how carefully he guarded against the possibility 
of the suspicion that he was in any way caring for 
himself in what he was doing, is seen in these pre- 
cautionary measures, in all which he has set a val- 
uable example for all ministers or other persons 
who may become the keepers of charitable or trust 
funds. } 

5. I will come unto you, when I shall pass 
through Macedonia—tt. Paul was now at Ephe- 
sus, for almost all allow that this epistle was 
written there. Though Macedonia was not in the 
direct way from Ephesus to Corinth, yet the apog- 
tle intended to make it in his way. And it was be- 
cause it was not in the direct road, but lay at the 
upper end of the Agean Sea, and very far out of 
his direct line, that he says, 1 do pass through 
Macedonia—I have purposed to go thither before I 
go to Corinth. 

6. Yea, and winter with you—He purposed 
to stay till pentecost at Ephesus ; after that to go to 
Macedonia, and probably to spend the summer there ; 
and come in the autunm to Corinth, and there spend 
the winter. That ye may bring me on my 
journey—That ye may furnish me with the means 
of travelling. It appears, that in most cases the 
different Churches paid his expenses to other 
Churches; where this was not done, he laboured 
at his business to acquire the means of travel- 
ling. 

7. I will notsee you now by the way—From 
Ephesus to Corinth was merely across the A%gean 
Sea, and comparatively a short passage. 

8. I will tarry at Ephesus—aAnd it is very 
probable that he did so, and that all these jour- 
neys were taken as he himself had projected. (See 
verse 5.) 

9. A great door and effectual is opened— 
Oipa yap μοι avéwyev μεγάλη Kai ἐνεργῆς, a great and 
energetic door (one requiring much labour) zs opened 
to me; that is, God has made a grand opening to 
me in those parts, which I perceive will require 
much labour; and besides, I shall have many adver- 
saries to oppose me. [This plan was a change 
from his former intention, which had been (see 
2 Cor. i, 15, 16) to pass through them to Macedonia, 
and again return to them from Macedonia, and 

165 


A, M, 4060. A.D. 56. 
Year of EDA Bio. 


TI, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul gives various directions 
and commendations, 


if! Timotheus come, see that he may be with 
you without fear: for "he worketh the work 
of the Lord, as I also do. ΑΕ "Let no man 
therefore despise him: but conduct him forth 
°in peace, that he may come unto me: for | 
look for him with the brethren. #2 As 
touching ow brother P Apollos, I greatly de- 
sired him to come unto you with the brethren 

but his will was not at all to come at this time; 
but he will come when he shall have conve- 
nient time. 18 4 Watch ye, "stand fast in the 


faith, quit you like men, *be strong. - 14 t Let 
411 your things be done with charity. 15 I 
beseech you, brethren, (ye know "the house of 
Stephanas, that it 15." the firstfruits of Achaia, 
and that they have addicted themselves to 
“the ministry of the saints.) 16 * That ye 
submit yourselves unto such, and to every one 
that helpeth with ws, and ¥laboureth. 47 I 
am glad of the coming of Stephanas and For- 
tunatus and Achaicus: #for that which was 
lacking on your part they have supplied. 


7 Acts 19. 22; chan. 4. 17.—7- Rom. 16. 21; Phil. 2. 20, 22; 

. 2—-n1 Tim. 4. 12. o Acts. 15 33. ——p Chap. 
5 q Matt. 24. 42; 25. 13:1 Thess. 5. 6: 1 Peter 5. 8. 
—r Chap. ce 4 Phil, 1:7: 4. 1; 1 Thess. 3. 8 8.2 Thess. 2, 1d. 


8 Eph. 6. 10; Col. 1. 11.—t Chap. 14.1; 1 oe 4. 8. uw Chap. 
1. 16.—v Rom. 16. 5.—2e2 Cor. 4; : Heb. 6, 10. 
w Heb. 13. 17.—y Heb. 6. ‘10. 22 es it 9; Phil. 2. 30; 


Philem, 13. 


thence to Judea.... This second plan he adhered 
to.—A/ford. | 

10. Now if Timotheus come—Of Timothy we 
have heard before. (Chapteriv, 17.) And we learn 
(Acts xix, 22) that Paul sent him with Erastus from 
Ephesus to Macedonia. It is evident, therefore, that 
the epistle itself was not sent by Timothy That 
he may be with you without fear— Addéfuc. 
That he may be treated well, and not perplexed and 
harassed with your divisions and jealousies. F'or 
he worketh the work of the Lord—He is di- 
vinely appointed, as Talsoam. [There must have 
been some special reason for this caution.... His 
youth occurs to us, (see 1 Tim. iv, 12,) but that is 
not enough. . . . Possibly because he would be rec- 
ognised as a friend of Paul, to whom the opposi- 
tion to the apostle might be transferred. See 
Alford.] 

11. Let no man... despise him — Let none 
pretend to say that he has not full authority from 
God to do the work of an evangelist. But con- 
duct him forth in peace—I believe, with Bishop 
Pearce, that this clause should be translated and 
pointed thus: Accompany him upon his journey, 
that he may come unto me in peace, ἐν εἰρήνῃ, in 
safety. For I look for him with the brethren 
—Exdéyoua... αὐτὸν μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν. This 
clause should not be understood as if Paul was 
expecting certain brethren with Timothy; but it 
was the brethren that were with Paul that were 
looking for him; J, with the brethren, am looking 
for him. 

12. As touching our brother Apollos—It ap- 
pears from this that the brethren of whom the 
apostle speaks in the preceding verse were then 
with him at Ephesus; J, with the brethren, greatly 
desired hin to come. But his will was not at 
all to come—As there had been a faction set up 
in the name of Apollos at Corinth, he probably 
thought it not prudent to go thither at this time, 
lest his presence might be the means of giving 
it either strength or countenance. 

13. Watch ye—You have many enemies; be 
continually on your guard; be always circumspect. 
Watch against evil, and for opportunities to receive 
and to do good. Watchover each other in love, and 
that none may draw you aside from the belief and 
unity of the Gospel. Stand fast in the faith— 
ITold in conscientious eredence what you have al- 
ready received as the truth of God; for it is the 
Gospel by which ye shall be saved, and by which 
ye are now put into a state of salvation. (See chap- 
ter xv, 1,2.) Quit you like men—Be not like 
children tossed to and fro with every wind of doc- 
trine ; let your understanding receive the truth; 
let your judgment determine on the absolute neces- 

166 


sity of retaining it; and give up life rather than 
give up the testimony of God. Be strong—Put 
forth all the vigour and energy which God has 
given you in maintaining and propagating the truth, 
and your spiritual strength will increase by usage. 
The terms in this verse are all military: ‘‘ Watch 
ye,” γρηγορεῖτε, watch, and be continually on 
your guard, lest you be surprised by your enemies: 
keep your scouts out and all your sentinels at 
their posts, lest your enemies steal a march upon 
you. See that the place you are in be properly 
defended; and that each be alert to perform his 
duty. 

14.:Let all your things be done with char- 
ity—Let love to God, to man, and to one another 
be the motive of all your conduct. [There seems 
to have been all along a silent sense of the lack of 
that degree and precedence of true charity among 
the Corinthian believers which was essential to 
their best interests. Hence this passing exhor- 
tation. | 

15. Ye know the house of Stephanas—They 
are reminded that Stephanas and his family had 
been addicted to the helping of the followers of 
Christ, and had been the chief instruments of sup- 
porting the work of God in Achaia, of which work 
they themselves had been the firstfruits. (See 
Rom. xvi, 5.) 

16. That ye submit yourselves unto such 
—Hence they are exhorted to have due regard to 
them, and consider them as especial instruments in 
the hand of God for countenancing and carrying on 
his great work. The submission here recommended 
does not imply obedience, but kind and courteous 
demeanour. (Eph. v, 21; 1 Pet. v, 5.) [Labours 
and sacrifices in the interests of Christ’s cause 
justly entitle those who do these things to special 
consideration in the Church’s councils. | 

17. Iam glad of the coming of Stephanas, 
ete.—It was by these that the Corinthians had sent 
that letter to the apostle, to answer which was a 
main part of the design of St. Paul in this epistle. 
Fortunatus—This man is supposed to have sur- 
vived St. Paul, and to be the same mentioned by 
Clement in his epistle to the Corinthians (sec. 59) 
as the bearer of that epistle from Clement at Rome 
to the Christians at Corinth. For that which 
was lacking on your part—This may either refer 
to additional communications besides those con- 
tained in the letter which the Corinthians sent to 
the apostle—which additional circumstances were 
furnished by the persons above, and from them St. 
Paul had a fuller aceount of their spiritual state 
than was contained in the letter—or to some con- 
tributions on their part for the support of the apos- 
tle in his peregrinations and labours. 


Various salutations and the 
apostolic blessing. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


A. M. 4060. A.D. 56. 
Year of Rome, 809. 


18 *For they have refreshed my spirit and 
yours: therefore "acknowledge ye them that 
are such. 19 The churches of Asia salute you. 
Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the 
Lord, © with the church that is in their house. 
20 ΑἸ] {πὸ brethren greet you. 4 Greet ye one 


aCol. 4. 8.—b Phil. 2. 29; 1 Thess. 5. 12.—c Rom, 16. 4, 15; 
Philem 2.—d Rom, 16, 16. 


another with a holy kiss. 22 ¢The salutation 
of me Paul with mine own hand. 22 If any 
man ‘love not the Lord Jesus Christ, ¢ let him 
be Anathema, * Maran-atha. 23°: The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24 My 
love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen 


eCol. 4. 18; 2 Thess. 3. 17.— Eph. 6. 24.—g Gal. 1. 8, 9. 
ὦ Jude 14. 15.—7 Kom. 16, 20. 


18. They have refreshed my spirit and 
yours—They have been a means of contributing 
greatly to my comfort; and what contributes to my 
comfort must increase yours. This is probably the 
meaning of the apostle. Therefore acknowledge 
ye them—Pay them particular respect, and let all 
be held in esteem in proportion to their work and 
usefulness. When this is made the rule of respect 
and esteem, then foolish and capricious attachments 
will have no place. A man will then be honoured 
in proportion to his merit; and his merit will be 
estimated by his usefulness among men. 

19. The churches of Asia salute you—That 
is, the Churches in Asia Minor. Ephesus was in 
this Asia. Aquila and Priscilla—Of these emi- 
nent persons we have heard before. (See Acts 
xviii, 2, 18, 26; Rom. xvi, 3.) With the church 
that is in their house—That is, the company of 
believers who generally worshipped there. There 
were then no buildings specially set apart as places 
of religious concourse, and the assemblies of 
Christians were necessarily held in private houses. 
It appears that Aquila and Priscilla devoted their 
house to this purpose. The house of Philemon was 
of the same kind. (Philem. verse 2.) So was like- 
wise the house of Nymphas. (Col. iv, 15.) 

20. With a holy kiss—The ancient patriarchs, 
and the Jews in general, were accustomed to kiss 
each other whenever they met; and this was a 
token of friendship and peace with them, as shak- 
ing of hands is with us. The primitive Christians 
naturally followed this example of the Jews. (See 
Rom. xvi, 16.) 

21. The salutation of me Paul with mine 
own hand—This should be rendered: “ The salu- 
tation is written by the hand of me Paul ;” yeypaz- 
Tal, is written, being understood. It is very likely 
that the apostle wrote this and the following verses 
with his own hand. The rest, though dictated by 
him, was written by an amanuensis. 

22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus— 
This is directed immediately against the Jews. 
From chapter xii, 3, we find that the Jews, who 
pretended to be under the Spirit and teaching of 
God, called Jesus ἀνάθεμα, or accursed ; that is, a 
person who should be devoted to destruction. In 
this place the apostle retorts the whole upon them- 
selves, and says: “If any man love not the Lord 
Jesus Christ,” let Him be ἀνάθεμα, acenrsed, and de- 
voted to destruction. This is not said‘in the way of 
a wish or imprecation, but as a prediction of what 
would certainly come upon them if they did not re- 
pent, and of what did come on them because they 
did not repent, but continued to hate and execrate 
the Lord Jesus ; and of what still lies upon them, 
because they continue to hate and execrate the 
Redeemer of the world. Anathema, Maran-atha 

—‘‘Let him be accursed ; our Lord cometh.” The 
former is Greek, the latter is Syriac. Our Lord is 
coming ; that is, to execute the judgment de- 
nounced. Does not the apostle refer to the last 
verse in the Bible: Lest J come and smite the land 


(Dn. cherem) with a curse? And does he not in- 
timate that the Lord was coming to smite the Jew- 
ish land with that curse? Which took place a very 
few years after, and continues on that gainsaying 
and rebellious people to the present day. What 
the apostle has said was prophetic, and ‘indicative 
of what was about to happen to that people. God 
was then coming to inflict punishment upon them ; 
he came, and they were broken and dispersed. It 
is generally allowed that the apostle refers here 
to the forms of excommunication among the 
Jews. 

23. The grace of our Lord Jesus—May the 
favour, influence, merey, and salvation procured by 
Jesus Christ be with you—prevail among you, 
rule in vou, and be exhibited by you in your life and 
conversation! Amen. 


24. My love be with you all in Christ 


Jesus — It appears exceedingly strange that the 


apostle should say, J/y love be with you; as he 
said, The grace of Christ be with you. We can 
easily conceive what the latter means; the grace 
of Christ is an active, powerful, saving principle ; 
it is essential to the existence of the Christian 
Chureh that this grace should be ever with it; and 
without this grace no individual can be saved. 

But what could the “love” of the apostle do with 
then? The pronoun μου, my, is wanting in the 
Codex Alexandrinus. Read without that, it either 
says, May Jove prevail among you! or, supplying 
the word Θεοῦ, Gop, as in 2 Cor. xiii, 14, Zhe love 
of God be with you! This gives a sound sense ; 

for the love of God is as much a principle of light, 

life, and salvation as the grace of Christ. And 

possibly MOY, my, is a corruption for OEOY, (of 
Gop.) And this is the more likely, because he 

uses this very form in the conclusion of his second 

epistle to this Church. [And yet the accepted read- 

ing is retained by the best modern critics.] [Paul’s 

heart impels him still to add this assurance at the 

very end, all the more because the divisions, im- 

moralities, and disorders in the Church had forced 

from him such severe rebukes, and even now such 

corrective appeals. He doves them, and loves them 

all— Meyer.] [The subscription, which indicates 

Philippi as the place where this epistle was written, 

is without any authority, and its statement almost 

absolutely and certainly incorrect.] [But this sub- 

scription is wanting in all the best MSS. and Ver- 

sions, either in whole or in part. There are various 

forms in the different copies, but quite certainly 

only those are correct which state that the epistle* 
was sent from Ephesus. ] 


ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS. 

In closing my observations on this epistle I feel 
it necessary once more to call the reader’s atten- 
tion to the many difficulties contained in it. It has 
already been noticed that evidently the Church at 
Corinth had written to the apostle for advice and in- 
formation on a variety of points, and that this 
epistle is, in the main, an answer to the epistle 

167 


A. M, 4060, A. Ὁ, 56, 
Year of Rome, 809. 


I. CORINTHIANS. 


Closing observations on 
this epistle. 


from Corinth. Had we that epistle these difficulties 
would probably disappear, but as its questions are 
not directly stated, but only referred to incidentally, 
it is impossible to fully understand what they were. 
Clearly the epistle abounds with matters that seem 
to be only local and temporary, often of merely 
private application, and only indirectly useful for 
general purposes. Yet it is both very curious and 
useful; it gives insight into several customs and 
not a few forms of speech and matters. relative to 
the discipline of the primitive Church, which we 
can find nowhere else; and it reads a very awful 
lesson to those who disturb the peace of society, 
make schisms in the Church of Christ, and en- 
deavour to set up one preacher at the expense of 
another. It shows us also how many improper 
things may, in a state of zgnorance or Christian in- 
fancy, be consistent with a sincere belief in the 
Gospel of Christ, and a conscientious and zealous 
attachment to it. 

In different parts of the epistle we find the 
apostle speaking very highly of the knowledge of 
this Church; and its various gifts and endowments. 
How, then, can we say that its blemishes arose from 
ignorance? I answer, that certainly only a few of 
the people at Corinth could possess those eminent 
spiritual qualifications, because the things that are 
attributed to this Church in other places are ut- 
terly inconsistent with that state of grace for 
which the apostle, in other places, appears to give 
them credit. There were, no doubt, in the Church 
at Corinth many highly gifted and very gracicus 
people; there were also there many more who, 
though they might have been partakers of some 
extraordinary gifts, had very little of that religion 
which the apostle describes in the thirteenth chap- 
ter of this epistle. We must not suppose that 
eminent endowments necessarily imply gracious dis- 
positions. A man may have much light and little 
love; he may be very wise in secular matters, and 
know but little of himself, and less of his God. 
There is as truly a learned ignorance as there is a 
refined and useful learning. The Corinthians 
abounded in knowledge and science and eloquence, 
and various extraordinary gifts ; but in many cases, 
distinctly enough marked in this epistle, they were 
grossly ignorant of the genius and design of the 
Gospel. Many, since their time, have put words 
and observances in place of the weightier matters of 
the Law and the spirit of the Gosprn. The 
apostle has taken great pains to correct these 
abuses among the Corinthians, and to insist on 
that great, unchangeable, and eternal truth, that 
love to God and man, filling the heart, hallowing 
the passions, regulating the affections, and produ- 
cing universal benevolence and beneficence, is the 
fulfilling of all law; and that all professions, 
knowledge, gifts, ete. without this, are absolutely 
useless. And did this epistle contain no more than 
what is found in the 18th chapter, yet that would 

168 


be an unparalleled monument of the apostle’s deep 
acquaintance with God, and an invaluable record 
of the sum and substance of the Gospel, left by 
God’s mercy to the Church, as a touchstone for the 
trial of creeds, confessions of faith, and ritual 
observances. 

I have often had occasion to note that the whole 
epistle refers so much to Jewish affairs, customs, 
forms of speech, ceremonies, etc., that it neces- 
sarily supposes the people to have been well ac- 
quainted with them; from this I infer that a large 
part of the Christian Church at Corinth was com- 
posed of converted Jews; and it is likely that this 
was the case in all the Churches of Asia Minor and 
Greece. Many Gentiles were undoubtedly brought 
to the knowledge of the truth; but the chief con- 
verts were from among the f/ellenistic Jews. In 
many respects Jewish phraseology prevails more in 
this epistle than even in that to the Romans. 
Without attention to this it would be impossible to 
make any consistent sense out of the 15th chapter, 
where the apostle treats so largely on the doctrine 
of the reswrrection, as almost every form and turn 
of expression is JEWIsH; and we must know what 
ideas they attached to such words and jforms of 
speech in order to enter into the spirit of the 
apostle’s meaning. 

Before I finish my concluding observations on 
this epistle, I must beg leave to call the reader’s 
attention once more to the concluding words of 
the apostle: Jf any man love not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be anathema, maran-atha. Though 
I am ready to grant that the bad Christian, namely, 
the man who professes Christianity, and yet lives 
under the power of sin, is in a very dangerous 
state; and that he who, while he credits Chris- 
tianity, is undecided as to its profession and prac- 
tice, is putting his eternal interests to the most 
awful hazard; yet I must also grant that the mean- 
ing sometimes put on the words in question is not 
correct. The words apply to the gainsaying and 
blasphemous Jews; to those who were calling 
Christ anathema, or accursed ; and cannot be ap- 
plied to any person who respects his name, or con- 
Jides in him for his salvation; much less do they 
apply to him who finds, through the yet prevalence 
of evil in his heart, and the power of temptation, 
that he has little, and, to his own apprehension, 70 
love to the Lord Jesus. The anathema of the 
apostle is denounced against him only who gives 
the anathema to Christ. It is the duty of all to 
love him with an undivided heart; if any be not 
yet able to do it, let him not be discouraged ; if the 
Lord cometh to execute judgment on him who call- 
eth Jesus accursed, he cometh also. to fulfil the 
desire of them who fear him; to make them par- 
take of the divine nature, and so cleanse their 
hearts by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit that 
they shall perfectly love him and worthily magnify 
his name, 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE 


TO 


ΠΗ ΟΕ Ν ΤΗΝ: 


AUTHORSHIP AND INTEGRITY. 


HERE seems to be no good ground for calling in question the very generally 
accepted opinion that this epistle Was, as indicated in its first sentence, 
written by the Apostle Paul. It is intimately connected with the first, following 
it up, and only differing from it as was clearly called for by the changed con- 
ditions of the circumstances among which it professes to have been written. The 
internal evidence of its identity of authorship with the preceding epistle, and of 
the Pauline origin of both, is as nearly complete as the case will allow. The ex- 
ternal evidence is also complete and entirely satisfactory, being quoted as Paul’s 
by Irenzus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and others of the 
principal Fathers of the first and second centuries. 

Respecting its integrity, doubts have been suggested, but without any adequate 
evidence for their support. It has been suggested that the epistle, as it now 
stands, is made up of three distinct documents, or epistles ; namely, 1) The first 
eight chapters which Titus bore on his second mission to Corinth; 2) A second 
(third) letter, written a little later by the apostle, in justification of what he had 
written in the first epistle ; (chapters x—xii ;) 3) Still another epistle, sent to 
other Churches in Achaia, (chapter xiii.) But all such fancies are entirely un- 
authorized by either the substance of the epistle, or anything in its history, or in 
the discussions of any of the original church authorities. Its integrity must 
therefore be accepted as entirely unimpeachable. 


TIME, PLACE, AND OCCASION. 


It is sufficiently evident that this second epistle was written not long (probably 
less than a year) after the date of the former one. Paul had recently left Asia, 
(1 Cor. i, 8,) and came by Troas (chapter 11, 12) into Macedonia, (Acts xx, 1, 2,) 
where he was, and at which place he was informed of the excitement, καυχῶμαι, 
which his first epistle to the Corinthians had produced. All who were well dis- 
posed were humbled by his reproofs; while his adversaries (of whom there 
appears to have been not a few) had been further embittered. Under these cir- 
cumstances he wrote this epistle, and sent it before him, as he designed to visit 
them, to conciliate all the true friends of the Gospel, and to prepare the rebellious 
for the severity which he contemplated being compelled to use. (See chapter 
xili, 10.) Titus, having borne Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, (2 Cor. 

169 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 


viii, 16—-18,) returned to him in Macedonia. [At what particular city is uncertain, 
though certainly 20¢ Philippi. | 


MATTER, STYLE, AND CONTENTS. 


“Tn no other epistle,” says Alford, “are these so various and so rapidly shifting 
from one character to another. Consolation and rebuke, gentleness and severity, 
earnestness and irony, succeed one another at short intervals, and without notice.” 
Meyer remarks: “The excitement and the interchange of the affections, and 
probably also the haste under which Paul probably wrote this epistle, certainly 
render the expressions often obscure and the constructions diflicult, but serve only 
to exalt our admiration of the great oratorical delicacy, art, and power with 
which this outpouring of Paul’s spirit, especially interesting as a self-defensive 
apology, flows and streams onward, till at length, in the sequel, its billows com- 
pletely overflow the opposition of the adversaries.” 

The matter of the epistle divides itself naturally into three parts : 

I. A vindication of Paul’s apostolic walk and character, both generally and in 
regard to themselves. (Chapters i-vii, 16.) 

II. A reminder of their duty to complete the collections for the poor saints 
at Jerusalem. (Chapters vili-ix, 10.) 

Ill. A justification of his apostolic dignity and efficiency against the asper- 


sions of his disparagers. (Chapters xi-xii, 1-13.) 
170 


THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


ἘΠ ΕΝ ΤΉΝ ΕΣ 


CHAPTER I. 

AUL, *an apostle of Jesus Christ by the 

will of God, and Timothy our brother, 
unto the church of God which is at Corinth, 
*with all the saints which are in all Achaia: 
2 ©Grace δὲ to you, and peace, from God our 
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
3 ὁ Blessed be God, even the Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and 
the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth 
us in all our tribulation, that we may be able 


to comfort them which are in any trouble, by 
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are com- 
forted of God. & For as the sufferings of 
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also 
aboundeth by Christ. © And whether we be 
afflicted, ‘it is for your consolation and salva- 
tion, which &is effectual in the enduring of 
the same sufferings which we also suffer: or 
whether we be comforted, it is for your con- 
solation and salvation. % And our hope of 
you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are par- 


a1 Cor, 1.1: Eph. Tos Calle bs 1 Dim: dea : 2 Tim. 1.1. 
6 Phil 1.1; Col. 1.2.—< Rom. 1.7; 1 Cor, 1, 3: Gal. 1.33 Phil. 
1.2; Col: 1.2; 1 Thess, 1. 1; 2 Thess. 1.2; Philem. 3. 

NOTES ON CITAPTER I. 

1. Paul, an apostle—See on 1 Cor.i,1. And 
Timothy—| Whose relation to this epistle is the 
same as that of Sosthenes to the first, not as aman- 
uensis, but as (subordinate) joint sender.— Me yer. | 
Our brother—[Rather, ὁ ἀδελφός, the brother, as in 
1 Cor. i, 1.] In all Achaia—The whole of the Pelo- 
ponnesus, or that country separated from the main- 
land by the Isthmus of Corinth. From this we 
may learn that this epistle was not only sent to the 
Church at Corinth, but to all the Churches in that 
country. [Not as an encyclical letter, but to the 
Christians scattered through Achaia, and attached 
to the Church community at Corinth. See Meyer.] 

2. Grace be to you, and peace —See on 
Rom. i, 7. 

3. Blessed be God—Let God have universal and 
eternal praise; for he is the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is the gift of his endless love 
to man, (John i, 16,) and the God of 411 comfort 
—the Fountain whence comes all consolation. 

4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation 
—Never leaving us a prey to anxiety, care, persecu- 
tion, or temptation; but, by the comforts of his 
Spirit, bearing us up in, through, and above all our 
trials and difficulties. That we may be able to 
comfort them—Even spiritual comforts are not 
given to us for our use alone; they, like all the 
gifts of God, are given that they may be distrib- 
uted, or become the instruments of help to others. 
The soul that has not gone through the travail of 
regeneration, and the heart that has not felt the 
love of God shed abroad by the Holy Ghost, can 
neither instruct the ignorant nor sympathize with 
and comfort the distressed. (See verse 6.) 


d Ephesi: ins 1.3 
Colossians |. 
he Romans 8. cl 


ee Acts 9, 4: chap. 4. 10: 
is wrought. 


pe Peter 1. 


2 Timothy 2 2. 15. 


dured for the cause of Christ; such as per secu 
tions, hardships, and privations ‘of different kinds. 
[Ta παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ are not the sufferings for 
Christ’s sake, (as Pelagius and others would say,) 
but the sufferings of Christ (himself,) in so far as 
every one who suffers for the Gospel suffers the 
same in category as Christ suffered. (1 Pet. iv, 13.) 


—Meyer.| |Christ’s sufferings were of two cate- 
gories—one mysterious and atoning, and to be 


shared by no creature; the other natural and in- 
cidental, with which we may have fellowship. 
(Phil. iii, 10.)] Our consolation also abound- 
eth—We stood as well, as firmly, and as easily in 
the heaviest trial as in the lightest; because the 
consolation was always proportioned to the trial 
and difficulty. Hence we learn that he who is up- 
held in a slight trial need not fear a great one; for 
if he be faithful, his consolation shall abound as 
his sufferings abound. Is it not as easy for a man 
to lift one hundred pounds’ weight as it is for an 
infant to lift a few ounces? The proportion of 
ais destroys the comparative difficulty. 

. And whether we be afflicted — (See on 
verse 4.) Which is effectual—While ye abide 
faithful to God no suffering can be prejudicial to 
you; on the contrary, it will be advantageous, God 
having your comfort and salvation continually in 
view, by all the dispensations of his providence; 
and while you patiently endure, your salvation 15 
advanced ; sufferings and consolations all becoming 
energetic means of accomplishing the great design, 
for all things work together for good to them that 
ἘΠ God. 

And our hope of you is steadfast—[The 
Ἐπ τα is here speaking generally of the commu- 


5. The sufferings of Christ —Sufferings en-j| nity of consolation subsisting mutually between 


1jl 


A.M. 4061. A.D. 57 
Year of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul’s heavy persecutions in Asia, 
His consciousness of sincerity. 


takers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of 
the consolation. 8. For we would not, breth- 
ren, have you ignorant of ‘our ee which 
came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out 
of measure, above strength, ΡΟ ἀντὶ that we 

despaired even of life: 9 But we had the 
* sentence of death in ourselves, that we should 
1 not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth 
the dead: 849 "Who delivered us from so 
great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we 
trust that he will yet deliver ws; HH Ye also 
"helping together by prayer for us, that °for 


the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many 
persons thanks may be given by many on our 
behalf. 22 For our rejoicing in this, the tes- 
timony of our conscience, that in simplicity 
and P godly sincerity, qnot with fleshly wisdom, 
but by the grace of God, we have had our con- 
versation in the world, and more abundantly 
to you-ward. 418 For we write none other 
things unto you, than what ye read or ac- 
knowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge 
even to the end; 14 As also ye have ac- 
knowledged us in part, τ that we are your rejoic- 


ὦ Acts 19. 23; 1 Corinthians 15. 
— Jeremiah 17. ὃ. 7. 


32; 16. 9.—& Or, answer. 
m2 Peter 2. 9, 


himself and the Corinthians, and it was this thought 
that helped to console him.—A//ord. | 

8. Our trouble which came to us in Asia— 
To what part of his history the apostle here refers 
we know not; some think it is to the Jews lying in 
wait to kill him, as stated, Acts xx, 3; others, to 
the insurrection raised against him by Demetrius 
and his fellow-craftsmen, as recorded Acts xix, 23; 
others, to his fighting with beasts at Ephesus, men- 
tioned 1 Cor. xv, 32; and others think that there is 
a reference here to some persecution which is not 
recorded in any part of the apostle’s history. [All 
these may be in a general way referred to.] We 
were pressed out of measure, above strength 
—The original is exceedingly emphatic: καθ᾽ ὑπερ- 
βολὴν ἐ βαρήθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν; we were weighed 
down beyond what (our) ) natural strength could 
support. Probably St. Paul refers to his being 
stoned at Lystra, or to certain facts which are not 
recorded. As Lystra was in Asia, and his stoning 
at Lystra did approximately destroy his life, so that 
his being raised seemed to be an effect of the mi- 
raculous power of God, he may be supposed to 
refer to this. (See Acts xiv, 19, etc.) Perhaps, 
however, the reference is to some terrible persecu- 
tion which he had endured some short time before 
his writing this epistle, and with the outlines of 
which the Corinthians had been acquainted. 

9. We had the sentence of death in our- 
selves—The tribulation was so violent and over- 
whelming that his only hope of escaping death was 
in God, with whom are the issues of life and death. 

10. Who delivered us from so great a death 
—For the circumstances were such that no human 
power could avail. Will yet deliver us—Having 
had such a signal evidence of His interposition 
already, we will confide in Him with an unshaken 
confidence that He will continue to support and 
deliver. 

11. Ye also helping together by prayer— 
Even an apostle felt the prayers of the Church of 
God necessary for his comfort and support. What 
innumerable blessings do the prayers of the follow- 
ers of God draw down on those who are the objects 
of them! The gift bestowed ... by the means 
of many persons—The blessings communicated 
by means of their prayers. Thanks may be 
given by many—Prayers answered are naturally 
and properly changed to thanksgiving. Thus, the 
prayers of many obtain the gift; and the thanks- 
givings of many acknowledge the mercy. The gift, | 1 
χάρισμα, which the apostle mentions, was his deliv- 
erance from the dangers and deaths to which he 
was exposed. 

12. For our rejoicing is this— ‘H καύχησις; 
our boasting, exultution, subject of glorying. The 

172 


nm Rom, 15. 30; Phil. 1. 19; 
Ὁ 17... 4 Ὁ... ol Gor 


Philem. 22 . 4. 15.—p Ch. 
2. 4, 13.—?' Ch. ὅ. 12. 
teeny of our conscience — Μαρτύριον τῆς 
συνειδήσεως, [consciousness.| That testimony or 
witness w hieh the mind, under the light and influence 
of the Spirit of God, renders to the understanding 
of its state, sincerity, safety, ete. In simplicity 
--Απλότητι, not compounded, without duplicity, 
having no sinister purpose, no by-ends to answer. In- 
stead of ἀπλότητι, many MSS. and Versions have 
ἁγιότητι, holiness, [which is now the generally ac- 
cepted reading. ] ‘And godly sincerity—EiAuxpuvi ia 
τοῦ Θεοῦ, the sincerity of God: that is, such a 
sincerity as comes from his work in the soul; [a 
“godly” sincerity, maintained as in the service of, 
and with respect to, God.—A/ford.] Not with 
fleshly wisdom—[Oix ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇ, in a 
strictly ethical sense | The cunning and duplicity 
of man, who is uninfluenced by the Spirit of God, 
and has his secular interest, ease, profit, pleasure, 
and worldly honour in view. But by the grace 
of God—Which alone can produce the simplicity 
and godly sincerity before mentioned, and inspire 
the wisdom that comes from above. We have 
had our conversation—'Aveorpagyuer, properly 
refers to the whole tenor of a man’s life—all that 
he does, says, and intends; and the object or end 
he has in view, and in reference to which he speaks, 
acts, and thinks. Thus acted Paul; thus acted the 
primitive Christians ; and thus must every Christian 
act who expects to see God in his glory. In the 
world—Among the unbelievers, both Jews and 
Gentiles, always walking as seeing Him who is in- 
visible. More abundantly toy you-ward—That 
is, you have witnessed the holy manner in which 
we have always acted; and Gop is witness of the 
purity of the motives by which we have been actu- 
ated; and our conscience tells us that we have 
liv ed in uprightness before him. —' 

Than what ye read — Namely, in the 
fir τ Sue which he had sent them. Oracknowl- 
edge—To be the truth of God; and which he 
hoped they would continue to acknow ledge, and not 
permit themselves to be turned aside from the hope 
of the Gospel. [Paul asserts his candour in writing 
which must have been assailed by his opponents, 
who probably maintained, “ His letters to us are 
not the expression of his genuine, inmost opinion.” 
— Meyer. | 

14. Have acknowledged us in part—’A76 
μέρους, some of you. It is evident, from the dis- 
tracted state of the Corinthians and the opposition 
raised there against the apostle, that it was only 
a part of them - that did acknowledge him, and re- 
ceive and profit by his epistles and advice. We 
are your rejoicing, etc.—[There existed between 
them so close and sacred a relation as to preclude the 
possibility of his deceiving them, ne side of this 


Paul declares his intention to 
bave visited Corinth. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4061. A. D. 51. 
Year of Rome, 510, 


ing, even as ‘ye also are ours in the day of the 
Lord Jesus. 45 And in this confidence tI 
was mninded to come unto you before, that ye 
might have “a second ’benetit; 16 And to 
pass by you into Macedonia, and “to come 
again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you 
to be brought on my way toward Judea 
17 When I therefore was thus minded, did 1 
use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do 
1 purpose * according to the flesh, that with me 
there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? ES But 


as God is true, our ¥ word toward you was not 
yeaand nay. 89 For the Son of God, Jesus 
Christ, who was preached among you by us, 
even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was 
not yeaand nay, *butinhim was yea. 20 °For 
all the promises of God in him are yea, and 
in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 
28 Now he which stablisheth us with you in 
Christ, and © hath anointed us, 7s God; 22 Who 
4 hath also sealed us, and © given the e earnest of 
the Spirit in our hearts. 23 Moreover ‘1 call 


8 Phil. 2.16; 4. 1; 1 Thess. 2. 19, 20.—?1 Cor, 4. 19.—w Rom. 
1..11.-- ν Or, grace. Sat Cor. 10. 5, 6.——a@ Chap. 10. 2,—— 
vy Or, pr eaching. ——z Mark 1.1: Luke1. 35; Acts ¥. 20. 


relation is, that he, as their spiritual father, was a 
pride and boast to them. ... The other side of the 
relation was, that they also were his pride and boast. 
—sSpeaker’s Com.| In the day of the Lord Jesus 
—l[In the apostle’s mind every thing in his ministry 
held a very intimate relation to Christ, as the Head 
of the Church, and to his judgments in the future 
allotments of awards for the discharge of the du- 
ties of his ministry. This, rather than any specific 
“day of judgment,” or parousia, seems to be here 
intended. | 

15. I was minded—I had purposed, in this 
confidence that our sacred relations were mutually 
recognised, to come unto you before, (1 Cor. 
xvi, 5.) He had intended to call on them in his 
way from Macedonia, but this purpose he did not 
fulfil. (See verse 23.) A second benefit—He 
had been with them once, and they had received an 
especial blessing in having the seed of life sown 
among them by the preaching of the Gospel; and 
he had purposed to visit them again, that they 
might have a “second ” blessing in having that seed 
watered. 

16. To pass by you into Macedonia—[If 
this be the same journey which is announced in 
1 Cor. xvi, 5, the idea of visiting them in the way 
to Macedonia, as well as after having passed through 
it, must have occurred to him subsequently to the 
sending of that epistle; or may even then have 
been a wish not expressed, from uncertainty as to 
its possibility, the main and longer visit being then 
principally dwelt upon. ... Paul had announced to 
them in the last epistle (see 1 Cor. v, 9) his inten- 
tion of visiting them on his way to Macedonia ; but 
the intelligence from “them of Chloe” (1 Cor. 
, 11) had altered his intention, so that in 1 Cor. 
xvi he speaks of visiting them after he had passed 
through Macedonia. For this he was accused of 
levity of purpose, (“‘ lightness,” τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ, Jickle- 
ness.) Certainly some intention of coming to them 
seems to have been mentioned in the last epistle. 
(See 1 Cor. iv, 18.) But the “being brought for- 
ward toward Judea” can hardly but be coinci- 
dent with the almsgiving scheme of 1 Cor. xvi, 4; 
in which case the two plans certainly are modifica- 
tions of one and the same.—A/ford. | 

17. Did I use lightness—When I formed this 
purpose, was it without due consideration ? and did 
I abandon it through fickleness of mind? Ac- 
cording to the flesh—[Kara σάρκα, according to 
the changeable, self-contradictory, and insincere pur- 
poses of the merely worldly and ungodly man.— 
Alford.) 

18. But as God is true—Setting the God of 
truth before my eyes, I could not act in this way; 
and as sure as he is true, so surely were my pur. 


a ΜΕΝ 13. 8.—b Rom. 15. 3. 9.----ΟἹ John 2, 20, 27. d Eph, 
1.13; 4 30; 2 Tim. 2 19; Rev, 2. 17.—e Chap. δ. o Eph. J. 14. 
-- Rom. 1. 9; chap. τὶ. 81: Gal. 1. 20; Phil. 1. 


poses sincere; but. because of my uncertainty 
about your state, I was induced to postpone my 
visit. (See verse ὃ 23.) 

19. For the Son of God, ete.—If I could have 
changed my purpose through carnal or secular in- 
terest, then I must have had the same interest in 
view when I first preached the Gospel to you, with 
Silvanus and Timotheus. But did not the whole of 
our conduct prove that we neither had nor could 
have such interest in view? [In this whole verse 
there lies a solemn, sacred emphasis. The writer 
reminds the readers of the jirst preaching of Christ 
among them, and in order to make this first preach- 
ing come to them with the whole personal weight 
of the preachers... he adds a more precise defi- 
nition of the δὲ ἡμῶν, (through us,) that is, him- 
self and Silvanis and Timotheus, to show that 
Christ had not become Nai καὶ Oi— Yes and No. He 
(Christ) has not become affirmation and negation, 
as one who affirms and denies.—Meyer.| 

20. For all the promises of God—Did not 
God fulfil his promises 6y ws—by our instrumen- 
tality, to your salvation and his own glory? God is 
true; therefore every promise of God is true. God 
will not make use of trifling, worldly men, as the 
instruments by which to fulfil his promises; but he 
has fulfilled them by ws. In him are yea, and 
in him Amen—Al]l the promises which God has 
made to mankind are “ yea ”’—true in themselves, 
and ‘amen ”—faithfully fulfilled to them who be- 
lieve in Christ Jesus. The promises are all made 
in reference to Christ; for it is only on the gospel 
system that we can have promises of grace. From 
what the apostle says here, and the serious and 
solemn manner in which he vindicates himself, it 
appears that his enemies at Corinth had made a 
handle of his not going to that city, according to 
his proposal, to defame his character and to de- 
preciate his ministry. 

21. Now he which stablisheth us with you— 
Who has brought both us and you to this sure state 
of salvation through Christ; has anointed us, giv- 
ing us the extraordinary inflnences of the Holy 
Ghost, that we might effectually administer this 
Gospel to your salvation. Is God—This phrase 
is [the subject of the whole sentence, including 
verses 21, 22; of which all that is said of esfablish- 
ig, anointing, and sealing, are grammatically the 
predicates. ] 

22. Who hath also sealed us—Deeply im- 
pressed his truth and image upon our hearts, by the 
gifts of the Holy Spirit. And given the earnest 
of the Spirit—Tov ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος. A 
clear testimony in our souls, by the divine Spirit 
dwelling constantly in us, of our acceptance with 
God, and that our ways please him. The word 

113 


A. M. 4061, A. Ὁ. 57. ' 
Year of Rome, 310. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul’s reasons for not visiting 
tue Corinthians us expected, 


God for a record upon my soul, ὁ that to spare 
you I came not as yet unto Corinth. 24 Not 
for ‘that we have dominion over your faith, 
but are helpers of your joy: for 'by faith ye 
stand. 


CHAPTER II. 


UT I determined this with myself, «that I 
would not come again to you in heaviness. 
2 For if 1 make you sorry, who is he then 
that maketh me glad, but the same which is 


2.3; 15. oil; 


11, 20; 


15; 0: 1 Cor, 
Poh, 15, =e Chap. 


g1 Cor, 4. 21; chap. 
1 Peter 5. 3.—i Rom. 


3.53 
1. 28: 


made sorry by me? 8 And I wrote this same 
unto you, lest, when I came, *I should have 
sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice ; 
ehaving confidence in you all, that’ my joy is 
the joy of you all. 4 For out of much afiic- 
tion and anguish of heart I wrote unto you 
with many tears; ὁποῦ that ye should be 
grieved, but that ye might know the love 
which I have more abundantly unto you. 
® But eif any have caused grief, he hath not 
'erieved me, but in part: that 1 may not over- 


12. as 13. 10. b Chap. 12. 21. 


7, Chapter 7. 8, 9, 12. 


¢e Chap. 7.163 8, 22; 
61 Cor. 5. 1. 


; Gal. 
F Gal. af 12. 


ἀρραβών properly signifies an earnest of something 
promised; a part of the price agreed for between a 
buyer and seller, by giving and receiving of which 
the bargain is ratified ; or a deposit, which was to 
be restored when the thing promised was given, or 
retained as part of the price. From the use of the 
term in Genesis, which the apostle puts here in 
Greek letters, we may at once see his meaning 
above, and in Eph. i, 14: the Holy Spirit being an 
“earnest”? in the heart, and an “earnest” of the 
promised inheritance, means a security given in hand 
for the fulfilment of all God’s promises relative to 
grace and eternal life. We may learn from this 
that eternal life will be given in the great day to 
all who can produce the arrhabon, or pledge. He 
who is found then with the earnest of God’s Spirit 
in his heart. shall not only be saved from death, 
but have that eternal life of which it is the pledge, 
the earnest, and the evidence. Without this there 
ean be no glory. (See Gen. xxxviii, 13, ete.) 

23. I call God for a record upon my soul— 
The apostle here resumes the subject which he left 
verse 16, and in the most solemn manner calls God 
to witness (and consequently to punish, if he as- 
serted any thing false) that it was through tender- 
ness to them that he did not visit Corinth at the 
time proposed. As there were so many scandals 
among them, the apostle had reason to believe that 
hes hould be obliged to use the severe and author- 
itative part of his function in the excommunication 
of those who had sinned, delivering them over to 
Satan for the destruction of the flesh, ete.; though 
to give them space to amend, and to see what effect 
his epistle might produce, (not having heard as yet 
from them,) he proposed to delay his coming. It 
is plain that St. Paul’s doctrine has been opposed 
by some of Corinth, (1 Cor. xv, 12,) his apostleship 
questioned, (1 Cor. ix, 1, 2, 2 Cor. xii, 13,) and 
himself despised as a person who, conscious of his 
own worthlessness, dared not to come. (1 Cor. iv, 18.) 
His letters, say they, are weighty and powerful—tull 
of boastings of what he caw and what he will do; 
but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech con- 
temptible. (2 Cor. x, 10.) This being the state in 
which his reputation was then at Corinth, and he 
having promised to come to them, (1 Cor. xvi, 5,) 
he could not but think it necessary to vindicate his 
failing them by reasons which should be both con- 
vincing and kind, such as those contained in the 
preceding verses. 

24. Not for that we have dominion over 
your faith—|This seems to be added to remove 
any false inference which might have been drawn 
from φειδόμενος, (sparing, verse 23,) as seeming to 
assert an unreasonable degree of power over them. 

He had power over them, but it was in matters 
of discipline, not of faith: over matters of faith not 
174 


even an apostle has power, seeing that it is in each 
man’s faith that he stands before God—Alford.] 
The Sacrep WritrNes, and they alone, contain what 
is necessary to faith and practice ; and no man, (or 
number of men,) society, church, council, presbytery, 
consistory, or conclave, has dominion over any 
man’s faith. The word of God alone is his rule, 
and to its Author he is to give account of the use 
he has made of it. For by faith ye stand— 
You believe not in ws, but in Gop. (2 Tim. i, 12.) 
We have prescribed to you, on his authority, what 
you are to believe; you received the Gospel as 
coming from Him, and ye stand in and by that 
faith. 
NOT##S ON CHAPTER II. 

1. But I determined this—The apostle con- 
tinues to give further reasons why he did not visit 
them at the proposed time. Because of the scan- 
dals that were among them he could not see them 
comfortably; and therefore he determined not to 
see them at all till he had reason to believe that 
those evils were put away. 

2. For if I make you sorry—Should he have 
come and used his apostolical authority in exercis- 


ing discipline upon the transgressors, this would 
have been a common cause of distress. And 


though he might expect that the sound part of the 
Chureh would be a cause of consolation to him, yet 
as all would be overwhelmed with trouble on ac- 
count of the transgressors, he could not rejoice to 
see those whom he loved in distress. 

3. And I wrote this same unto you—This I 
particularly marked in my first epistle to you; ear- 
nestly desiring your reformation, lest, if I came be- 
fore this had taken place, | must have come with 
a rod, and have inflicted chastisement on the trans- 
eressors. (See 1 Cor, v, 5.) My joy is the joy 
of you all—[In order that he might find no aftlie- 
tion when present among them, he has communi- 
cated the matter by letter. , because he is convinced 
that they would find their own joy in his joy, which, 
in the present instance, could not but be produe ed 
by the doing away of the existing evils according 
to the instructions of his letter _—Meyer.] 

4, For out of much affliction, etc.—The apos- 
tle vindicates himself from this charge of harshness 
and austerity by solemnly asserting that this was 
the most painful part of his office ; and that the 
writing of his first epistle to them cost him much 
affliction and anguish of heart, and many tears. 

5. But if any have caused grief—Here he 
seems to refer particularly to the case of the in- 
cestuous person. Grieved me, but in part—I 
cannot help thinking that the ἐκ μέρους, and ἀπὸ 
μέρους, which we render in part, and which the 
apostle uses so frequently in these epistles, are to 
be referred to the people. A part of them had 


Advises the forgiveness of the 
penitent offender, 


charge you all. 6 Sufficient to such a man ἐξ 
this spunishment, which was inflicted ὃ οἵ 
many. 7 'So that contrariwise ye ought rath- 
er to forgive him, and comfort him, lest per- 
haps such a one should be swallowed up with 
overmuch sorrow. & Wherefore I beseech 
you that ye would contirm your love toward 
him. 9. For to this end also did I write, that 
I might know the proof of you, whether ye be 
k obedient in all things. 10 To whom ye for- 
give any thing, | forgive also: for if I forgave 
any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your 


CHAPTER II. 


A.M. 4061. A.D. 57, 
Year of Rote, 810, 


sakes forgave I it'in the person of Christ ; 
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of 
us: for we are not ignorant of his devices, 

12 Furthermore, ™when I came to -Troas to 
preach Christ’s gospel, and "a door was opened 
unto me of the Lord, 48 91 had no rest in 
iny spirit, because 1 found not Titus my broth- 
er; but taking my leave of them, I went from 
thence into Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be 
unto God, which always causeth us to triumph 
in Christ, and maketh manifest Ρ the savour of 
his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For 


g Or, censuwre.—/1 Cor. 5. 4, 5: 1 Tim. 5. 20.—i Gal. 6. 1. 
--- Chap. 7. 15; 10. 6. 


acknowledged the apostle, (chapter i, 14;) and 
here a part of them had given him cause of grief; 
and therefore he immediately adds, that I may not 
overcharge you all; as only a part of you has put 
me to pain,(namely, the transgressor, and those who 
had taken his part,) it w ould be unreasonable that 
I should load you all, éxtBapo πάντας ὑμᾶς, with the 
blame which attaches to that party alone. 

6. Sufficient to such a man is this punish- 
ment —That is, the man has already suffered suf- 
ficiently. He had been disowned by the Church ; 
he had deeply repented ; and now the apostle pleads 
for him. Of many—[‘Yr0 τῶν πλειόνων, by the 
majority, (that is, of the Corinthian Church.) It 
is probable that the majority of the church mem- 
bers had considered the sinner as one excommuni- 
cated, (though that was not really the case,) and 
had given up all fellowship with him... .The real 
and great repentance of the sinner (see verse 7) in- 
duced the apostle to overlook the incompleteness 
in carrying out his orders for excommunication, 
(1 Cor. ν, 13,) and now to pronounce the ἱκανὸν, 
“enough,” and desire his pardon.— Weyer. ] 

7. Ye ought rather to forgive him—The pun- 
ishment inflicted had answered its end, and there 
was some danger that, if this poor culprit were not 
restored to the bosom of the Church, his distress 
might drive him to despair. 

8. That ye would confirm your love to- 
ward him—Now that he has repented, J beseech 
you to confirm, (κυρῶσαι, to ratify,) by a publie act 
of the Church, your love to him; give him the 


fullest proof that you do love him, by restoring him 


to his place in the Chureh. 

9. For to this end also did I write—Eypayia, 
in the former epistle, also the advices and commands 
which I now give you, that I might know wheth- 
er ye be obedient in all things. [Of which 
their prompt obedience gave ample proof. ] 

10. To whom ye forgive any thing—Here 
Paul further shows them that his object in the pun- 
ishment inflicted on the transgressor was his amend- 
ment, and therefore he promises to ratify, in the 
name and authority of Christ, the free pardon 
which he exhorts them to dispense. In the per- 
son (presence, προσώπῳ) Of Christ—As I believe 
Christ acts toward his penitent soul, so do 1. [In 
the fullest purity and truth. It has taken place in 
the pr esence of Christ, so that he was a witness of 

it.— Meyer. 1 

11. Lest Satan should get an advantage— 
[Iva μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, lest we 
should be defrauded (outdone) by Satan, in robbing 
us of some of our people, namely, in causing the 
penitent offender to despair and fall away from the 
faith... The reference has the further propriety, 


LOr, in the sight.—m Acts 16. 8; 20. 6.—n1 Cor. 16. 9.— 
oChap. 7. 5, 6.—v Cant. 1. 3. 


since the offender was to be delivered over to Sa- 
tan “ for the destruction of the flesh,” (1 Cor. v, 5,) 
(the scourging away of his fleshly lusts,) and now 
care must be taken that this shall not be carried 
too far, so that his soul shall also be in danger of 
perishing.]| For we are not ignorant of his 
(Satan’s) devices—[Ta νοήματα, thoughts, (things 
studied out, designs ;) such as coming from him 
should be special matters of observation to every 
Christian, and especially so to all Christian minis- 
ters. .. . The personality and (intelligent) agency of 
the adversary can hardly be recognised in plainer 
terms than is here done. See Alford.] 

12. When I came to Troas — After having 
written the former epistle, and not having heard 
what effect it had produced on your minds; though 
the Lord had opened mea particular door to preach 
the Gospel, in which I so especially rejoice and 
glory. Τὶς τὴν Τρῳάδα, (the region rather thanthe 
city.) ᾿Ελθὼν, coming, namely, on his journey from 
Ephesus. (Acts xx, 1, 2; 1 Cor. xvi, 5-9.) ἘΠ τὸ 
εὐαγγέλιον, on accorint of the Gospel, that is, for the 
purpose of preaching it. A door was opéned— 
Opportunity was given. (1 Cor. xvi, 9.)] 

13. I had no rest in my spirit—I was so con- 
cerned for you, through the love I bear you, that I 
was greatly distressed because I did not find Titus 
returned to give me an account of your state. 
But taking my leave of them—I went thence 
into Macedonia, expecting to find him there; and 
thither he did come, and gave me a joyous account 
of your state. (See chapter viii, 6, 7.) [Titus was 
instructed by Paul to travel from Corinth back to 
Troas through Macedonia, and to meet him again, 
either there or here. . . . In Macedonia, however whe 
had met Titus, and through him received good 
news of the impression made by his former epistle. 
(Chapter vii, 6.)—Meyer.] 

14. Now thanks be unto God—Ilis coming dis- 
pelled all my fears, and was the cause of the highest 
satisfaction to my mind; and filled my heart with 
gratitude to God, who always causeth us to tri- 
umph in Christ; not only gives us the victory, but 
such a victory as involves the total ruin of our ene- 
mies, and gives us cause of triunmphing in him 
through whom we have obtained this victory. A tri- 
umph among the Romans, to which the apostle here 
alludes, was a publie and solemn honour conferred by 
them on a victorious general, by allowing him a mag- 
niticent procession into and through the city. This 
was not granted by the senate unless the general had 
gained a very signal and decisive victory, conquered 
a provinee, ete. On such oceasions the general was 
usually clad in a rich purple robe interwoven with 
figures of gold, setting forth the grandeur of his 
achievements; his buskins were beset with pearls, 

175 


A. M. 4961, A, Ὁ. 57, 
Year of Rome, “lv. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Christ’s ministers are unto God 
as a sweet savour. 


we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, 4in 
them that are saved, and "in them that perish : 
16 “Τὸ the one we are the savour of death 
unto death; and to the other the savour of 
life. And twho és sufficient for these things? 
17 For we are not as many, which ἡ corrupt’ 
the word of God: but as “ of sincerity, but as 


of God, in the sight of God speak we *in 
Christ. 
CHAPTER III. 
ΤΠ)" awe begin again to commend ourselves? 
or need we, as some others, epistles of 
commendation to you, or letters of commenda- 
tion from you? 2 © Ye are our epistle written 


ΟἹ Cor. 1. 18.——7 Chap. 4. 3.—sLuke 2. 34; John 9, 39; 
1 Pet. 2. 7, 8—41 Cor, 15. 10; chap. 3. 5, 6.—w Or, deal de- 
ceitfully with. 


4) Chap. 4. 2; 11. 13; 2 Peter 2.3. 40 Chap. 1. 125 4. 
x Or, af.—a Chap. 5. 12; 10. 8, 12; 12. 11.—d Acts 18. 2 
cl Cor. 9. 2. 


λιν τες 
fs 
a 


and he wore a crown, which at first was of laurel, 
but was afterward of pure gold. In one hand he 
had a branch of laurel, the emblem of viefory, and 
in the other, his truncheon. He was carried in a 
magnificent chariot adorned with ivory and plates 
of gold, and usually drawn by two white horses. 
(Other animals were also used: when Pompey tri- 
umphed over Africa, his chariot was drawn by ele- 
phants; that of Mark Antony, by lions; that of 
Heliogabalus, by tigers; and that of Aurelius, by 
deer.) His children either sat at his feet in the 
chariot, or rode on the chariot horses. Musicians 
led up the procession, and played triumphal pieces 
in his praise; these were followed by young men, 
who led the victims which were to be sacrificed on 
the occasion, having their horns gilded and their 
heads and necks adorned with ribbons and gar- 
lands. Next followed carts loaded with the spoils 
taken from the enemy, with their horses, chariots, 
ete. These were followed by the kings, princes, 
or generals taken in the war, loaded with chains. 
Immediately after these came the triumphal chariot, 
before which, as it passed, the people strewed 
flowers, and shouted Jo triumphe! The triumphal 
chariot was followed by the senate; and the pro- 
cession was closed by the priests and their attend- 
ants, with the different sacrificial utensils, and a 
white ox, which was to be the chief victim. They 
then passed through the triumphal arch, along the 
Via Sacra, to the capitol, where the victims were 
slain. During this time all the temples were opened, 
and every altar smoked with offerings and incense. 
St. Paul had now a triumph, but of a widely different 
kind ; his triumph was in Christ, and to Christ he 
gives all the glory; his sacrifice was that of thanks- 
giving to his Lord; and the incense offered on the 
oceasion caused the savour of the knowledge of 
Christ to be manifested in every place. As the 
smoke of the victims and incense offered on such 
an occasion would fill the whole city with their 
perfume, so the odour of the name and doctrine of 
Christ filled the whole of Corinth and the neigh- 
bouring regions; and the apostles appeared as tri- 
umphing, in and through Christ, over devils, idols, 
superstition, ignorance, and vice, wherever they 
came. 

15. For we are unto God a sweet savour of 
Christ—The apostle still alludes to the case of a 
triumph; the conqueror always represented the 
person of Jupiter; as even the heathens supposed 
that God afone could give the victory; and as the 
punishment of death was inflicted on some of the 
captives, who had often rebelled and broken 
leagues and covenants, so others were spared, 
made tributaries, and often became allies. Allud- 
ing to this, the apostle says: We are a “ sweet 
savour to God ”-—we have fulfilled his will in faith- 
fully proclaiming the Gospel and fighting against 
sin. And as he has determined that those who be- 
lieve shall be saved, and those who believe not shall 

176 


{ 


perish, we are equally acceptable to him though we 
unsuccessfully preach the Gospel to some who ob- 
stinately reject it, and so perish, as we are in 
preaching to others who believe and are saved. 

16. To the one we are the savour of death 
unto death—The Gospel is the means of salvation 
to them that believe, of destruction to the unbe- 
lieving; for they are not only not saved because 
they do not believe the Gospel, but they are con- 
demned because they reject it. That the saved, 
σωζόμενοι, and they that perish, ἀπολλύμενοι, mean 
those who receive and obey the Gospel and those 
who reject it and live and die in sin, needs no 
proof. No other kinds of reprobate and elect, in 
reference to the eternal world, are known in the 
Book of Gop. Who is sufficient for these 
things—Is it the false apostle that has been la- 
bouring to pervert you? Or is it the men to whom 
God has given an extraordinary commission, and 
sealed it by the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost ? 
That this is the apostle’s meaning is evident from 
the following verse. 

17. For we arenot as many, which corrupt 
the word of God—God has made ts “ sufficient 
for these things” by giving us his own pure doctrine, 
the ministry of reconciliation, which we preach ; and 
we act, not like many among you, who, having re- 
ceived that doctrine, “corrupt” it; mingling with 
it their own inventions, and explaining away its 
force and influence, so as to accommodate it to men 
of carnal minds. The word καπηλεύοντες (corrupt- 
ing) is used to signify any artifice employed to get 
gain by making a thing look more or better than it 
is ; or mingling that which is excellent with what 
is not so to promote the gain of the adulterator. 
But as of sincerity— E& εἰλικρινίας. (See chapter 
i, 12.) We receive the doctrine pure from God; 
we keep it pure, and deliver it in its purity to you. 
Speak we in Christ — In the things of his 
Gospel, as being in the sight of God—Our whole 
souls and all their motives being known to him. As 
the unprincipled dealer knows that he adulterates 
his wares; so we know that we deliver the sincere 
truth of God, as we receive it by the inspiration of 
the Spirit of truth. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 


1. Do we begin again to commend ourselves 
—T[In the first epistle there is something like self- 
assertion on the part of the apostle, in a variety of 
places, and this he does not now purpose to repeat. 
Some others (referring to the disturbers who had 
come among them) may have need of epistles of 
commendation ¢o them, or on their departure from 
them; but not so we, (the apostle and his fel- 
low-labourers,) for the reason given in the next 
verse. | 

2. Ye are our epistle written in our hearts— 
[Not borne in our hands to be shown, but engraven, 
in the consciousness of our work among you, in 


The converts to Christ are Paul’s 
letters of commendation. 


in our hearts, known and read cf all men 
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared 
to be the epistle of Christ 4ministered by us, 
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of 
the living God; not ¢in tables of stone, but 
fin fleshly tables of the heart. 4 And such 
trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4061 A. D. 57, 
Year of eae ee Eg Ὁ. See See 810. 


& *Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to 
think any thing as of ourselves; but ' our suf- 
ficiency is of God: 6 Who also hath made us 


able ‘ministers of kthe new testament; not 
‘of the letter, but of the spirit: for mthe let- 
ter killeth, » but the spirit °giveth life. 7 But 


if Pthe ministration of death, 4 written and 


34.1. —7 Psa 40 8; Jer. 81. 33: 
10. ΣΕ Joh ἢ 15. 5; chap, 2. 16, 
5 aT Cor. 3. δ: 15. 10: chap. 5. 18; 
25,29: 1 Tim, 1, 11,12; 2 Tim. 1. 11. 


a1 Cor. 3. 5.—e Exod. i 13; 
Ezek. 1]. 19; 36. 26: Heb. 
ΔΊ Cor. 15. 10; Phil. 2 
Eph. 3.7; Col. 1. 


k Jer. 3l. Matt. 26. 28: Heb. 8. n= Rain: R427: 2s 
7. 6.—m ha 8. 20% 4. 153 7.. 9. 10, 11: Gal. 3 10.—n Jolin 
6. 63: Rom, 8. 2.—o Or, quickeneth. ΞΞ ὁ Itom. 7. 10.— 
q Exod, 34. 1, 28; Deut. 10. 1. ete. 


our hearts. ] Known and read of all men— 
{Because all men are aware what issue my work 
among you has had, and receive me the more fa- 
vourably on account of it. But “all men” includes 
the Corinthians themselves; his success among 
them was his letter of recommendation fo them, as 
well as to others from them.—<A/ford.] For wher- 
ever I go 1 mention you; speak of your various gifts 
and graces ; and praise your knowledge in the Gospel. 

ὃ. ° Manifestly declared to be the epistle of 
Christ—| The words forasmuch as ye are, as they 
are not in the original, so they add nothing to the 
sense, and detract from the force of the sentence. 
The Revised Version is a great improvement upon 
this, being made manifest that ye are, ete.| Ye are in 
our hearts, and Christ has written you there ; your- 
selves are the epistle of Christ ministered by 
us; ye are the writing, but Christ used us as the pen: 
Christ dictated, and we wrote; and the divine char- 
acters are not made with ink, but with the Spirit 
of the living God; notin tables of stone, where 
men engrave contracts, or record events, but in 
fleshly tables of the heart, the work of salva- 
tion taking place in all your spiritual nature, work- 
ing that change within that is so signally mani- 
fested without. Here is not only an allusion to 
making inscriptions on stones, where one dictates 
the matter and another cuts the letters; (and prob- 
ably there were certain cases where some colouring 
matter was used to make the inscription the more 
legible ; and when the stone was engraved, it was 
set up in some public place, as monuments, inserip- 
tions, and contracts were, that they might: be seen, 
known, and read of all men ;) but the apostle may 
here refer to the ten commandments, written by 
the finger of God upon two tables of stone ; which 
writing was an evidence of the divine mission of 
Moses, as the conversion of the Corinthians was an 
evidence of the mission of St. Paul. Σαρκίναις, 
(fleshly,) as opposed to λιθίναις, (stony,) must imply 
the notion of something better, (see Ezekiel xi, 19, 
xxxv, 26,) namely, the thought of the living recep- 
tivity and susceptibility, (but nothing directly ethi- 
eal.)—Meyer.] 

4. Such trust have we—We have the fullest 
conviction that God has thus accredited our minis- 
try ; and that ye are thus converted unto him, and 
are monuments of his mercy, and proofs of the 
truth of our ministry. 

5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves— 
We do not arrogate to ourselves any power to en- 
lighten the mind or change the heart, we are only 
instruments in the hand of God. Nor was it pos- 
sible for us apostles to think, to invent, such a 
scheme of salvation as is the Gospel ; nor could we 
have fulfilled such promises as this scheme of sal- 
vation abounds with. [Ποίημα, something made, a 
work.) Ye are God’s workmanship ; and it is only 
by God’s sufficiency that we have been able todo 
any thing. The words, Avyicactai τι, which we 

Vou. IL—12 


translate “to think any thing,” signify, properly, to 
Jind any thing out by reasoning; and as the Gospel 
scheme of salvation is the subject in hand, to that 
subject the words are to be referred and limited. 
The words, however, contain also a general truth ; 
for we can neither think, act, nor be, without God. 

6. Who... hath made us able ministers— 
[[Ἰκάνωσεν, hath endowed us as ministers, ete., sig- 
nifying simply their divine call to the ministry of 
the Gospel, without any reference to this further, 
or relative ability as such. 1 _ This is a more formal 
answer to the question, Who is sufficient for these 
things ? πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός. (Chapter ii, 16.) We 
apostles execute, under the divine influence, what 
God himself has devised. We are ministers of the 
new covenant; a system which not only proves it- 
self to have come from God, but necessarily im- 
plies that God himself, by his own Spirit, is the one 
great agent in it, ever ‘bringing its mighty purposes 
to pass. Not of the letter, “but of the spirit— 
The apostle does not mean here, as some have im- 
agined, that he states himself to be a minister of 
the New Testament in opposition to the Old; and 
that it is the Old Testament that kills, and the New 
that gives life; but that the New Testament gives 
the proper meaning of the Old; for the old cove- 
nant had its “letter” and its “spirit,” its literal 
and its spiritual meaning. The Law was founded 
on the very supposition ‘of the Gospel, and all its 
sacrifices, types, and ceremonies refer to the Gos- 
pel. The Jews rested in the letter, which not only 
afforded no means of life, but killed, by condem- 
ning every transgressor to death. They did not look 
at the spirit ; did not endeavour to find out the 
spiritual meaning; and therefore they rejected 
Christ, who was the end of the law for justifiea- 
tion, and so for redemption from death to every 
one that believes. The new covenant set all these 
spiritual things at once before their eyes, and 
showed them “the end, object, and design of the 
law ; and thus the apostles who preached it were 
ministers of that Spirit which gives life. The Gos- 
pel has both its letter and its spirit ; : and multitudes 
of professing Christians, by resting in the /effer, re- 
ceive not the life which it is calculated to impart. 
Water, in baptism, is the letter that points out the 
purification of the soul; they who rest in this let- 
ter are without this purification ; and, dying in that 
state, they die eternally. Bread and wine, in the 
sacrament of the Lord’s supper, are the letter; 
the atoning efficacy of the death of Jesus, and the 
grace communicated by this to the soul of a be- 
liever, are the spirit. Multitudes rest in this let- 
ter, simply receiving these symbols, without refer- 
ence to the atonement, or to their guilt; and thus 
lose the benefit of the atonement and the salvation 
of their souls. 

7. The ministration of death—[ The ministry 
conducing to death.| The law. It was ἃ ministra- 
tion, διακονία, or service of death, since it was its 


177 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 5% 
Year of Rome, $10. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Comparative excellence of the 
old and new covenants. 


engraven in stones, was glorious, ‘so that the 
children of Israel could not steadfastly behold 
the face of Moses for the glory of his counte- 
nance; which glory was to be done away; 
§ How shall not * the ministration of the spirit 
be rather glorious? 9. For if the ministration 
of condemnation be glory, much more doth the 
ministration tof righteousness exceed in glory. 
10 For even that which was made glorious 
had no glory in this respect, by reason of the 


glory that excelleth. ΔῈ For if that which is 
done away was glorious, much more that which 
remaineth zs glorious. ἈΦ Seeing then that 
we have such hope, “we use great ¥ plainness 
of speech: ΕΞ: And not as Moses, * which put 
a veil over his face, that the children of Israel 
could not steadfastly look to *the end of that 
which is abolished: 148. But ytheir minds 
were blinded: for until this day remaineth the 
same veil untaken away in the reading of the 


r Exod. 34. 29, 30, 35. 8 Gal. 8. 5.—tRomans 1. 17: 3. 91. 
—-u Chapter 7, 4; Eph, 6. 19. —v Or, boldness.—w Exod. 34, 


province to ascertain (declare) the duty of man, to 
assign his duties, and to fix penalties for transgres- 
sions. And as man is prone to sin, and is con- 
tinually committing it, this law was to him a con- 
tinual “ministration of death.” Its detter killed ; 
and it was only the Gospel to which it referred 
that could give life, because that alone held out an 
available atonement. Yet this ministration of death 
(the ten commandments, written on stones; a part 
of the Mosaic institutions being put for the whole) 
was glorious—was full of splendour ; for the apos- 
tle refers to the thunderings, and lightnings, and 
luminous appearances which took place in the giv- 
ing of the law; so that the very body of Moses 
partook of the effu/gence in such a manner that the 
children of Israel could not look upon his face; and 
he, to hide it, was obliged to use a veil. All this 
was intended to show the excellency of that law as 
an institution coming immediately from God; and 
the apostle gives it all its heightenings, that he may 
compare it to the Gospel, and thereby prove that, 
glorious as it was, it had no glory that could be 
compared with that of the Gospel; and that even 
the glory it had was but transitory, to be done 
away, as the light of the stars, planets, and moon 
is lost in the splendour of the sun. (See Romans 
vii; Exod. xix; xx; xxxiv, 29, etc.) 

8. The ministration of the spirit—The Gos- 
pel dispensation, which gives the true spiritual 
sense of the law, [and is revealed in men’s spirit- 
ual nature by the power of the Holy Spirit.] Be 
rather glorious—[The ministry of the Spirit, 
whose characteristics are righteousness, life, and 
peace, (Rom. viii, 6,) is in its own nature glorious, 
and that not a temporary, but a permanent, glory. 
... The apostle says, ‘‘ Shall be in glory ” (future) 
because he is looking forward to the (ever-increas- 
ing glory of) Messiah’s kingdom, which glory, now 
hidden, (only partially displayed,) shall be man- 
ifested.— Speaker's Com.] 

9. The ministration of condemnation—The 
Law, which ascertained sin, and condemned it to 
just punishment. The ministration of right- 
eousness—The Gospel, the grand business of which 
was to proclaim the doctrine (δικαιοσύνης) of justifi- 
cation ; and to show how God: could be just and 
yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. 
Exceed in glory—For great, glorious, and awful 
as the law may be, in its opposition to and punish- 
ment of sin; yet it must be vastly exceeded by that 
system which, evidencing an equal abhorrence of 
sin, finds out a method by which to take away its 
guilt from the conscience, and remove all its infec- 
tion from the soul. That this cow/d be done, the 
(ceremonial) law pointed out by its blood of bulls 
and of goats ; but it was impotent to the doing of 
the work: the Gospel does what the law signified ; 


and forasmuch as the performance of a promise is | 


178 


33, 39.—a Romans 10. 4; Gal. 3. 23.—vy Isa. 6.10; Matt. 13. 
11, 14; John 12. 40; Acts 23. 26; Rom. 11. 7, 8,25; ckapter 4. 4, 


greater than the promise itself, and the substance 
of a thing is greater than the shadow, so is the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ greater than the Law, with 
all its promises, types, ceremonies, and shadows. 

10. Foor even that which was made glo- 
rious—The Law, which was exhibited for a time in 
great glory and splendour, partly when it was given, 
and partly by the splendour of God in the taber- 
nacle and first temple; but all this ceased and was 
done away; was intended to give place to the Gos- 
pel. The glory that excelleth—The gospel dis- 
pensation, giving supereminent displays of the jus- 
tice, holiness, goodness, mercy, and majesty of God. 

11. For if that which is done away, etc.— 
The law is, τὸ καταργούμενον, that which is cownter- 
worked and abolished ; the Gospel, τὸ μένον, that 
which continues, which is not for a particular time, 
place, and people, as the law was; but for ΑΙ, 
times, all places, and all people. As a great, uni- 
versal, and permanent good vastly excels a good 
that is small, partial, and transitory; so does the 
gospel dispensation that of the law. 

12. Seeing ... we have such hope—[From a 
consciousness of this superior glory of his minis- 
tration the apostle uses great plainness of speech, 
(clearness, without dissimulations or double mean- 
ings,) and does not, as Moses, use a veil+—A/ford.] 
We use great plainness of speech—I1o//j) παρ- 
ρησίᾳ χρώμεθα. We speak not only with all conf- 
dence, but with all imaginable ‘“ plainness ;” keep- 
ing back nothing; disguising nothing; concealing 
nothing: and here we differ greatly from the Jew- 
ish doctors and from the Gentile philosophers, 
who affect obscurity, and endeavour, by figures, 
metaphors, and allegories, to hide every thing from 
the vulgar. But we wish that all may hear ; and 
we speak so that all may waderstand. 

13. And not as Moses—tThe splendour of Mo- 
ses’s countenance was so great that the Israelites 
could not bear to look upon Lis face, and therefore 
he was obliged to veil his face: this the apostle 
applies typically to represent the types and shadows 
by which the whole dispensation of which Moses 
was the minister was covered. So that the Israel- 
ites could not steadfastly look—could not then 
have the full view or discernment of that in which 
the Mosaic dispensation should issue and terminate, 

14. But their minds were blinded—By rest- 
ing in the letter, and looking no further, they con- 
tracted a hardness or stupidity of heart. And the 
veil that was on the face of Moses, which prevented 
the glory of his face from shining out, became em- 
blematical of the veil of darkness and ignorance on 
their hearts, which hinders the glory of the Gospel 
from shining in. Until this day remaineth the 
same veil—They are still ignorant of the spiritual 
meaning and intention of their own law, called here 
παλαία διαθήκη, the old covenant. In the reading 


Trem ise of the clearer revelation 
of the new covenant, 


CHAPTER III. 


A.M. 4061. A. D. 51. 
Year of Rome, $10. 


old testament; which vei/ is done away in 
Christ. £5 But even unto this day, when 
Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 
16 Nevertheless, "when it shall turn to the 


Lord, “the veil shall be taken away. 17 Now 
*the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit 


of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we 
all, with open face beholding pas in a glass 
4the glory of the Lord, ‘are changed into the 


_m Exod, 34. 34; Rom, 11. 23, 26. WSs ys Ἴ. mies Cor, 
5). 45: verse 6. — pt Cor. A 13, ghee 4.4, 6; 1 Tim.1, 11. 
ast Rom, & 29; 1 Cor. 15. 443 Col. 3.2 


same image from glory to glory, even as * by the 
Spirit of the Lord. 


CHAPTER IV. 


HEREFORE, seeing we lave *this minis- 
try, 'as we have received mercy, we faint 
not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things 
of «dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, 4 nor 
handling the word of God deceitfully; but, 


s Or. of the Lord the Spirit.—ma Chap ἢ 
25:1 Tim. 1. 13.—-e Gr. shame, Rom. 1. 
2. 17; 1 Thess. 9, 3, 5. 


6.—b1 Cor. 7. 
iu; Ὁ. 21.—d Chap. 


of the old testament ‘Here is an τ κει ἘΠΕ 
sion to the conduct of the Jews in their synagogues ; 
when they read the law they cover their head with 
a veil, which they term the ΓΤ, tallith, veil (;) 

and this voluntary usage of theirs the apostle 
makes an emblem of the darkness of their hearts 
while they are employed even in sacred duties. 
Which veil is done away in Christ—It is only 
by acknowledging Christ that the darkness is re- 
moved, and the end and spiritual meaning of the 
Jaw discerned. 

16. Whenit shall turn to the Lord—[“ When 
it,” (that is, καρδία αὐτῶν, not Israel, nor Moses, 
nor Tic, some one, but the heart of the ” people ; and 
this taking away becomes an individual matter, 
happening whenever and wherever conversion takes 
place.... When the heart goes in to speak with God— 
ceases to contemplate the dead letter, and begins to 
commune with the Spirit of the old covenant—then 
the veil is removed, as it was from the face of 
Moses.—A/ford.] [There does not appear to be 
here any reference to the Jewish nation as such, 
nor cai any argument be derived from this pas- 
sagen respect to their future conversion, e7 masse. | 

17. Now the Lord is that Spirit—7he Lord 
(that is, Christ) is the Spirit. [Not as to Aypostat- 
ical identity, but according to the dynamical, econoim- 
ic (administrative) pomt of view. ... Christ is the 
Spirit, in so far as at conversion, and generally in the 
whole arrangement of salvation, he communicates 
himself in the Holy Spirit, the living principle of 
the influence and indwelling of Christ. (Rom. 
viii, 9-11.)—Meyer.] And where the Spirit of 
the Lord is—Whierever this Gospel is received, 
there the Spirit of the Lord is given; and where- 
ever that Spirit lives and works, there is liberty, 
not only from Jewish bondage, but from the 
slavery of sin, from its power, its guilt, and its pol- 
lution. (See John viii, 33-36.) 

18. But we all, with open face—The Jews 
were not able to look on the face of Moses, the 
mediator of the old covenant, and therefore he was 
obliged to veil it; but all we Christians, with face 
uncovered, behold, as clearly as we can see our 
own natural face in a mirror, the glovious promises 
and privileges of the Gospel of Christ; and while 
we contemplate, we anticipate them by desire and 
hope, and apprehend them by faith, and are changed 


from the glory there represented to the enjoyment | 


of the thing which is represented, even the glorious 
image — righteousnes s and true holiness—of the 
God of glory. Κατοπτριζόμενοι properly conveys 
the sense of looking into a mirror, or discerning by 
reflected light. Mirrors, among the Jews, Greeks, 
and Romans, were made of highly polished meta/, 
(see the note on 1 Cor. xiii, 12;) it would thus often 
happen, especially in strong light, that the face 
would be greatly illuminated by this strongly re- 


flected light; and to this circumstance the apostle 
seems here to allude. So, by earnestly contem- 
plating the Gospel of Jesus with the open vision 
of faith, the soul becomes illuminated with his di- 
vine splendour, for this sacred mirror reflects back 
on the believing soul the image of Him whose per- 
fections it exhibits; and thus we see the glorious 
form after which our minds are to be fashioned ; 
and by believing and receiving the influence of his 
Spirit, “etauoppovueba, our form is changed, τὴν 
αὐτὴν εἰκόνα, into the same image which we he- 
hold there. And this is the image of God, lost by 
our fall, and now’ recovered and restored by Jesus 
Christ ; for the shining of the face of God upon us, 
that is, approbation through Christ, is the cause 
of our transformation into the divine image. As 
by the Spirit of the Lord—lBy the energy of 
that Spirit of Christ by which we are made par- 
takers of the divine nature, and escape all the cor- 
ruptions that are in the world. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Seeing we have this ministry—The [min- 
istration of the] Gospel, spoken of in the preceding 
chapter. We faint not—We meet with many 
trials and discouragements, but are supported in 
and through all by ‘the grace of the Gospel, In- 
stead of οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν, we faint nol, οὐκ ἐγκακοῦ- 
μεν, we act not badly, that is, cowardly, is the read- 
ing now generally accepted. The whole verse may 
be read thus: Wherefore. as we have obtained mercy, 
or been graciously ‘intrusted (ἡλεήθημεν) with this 
ministry, we do not act wickedly, [du not give up 
through faintheartedness or cowardice— Alfor d,| but 
have renounced the hidden things of dishone sty, ete. 

2. But have renounced — ᾿Απειπάμεθα ; we 
have disclaimed, ete., τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς aioxivyc, the 
hidden things of shame; those things which wicked 
men do; and which they are ashamed to have 
known and ashamed to own. Dr, Whitby thinks 
that the apostle refers to carnal abominations, of 
which the Jews and their rabbins were notoriously 
guilty. It ap pears from the first epistle that there 
were persons in Corinth who taught that fornication 
was no sin; and also that some he id taken the part 
of the incestuous person. Not walking in craf- 
tiness—Ilavoupy ia, in subtlety and clever cunning, 
as the false teachers did, who were accomplished 
fellows, and capable of any thing. Nor handling 
the word of God deceitfully—Not using the 
doctrines of the Gospel to serve any secular or car- 
nal purpose ; not explaining away their force so as 
to palliate or excuse sin. There were deceitful 
handlers of this kind in Corinth, and there are 
many of them still in the garb of Christian minis- 
ters ; persons who disguise that part of their creed 
which, though they believe it isof God, would make 
them ‘unpopular ; affecting moderation in order to 

179 


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II. CORINTHIANS. 


If the Gospel be not understood ft 
is because men are blinded, 


*by manifestation of the truth, ‘commending 
ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight 
of God. 8% Butif our gospel be hid, εἰν is hid 
to them that are lost: 4 In whom "the god 
of this world ‘hath blinded the minds of them 
which believe not, lest «the light of the glo- 
rious gospel of Christ, ! who is the image of 


God, should shine unto them. 5 ™For we 
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the 
Lord; and "ourselves your servants for Jesus’ 
sake. 6 For God, ° who commanded the light 
to shine out of darkness, ? hath a shined in our 
hearts, to give ‘the light of the knowledge of 
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 


eChap. 6. 4, 7: 7. 14.—/ Chap. 5. 11. g 1 Cor, 1. 18; chap. 
2. 15: 2 Thess. 2. 10.—A/7 Jolin 12. 31; 14. 30; 16. 11; Eph. 6. 12. 
—7 Isa. 5. 10; John 12. 40; chap. 3. 14.—A# Chap. 3. ὃ, 9, 
11, 18; verse 6. 


tJohn 1. 18; 12. 45: 14. 9; Phil. 2. 6; Col. 1. 15; Heh: 1. 3. 
m1 Cor. 1. 13, 23; 10. 33.—ww1 Cor. 9. 19; chap. 1. 24.— 
oGen. 1, 3.—p Gr. is he who hath, q2 Peter 1. 19.—— 
r Verse 4; 1 Pet. 2. 9. 


procure a larger audience and more extensive sup- 
port; not attacking prevalent and popular vices; 
calling dissipation of mind *velaxation, and worldly 
and carnal pleasures innocent amusements, ete. In 
a word, turning with the tide, and shifting with the 
wind of popular opinion, prejudice, fashion, ete. 
[So did not the apostle.] But, by manifestation 
of the truth—An open, explicit acknowledgment 
of what we know to be “the truth ’—what we are 
assured is the Gospel of Jesus ; concealing nothing ; 
blunting the edge of no truth; explaining spir- 
itual things, not in the words of man’s wisdom, 
but in those taught by the Spirit of God. Com- 
mending ourselves to every man’s conscience 
—Speaking so that every man’s conscience shall 
bear its testimony that we proclaim the truth of 
God. This is one characteristic of divine truth ; 
even every man’s “ conscience ” will acknowledge it, 
though it speak decidedly against his own practices. 
[Paul here ascribes to “every man” the capacity 
of moral judgment, and thus also the knowledge of 
the moral law as the major proposition of the in- 
ference of conscience.—JMeyer.| In the sight of 
God—Whose eye is ever on the heart and con- 
science of man, and who always bears testimony to 
his own word. [A sign of thorough sincerity. | 

3. But if our gospel be hid—Kexadvupévor, 
veiled. The apostle refers to the subject that he 
had treated so particularly in the conclusion of the 
preceding chapter. If there be a veil on the Gospel, 
it is only to the wilfully blind; and if any man’s 
heart be veiled that hears this Gospel, it is a 


proof that he is among the lost, ἀπολλύμενοις, those | 
who are fully under the power of sin; who have | 


given up themselves to work wickedness. The 
word more properly signifies, not those who arr 
Lost, (beyond recovery,) but those who are perish- 
ing, and will perish forever if not sought and saved. 

4. In whom the god of this world, ete.—We 
see here that those whose minds are blinded are 
they who believe not; and because they believe 
not, their minds continue in darkness, and are 
proper subjects for Satan to work on; and he 
deepens the darkness, and inereases the hardness. 
But who is meant by the “god of this world” ? 
Beyond a doubt, the same who is called the prince 
of this world, (John xvi, 11,) and the prince of 
this world is Saran. (See on John xii, 51.) [All 
that is said in verse 4 is an explanatory predicate 
of τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, them that are lost, in verse 3. 
In them, (in all such,) the devil has made blind, that 
is, incapable of the perception of the truth, the 
thoughts (τὰ νοήματα, the perceptive power of the 
conscience, chapter iii, 14) of the unbelieving. It 
is his (the devil’s) work to make the unbelieving 
blind, as respects the bringing forward of their 
power of thought to confront (and use) the light of 
the Gospel. See Meyer.] Lest the light of the 
glorious gospel—They have resisted the grace 
which God gave them, and have refused to yield to 

180 


the evidences which amply prove the Messiahship 
of Jesus; and therefore their eyes are judicially 
darkened, as it is said in the prophet: ‘‘ He hath 
closed their eyes, and hath given them the spirit of 
slumber.” That is, they have shut their eyes 
against the light, and their blindness and stupor 
are the consequence. (Johniii,19.) By “ glorious 
Gospel” we are to understand the /wminous Gos- 
pel; that which comes with so much light and evi- 
dence to every candid mind. { Εἰς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι, ete., 
in order that shall not shine unto them, the glorious 
Gospel.| (The purpose is of the devil, who blinds the 
minds of the unbelieving, i order that the enlight- 
ening truth of the Gospel might not be known and 
appropriated by them.— J/eyer.| Who is the 
image of God—Christ is called (Heb. i, 3) the 
brightness of God’s glory, and the express image of 
his ‘‘person.” See the note there. 

5. For we preach not ourselves — We pro- 
claim neither our own wisdom nor pewer; we have 
nothing but what we have received; we do not 
wish to establish our own authority, nor to procure 
our ownemolument. But Christ Jesus the Lord 
—We proclaim rue Curist, ὁ Χριστός, as the author 
of this glorious Gospel, the Mrsstan, the Avointed 
One; him of whom the prophets wrote ; and who 
is the expectation, as he is the glory, of Israel. We 
proclaim him as Jesus, (pwn, Vehoshua,) the Sa- 
viour and Deliverer, who saves men from their 
sins. (Matt. i, 21.) And we proclaim Jesus of 
Nazareth to be the long-expected Messiah; and 
that there will be none other. And further, we 
proclaim this Jesus the Messiah to be the Lorn, ὁ 
Κύριος, the great Ruler who has all power in 
heaven and earth; who made and governs the 
world; and who can save to the uttermost all that 
come to God through him. Such was the whole 
Gospel preached by St. Paul. And ourselves 
your servants—We do this for Christ’s sake ; for 
although we by our labour showyourselves to be 
your servants, (ovzove,) yet it is a voluntary ser- 
vice; and we are neither employed by you nor re- 
ceive our wages from you. We belong toJesus: and 
are your servants on his account, and by his order. 

6. For God, who commanded the light to 
shine out of darkness—The apostle refers heve 
to Gen. i, 8. For, when God created the heavens 
and the earth, DARKNESS was on the face of the deep; 
and God said, Let THERE BE LIGHT: and there was 
light. Thus he caused the light to shine out of 
darkness. Hath shined in our hearts—He has 
given our hearts the glorious light of the Gospel, 
as he has given the world the glorious light of the 
sun. The light of the knowledge—To give us 
that light, that we might enlighten others ; this ap- 
pears to me to be the design of the apostles πρὸς 
φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, or, as Dr. 
Whitby paraphrases it, ¢o give us, and enable us to 
give to others, the light of the knowledge of God 
through Christ. In the face of Jesus Christ— 


The heavenly treasure conveyed 
in earthen vessels, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 57, 
Year of Rome, 810, 


7 But we have this treasure in eveethan ves- 
sels, ‘that the excellency of the power may be 
of God, and not of us. δ We are “troubled 
on every side, yet not distressed; we are per- 


Chapter 5. 1.—71 Cor. 2.5; chapter 12, 9. u Chapter 7. 5. 
—v Or, not altogether without help, or, means. 


It is in and through Jesus that we can receive the 
divine light, and it is iz and 6y him that we can be 
made partakers of the divine glory. [Apart from 
this figurative clothing, the sense is: For it is God, 
the creator of light, who bestowed on us the spir- 
itual light communicated to us, not that we might | 
retain it for ourselves without further communica- 
tion, but that we should convey the knowledge of 
the divine glory to others in making this knowledge 
manifest to them in Christ, whom we teach them 
to know.—Jever. ] 

7. But we have this treasure in earthen 
vessels —['Ev ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, in vessels of clay. 
Contrasting with τὸν θησαυρὸν, (this Lreasure,) be- 
cause for such a treasure some more costly and 
lasting vessel seems suitable. Paul (who speaks 
not for himse/f alone) wishes not to affirm some 
special weakness of himself, but to say generally, 
Though we have so glorious a trust, yet is our body, 
{or the whole personality,) the outward organ of 
our working, subject to the lot of being easily de- 
structible.—Meyer.]| The original, ὀστρακίνοις σκεύ- 
eovv, signifies, more literally, vessels made of s/ells, 
which are very brittle. The word dotpakiva also 
means an earthen vessel which has been burnt in 
the kiln, and earthen vessels or pottery in general ; 
the difference between OKEU?) ὀστρακίνα, earthen 
ware, and σκευὴ κεράμεως, the potter's vessel, is this: 
the latter implies the vessel as it comes out of the 
hands of the potter ΒΕΡΟΚῈ it is burnt ; and the 
other is the vessel arrer it has passed through the 
kiln. The light and salvation of God in the soul is 
a heavenly treasure in a very mean casket. That 
the excellency of the power may be of God, 
and not of us—God keeps us continually depen- 
dent upon himself; we have nothing but what we 
have received, and we receive every necessary sup- 
ply just when it is necessary; and have nothing at 
our own command. The good, therefore, that is 
done, is so evidently from the power of God, that 
none can pretend | to share the glory with him. 
[The “excelleney” (ὑπερβολή, excess) means not 
only that the power is exceedingly great in itself, 
but that it greatly preponderates over all resistance. 
God intended that this be his, (in appearance as 
well as in fact,) for had he used as his ministers 
the great ones of the earth, it might have seemed 
that ‘the Gospel was established by. human agency. 
But it was clear that the work was God’s when the 
organs employed were frail and worn.—Speaker’s 
Com. ] 

8. We are troubled on every side—In this 
and the three following verses the apostle makes 
allusion to the Isthmian or Corinthian games ; and 
the terms which he employs in these verses can be 
best understood by a reference to those agonistical 
exercises to which he alludes. Dr. Hammond has 
explained the whole on this ground ; and I shall here 
borrow his help. There are four pairs of expres- 
sions taken from the customs of the agones: 
1) Troubled on every side, yet not distressed. 2) Per- 
plexed, but not in despair. 8) Persecuted, but not 
Sorsaken. 4) Cast down, but not destroyed. Thiree 
of these pairs belong to the customs of wrestling ; 


ieee but ‘not in despair; 9 Persecuted, 
but not forsaken; “cast down, but not de- 
stroyed; 10 * Always bearing about in the 
body the dying of the Lord Jesus, ythat the 


τ Psa. 37. 24.—a1 Cor. 15. 31; chap. 1. 
3. 10.—~vy Romans 8, 17; 3 Tim. 2. ΤΣ 


: Gal. 6. 17: 
1 Peter 4. 13. 


5, 9 Phil. 
12; 


the fourth, to that of running in the race. “ Troubled 
on every side,” ete., ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι. The word 
θλίβεσθαι belongs clearly to πάλη, wrestling, and 
signifies to be pressed down; to which is here 
opposed, as in a higher degree, στενοχωρείσθαι, to 
| be brought to distress, as when one cannot get out 
| of his antagonist’s hand, nor make any resistance 
against him. So in Isaiah: στενὸ χωρούμενοι ov dv- 
νάμεθα μάχεσθαι, we are brought to such extremities 
that we can fight no longer. Perplexed, but not 
in despair—Aropovpevor ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐξαποροί; μενοι. 
The word ἀπορείσθαι, to be in perplexity, is tit for 
the wrestlers who, being puzzled by their antago- 
nists’ skill, know not w hat to do: yet they are not 
ἐξαπορούμενοι, they miscarry not finally. 

9. Persecuted, but not forsaken—Amwxoduevor 
ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι. The διωκόμενοι, pursued, 
is peculiar to the δρόμος, or race, when one being 
foremost others pursue, and get up close after him, 
endeavouring to outstrip him, but cannot succeed: 
this is the meaning of οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, not 
outstripped, or outgone, as the word implies. Cast 
down, but not destroyed—Kar αβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ᾽ 

οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι. This also belongs to wrestlers, 
where he that throws the other first is conqueror. 
And then, the being not “destroyed” signifies 
that, although they were thrown down—east into 
troubles and difficulties, yet they rose again, and 
surmounted them all. [Four pairs of contrasts 
illustrate the frailty of the instruments and the ex- 
cess of the power, as shown in St. Paul’s experi- 
ence. 1) Crushed, but not penned into a corner, 
The idea is that of being jostled in a crowd. (Mark 
iii, 9.) They are hard pressed for space, but not 
driven into hopeless straits. 2) In difficulties as 
to the ways and means of carrying on their ministry 
effectually, but not reduced to utter helplessness. 
3) Persecuted, but not left in the enemies’ hands ; 
not given over to persecutors. 4) Thrown to the 
ground, but not destroyed. The notion is the pur- 
suit of a fugitive in war, who, when overtaken and 
thrown down, is usually slain. Here was the over- 
throw, but, by God’s grace, not the slaughter. The 
first pair of these contrasts refer to circumstantial 
difficulties ; the second to the animosities of ene- 
mies.—Speaker’s Com.] [Agonistie figures would 
be out of place in the present passage, and the 
attempt to find them has bewildered most of the 
modern commentators.—A/7ord. | 

10. Always bearing about in the body, ete. 
—Being every moment in danger of losing our lives 
in the cause of truth, as Jesus Christ was. We, in 
a word, bear his cross, and are ready to offer up 
our lives for him. [Néxpworc, the putting to death. 
At all times we bear about the putting to death of 
Jesus, in our body, (ourselves,) ... to violent depri- 
vation of life for the Gospel’s sake. The constant 
supreme danger of this death, (as the climax of all 
their sufferings,) and the constant actual persecu- 
tions and maltreatments, make the dying of Jesus, 
in the conception of the sufferer as of the observer, 
appear as something clinging to the body of the 
person concerned, which he carries about with 
him.—Weyer.| That the life also of Jesus might 

181 


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II. CORINTHIANS. 


Things seen are temporary, 
things uuseeu are enduring. 


life also of Jesus might be made manifest in 
our body. ΜΠ For we which live ¢are alway 
delivered unto death for Jesus’s sake, that the 
life also of Jesus might be made manifest in 
our mortal flesh. 9% So then «death worketh 
in us, but life in you. £8 We having 'the 
same spirit of faith, according as it is written, 
91 believed, and therefore have I spoken; we 
also believe, and therefore speak; 24 Know- 
ing that 4he which raised up the Lord Jesus 
shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall pre- 


sent us with you. §S For &all things are for 
your sakes, that ‘the abundant grace miglit 
through the thanksgiving of many redound to 
the glory of God. 46 For which cause we 
faint not; but though our outward man per- 
ish, yet the inward man is renewed day by 
day. 47 For "our light affliction, which is 
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 
18 ‘While we look not at the things which 
are seen, but at the things which are not seen: 


z Psa. 44. 22: Rom. 8. 36; 1 Cor. 15. 31, 49.—«a Chap. 13. 9.— 
Ὁ Rom. 1. 12; 2 Pet. 1.1. ὁ Psa, 116, 10.—d Rom 8. 11; 1 Cor. 
6. 14.--- 21 Cor. 3. 21; chap. 1.6; Col. 1. 24; 2 Tim. 2, 10. 


fF Chap. 1. 11; 8. 193; 9. 11, 12.—g Rom. 7. 22; Eph. 3. 16; Col. 
3. 10; 1 Pet. 3.4. A Matt. 5.12; Rom. 8. 18; 1 Pet. 1. 6; 5. 10. 
2 Rom, 8. 24; chap. 5.7; Heb. 11. 1. 


be made manifest—That in our preservation, the 
success of our ministry, and the miracles we work, 
we might be able to give the fullest proof that 
Jesus is risen again from the dead; and that we are 
strengthened by him to do ali these mighty works. 

11. For we which live—And yet, although we 
are preserved alive, we are in such continual dan- 
gers that we carry our life in our hands, and are 
constantly in the spirit of sacrifice. But the life 
—the preserving power—of Christ is manifest in 
our continual support. [We live in constant peril 
of death; but since we live by faith, the life of 
Christ in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is 
made manifest in us, our persons and lives. | 

12. Death worketh in us, etc. — We apostles 
are iu continual danger, and live a dying life; while 
you who have received this Gospel from us are in no 
danger. [The νέκρωσις, dying, of Jesus is especially 
seen in our case; the Cwy, life, of Jesus, in yours. 
As private Christians the Corinthians were not ex- 
posed to any great personal inconveniences, while 
the apostles stood in jeopardy every hour. } 

3. We having the same spirit of faith—As 
David had when he wrote, (Psa. exvi, 10,) “I be- 
lieved, therefore have I spoken: ” we also believe 
that we shall receive the fulfilment of all God’s 
promises; and being fully convinced of the truth 
of the Christian religion, we speak and testify that 
our deliverance is from God; and that he does not 
fail those who trust in him; and that he saves to 
the uttermost them who come unto him through 
Christ Jesus. 

14. Knowing that he which raised up the 
Lord, etc.—And though we shall at last seal this 
truth with our blood, we fear not, being persuaded 
that as Christ was raised from the dead by the 
power of the Father, so shall we be raised, and shall 
have eternal life with him in glory. 

15. For all things are for your sakes—We 
proclaim all these truths and bear all these suffer- 
ings for your sakes, thinking all our sufferings 
nothing if we can gain converts to Christ, and build 
believers up on their most holy faith. [AI] our la- 
bours, sacrifices, and dangers are intimately related 
to your salvation; through them come grace to you 
and glory to God.] That the abundant grace— 
Ἢ χάρις mAeovacaca; the abounding benefit — the 
copious outpouring of the gifts and graces of the 
Holy Spirit, by which you have been favoured and 
enriched, may, through the thanksgiving of 
many, redound to the glory of God. That is, 
that the gratitude of the multitudes which have 
been converted may keep pace with the blessings 
which they have received, and περισσεύσῃ, abound, 
as these blessings have abounded. 

16. For which cause we faint not—Oi« éyxa- 
kovuev; we do not lose heart. (See on verse τὴ, 

182 


But though our outward man —Thiat is, our 
body—that part of us that can be seen, heard, and 
felt. Perish — Be consumed by continual trials 
and afflictions, and be martyred at last. The in- 
ward man—The soul, the spiritual self. Is re- 
newed—lIs revived, and receives a daily increase 
of light and life from God; so that we grow more 
holy, more happy, and more meet for glory every 
day. It is a good antidote against the fear of death 
to find, as the body grows old and decays, the soul 
grows young and is invigorated. By the use of the 
terms the “outward man” and the “inward man” 
St. Paul shows that he was no materialist; he be- 
lieved {πᾶν we have both a body and a sowl ; and so 
far was he from supposing that when the body 
dies the whole man is decomposed, and continues 
so to the resurrection, that he asserts that the de- 
cay of the one leads to the invigorating of the 
other; and that the very decomposition of the body 
itself leaves the soul in the state of renewed youth. 
The vile doctrine of materialism is not apostolic. 

17. For our light affliction, οἵο.--- The light- 
ness of the trial is expressed by τὸ ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλί- 
wewc, the lightness of our affliction ; as if he had 
said, it is even levity itself in such a comparison. 
On the other hand, the καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβο- 
div, which we render far more exceeding, is in- 
finitely emphatical, and cannot be fully expressed 
by any translation. It signifies that all hyperboles 
fall short of describing that weight—eternal glory 
—so solid and lasting that you may pass from hyper- 
bole to hyperbole and yet, when you have gained 
the last, are infinitely below it."—Dr. Dodd. The 
apostle opposes things present to things future ; 
a moment to eternity ; lightness to weight ; afflic- 
tion to glory. Nor is he satisfied with this, but 
he adds another word, and doubles, it, saying, καθ᾽ 
ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν. This is a magnitude ex- 
cessively exceeding.— Chrysostom. 

18. While we look not at the things which 
are seen—My σκοπούντων. While we aim not at 
the things which are seen; do not make them our 
object; ave not striving to obtain them ; and be- 
cause they are πρόσκαιρα, temporary, are to have 
a short duration, and must soon end. But the 
things which we make our scope and aim are not 
seen ; they are spiritual, and therefore zvisible to 
the outward eye ; and besides, they are αἰώνια, eternal 
—things that are permanent; they are things which 
belong to God; holiness, happiness, and the end- 
less communication and fruition of himself. But 
we must remark that the light afflictions work out 
this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 
only to those who do not look at the things which 
are seen. A man may be grievously afflicted, and 
yet have his eye bent on temporal good; from his 
afilictions he can derive no benefit; though many 


Contrast between the earthly 
and the eternal house, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A.M. 4°61. A. Ἢ 5%, 
Year of Rome, 510, 


for the things which are seen are temporal; 

but the things which are not seen are eternal. 
CHAPTER V. 

For we know that, if *our earthly house of 


a Job 4.19; chap. 4.7; 2 Pet, 


think that their glorification must be a necessary 
consequence of their afflictions, and hence we do 
not unfrequently hear among the afflicted poor, 
“Well, we shall not suffer both here and in the 
other world too.”  Afflictions may be means of 
preparing us for glory if, during them, we receive 
grace to save the soul; but afflictions of themselves 
have no spiritual nor saving tendency; on the con- 
trary, they sour the unregenerated mind, and cause 
murmurings against the dispensations of divine 
Providence. That which the eyes of the flesh are 
capable of perceiving is not worthy of a soul capa- 
ble of possessing God. Nothing which is of a per- 
ishable nature can be the chief good of a being 
that was made for eternity !— Quesnel. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 


[Having indicated in the closing words of the pre- 
ceding chapter, which are closely connected with 
what follows, the contrast in respect to durability 
between the visible and the invisible things, the apos- 
tle now proceeds to express that thought more fully 
by declaring at length their sure hopes of immortal- 
ity and eternal life. Our present state is compared 
with a tent dwelling slightly constructed, adapted 
only to temporary use, and evidently designed to be 
presently superseded. It is called an earthly house, 
as belonging to our terrestrial estate; perhaps, also, 
in reference to its composition of earthly materials. 
The “if,” ἐὰν, is not used to indicate any doubtful- 
hess as to the suggested dissolution, but to show 
that although that event must come, there is be- 
yond it, or in its stead, a more glorious alternative ; 
not the fragile and temporary “ tent house,” but the 
substantial “edifice,” built by God; not a frail, 
hand-made structure, but an inorganic and spirit- 
ual substance—hypostasis. No doubt, by the disso- 
lution referred to natural death is meant, and there- 
fore “our earthly house” stands for our physico- 
psychical system, which is then dissolved ; and over 
against this stands another and widely dissimilar 
State of being, the ‘‘not-constructed house,” or 
condition of being at once heavenly and eternal. 
The present state of being, even to those who are in 
Christ, is an incomplete condition, and therefore 
not in itself satisfactory. While in it we “walk by 
faith ” and are “saved by hope,” and therefore we 
_ “groan,” στενάζομεν͵ are not satisfied, not however 
because of any present positive discomforts, but be- 
cause of our desire for ourbetter estate. The wncloth- 
ing (here the figure is changed) is desired, not for its 
own sake, “ποῦ that we would be unclothed,” but 
as an act precedent ¢o and preparatory for the 
clothing upon, the new conditioning, in the heaven- 
ly estate. Though the present life has its burdens, 
they are nevertheless quite endurable; but deliver- 
ance from it is to be desired, since “to depart and 
be with Christ is far better.” (Phil. i, 23.) The re- 
moval from the present state, which is here likened 
to one’s clothing, will not be a going out into na- 
kedness, or wnclothing, but a transition into a bet- 
ter, an exchange of our mortality to a realized im- | 
mortality. For this God has “ wrought ” us, κατερ- | 


this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a 
building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this "we 
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon 
with our house which is from heaven: $8 If 


1, 13, 14.—% Romans 8, 23, 


γασάμενος, brought us into being, “ predestinated,” 
(Rom. viii, 29,) and he has already, in part, accom- 
plished this work in us by his Spirit, which also 
has become to us the Holy Spirit of promise, and 
the “earnest” of our inheritance in heaven. Our 
present state, though our temporary home, is still 
an “absence,” a residence away from our real home, 
which is with the Lord Christ. The hope of im- 
mortality is the theme here considered; the im- 
agery of house and clothing is only imagery, and 
teaches nothing respecting the condition of the 
future. | 

1. We know—[Oidayev, speaking for himself, 
but of what was also common among believers. 
If our earthly house of this tabernacle—{'H 
ἐπίγειος ἡμῶν οἰκία τοῦ σκήνους, this our terrestrial 
house of tent, or ‘tent house,” indicative of the 
slightness and the temporary nature of our phys- 
ico-psychical system.] By earthly house the apos- 
tle most evidently means the body, in which the soul 
is represented as dwelling or sojourning for a time, 
and from which it is to be liberated at death; for 
as death dissolves the tabernacle, it can then be no 
habitation for the soul. A building of God— 
[Οἱκοδομὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ, an edifice of God, as provided 
or prepared by him.] Some think this refers to a 
certain celestial vehicle with which God invests 
holy souls on their dismissal from the body; others 
suppose it relates to the resurrection body; and 
some imagine that it relates merely to the slate of 
blessedness which the saints shall possess in the 
kingdom of glory. See the following note. 

2. For in this we groan—Xrevatouer, are ill 
al ease. While in this state, and in this body, we 
are encompassed with many infirmities, and ex- 
posed to many trials, so that life is a state of dis- 
cipline and affliction, and every thing within and 
around us says, ‘“ Arise and depart, for this is not 
your rest.” Desiring to be clothed upon with 
our house—This and the following verses are, in 
themselves, exceedingly obscure, and can be only in- 
terpreted by considering that the expressions used 
by the apostle are all Jewish, and should be in- 
terpreted according to their use of them. Schoett- 
gen has entered largely into the argument here em- 
ployed by the apostle, and brought forth much use- 
ful information. He observes that the Hebrew 
word wy 95, /abash, which answers to the apostle’s 
ἐπενδύσασθαι, to be clothed, signifies to be surrounded, 
covered, ov invested with any thing. The Jews at- 
tribute garments to the soul, both in this and the 
other world; and as they hold that all human souls 
pre-exist, they say that previously to their being 
appointed to bodies, they have a covering which 
answers the same end to them before they come in- 
to life as their bodies do afterward. [This notion 
is also held by the Mormons, and is made to do 
service in favour of polygamy |] By this garment 
or covering of the soul they mean simply what we 
understand by acquiring the image ef God—being 
made holy. This image they assert “ Adam lost by 
his fall, and they represent man in a sinful state as 
being naked.” Yet they all agree in assigning cer- 
tain vehicles to separate spirits, in which they act; 

183 


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Year of Rome, 810, 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Life or death, as God willeth, 
acceptable to his children. 


so be that © being clothed we shall not be found | 


naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle 
do groan, being burdened: not for that we 
would be unclothed, but 4clothed upon, that 
inortality might be swallowed up of life. 
5 Now ¢he that hath wrought us for the self- 
same thing 7s God, who also ‘hath given unto 
us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we 
are always confident, knowing that, whilst we 


are at home in the body, we are absent from 
the Lord: % (For ¢we walk by faith, not by 
sight:) 8. We are confident, 7 say, and " wil- 
ling rather to be absent from the body, and to 
be present with the Lord. 9. Wherefore we 
‘labour, that, whether present or absent, we 
may be accepted of him. ἘΦ * For we must 
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; 
1that every one may receive the things done in 


cRev. 3. 18; 16. 15.——d 1 Cor 15, τὶ Isa. 29, 3: Eph. 
2. 10..—7 Rom. 8. 23; chap. 1. 22, Eph. 1. 14; 4. 30.—g Rom. 
6/94, Os at Cor. 13.12) chap. 16; Heb: 11:0. 


h Phil. 1. 23.—i Or, endeavour. ik: Matt. 25. 31, 323 
mans 14. 1(0.—/ Romans 2. 6; Gal. 6.7; Eph. 6. 8; Col. 8, 
25; Rev. 22. 12. 


Ro- 
24, 


but of these vehicles they have strange notions ; yet 
they acknowledge that without them, whether they 
be of light, fire, ete., or whatever else, they cannot 
see and contemplate the Supreme Wisdom. When 
the apostle says that they earnestly desired “to be 
clothed upon with” their house which is from 
heaven, he certainly means that the great con- 
cern of all the genuine followers of God was to be 
fully prepared to enjoy the beatific vision of their 
Maker and Redeemer. 

3. If so be that being clothed—That is, fully 
prepared in this life for the glory of God. We shall 
not be found naked—Destitute in that future 
state of that divine image which shall render us 
capable of enjoying an endless glory. 

4. For we that are in this tabernacle—We 
who are in this state of trial and difficulty do groan, 
being burdened; as if he had said: The whole of 
human life is a state of suffering, and especially 
our lot, who are troubled on every side, perplexed, 
persecuted, cast down, bearing about in the body the 
duing of ovr Lord Jesus, and being always delivered 
unto death on the account of Jesus. (Chap. iv, 8-11.) 
These were sufficient burdezs, and sufficient causes 
of groaning. Not for that we would be un- 
clothed —We do not desire death; nor todie, even 
with the full prospect of eternal glory before our 
eyes, an hour before that time which God in his 
wisdom has assigned. But clothed upon — To 
have the fullest preparation for eternal glory. We 
wish not to die, whatever tribulation we may be 
called to pass through, till the whole will of God is 
accomplished iz us and by us. That mortality 
might be swallowed up of life — Being fully 
prepared for the eternal state we shall scarcely be 
said to die, all that is mortal being cast off and 
replaced by immortality and glory. (See 1 Cor. 
xv, 51-56.) From the use of these expressions 
among the Jews this seems to be the general mean- 
ing of the apostle, [who adopted and applied their 
language and imagery, but not their fancies. | 

5. Now he that hath wrought us for the 
selfsame thing—God himself has given us this 
insatiable hungering and thirsting after righteous- 
ness and immortality : 

Whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 
This lonying after immortality ? 
Earnest of the Spirit—See note on chap. i, 22. 

6. We are always confident—Oappovrrec οὗν 
πάντοτε; we are always full of courage ; we never 
despond; we know where our help lies, and, hay- 
ing the ““earnest of the Spirit,” we have the full 
assurance of hope. Whilst we are at home in 
the body, ete.—The original words in this sen- 
tence are very emphatic: ἐνδημεῖν, signifies to dwell 
among one’s people ; ἐκδημεῖν, to be a sojourner 
among a strange people. Heaven is the home of 
every genuine Christian, and it is claimed by them as 
such. (See Phil. i, 23.) Yet, while here below, the 

184 


body is the temporary home of the soul; but as the 
soul is made for eternal glory, that glory is its 
country ; and therefore it is considered as being 
from its proper home while below in the body, As 
all human souls are made for this glory, therefore 
all are considered, while here, to be absent from 
their own country. And it is not merely heaven 
that they have in view, but the Lord; without 
whom, to an immortal spirit possessed of infinite 
desires, heaven would neither be a home nor a place 
of rest. There is not the slightest intimation here 
that the soul sleeps, or rather, that there is no soul; 
and, when the body is decomposed, that there is no 
more of the man till the resurrection: I mean, ac- 
cording to the sentiments of those who do conde- 
scend to allow us a resurrection, though they deny 
us a soul. But this is a philosophy in which St. 
Paul got no lessons, either from Gamaliel, Jesus 
Christ, the Holy Ghost, or in the third heaven, 
where he heard even unutterable things. 

7. For we walk by faith—While we are in 
the present state “faith ’ supplies the place of di- 
rect vision. In the future world we shall have sight 
—the utmost evidence of spiritual and eternal 
things; as we shall be present with them, and live 
in them. Here we have the testimony of God, and 
we cannot doubt his word. And to make this more 
convincing he gives us the earnest of his Spirit, 
which is a foretaste of that glory. 

8. We are confident—We are of good courage, 
notwithstanding our many difficulties, and for the 
time being we are... willing rather to be ab- 
sent from the body—we certainly prefer a state 
of glory to a state of suffering, and the enjoyment 
of the beatific vision to even the anticipation of it 
by faith and hope; but, as Christians, we may not 
desire to die before our time. 

9. Wherefore we labour—/Aotimoiucbha; we 
act at all times on the principles of honour; we 
are, in the proper sense of the word, ambitious to 
do and say every thing consistently with our high 
vocation; and, as we claim kindred to the inhabi- 
tants of heaven, to act as they do, We may be 
accepted of him—Eidpeoro: αὐτῷ εἶναι, to be pleas- 
ing to him. Through the love we have to God, we 
study and labour to please him. This és and wail 
be our heaven, to study to love, please, and serve 
him from whom we have received both our being 
and its blessings. [ Wherefore also we make it our 
aim, (or are ambitious,) whether at home or absent, 
to be well pleasing unto him.—Revised Version. ] 

10. For we must all appear before the judg- 
ment seat—We labour to walk so as to please 
him, because we know that we shall have to give a 
solemn account of ourselves before the judgment 
seat of Christ; where he, whose religion we pro- 
fess, will judge us according to its precepts, and 
according to the light and grace which it affords. 
That every one may receive the things—Ko- 


Christ’s death an example to his fol- 
lowers not to live to themselves. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4061. A.D. 57, 
Year of Rome, 510, 


‘is body, according to that he hath done, 
whether ἐξ be good or bad. I Knowing 
therefore "the terror of the Lord, we persuade 
men; but "we are made manifest unto God; 
and I trust also are made manifest in your 
consciences. 22 For °we commend not our- 
selves again unto you, but give you occasion 
Pto glory on our behalf, that ye may have 
somewhat to answer them which glory 4in ap- 
pearance, and not in heart. 28 For ' whether 

m Job 31, 23; Hebrews 10. 31; Jude 23.—n Chapter 4. 2.— 


ὁ Chap. 3. 1.—vp Chap. 1. 14.—g Gr. in the face. 7 Chap. 
M1<1, 16, 17; 12. 6, 11. 


μίσηται ἕκαστος ; that each may receive to himself, 
into his own hand, his own reward and his own 
wages. The things done in his body — That 
is, while he was in this lower state; for in this 
sense the term “ body” is taken often in this epistle. 
We may observe also that the soul is the grand 
agent; the body is but its instrument. And it shall 
receive according to what it has done in the body. 

11. Knowing therefore the terror of the 
Lord—Eidére¢ οὖν τὸν φόβον τοῦ Kupiov, knowing 
therefore the fear (or worship) of the Lord. As we 
know what God requires of man, because we are 
favoured with his own revelation, we persuade 
men to become Christians, and to labour to be ac- 
ceptable to him, because they must all stand before 
the judgment seat; and if they receive not the 
grace of the Gospel here, they must there give up 
their accounts with sorrow and not with joy. This 
is a powerful motive to persuade men to accept the 
salvation provided for them by Christ Jesus. The 
fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We lead 
men to God through his fear and /ove, and with the 
fear of God the love of God is ever consistent ; 
(and indeed it is always implied.) But we are 
made manifest unto God—God, who searches 
the heart, knows that we are upright in our en- 
deavours to please him; and because we are fully 
persuaded of the reality of eternal things, therefore 
we are fully in earnest to have sinners converted to 
him. Manifest in your consciences—We have 
reason to believe that you have had such proof of 
our integrity and disinterestedness that your con- 
sciences must acquit us of every unworthy motive 
and of every sinister view. 

12. For we commend not ourselves—I do 
not say these things to bespeak your good opinion, 
to procure your praise, but to give you an occasion 
to glory—to exult—on our behalf; and to furnish 
you with an answer to all those. who either malign 
us or oul ministry. Them which glory in appear- 
ance—St. Paul probably speaks here concerning 
the false apostle, who had been dividing the Church 
and endeavouring to raise a party to himself, by 
vilifying both the apostle and his doctrine. 

13. Beside ourselves — Probably he was re- 
puted by some to be deranged. Festus thought so. 
And his enemies at Corinth might insinuate, not 
ouly that he was deranged, but attribute his de- 
rangement toa less worthy cause than intense study 
and deep learning. It is to God—lIf we do ap- 
pear, in speaking of the glories of the eternal 
world, to be transported beyond ourselves, it is 
through the good hand of our God upon us, and we 
do it to promote his honour. Whether we be 
sober—Speak of divine things in a more cool and 
dispassionate manner, it is that we may the better 
instruct and encourage you. 


we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or 
whether we be sober, it 7s for your cause. 
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; 
because we thus judge, that ‘if one died for 
all, then were all dead: 485 And that he died 
for all, ‘that they which live should not hence- 
forth live unto themselves. but unto him which 
died for them, and rose again. 16 " Where- 
fore henceforth know we no man after the 
flesh: yea, though we have known Clirist 


5 Rom. 5. 13. —t Rom. 6. 11, 12: 14. 7, 8: 1 Cor, 6, 19: Gal. 2, 0 
1 Thess, 5. 10; 1 Peter 4. 2.—wu Matt. 12. 56; John 15, 14; Gal, 
δ. 6; Phil. 3, 7,83 Col. 3. 11. 


—It is the effect produced by this love which συνέ- 
χει ἡμᾶς, bears us away with itself, which causes us 
to love after the similitude of that love by which 
we are influenced; and as God so loved the world 
as to give his Son for it, and as Christ so loved the 
world as to pour out his life for it, so we, influenced 
by the very same love, desire to spend and be spent 
for the glory of God and the salvation of immortal 
souls. By the fear of God the apostles endeav- 
oured to persuade and convince men, and the love 
of Christ constrained them so to act. If one died 
for all, then were all dead—The first position 
the apostle takes for granted; namely, that Jesus 
Christ died for atu mankind, This no apostolic 
man nor primitive Christian ever did or could 
doubt. The second position he infers from the 
Jirst, and justly too; for if all had not been guilty, 
and consigned to eternal death because of their sin, 
there could have been no need of his death. There- 
fore, as he most certainly died for a1, then all 
were dead, and needed his sacrifice, and the quick- 
ening power of his Spirit. 

15. And that he died for all, that they 
which live, ete.—This third position Paul draws 
from the preceding: Jf all were dead, and in danger 
of endless perdition; and if He died jor all, to save 
them from that perdition; then it justly follows 
that they are not their own, that they are bought 
by his blood ; and should not . . . live unto them- 
selves, for this is the way to final ruin; bud unto 
him who died for them, and thus made an atone- 
ment for their sins, and vose again for their justifi- 
cation. (See Gal. ii, 20.) 

16. Know we no man after the flesh—[ Kara 
σάρκα, according to merely human appearance, leav- 
ing out of account family or race, wealth, position, 
learning, freedom, or bondage, or any merely nat- 
ural conditions. See Meyer.] As we know that 
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; 
and as we know that all are alienated from God, 
and are dead in trespasses and sins; therefore we 
esteem no man on account of family relations, or 
the stock whence he proceeded, because we see all 
are shut up in unbelief, and all are children of wrath. 
Yea, though we have known Christ after the 
flesh—We cannot esteem a man who is a sinner, 
were he even allied to the blood royal of David, 
and were he of the same fami/y with the man 
Christ himself; nor can we prize a man because 
he has seen Christ in the flesh. Nothing weighs 
with us, nor with God, but redemption through 
this death, and /iving to him who died for them. 
We know that the Jews valued themselves much in 
having Abraham for their father; and some of 
the Judaizing teachers in Corinth might value them- 
selves in having seen Christ in the flesh, which cer- 
tainly St. Paul did not; hence he takes occasion to 


14. For the love of Christ constraineth us| say here that this kind of privilege availed noth- 


155 


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after the flesh, ἡ yet now henceforth know we 
him no more. ΕΠ Therefore if any man ¥ de 
in Christ, * Ae is Ya new creature: *old things 
are passed away; behold, all things are be- 
come new. 2&8 And all things are of God, 
awho hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus 
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Ifa man be in Christ he is 
a new creature, 


reconciliation; 89 To wit, that 'God was in 
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not 
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath 
©committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 
20 Now then we are! ambassadors for Christ, 
as ‘though God did beseech you by us: we 
pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to 


v John 6, 63. = ἣν Romans 8.9; 1Τῦ. 7; Gal. 6. 15.—a: On, let 
him be. y Gal. 5. 6; 6. 15.—e Isaiah 43. 18,19; 65. 17; Eph. 
9.14; Rev. 21. δ, 


a Rom, ὅ. 10; Eph. 2.16: Col 1.20: 1 John 2. 2; 4. 10.—dRom. 
8. 24, 25.—e Gr. put in us.—d Job 33. 23; Mal. 2. 7; chap. 
3.6; Eph. 6, 20, 6 Chap. 6. 1. 


ing ; for the οὐ creature, however noble, or well de- 
scended in the sight of men, is under the curse ; 
and the new creature only is such as God can ap- 
prove. 

17. If any man be in Christ—[’Ev Χριστῷ, in 
Christ. By this phrase the state of the saved soul 
is very often designated; its far-reaching, even its 
mystical, signification cannot be overlooked. We 
are saved, not only through Christ, and by him, but 
also and eminently Iv him.] A new creature— 
| Kaw κτίσις, a new something, that which by nature 
he cannot become—“ born again.” |] Only he who is 
“in Christ” isa genuine Christian, and he is ἃ ‘“‘new 
creature ;” his old state is changed: he was a child 
of Satan, he is now a child of God; he was a slave 
of sin, and his works were death; he is now made 
free from sin, and has his fruit unto holiness, and 
the end everlasting life. He was before full of 
pride and wrath ; he is now meek and humble. He 
formerly had his portion in this life, and lived for 
this world alone; he now has Gop for his portion, 
and he looks not at the things which are seen, but 
at the things which are eternal. Therefore, old 


things are passed away; behold, all things | 


are become new—The man is not only mended, 
but he is xew made: he is a creature, something new, 
a little world in himself, a new creation. 

18. And all things are of God—As the thor- 
ough conversion of the soul is compared to a new 
creation, and this total change of heart, soul, 
and life, which takes place under the preaching of 
the Gospel, is effected by the power and grace of 
God, this salvation must be of the Lord. Who 
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ 
—Having given Jesus Christ to die for sinners, 
they have through him access unto God; for his 
sake and on his account God can receive them. 
[This reconciliation is, on God’s part—not only pro- 
visional and prospective, but actual, a fact accom- 
plished; and therefore God freely offers the bless- 
ings of salvation to all men—would have them to be 
saved.] [The reconciliation of all men, κόσμον, took 
place objectively through Christ’s death, although 
the subjective appropriation of it is conditioned by 
the faith of the individual.—J/eyer.] It is only by 
the grace and Spirit of Christ that the proud, 
fierce, and diabolic nature of men can be changed 
and reconciled to God; and by and through his 
sacrifice God can be propitious to them. There is 
an enmity in the heart of man against sacred things ; 
the grace of Christ alone can remove this enmity. 
The ministry of reconciliation — Διακονίαν τῆς 
καταλλαγῆς ; the orrickE or function of this recon- 
ciliation ; called, verse 19, the word, τὸν λόγον τῆς 
καταλλαγῆς, the poctrinE, of this reconciliation. 
[God being reconciled to man in the death of 
Christ, it is now the great business of Christ’s minis- 
ters to persuade men to be reconciled to God, 
(verse 20,) which is accomplished through the eon- 
joint forces of the word and the Holy Spirit, and in 
its final results the man himself must both yield 

186 


himself to those forces, and also /ay hold upon 
God, in the exercise of a divinely inspired faith. ] 

19. That God was in Christ—This is the doe- 
trine which this ministry of reconciliation holds out, 
and the doctrine which it uses to bring about the 
reconciliation itself. [The work of Christ in be- 
half of the world was effectual, only because God 
was in him ; God, in Christ, reconciled the world to 
himself ; otherwise he would not have left the sins 
of men without imputation, nor have imparted to 
the apostolic teachers the word of reconciliation 
that they might preach (proclaim) it. ... The doe- 
trine of reconciliation, which is to be preached, is 
regarded as something deposited in the souls of the 
preachers for further communication. See Meyer.] 
The whole of this important doctrine was short, 
simple, and plain. Let us consider it in all its con- 
nexions: 1) You believe there is a God. 2) You 
know he has made you. 3) Ile requires you to 
love and serve him, 4) To show you how to do this 
he has given a revelation of himself, which is con- 
tained in his law, ete. 5) You have broken this 
law, and incurred the penalty, which is death. 
6) Far from being able to undo your offences, or 
make reparation to the offended majesty of God, 
your hearts, through the deceitfulness and influ- 
ence of sin, are blinded, hardened, and filled with 
enmity against your Father and your Judge. 7) To 
redeem you out of this most wretched and accursed 
state, God, in his endless love, has given his Son 
for you; who has assumed your nature, and died 
in your stead. 8) In consequence of this he has 
commanded repentance toward God and remission 
of sins to be published in his name in all the earth, 
9) In honor of Christ’s death, and in answer to his 
intercession before the Father, (Heb. vii, 25,) the 
Holy Spirit is sent forth to show to men their dan- 
ger and their remedy through Christ, and to move 
their hearts, that they may have a good will, and 
to work with them when they have that good will. 
(Phil. ii, 12.) 10) All who repent, and believe in 
Christ as having died for them as a sin-offering, 
(verse 21,) shall receive remission of sins. 11) And 
if they abide in him they shall have an eternal in- 
heritance among them that are sanctified. 

20. We are ambassadors for Christ—Yrép 
Χριστοῦ... πρεσβεύομεν; we execute the function 
of ambassadors in Christ’s stead, who came from 
the Father to mankind on this important embassy. 
He has left the world, and appointed us in his place. 
An ambassador is a person sent from one sovereign 
power to another; and is supposed to represent the 
person of the sovereign by whom he is deputed. 
Christ, while on earth, represented the person of 
the Sovereign of the world; his @post/es and their 
successors represent the person ot Christ. Christ 
declared the will of the Father to mankind; apos- 
tles, ete., declare the will of Christ to the world. 
As though God did beseech you by us—What 
we say to you we say on the authority of God; our 
entreaties are his entreaties ; our warm love to you, 


Ministers, as workers with God, 
to use the grace given. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. Μ. 4961. A. Ὁ. 57. 
Year of Rome, $10. 


God. 21 For ‘he hath made him fo be sin 
Tor us, who knew no sin: that we might be 
made & the righteousness of God in him. 


CHAPTER VI. 


E then, as *workers together with him, 
“beseech you also «that ye receive not 


SF Isa. 53. δ, 9,12; Gal. 3. 13; 1 Peter 2. 22,24: 1 John 3. 
g Rom. 1. 17; ὃ. 19; 10. 3.—«a 1 Cor, 3, 9.——b Chap. ὃ. 20, 


the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, 41 
have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the 
day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, 
now is the accepted time; behold, now is the 
day of salvation.) 8% ©¢Giving no offence in 
any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 
4 But in all things ‘approving ourselves Ε as 


6 Heb. 12. 15.—d Isa. 49, 8.—e Romans 14. 13; 1 Cor. 9. 12; 
10. 32.——7 Gr. commending, chapter 4. 2. g | Cor, 4.1, 


a faint reflection of his infinite love; we pray you 
to return to God, it is his will that you should do so; 
we promise you remission of sins; we are author- 
ized to do so by God himself. In Christ’s stead we 
pray you to lay aside your enmity and be... rec- 
onciled to God; accept pardon, peace, holiness, and 
heaven; which are all proeured for you by his blood, 
and offered to you on his own authority. [As “am- 
bassadors for Christ” the apostles (and after them 
all Christian ministers) are, first, to declare the terms 
of reconciliation, and, second, to earnestly plead 
with men to accept the proffered terms, because 
Christ desires their salvation, and this is the only 
way by which it can be secured. Beyond that they 
have no ambassadorial power. On the other hand, 
this characteristic of the ministry of the apostles 
implies something like a sovereign power in the per- 
sons addressed ; a power of final determination, as to 
the acceptance or rejection of the proffered grace. ] 

21. For he hath made him to be sin for us 
—Tov μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποί- 
ησὲν, he made him who knew no sin (who was in- 
nocent) @ sin-offering for us. The word ἁμαρτία 
occurs here ¢wice ; in the first place it means sin, 
that is, transgression and guilt; and of Christ it is 
said, he knew no sin, that is, was sinless. In the 
second place, it signifies a sin-offering, or sacrifice 
Jor sin, and answers to the ANDN, chattaah, and 
MNON, chattath, of the Hebrew text ; which signifies 
both sz and sin-offering in a great variety of places 
in the Pentateuch. [But this gives no countenance 
to the doctrine] that owr sins were imputed to Christ, 
and that he was a proper object of the indignation 
of divine justice, because he was blackened with im- 
puted sin. [The act of God in respect to the suf- 
fering of Christ is offered as a motive toward lead- 
ing men to accept the terms of reconciliation. The 
sinlessness of Christ, τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν, is em- 
phasized to anticipate any possible inference of the 
contrary. This, indeed, was the necessary postu- 
late for his accomplishing the work of reconcilia- 
tion. No doubt the sinlessness of Jesus was pres- 
ent to the mind of God when he made him (Christ) 
to be ἁμαρτία, (sin.) And yet it is to be noted that 
ἁμαρτία, just like κατάρα, (Gal. iii, 13.) ineludes in 
itself the notion of guilt. But the guilt and curse 
of which Christ appears a bearer was not his own, 
(in the sense that he was either in conduct or char- 
acter a sinner,) and therefore the guilt of men who 
through his death were to be justitied by God, was 
in some way so “laid upon him,” that he was made 
to “bear their iniquities,” (Isa. lili, 6, 11,) and in 
return the nieritorious results of those sufferings 
are transferred to those for whom Christ suffered. 
The guilt of men, for which he suffered. and which 
he took away by his sufferings, was not his own 
“iniquity,” (Rom. iii, 25; Cot. ii, 14; Heb. ix, 28; 
1 Pet. ii, 24; John i, 29;) and yet his sufferings 
are regarded in Scripture, not simply as a calamity 
that befell him, but as quilt-atoning, and penal. 
(See 1 John ii, 2.) See Meyer.] That we might 


be made the righteousness of God in him— 
“The righteousness of God” signifies here the sal- 
vation of God, as comprehending justification 
through the blood of Christ and sanctificufion 
through his Spirit; or here, ‘the righteousness of 
God” may mean a thorough righteousness, complete 
justification, complete sunctification ; such as none 
but God can give, such as the sinful nature and 
gqilty conscience of man require, and such as is 
worthy of God to impart. And all this righicous- 
ness, justification, and holiness, we receive in, by, for, 
and through wim, as the grand sacrificial, procur- 
ing, and meritorious cause of these and every other 
blessing. Some render the passage: We are justi- 
fied through him, before God ; or, We are justified, 
according to God's plan of justification, through him. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 

1. We then, as workers together with him 
- ωῳῳΣυνεργοῦντες δὲ Kai παρακαλοῦμεν. The two last 
words, with him, are not in the text, [and they are 
either without meaning, or else they are mislead- 
ing.] We, (that is, apostles,) being fellow-workers, 
also entreat you not to receive the grace of Godin 
vain. |The partnership indicated by the word ov- 
νεργοῦντες is that of the apostles among themselves. 
So Alford and Olshausen, following Theodoret and 
Bengel; though Meyer says, ‘‘ The apostles are 7εἰ- 
low-workers with Christ just in this, that they are 
ambassadors for Christ, and as such have to repre- 
sent his cause and prosecute his work.”] By the 
grace of God, τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, the apostle cer- 
tainly means the grand sacrificial offering of Christ 
for the sin of the world, which he had just before 
mentioned. It is therefore evident that the apostle 
has in view that grace or benefit which reconciles 
us to God, and makes us divinely righteous. And 
this, and all other benefits of the death of Christ, 
may be received in vain. 

2. For he saith—That is, God hath said it, by 
the prophet Isaiah. (Chapter xlix, 8.) The advent 
of the Messiah and the promulgation of the Gospel 
constituted the time of God’s pleasure, of which all 
the faithful were in expectation; and the day of 
salvation was the time in which this salvation 
should be manifested and applied. The apostle 
therefore informs them that this is the time pre- 
dicted by the prophet; and therefore the apostle 
confidently asserts, behold, now is the accepted 
time, now the Messiah reigns, Now is the Gospel 
dispensation, ‘and therefore now is the day ot 
salvation. 

3. Giving no offence—The word προσκοπῇ 
(reads πρόσκομμα, Rom. xiv, 13) signifies a stumbling- 
block in general, or any thing over which a man 
stumbles or falls; and here means any transgres- 
sion or scandal that might take place among the 
ministers, or the Christians themselves, whereby 
the Jews or Gentiles might take occasion of of- 
fence, and vilify the Gospel of Christ. 

4. But in all things approving ourselves— 

187 


A. M. 4061, A. D, 51. 
Year of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Sufferings and conduct of 
the apostles. 


the ministers of God, in much patience, in af- 
flictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In 
stripes, in imprisonments, ‘in tumults, in la- 
bours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pure- 
ness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kind- 
ness, by the Holy Ghost, by love “unfeigned, 
7 «By the word of truth, by 'the power of 
God, by ™the armour of righteousness on the 


right hand and on the left, & By honour and 
dishonour, by evil report and good report: as 
deceivers, and yet true ; As unknown, and 
yet well known; 585 dying, and behold, we 
live; Pas chastened, and not killed; 89 As 
sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing ; as poor, yet 
making many rich; as having nothing, and yet 
possessing all things. ΕἸ O ye Corinthians, 


A Chap. 11. 23, et Ses: ‘0.—k Chap. 


OS ee 


m Ch, 10,4; Eph. 6. 11,13; 2Tim. 4. 7.—mCh, 4.2: 5.11; 


a4. 11. 6. 
—o1Cor. 4.9; chap.1.9; 4. 10, 11.—g Psa, 118. 18. 


The apostle now proceeds to show how conscien- 
tiously himself and his fellow labourers acted, in 
order to render the ministry of reconciliation ef- 
fectual to the salvation of men. They not only 
gave no offence in any thing, but they laboured to 
manifest themselves to be true men, and the gen- 
uine ministers of God. In much patience—Bear- 
ing calmly up under the most painful and oppres- 
sive conditions. In afflictions— Ev θλίψεσιν. This 
may signify the series of persecutions and the state 
of cruel suffering in which the Church of God and 
the apostles then existed. In necessities—’ Ev 
ἀνάγκαις ; straits and difficulties ; including all that 
want and affliction which arose from the impoy- 
erished state of the Church. In distresses—’Ev 
στενοχωρίαις ; such straits and difficulties as were 
absolutely unavoidable and insurmountable. The 
word implies, being reduced to a narrow place, 
driven to a corner, hemmed in on every side. So 
was it often with the apostles; all human help 
failed, and their deliverance came from God alone. 

5. In stripes, in imprisonments —Of these the 
history of the Acts of the Apostles gives ample 
testimony ; and there were doubtless many instances 
of persecution in various forms which are not on 
record. In tumults —’Akataoraciaic, insurrec- 
tions, raised against them because of the Gospel, or 
persecutions which obliged them to flee from place 
to place. In labours—Both with their own hands 
to provide for themselves the necessaries of life, that 
they might not be chargeable to others; and “ 
labours” to spread the Gospel of God through all 
countries where his providence opened their way. 
In watchings—Passing many nights without sleep 
or rest. In fastings—Partly constrained through 
want of food; and partly voluntary, as a means of 
obtaining an increase of grace both for themselves 
and for the Churches. 

6. By pureness —’Ev ἁγνότητε; in simplicity 
of intention, and purity of affection; together with 
that chastity and holiness of life which the Gos- 
pel enjoins. By knowledge—Of the divine mys- 


teries. By longsuffering—Under all provoca- 
tions. By kindness—To their most virulent  per- 
secutors, and to all men. By the Holy Ghost 


—There are doubts among learned men whether the 
apostle here means that Spirit who is called the 
third person of the Holy Trinity, or some grace, 
disposition, or quality of the soul, which was thus 
denominated, as implying a spirit wholly purified, 
and fitted to be a habitation of God. [The latter 
seems most in harmony with the context. | By 
love unfeigned— Ep ἀγάπῃ ἀνυποκρίτῳ ; love with- 
out hypocrisy ; such as disposed us at all times 
to lay down our life for the brethren, and to spend 
and be spent for the glory of God and the good of 
mankind. 

7. By the word of truth—The doctrine of 
truth received immediately from God, and faithfully 
and affectionately preached to men. By the pow- 

188 


er of God—Confirming this doctrine, not only by 
the miracies which we were enabled to work, but 
also by the application of that truth to the souls of 
the people by the energy of God. By (διὰ, through) 
the armour of righteousness—Eph. vi, 13-17 
On the right hand and on the left—[ Armour is 
for defence, and the justification of the believer is 
his complete defence. See Rom. viii, 33.] We 
have the doctrine of truth, and the power of God, 
as an armour to protect us on all sides, everywhere, 
and on all occasions. By the doctrine of the Gospel, 
and by the power of God, the apostles were fur- 
nished with both offensive and defensive weapons. 
8. By honour and dishonour — By going 
through both ; sometimes respected, sometimes de- 
spised. By evil report and good report— 
Sometimes praised, at other times calumniated. As 
deceivers—Said to carry about a false doctrine 
for our secular emolument. And yet true—Dem- 
onstrated by the nature of the doctrine, as well as 
by our life and conversation, that we are true men. 
9. As unknown— Persons of neither birth, 
parentage, nor respectable connexions in life; and 
perhaps having dark designs. Yet well known 
— Proved by our whole canduck and demonstrated 
to be holy, upright, and useful by our whole course, 
through which we can be readily traced, having 
preached openly, and done nothing in a corner. 
As dying—Through continual dangers, fatigues, 
and persecutions. Mnd, behold, we live—We 
are preserved by the mighty power of God even 
amid the greatest dangers. As chastened— As 
though we were disobedient children. And not 
killed—Though we continue in the very same line 
of conduct that is supposed to bring on us those 
chastisements, and which, if it were criminal, would 
justly expose us to death for incorrigible obstinacy ; 
but our preservation is a proof that we please God. 
10. As sorrowful—On account of our perse- 
cuted state and laborious occupation, while desti- 
tute of the necessaries of life. Wet alway re- 
joicing— Having the consolation of God’s s Spirit at 
all times, and a glorious prospect of a blessed im- 
mortality. As poor—Destitute of worldly goods 
and secular interest. Yet making many rich— 
by dispensing to them the treasures of salvation; 
making them rich in faith, and heirs of the king- 
dom, [Enriching many with spiritual benefits, 
(1 Cor. i, 5; 2 Cor. viii, 9,)and having in possession 
every thing, (because intrusted with the store of all 
divine benefits in order to impart them to oth- 
ers.]| The Gospel, when faithfully preached and 
fully received, betters the condition of the poor. 
It makes them sober; so they save what before 
they profusely and riotously spent. It makes them 
diligent ; and thus they employ time to useful pur- 
poses which they before squander ed away. They 
therefore both save and gain by religion ; and these 
must lead to an increase of property. Therefore 
they are made rich; at least in comparison with 


Paul cautions his converts not 
to associate with unbelievers. 


our mouth is open unto you, ¢our heart is en- 
larged. 22 Ye are not straitened in us, but 
rye are straitened in your own bowels. 
13 Now for a recompense in the same, (*1 
speak as unto my children,) be ye also en- 
larged. #4 ‘Be ye not unequally yoked to- 
gether with unbelievers: for “what fellowship 
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and 
what communion hath light with darkness? 


CHAPTER VI. 


A, M,. 4961. A. D. 57. 
Year of Rome, 510, 


15 And what concord hath Christ with Be- 
lial? or what part hath he that believeth with 
an infidel? #6 And what agreement hath the 
temple of God with idols? for ἡ ye are the tem- 
ple of the living God; as God hath said, » I 
will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I 
will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
17 * Wherefore come out from among them, 
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch 


4 Chap. 7. 3.—Chap. 12. 15.—s1 Cor. 4. 14.—7# Deut. 7- 
9,3: 1 Cor. 5. 9; 7. 39.—21 Sam. ὅ. 2, 3; 1 Kings 18. 21; 1 Cor. 
10. 21; Eph. δ. 7, 11.—v1 Cor. 3. 16; 6.19; Eph, 2. 21, 22; Heb. 


be- 


As 


that sinful, profligate state in which they were 
fore they received the truth of the Gospel. 

having nothing, being the most abject of the 
poor, and yet possessing all things that are 
really necessary to the preservation of our lives. 
For the wants under which we labour for a time 
are supplied again by a bountiful Providence. The 
man who possesses a contented spirit possesses 
“all things ;” for he is satisfied with every dispen- 
sation of the providence of God; and “a contented 
mind is a continual feast.” [This comprehensive 
statement of the apostle’s relations to the Corin- 
thians, and the result of their mutual relations, cul- 
minates in a passionate expression of earnest affec- 
tion, indicated in his outbursting speech, and his 
enlarged heart toward them. See Meyer. | 

11. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open 
unto you—We speak to you with the utmost free- 
dom and fluency, because of our affection for you. 
Our heart is enlarged—Expanded to take you 
and all your interests in; and to keep you in the 
most affectionate remembrance. 

12. Ye are not straitened in us—The meta- 
phor here is taken from the case of a person pent 
up in a small or narrow place, where there is 
scarcely room to breathe. [Such is not their case 
in the apostle’s affection.] Ye are straitened in 
your own bowels (affections)—The “ bowels” are 
used in Scripture to denote the most tender affec- 
tions. (See the note on Matt. ix, 36.) [The nar- 
rowness of affection was all with themselves, and 
therefore the apostle proceeds to show the remedy. | 

13. Now for a recompense in the same— 
That you may, in some sort, repay me for my affee- 
tion toward you, I speak (to you) as unto my 
children, whom I have a right to command. Be 
ye also enlarged—Love me as I love you. 

14. Be ye not unequally yoked together 
with unbelievers—This is a military term: keep 
in your own ranks; do not leave the Christian com- 
munity to join that of the heathens. Some apply 
this exhortation to pious persons marrying with 
those who are not decidedly religious and con- 
verted to God, That the exhortation may be thus 
applied I grant; but that is searcely the meaning 
of the apostle in this place. Nevertheless, com- 
mon sense and true piety show the absurdity of 
two such persons pretending to walk together in a 
way in which they are not agreed. A very wise and 
very holy man has given his judgment on this 
point: δ A man who is truly pious, marrying with 
an unconverted woman, will either draw back to 
perdition or have a cross during life.” The same 
may be said of a pious woman marrying an uncon- 
verted man. Such persons cannot say this petition 
of the Lord’s prayer, “ Lead us not into temptation.” 
They plunge into it of their own accord. For what 
fellowship, etc.—As righteousness cannot have 


communion with unrighteousness, and light can- | 


\ 


ixod. 29. 45; Lev. 26. 12; Jer. 31. 33; 32. 38: Ezek, 
. 283 37. 26, ete, ; Zech, 8. ἃ; 13. 9.—a Isaiah δῶ, 11; 
chapter 7.1; Rev. 18. 4. 


not dwell with darkness, so Christ can have no 
concord with Belial, nor can he that believeth 
have any with an infidel. All these points were 
self-evident: how, then, could they keep up the 
profession of Christianity, or pretend to be under 
its influence, while they associated with the un- 
righteous, had communion with darkness, concord 
with Belial, and partook with infidels? [Bel7al, (in 
the best MSS. Beliar, Βελίαρ.) The Vulgate fre- 
quently treats this word as a proper name, (in 
which it is followed by the Authorized Version,) 
particularly in the Old Testament, and where it is 
connected with ‘‘man of,” or “son of,’ having the 
sense of active ungodliness, or essential opposition 
to “the righteousness of Ged.” In 2 Cor. vi, 15, 
it is generally considered as an appellation of Satan, 
or as the personification of all that is bad. Bengel 
explains it as the essential anti-Christ, the spirit 
of opposition to Christ. Milton’s conception of the 
character designated seems admirably to answer to 
the requirements of the case: that of the polite and 
godless worlding, 
On the other side uprose 

Belial, in act more graceful and humane: 

A fairer person lost not heaven; he seemed 

For dignity composed and high exploit; 

But ail was fulse and hollow, though his tongue 

Dropped manna, and could make the worse appear 

The better reason, to perplex and dash 

Maturest counsels ; for his thoughts were low, 

To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds. 


Timorous and slothful. 
— Paradise eLost, book ii, lines 108-118.] 


16. What agreement hath the temple of 
God with idols—The worship of the two is 
wholly incompatible. An idolater never worships 
the true God; a Christian never worships an idol. 
If ye join in idolatrous rites, it is impossible that 
ye should be Christians. We are the temple of 
the living God—God intends to make the heart 
of every believer his own house. I will dwell in 
them, and walk in them—The words are very 
emphatic: ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοῖς, I will inhabit in 
them. I will not be as a wayfaring man, who turns 
aside to tarry for a night, but I will take up my 
constant residence with them; I will dwell 7 and 
among them, I will be their God—I will be to 
them all that an infinite, eternal, and self-sufficient 
Father can be to his intelligent offspring. They 
shall be my people—I will take them for my 
people; and instruct, enlighten, defend, provide 
for, support, and bless them. 

17. Wherefore come out from among them 
—Those who will have the promises of God ful- 
filled to them must come under the conditions of 
these promises: if they are not separate—if they 
touch . .. the unclean thing—God will not receive 
them; and therefore will not be their God, nor 
shall they be his people. [In the spirit of this ex- 
hortation is the promise and covenant expressed in 

189 


A.M. 4961. A.D! 57. 
Yeur of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


The promises οὗ God oblige 
to holiness of life. 


not the unclean thing ; and [ will receive you, 
15. » And will be a Father unto you, and ye 
shall be my sons and datghters, saith the Lord 
Almighty. 
CHAPTER VII. 
AVING «therefore these promises, dear- 
ly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from 


all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting 
holiness in the fear of God. 2 Receive us; 
we have wronged no man, we have corrupted 
no man, 'we have defrauded no man. 8 I 
speak not this to condemn you: for 61 have 
said before, that ye are in our hearts to die 
and live with you. 44Great is my boldness 


y Jer. 31. 1,9; Rev. 21. 7.—a Chap. 6. 17, 18; 1 John’3. 3. 


ὦ Acts 20. 33; chap. 12. 17.—ce Chap. 6. 11,12.-—d Chap. 3. 12. 


the service for baptism; ‘‘ Dost thou renounce the 
devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of 
the worid, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so 
that thou wilt not follow nor be led by them ;” and 
this solemn and far-reaching covenant is upon all 
who are in Christ, not simply by the authority of 
the Church, but rather required by the Church be- 
cause it is due to Christ. | 

18. Will be a Father unto you—I will act 
toward you as the most affectionate father can act 
toward his most tender and best-beloved child. 
And ye shall be my sons and daughters—Ye 
shall all be of the household of God, the family of 
heaven; ve shall be holy, happy, and continually 
safe. Saith the Lord Almighty—Kipioc παν 
τοκράτωρ. the Lord, the Governor of all things. 
The Lord who made and who governs all things 
can never lack will, power, nor means. The prom- 
ise is sure to the children; and the children are 
those who take the Almighty for their God. (See 
Jolin i, 13.), For the promise belongs to no soul 
that is not “separate” from sinful ways, works, and 
‘men; those who “ touch not the unclean thing.” All 
this is most forcibly stated by God himself in these 
verses. [God has, under all his dispensations, 
dwelt among men, the form of his presence being 
varied with the changes of those dispensations. 
Under the old dispensation he dwelt among men 
through the visible sign of his power and presence. 
At the incarnation he pitched his tent and encamped 
among men. (Johni, 14.) Since his glorification— 
his resurrection and ascensicon—the Son, and also 
the Father, have dwelt in believers through the 
Holy Spirit, in the Church as a body, which is the 
living temple of God, and*in believers individually, 
who are living stones in God’s temple. The con- 
summation will be the entire pervasion of the hu- 
man by the divine, “when this mortal shall put on 
immortality.” See Speaker's Com.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VII. 

1. Having therefore these promises—[0iv, 
therefore.| In view of what has just been said. 
The “promises ” mentioned in the three last verses 
of the preceding chapter. [The apostle now pro- 
ceeds to make a practical application of the great 
truths just stated, in the form of personal exhorta- 
tion.| Let us cleanse ourselves—Let us seek 
for the grace of purification ; and avoid every thing 
in spirit and practice which has a tendency to pol- 
lute the soul. Filthiness of the flesh—The apos- 
tle undoubtedly means drunkenness, fornications, 
adultery, and all such sins as are done immediately 
against the body; and by jilthiness of the spirit, 
all impure desires, unholy thoughts, and polluting 
imaginations. We may turn away our eyes and 
ears from evil, or we may indulge both in what will 
infallibly beget evil desires and tempers in the soul; 
and under the same influence we may avoid every 
act of iniquity; for even Satan himself cannot, by 
any power he has, constrain us to commit unclean- 
ness, robbery, drunkenness, murder, ete. But still, 

190 


withholding the eye, the ear, the hand, and the 
body in general, from sights, reports, and acts of 
evil, will not purify a fallen spirit ; it is the grace 
and Spirit of Christ alone, powerfully applied for 
this very purpose, that can purify the conscience 
and the heart from all dead works. And while we 
are striving against sin, we may expect the Spirit 
of God to purify us by his inspiration from all un- 
righteousness, that we may perfectly love and mag- 
nify our Maker. How can those expect God to 
purify their hearts who are continually indulging 
their eyes, ears, and hands in what is forbidden, 
and in what tends to increase and bring into ac- 
tion all the evil propensities of the soul? Per- 
fecting holiness—[’Exite/cvv7ec, bringing to ripe- 
ness. The spirit of holiness is implanted in the 
soul by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, but not in 
a matured form; to bring this plant of righteous- 
ness to its completeness is the great business of 
the Christian life, ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ, recognising God’s 
ethical demands, and also remembering the as- 
sured future judgment. The fear of the believer is 
not s/avish, nor the service that it enforces burden- 
some. | 

2. Receive ιτι5--- Χωρήσατε ἡμᾶς. This address 
is variously understood. ‘‘ Receive 1s” into your 
affections — love us as we love you. ‘Receive 
us” as your apostles and teachers; we have given 
you full proof that God hath both sent and owned 
us. ‘ Receive,” comprehend, what we now say to 
you, and carefully mark it. We have wronged 
no man—We have never acted contrary to the 
strictest integrity. We have corrupted no man 
—With any false doctrine or pernicious opinion, or 
evil practices. We have defrauded no man— 
Quite unlike your false teachers, who have bequiled 
you from the simplicity of the truth, and thus cor- 
rupted your minds, (chapter xi, 8,) and have brought 
you wito bondage ; they have taken of you, devoured 
you, exalted themselves against you, and ye have pa- 
tiently suffered all this. (Chapter xi, 20.) It is 
plain that Paul refers here to the false apostles or 
teachers which they had among them. 

3. Ispeak not this to condemn you—I wish 
you to open your eyes and see how you are cor- 
rupted, spoiled, and impoverished by those whom 
ye have incautiously preferred to the true apostles 
of Jesus Christ. I have said before, that ye 
are in our hearts—(See chapter i, 6-8; ii, 4, 12; 
ili, 2; and verse 13.) To die and live with you 
—An expression which points out the strongest 
affection, as in cases where love blinds us to the 
faults of those whom we love, and causes us to 
prefer them to all others. From all appearance 
there never was a Church less worthy of an apos- 
tle’s affections than this Church was at this time; 
and yet no one ever more beloved. [With all their 
great and positive moral deficiencies, there seems to 
have been certain countervailing elements of char- 
acter among them—a forcefulness and zeal which 
strongly commended them to the apostle’s favour. ] 

4, Greatis my boldness of speech—He seems 


Paul expresses to the Corinthians 
his concern ana joy. 


of speech toward you, *great is my glorying 
of you: ‘I am filled with comfort, I am ex- 
ceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 5 For, 
e€when we were come into Macedonia, our 
flesh had no rest, but »we were troubled on 
every side; ‘without were fightings, within 
were fears. © Nevertheless «God, that com- 
forteth those that are cast down, comforted 
us by 'the coming of Titus: @% And not by 
his coming only, but by the consolation where- 
with he was comforted in you, when he told 
us your earnest desire, your mourning, your 
fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced 
the more. 8 For though I made you sorry 
with a letter, 1 do not repent, "though I did 
repent: for I perceive that the same epistle 
hath made you sorry, though it were but for a 


CHAPTER VII. 


A, M. 4061, A, Ὁ. 57. 


Year of Rome, sl). 


season. 9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were 
made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repent- 
ance: for ye were made sorry “after a godly 
manner, that ye might receive damage by us in 
nothing. 19 For °godly sorrow worketh re- 

pentance to salvation not to be repented of: 

P but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 
A For behold this selfsame thing, that ye 
sorrowed.after a godly sort, what carefulness 
it wrought in you, yea what clearing of your- 

selves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, 
yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, 
what revenge! In all things ye have ap- 
proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 
42 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, 7] 
did it not for lis cause that had done the 
wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, 


+ Gal. 1: 24. 
Ee τὰ, 25. 


61 Cor. 1.4; chap, ᾿ 14: —J Chap. 1: 43 Phil. 2 
ag lap. 13. —/A Chap. 4. 8.—7 Ὁ 


- «- -- -.-- 
A ΟΡ. 1. 4.—7 Chap. 2. 13.-—-m Chap. 2. 4.—an Or, ac Ὁ ond: 
ing to God,—— 02 8am. 12. 13; Matt. 26. 75.—p Prov. 


to refer to the manner in which he spoke of them 
to others. Great is my glorying of you—They 
had probably been very loving and affectionate 
previously to the time in which they were perverted 
by their false apostles. He therefore had boasted 
of them in all the Churches. I am filled with 
comfort—My affection for you has still the most 
powerful ascendency in my soul. Here we may see 
the affection of the most tender father to his chil- 
dren. Iam exceeding joyful—'Yreprepiccevopat ; 
1 superabound in joy; I have a joy beyond expres- 
sion. In all our tribulation—Perhaps ἐπὶ, here, 
should be rendered wnder instead of “in;” (see 
Mark ii, 26; Luke iii, 2; Acts xi, 28:) wnder all 
our tribulations, I feel inexpressible joy on your ac- 
count. 

5. When we were come into Macedonia— 
St. Paul, having left Ephesus, came to Troas, where 
he stopped for some time; afterward he came to 


Macedonia, (Philippi,) whence he wrote this epistle. j 


Our flesh had no rest—So exceedingly anxious 
was he to know their estate, and especially the suc- 
cess of his first epistle to them. Without were 
fightings—The oppositions of pagans, Jews, and 
false brethren. Within were fears—Urcertain 
conjectures and misgivings; fears lest their affec- 
tion should be utterly alienated from him; fears 
lest the teaching of false instructors should have 
perverted their minds from the simplicity of the 
truth: all was uncertainty and apprehension. 

6. Comforted us by the coming of Titus— 
Who brought him a most satisfactory account of the 
success of his epistle, and he good state of the 
Corinthian Church. 

7. He told us your ἘΠΕῚ desire—To see 
me, and correct what was amiss among yourselves. 
Your mourning—Beecause you had sinned. Your 
fervent mind—The zeal you felt to testify your 
affectionate regard for me. 

8. I do not repent, though I did repent— 
Though I had many doubts in my mind concerning 
the success of my letter ; ; and though I grieved that 
I was obliged to write with so mich severity, the 
case absolutely requiring it; yet now I am not 
sorry that I have written that letter, because I find 
it has completely answered the end for which it 
was intended. 

9. Ye sorrowed to repentance—Ye had such 
a sorrow as produced a complete change of mind 
and conduct. We see that a man may sorrow, and 
yet not repent. Made sorry after a godly man- 


ner—It was not a sorrow simply because ye were 
found out, and thus solemnly reprehended, but a 
sorrow because ye had sinned against God, and 
which consideration caused you to grieve more than 
the apprehension of any punishment. Damage by 
us in nothing—Your repentance prevented that 
exercise of my apostolic duty, in the excommuni- 
cation of those who had offended. 

10. For godly sorrow — That which [is 
wrought in the heart by the power of the Holy 
Spirit, and] has the breach of God’s holy law for 
its object. Worketh repentance—A thorough 
change of mind unto salvation, because the person 
who feels it cannot rest till he finds pardon through 
the mercy of God. [Genuine conviction of sin 
surely causes sorrow in the soul and leads to thor- 
ough repentance, 1) in breaking off from sin, and 
2) in turning to God for his pardoning love in 
Christ. This kind of repentance so induced and so 
operating brings no sorrow after it, is not to be re- 
pented of. ] But the sorrow of the world work- 
eth death—NSorrow for earthly losses or bereave- 
ment brings with it no consolation ; it is all bitter- 
ness because it is without hope. This sorrow leads 
to destruction, the other leads to salvation; the 
one leads to heaven, the other to hell. 

1. What carefulness is wrought in you— 
Carefulness of obeying my directions, (verse 15 ;) 
yea, what clearing of yourselves from guilt by 
inflicting censures on the guilty person, and putting 
away evil from among you, (1 Cor. xv, 18;) yea, 
what indignation against him who had dishon- 
oured his profession and defiled the Church; yea, 
what fear of my displeasure, and the vod which I 
threatened, (1 Cor. iv, 21;) yea, what vehemert 
desire to rectify what was amiss in this matter, 
(verse 7;) yea, what zeal for me; yea, what 
revenge in punishing the delinquent. In all 
things, ete.—In the whole of your conduct in this 
affair since ye have received my letter, ye have 
approved yourselves to be clear, ἀγνοὺς : and 
have done all in your power to rectify the abuses 
which had crept in among you. The Corinthians 
were not “clear,” that is, innocent or void of blame 
in the fact, but they were “clear” of all blame in 
their endeavours to remove the evil. 

12. Not for his cause that had done the 
wrong—Namely, the incestuous person. Nor for 
his cause that suffered wrong—Some think the 
apostle means himself; others, that he means the 
Church at Corinth, the singular being put for the 

191 


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Year of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul rejoices in the present 
conduct of the Corinthians. 


abut that our care for you in the sight of God 
might appear unto you. 48 Therefore we 
were comforted in your comfort: yea, and ex- 
ceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of 
Titus, because his spirit "was refreshed by you 
all. 14. For if I have boasted any thing to 
him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we 
spake all things to you in truth, even so our 
boasting, which Z made before Titus, is found 
a truth. πῷ And his sinward affection is 
more abundant toward you, whilst he remem- 
bereth tthe obedience of you all, how with 


fear and trembling ye received him. ἘΦ I re- 
* . 5 y . . 
joice therefore that "1 have confidence in you 


in all things. 

λ OREOVER, brethren, we do you to wit 
of the grace of God bestowed on the 
churches of Macedonia; 2. How that in a 
great trial of affliction, the abundance of their 
joy and «their deep poverty abounded unto the 
riches of their "liberality. 8 For to their 
power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their 
power, they were willing of themselves; 


CHAPTER VIII. 


q Chap. 2. 4.--- Rom. 15. 32.——s Gr. bowels, chap. 6, 12. 
¢ Chap. 2. 9; -Phil. 2.'12. 


w2 Thess, ὃ. 4; Philem. 8, 21.—da Mark 12. 44.—0 Gr. sim- 
plicity, chap. 4. 11. 


plural ; others, the family of the incestuous per- 
son; and others, the father of the incestuous per- 
gon, assuming that this person was yet alive; or 
these words might be spoken in reference to the 
father, if dead, whose cause should be vindicated, 
as his injured honour might be considered, like 
Abel’s blood, to be erying from the earth. But 
that our care for you... might appear— 
It was not chiefly to get the delinquent punished, 
nor merely to do justice to those who had suffered 
in this business, that the apostle wrote his epistle 
to them, but that they might have the fullest proof 
of his fatherly affection for them, and his concern 
for the honour of God. 

13. For the joy of Titus—Titus, who had now 
met St. Paul in Macedonia, gave him the most en- 
couraging accounts of the improved state of the 
Corinthian Church; and indeed their kind treat- 
ment of Titus was a full proof of their affection 
for St. Paul. ; 

14. For if I have boasted—The apostle had 
given Titus a very high character of this Church, 
and of their attachment to himself, and doubtless 
this was the case previously to the evil teacher 
getting among them, and causing them to change 
their views, feelings, and conduct; but now they 
return in affection to him, so that the good char- 
acter which the apostle gave them before, and 
which they had for a time forfeited, is now as ap- 
plicable to them as ever. Therefore his boasting 
of them is still found a truth. 

15. And his inward affection—Té σπλάγχνα 
αὐτοῦ, those bowels of his—his most tender affection. 
Whilst he remembereth the obedience of you 
all—This is a very natural picture; it represents 
Titus as overjoyed even while he is delivering his 
account of the Corinthian Church. He expatiated 
on it with extreme delight, and thereby showed at 
once both his love for St. Paul and for them. He 
loved them because they so loved the apostle; and 
because they had shown such kindness to himself ; 
and also because he found so many excellent and 
rare gifts, joined to so much humility, producing 
such an exemplary and holy life. With fear and 
trembling ye received him—Ye reverenced his 
authority; ye were obedient to his directions; and 
ye dreaded lest any thing should be undone or ill 
done which he had delivered to you in the name of 
God. 

16. Ihave confidence in you in all things 
—It appears that the apostle was now fully per- 
suaded, from the accounts given by Titus, that every 
scandal had been put away from this Church; that 
the faction which had long distracted and divided 
them was nearly broken; that all was on the eve 
of being restored to its primitive purity and ex- 

192 


cellence; and that their character was now so firm- 
ly fixed that there was no reason to apprehend 
that they would be again tossed to and fro with 
every wind of doctrine—happy termination to an 
affair that seemed likely to ruin the Church, not 
only at Corinth, but through all Greece. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. 

1. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit— 
Τνωρίζομεν δὲ ὑμῖν, we make known unto you, re- 
mind you. The grace of God bestowed—Xapwv 
τοῦ Θεοῦ, here, signifies the charitable contribution 
made by the Churches in Macedonia, to which they 
were excited by the grace of God in their hearts ; 
δεδομένην ἐν, given in. That χάρις means /iberality, 
appears from verse 6: We desired Titus that as he 
had begun, so he would finish (τὴν χάριν ταύτην) this 
charitable contribution. And verse 7: That ye 
abound (ἐν ταύτῃ TH χάριτι) in this liberal contribu- 
tion. And verse 19: Who was chosen of the 
Church to travel with us (σὺν τῇ χάριτι TadTy) with 
this charitable contribution, which is administered— 
which is to be dispensed—by us. So chapter ix, 8: 
God is able to make (πᾶσαν χάριν) ali liberality, to 
abound toward you. And 1 Cor. xvi, 8: 70 bring 
(τὴν χάριν) your liberality, to the poor saints. 
Hence χάρις is by Hesychius and Phavorinus inter- 
preted a gift, as it is here by the apostle: Thanks 
be to God for his unspeakable gift. This charity is 
styled the ‘‘ grace of God,” either from its exceeding 
greatness, OV as proceeding from God, who is the dis- 
penser of all good, and the giver of this disposition ; 
for the motive of charity must come from him. 
(See Rom. x, 2; 2 Cor. v, 14; Titus ii, 11.) The 
churches of Macedonia—These were Philippi, 
Thessalonica, Berea, ete. 

2. In a great trial of affliction—The sense of 
this verse is the following: The Macedonians, 
though both poor and persecuted, rejoiced exceed- 
ingly that an opportunity was afforded them of 
doing good to their more impoverished and more 
persecuted brethren. We can scarcely ever speak 
of poverty and “affliction” in an absolute sense ; 
they are only comparative. Even the poor are 
called to relieve those who are poorer than them- 
selves; and the afflicted, to comfort those who are 
more afflicted than they are. The poor and af- 
flicted Churches of Macedonia felt this duty, and 
therefore came forward to the uttermost of their 
power to relieve their more impoverished and af- 
flicted brethren in Judea. 

3. For to their power, ete.—In their liberality 
they had no rule but their ability; they believed 
they were bound to contribute all they could; and 
even this rule they transgressed, for they went be- 
yond “their power ;” they deprived themselves for 


Paul incites the Corinthian 
church to beneficence. 


CHAPTER VIIL 


A. M. 4961, A. Ὁ. 57, 
Year of Rome, 810. 


4 Praying us with much entreaty that we 
would receive the gift, and take upon us «the 
fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 
ὅ And this they did, not as we hoped, but 
first gave their own selves to the Lord, and 
unto us by the will of God. 6 Insomuch that 
4 we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he 
would also finish in you the same ¢grace also. 
7 Therefore, as ‘ye abound in every thing, in 
faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in 
all diligence, and in your love to us, see £ that 
ye abound in this grace also. δ "I speak not 


ce Acts 11. 29; 24.17; Rom, 15, 25, 26; 1 Cor. 16. 1, 3,4; chap 


9. 1.——d Verse 17; chap. 12. 18,—e Or, gift, verses 4, 19. 
J1 Cor. 1. ὃ; 12. 13.—g Chap. 9. 8. 


by commandment, but by occasion of the for- 
wardness of others, and to prove the sincerity 
of your love. 9 For ye know the grace of 
our Lord Jesus Cnrist, ‘that, though he was 
rich, yet for your sakes he becaine poor, that 
ye through his poverty might be rich. 19 And 
herein ΚΙ] give my advice: for 'this is expe- 
dient for you, who have begun before, not 
only to do, but also to be ™*forward a year 
ago. I Now therefore perform the doing 
of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so 
there may be a performance also out of that 


h1 Cor. 7. 6.7 Matt. 8. 20; Luke 9. 58; Phil. 2. 6,7.—/ 1 Cor. 
7. 25.—l/ Prov. 19.17; Matt. 10. 42; 1 Tim. 6. 18, 19; Heb. 13. 10. 
m Gr. willing.—n Chap. 9. 2. ! 


a time of the comforts of life, in order to give to 
others who were destitute even of necessaries. 

4. Praying us with much entreaty—We had 
not to solicit them to this great act of kindness ; 
they even entreated us to accept their bounty, and to 
take on ourselves the administration or application 
of it to the wants of the poor in Judea. 

5. Not as we hoped—tThey far exceeded our 
expectations, for they consecrated themselves en- 
tirely to the work of God; giving themselves and 
all they possessed jist unto the Lord ; and then, 
as they saw that it was the will of God that they 
should come especially forward in this charitable 
work, they gave themselves to us, to assist to the ut- 
termost in providing relief for the suffering Christ- 
ians in Judea. 

6. That we desired Titus—Titus had prob- 
ably laid the plan of this contribution when he was 
before at Corinth, according to the direction given 
by the apostle in 1 Cor. xvi, 1, etc. The same 
grace—Liberality. See the note on verse 1. 

7. As ye abound in every thing—(See 1 Cor. 
i, 5.) In faith—Crediting the whole testimony of 
God. Utterance — λόγῳ, in doctrine, knowing 
what to teach. And knowledge — Namely, of 
God’s will, and prudence to direct you in teaching 
and doing it. Diligence—To amend all that is 
wrong among you, and to do what is right; and 
in love to us, whom now ye prize as the apostles of 
the Lord, and your pastors in him. Abound in 
this grace also—Be as eminent for your chari- 
table disposition as ye are for your faith, doctrine, 
knowledge, diligence, and love. 

8. Ispeak not by commandment—I do not 
command this ; I assume no right or authority over 
your property ; what you devote of your substance 
to charitable purposes must be your own work, and 
a freewill offering. ‘The forwardness of others 
—Namely, the Churches of Macedonia, which had 
already exerted themselves so very much in this 
good work. And the apostle here intimates that 
he takes this opportunity to apprize them of the 
zeal of the Macedonians, lest those at Corinth, who 
excelled in every other gift, should be outdone in 
this. 

9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ—This was the strongest argument of 
all; and it is urged home by the apostle with ad- 
mirable address. [This expression places that 
great act jour Lord’s condescension) in the cate- 
gory of manifestations of brotherly love, and marks 
its suitableness as an example in the present case, 
(as in all others of like character.) — Speaker's 
Com.) That, though he was rich—The pos- 
sessor, as he was the creator, of the heavens and 

Vor. II.—13 


the earth. For your sakes he became poor— 
He emptied himself, and made himself of no repu- 
tation, and took upon himself the form of a ser- 
vant, and humbled himself unto death, even the 
death of the cross, (Phil. ii, 5, 8;) that ye 
through his poverty (through his humiliation 
and death) might be rich— Might regain your 
forfeited inheritance, and be enriched with every 
grace of his Holy Spirit, and brought at last to his 
eternal glory. If Jesus Christ, as some contend, 
was only a mere man, in what sense could he be 
said to be “rich?” His family was poor in Beth- 
lehem ; his parents were very poor also; he himself 
never possessed any property among men from the 
stable to the cross; nor had he any thing to be- 
queath at his death but his peace. And in what 
way could the poverty of one man make a multitude 
“rich?” These are questions which, on the So- 
cinian scheme, can never be satisfactorily an- 
swered. [The words “he became poor,’ denote 
the once-oceurring entrance into the condition of 
being poor, and therefore certainly the having be- 
come poor, and not the whole life led by Christ in 
poverty and lowliness, during which he was never- 
theless rich in grace, rich in diward blessings... . 
The riches conferred on us are, the reconciliation, 
justification, illumination, sanctification, peace, joy, 
certainty of eternal life—in short, the whole sum of 
spiritual and heavenly blessings which Christ has 
obtained for believers by his humiliation and death. 
See Meyer. ] 

10. Herein I give my advice—For I speak 
not by way of commandment. (Verse 8.) For 
this is expedient for you—lIt is necessary you 
should do this to preserve a consistency of conduct ; 
for ye began this work a year ago, and it is neces- 
sary that ye should complete it as soon as possible. 
Not only to do, but also to be forward—To 
ποιῆσαι... καὶ τὸ θέλειν, literally, to do and to will ; 
but as the will must be before the deed, θέλειν must 
be taken here in the sense of delight, as it fre- 
quently means in the Old and New Testaments. A 
year ago—’A7o πέρυσι. It was about a year be- 
fore this that the apostle, in his first epistle, (chap- 
ter xvi, 2,) had exhorted them to make this con- 
tribution; and there is no doubt that they, in obe- 
dience to his directions, had begun to lay up in 
store for this charitable purpose; he therefore 
wishes them to complete this good work, and thus 
show that they were not led to it by the example 
of the Macedonians, seeing they themselves had 
been jirst movers in this business. 

11. A readiness to will, so there may bea 
performance—Ye have willed and purposed this ; 
now perform it. Out of that which ye have— 

193 


A.M. 4061, A. Ὁ, 57. 


Year of Rome, 810. 


II, CORINTHIANS. 


Scriptural rule of giving. 
Conmmendation of Titus, 


which ye have. 482 For °if there be first a 
willing mind, it is accepted according to that 
a man hath, and not according to that he hath 
not. is For Z mean not that other men 
be eased, and ye burdened: 14 But by an 
equality, that now at this time your abun- 
dance may be a supply for their want, that 
their abundance also may be ὦ supply for your 
want; that there muy be equality: ὦ As it 
is written, ἡ He that had gathered much had 
nothing over; and he that Awd gathered little 
had no lack. #6 But thanks be to God, which 
put the same earnest care into the heart of Ti- 
tus for you. ἘΦ For indeed he accepted 4 the 
exhortation; but being more forward, of his 
own accord he went unto you. 5. And we 
have sent with him 'the brother, whose praise 
isin the gospel throughout all the churches ; 
19 And not that only, but who was also 


o Mark 12. ih ae ele 21. 3. τ νὴ] Exod. 16. 18.---’ἶὑ Verse 6. 
Chi Jor. 16. 3, 4. τι gift, verses 4, 6,7. 


schosen of the churches to travel with us with 
this ‘grace, which is administered by us "to 
the glory of the same Lord, and declaration 
of your ready mind: ΦΦ Avoiding this, that 
no man should blame us in this abundance 
which is administered by us: 28 ν Providing 
for honest things, not only in the sight of the 
Lord, but also in the sight of nen. 22 And 
we have sent with them our brother, whom 
we have oftentimes proved diligent in many 
things, but now much more diligent, upon 
the ‘great confidence which »/ have in you. 
23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my 
partner and fellow helper concerning you: or 
our brethren be inquired of, they are *the 
messengers of the churches, and the glory of 
Christ. 24 Wherefore show ye to them, 
and before the churches, the proof of your 
lov 5 and of our » boasting on your behalf. 


ee 9, 8.—a Chap. 4. 15.—v7 Rom. 12.17; Phil. 4. 8: 
9... 12.—w Or, he hath. Phil, 2. 25, —y Chap: 7. 143 


1 peer 


Give as God fas, enabled you ; and give as God has 
disposed you. Ile requires each man to do as he 
can, and accepts the will where the means are 
wanting to perform the deed. 

12. According to that a man hath—Accord- 
ing to his real property ; not taking that which be- 
longs to his own family, and is indispensably nec- 
essary for their support; and, above all, not taking 
that which belongs to others ; namely, what he owes 
to any man, 

13. That other men be eased—I do not de- 
sign that you should impoverish yourselves in order 
that others may live affluently. 

14. But by an equality—That you may do to 
those who are distressed now, as, on a change of 
circumstances, you would wish them to do to you. 
And I only wish that of your abundance you would 
now minister to their wants: and it may be that 
their abundance may yet supply your wants. 
That there may be equality—Your abundance 
supplying them with that of which they are utterly 
destitute. 

15. He that hath gathered much, had noth- 
ing over—(See Exod. xvi, 18.) The Corinthians, 
in the course of God's providence, had gathered 
more than was necessary for their own support ; 
by giving the surplus to the persecuted and im- 
poverished Christian Jews there would be an equal- 
ity; both would then possess the necessaries of life, 
though still the one might have more prosperity than 
the other. [Only what was effected under the old 
dispensation by a wonder-working providence is 
left, under the new, as a gracious task for brotherly 
love to perform in the “inevitable unevenness of 

earthly possessions.—Speaker’s Com. 

16. But thanks be to God—With his usual 
address, St. Paul considers all this as done in the 
behalf of the Corinthian Chureh ; and though the 
poor Christians in Judea are to have the immediate 
benefit, yet God put honour upon them in making 
them his instruments in supplying the wants of 
others. He who is an almoner to God Almighty is 
highly honoured indeed. 

‘17. He accepted the exhortation—I advised 
him to visit you and excite you to this good work, 
and I found that he was already disposed in his 
heart to do it; God put this earnest care in the 
heart of Titus for you. (Verse 16.) 

194 


18. The brother whose praise is in the 
gospel—Who this “ brother” was we cannot tell; 
some suppose it was St. Luke, who wrote one of 
the gospels, and who was the companion of St. 
Paul in several of his travels. Whoever the per- 
son was he was sufficiently known to the Corin- 
thians, as we learn by what the apostle says of him 
in this place. 

19. Chosen of the churches to travel with 
τι5--- Χειροτονηθεὶς. Appointed by a show of hands. 
This appointment, by the suffrage of the Churches, 
seems to refer more to St. Luke than any one else; 
unless we suppose he refers to the transaction re- 
corded Acts xv, 40, 41, and then it would appear 
that Silas was the person intended. With this 
grace — Liberal contribution. (See on verse 1.) 
Your ready mind—Your willingness to relieve 
them. But instead of ὑμῶν, your, ἡμῶν, owr, is the 
reading of almost all the best MSS. and all the 
Versions. This is, doubtless, the true reading. 

20. Avoiding this, that no man should blame 
us—Taking this prudent caution to have witnesses 
of our conduct, and such as were chosen by the 
Churches themselves, that we might not be sus- 
pected of having either embezzled or misapplied 
their bounty. (See the note on 1 Cor. xvi, 4.) [A 
wise precaution, and an example to all w ho may be 
intrusted with the administration of benev olences. ] 

21. Providing for honest things — Taking 
care to act so as not only to be clear in the sight 
of God, but also of all men; avoiding even the 
appearance, or possible suspicion, of evil. (See 
1 Cor. xvi, 4.) 

22. We have sent with them—Titus, and 
probably Luke, our brother, or possibly Apol- 
los. Now much more diligent — Finding that 
I have the fullest confidence in you, he engages in 
this business with alacrity, and exceeds even his 
former diligence. 

23. Whether any do inquire of Titus—Should 
it be asked, Who is this Tirus? 1 answer, He is my 
companion, and my fellowlabourer in reference to 
you. (Chapter ii, 18; vii, 6, 7.) Should any in- 
quire, Who are these brethren, Luke and Apollos? 
I answer, They are, ἀπόστολοι, apostles of the 
Churches, and intensely bent on promoting the 
glory of Christ. 

24, Wherefore show ye to them, and before 


Enconragements to liberal 
and loving giving 


CHAPTER IX. 

OR as touching *the ministering to the 

saints, it is superfluous for me to write to 
you: 2 For I know the forwardness of your 
mind, *for which I boast of you to them of 
Macedonia, that ¢Achaia was ready a year 
ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. 
3 °Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our 
boasting of you should be in vain in this be- 
half; that, as I said, ye may be ready. 4 Lest 
haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and 
find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) 
should be ashamed in this same confident 
boasting. 6 Therefore I thought it necessary 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4061. A.D. 57. 
Year of Rome, 810, 


-- -Ξ ΞΕ le adh ΟΣ 
to exhort the brethren, that they would go be- 
fore unto you, and make up beforehand your 
‘bounty, δ whereof ye had notice before, that 
the same might'be ready, as @ matter of boun- 
ty, and not as ef covetousness. 6 "But this ἢ 
say, Ile which soweth sparingly shall reap 
also sparingly ; and he which soweth bounti- 
fully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man 
according as he purposeth in his heart, so Jet 
him give; ‘not grudgingly, or of necessity : 
for «God loveth a cheerful giver. ® ! And 
God is able to make all grace abound toward 
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in 
all things, may abound to every good work: 


ὦ Acts 11, 29; Rom, 15. 26; 1 Cor. 16. 1; chap. 8. 4: Gal. 2. 10, 
—b Chap. 8. 19.—e Chap. 8. 24.—7 Chap. 8 10.—e Chap. 
& 6, 17, 18, 22.—/Gr. blessing, Gen. 33. 11; 1 Sam. 5. 27’ 
2 Kings 4, 15. 


σ Or, which hath been so much spoken of hefore.—h Prov. 
11.24; 19.17; 22. 9: Gal. 6. 7,9.—7 Dent. 13, 7.—k oxod, 25,2; 
35. 5; Prov. 11. 25; Rom, 12.8; chap, 8, 12.-—J Prov. 1 - 
23. 27; Phil. 4. 19. 


the churches, etc. —Seeing they are persons 
every way worthy in themselves, and coming to you 
on such an important occasion, and so highly ree. 
ommended, receive them affectionately; and let 
them thus see that the very high character I have 
given of you is not exaggerated, and that you are 
as ready in every work of charity as I have stated 
you to be. Act in this for your honour. 


1. The whole of this chapter and the following is 
occupied in exciting the richer followers of Christ 
to be liberal to the poorer; the obligation of each 
to he so, the reasons on which that obligation is 
founded, the arguments to enforce the obligation 
from those reasons, are all clearly stated, and most 
dexterously and forcibly managed. These two 
chapters afford a perfect model for a Christian 
minister who is pleading the cause of the poor. 

2. In the management of charities a man ought 
carefully to avoid the least suspicion of avarice, 
self-interest, and unfaithfulness. How few persons 
are entirely free from the upbraiding of their own 
consciences in the matter of alms! But who will 
be able to hear the upbraidings of Christ at the 
time of death and judgment? No man can waste 
without injustice, or neglect without sin, those 
things of which he is only the dispenser and 
steward. 

3. God has not settled an equality among men by 
their birth, to the end that this equality might be 
the work of his grace. He has put the temporal 
portion of the poor into the hands of the rich, and 
the spiritual portion of the rich into the hands of 
‘the poor, on purpose to keep up ἃ good understand- 
ing betwixt the members of the same body by a 
mutual dependence on one another. He who with- 
holds the part belonging to the poor steals more 
from himself than from them. Let every one 
answer this admirable design of God, and labour to 
re-establish equality; the poor, in praying much 
for the rich; and the rich, in giving much to the 
poor. See Quesnel. Ἢ 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. 

1. It is superfluous for me to write to you— 
I need not enlarge, having already said enough. 
(See the preceding chapter.) 

2. I know the forwardness of your mind— 
You have already firmly purposed to contribute to 
the support of the poor and suffering saints. That 
Achaia was ready a year ago—The whole of 
the Morea was anciently called “ Achaia,” the cap- 


ital of which was Corinth. The apostle means, not 
only Corinth, but other Churches in different parts 
about Corinth; we know there was a Church at 
Cenchrea, one of the ports on the Corinthian Isth- 
mus. Your zeal hath provoked very many— 
Hearing that the Corinthians were so intent on the 
relief of the sufferers in Palestine, other Churches, 
and especially they of Macedonia, came forward the 
more promptly and liberally, 

8. Yet have I sent the brethren—Titus and 
his companions, mentioned in the preceding chap- 
ter. That, as I said, ye may be ready—And 
he wished them to be ready, that they might pre- 
serve the good character he had given them: this 
was for their honour ; andif they did not takecare 
to do so, he might be reputed a Uiar ; and thus 
both they and himself be “ ashamed” before the 
Macedonians, should any of them at this time ac- 
company him to Corinth. 

5. Whereof ye had notice before—Instead 
of προκαταρτίσωσι, spoken of before, mpoernyyes- 
μένην, what was promised before, [is the now ac- 
cepted reading.] Bounty, and not as of covet- 
ousness — Had they been backward, strangers 
might have attributed this to a covetous principle ; 
as it would appear that they were loath te give up 
their money, and that they parted with it only when 
they could not for shame keep it any longer, This 
is the property of a covetous heart ; whereas readi- 
ness to give is the characteristic of a liberal 
mind. 

6. He which soweth sparingly—This isa 
plain maxim; no man can expect to reap but in 
proportion as he has sowed. And here almsgiving 
is represented as a seed sown, which shall bring 
forth a crop. (See Isa. xxxii, 20; Hos. £12) 

7. Not grudgingly, or of necessity — The 
benefit of almsgiving is lost to the giver when he 
does it with a grumbling heart. And, as he does 
not do the duty in the spirit of the duty, even the 
performance of the letter of the law is an abomi- 
nation in the sight of God. 

8. God is able to make all grace abound— 
We have already seen (chapter viii, 1) that the 
word yapic, in the connexion in which the apostle 
uses it in these chapters, signifies a charitable 
gift ; God is able to give you, in his merey, abun- 
dance of temporal good ; that, having a sufficiency, 
ye may abound in every good work. This refers to 
the sowing plenteously ; those who do so shall reap 
plenteously—they shall have an abundance of God’s 
blessings, 


195 


A.M. 4401. A.D. 57. 
Year of Rome, 510, 


9 (Asitis written, "He hath dispersed abroad ; 
he hath given to the poor: his righteousness 
remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that ngninis- 
tereth seed to the sower both minister bread 
for your food, and multiply your seed sown, 
and increase the fruits of your ° righteousness ;) 
11 Being enriched in every thing to all 
Ρᾳ bountifulness, * which causeth through us 
thanksgiving to God. 12 For the adminis- 
tration of this service not only *supplieth the 
want of the saints, but is abundant also by 
many thanksgivings unto God; 18 While 
by the experiment of this ministration they 


II, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul prays that the Church may 
be enriched in liberality, 


‘glorify God for your professed subjection un- 
to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal 
"distribution unto them, and unto all men; 
14 And by their prayer for you, which long 
after you for the exceeding ἡ grace of God in 
you. 4&5 Thanks de unto God for his un- 
speakable gift. 


CHAPTER X. 


OW 11 Paul myself beseech you by the 
meekness and gentleness of Christ, » who 
cin presence am base among you, but being 
absent am bold toward you: 2 But 1 beseech 


m Psa. 112. 9 
p Or, 
1: 


).—— Tsa. 5d. 10.—o Hos. 10.12; Matt. 6. 1.—— 
* chap. 8, 2,—7 Cha ap. 


laos Chap. 8 


9. He hath dispersed abroad—Here is still 
the allusion to the sower [who scatters his seed 
with an apparent wastefulness. (See Eccles. xi, 1; 
Psa. exii, 9.)] He hath given to the poor— 
This is the interpretation of “he hath dispersed 
abroad ;” and therefore it is said, his righteous- 
ness remaineth forever—his good work is had in 
remembrance before God. By “ righteousness ” 
we have already seen that the Jews understand 
almsgiving. (See the note on Matt. vi, 1.) 

10. Now he that ministereth (sup plicth) seed 
to the sower—The ‘“ sower,” as we have already 
seen, is he that gives alms of what he hath; and 
God, who requires him to give these alms, is here 
represented as providing him with the means. Thus 
God is represented as, in the course of his providence, 
associating and connecting causes and effects ; keep- 
ing each thing in its proper place and state of de- 
pendence on another, and all upon himself; so 
that summer and winter, heat and cold, seedtime 
and harvest, regularly succeed each other. Thus 
God leads up (ἐπιχορηγετ)ὴ this grand chorus of 
causes and eee provides the seed to the hand of 
the sower ; blesses the earth, and causes it to bring 
forth and ‘bud, so that it may again minister seed 
to the sower and bread to the eater; and, by a 
watchful providence, preserves every thing. The 
figure is beautiful, and shows us the grand system 
of causes and efferts, all directed by and under the 
immediate guidance and government of God him- 
self. The fruits of your righteousness—Your 
beneficence ; for so» δικαιοσύνῃ is here to be under- 
stood. (See the nete on Matt. vi, 1, already re- 
ferred to.) 

11. Being enriched in every thing—Why 
does God give riches? That they may be applied 
to his glory and the good of men. Why does he 
increase viches? That those who have them may 
exercise all bountifulness. And if they be “ enriched 
in every thing,” what will be the consequence if 
they do not exercise all bountifulness? Why, 
God will curse their blessings ; the rust shall canker 
them, and the moth shall consume their garments. 
(Jas. v, 2.) But if, onthe other hand, they do thus 
apply them, then they cause thanksgiving to God. 

12. For the (your) administration of this 
service—|Almsgiving, when performed as a re- 
ligious service, not only serves the end of supply- 
ing by its help the wants of its objects, but it is 
also and especially sxzperabounding, περισσεύουσα, 
extending incomparably farther in the form of 
grateful service to God himself.—A/ford. } 

13. By the experiment of this. ministration 
—In this, and in the preceding and following 

196 


ee 5. 16.——wu Heb. 13. 16.—vw Chap. 
. 17.—a Rom, 12. 1.----- Verse 10; chap. 1 
bi outward Eee ts nce. 


- 1.—70 James 


Ξ 
ὃ, 7. 9. 


verses, the apostle enumerates the good effects that 
would’ be produced by their liberal almsgiving to 
the poor saints at Jerusalem. 

14. The exceeding grace of God in you— 
By the ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν, superabounding, or 
transcending, grace of God, which was in them, the 
apostle most evidently means the merciful and 
charitable disposition which they had toward the 
suffering saints. They had the means of charity, 
but God had given these means; they had a feeling 
and charitable heart, but God was the author of it. 
Their charity was superabundant, and God had fur- 
nished both the disposition, the occasion, and the 
means by which that disposition was to be made 
manifest. 

15. Thanks be unto God for his unspeak- 
able gift—Some think that Christ only is here in- 
tended. It is, however, evident that the ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ 
δωρεᾷ, unspeakable g gift, is precisely the same with 
the ὑπερβάλλουση χάρις, superabounding grace or 
benefits, of the preceding verse, It is, therefore, 
most evident that it isthe work of Christ in them, 
and not Christ himself, which is intended in the 
14th verse; and consequently, that it is the same 
work, not the operator, which is referred to in this 
last verse. Still, the first application is a good and 
highly comforting one. 

Jesus Curist, the gift of God’s love to mankind, 
is an unspeakable blessing ; no man can conceive, 
much less declare, how great this gift is; for these 
things the angels desire to look into. Therefore 
he may be well called the unspeakable gift, as he 
is the highest God ever gave or can give to man; 
though this is not the meaning of the last verse, 
[It is impossible to apply such a term} so emphat- 
ically placed as here, to any gift short of THAT ONE. 
And the aseription as coming from Paul’s fervent 
spirit is very natural in this connexion,—A/ord. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER: X. 

1. I Paul myself beseech you by the meek- 
ness—Having now finished his directions and ad- 
vices relative to the collection for the poor, he re- 
sumes his argument relative to the false apostle, 
who, it seems, had gained considerable influence by 
representing ‘St. Paul as despicable in his person, 
his ministry, and his influence. Under this obloquy 
the apostle was supported by the meekness and 
gentleness of Christ. 'Whoin presence am base 
among you, but being absent am bold toward 
you—He seems to quote these as the words of his 
calumniator, as if he had said: “This apostle of 
yours is a mere pretender; when he is among you, 
you know how base and contemptible he is; when 


The weapons of the Christian 
ministry not carnal. 


CHAPTER X. 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 57. 
Year of Rome, 510, 


you, ‘that I may not be bold when I am pres- 
ent with that confidence, wherewith I think 
to be bold against some, which ¢think of us as 
if we walked according to the flesh. 8 For 
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war 
after the flesh: 4 (f For the weapons ¢ of our 
warfare are not carnal, but * mighty ‘through 
God «to the pulling down of strong holds;) 


5 'Casting down imaginations, and every 
high thing that exalteth itself against the 
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity 
every thought to the obedience of Christ; 
6 "And having in a readiness to revenge all 
disobedience, when ° your obedience is fulfilled. 
7 Do ye look on things after the outward 
appearance? 41f any man trust to himself that 


@1 Cor. 4,21: chap, 13. 2,10,—e Or, reckon.—F Eph. 6. 13; 
1 Thess. 5. §.-—-g1 Tim. 1. 15; 2 Tim. 2. 3.—h Acts 7. 22; 
1 Cor, 2. 5; chap. 6. 7; 18. 3, 4. —7 Or, to Gad. 


absent, see how he brags and boasts.” The word 
ταπεινὸς, Which we render “ base,” signifies lowly, 
and, as some think, short of stature. The insinuation 
is, that when there was danger or opposition at hand, 
St. Paul acted with great obsequiousness, fearing 
for his person and authority, lest he should lose his 
influence. See the following verse. 

2. Some, which think of us as if we walked 
according to the flesh—lIt is customary for cow- 
ards and overbearing men to threaten the weak 
and the timid when present; to bluster when ab- 
sent; and to be very obsequious in the presence of 
the strong and courageous. This conduct they ap- 
pear to have charged against the apostle, which he 
calls here walking after the flesh—acting as a man 
who had worldly ends in view, and would use any 
means in order to accomplish them. 

3. Though we walk in the flesh—Although 
Tam only a human being, and must live as such, yet 
I do not war after the flesh; I do not act the 
coward or the poltroon, as they insinuate. I have 
a good cause, a good Captain, strength at will, and 
courage at hand. I neither fear them nor their 
master. [The word σάρξ, flesh, is used, in this 
verse, in two distinct and opposite senses ; the first 
referring to the simply animal organism, in which, 
of course, all men “walk,” that is, /ive (actively ;) 
the second refers to man’s naturally depraved 
ethical character, in which all the unregenerate 
“ walk,” but from the dominion of which the apos- 
tle and his associates were delivered. In this latter 
sense, the term carnal, is used in the next verse. } 

4. The weapons of our warfare—(See Eph. 
wa LOL 7s) Τῆι, 118 +92) Dime si. 5. 4. 6.) “Are 
not carnal, but mighty through God—|By the 
“ weapons,” are to be understood the means which the 
apostolic activity makes use of in the strife with 
the hostile powers... . Now since fleshly weapons, 
as such, are weak, (Matt. xxvi, 41, Rom. vi, 19,) and 
not in keeping with the aims of the apostolie work, 
the weapons opposed to them are not designated 
according to their nature, (though evidently they 
are ὅπλα πνευματικά, spiritual weapons,) but at once 
according to their specific potency made powerful, 
by God.— Meyer. | 

5. Casting down imaginations — Aoyicuoic; 
reasonings or opinions. The Greek philosophers 
valued themselves especially on their ethic systems, 
in which their reasonings appeared to be very pro- 
found and conclusive ; but they were obliged to 
assuine principles which were either such as did not 
exist, or were false in themselves, as the whole of 
their mythologic system most evidently was. Every 
high thing—[Their merely human knowledge is 
lifted up against the knowledge of «God; that is, 
the Gospel itself.—A/ford.| The knowledge of 
God—It is amazing how feeble a resistance hea- 
thenism made, by argument or reasoning, against the 
doctrine of the Gospel! It instantly shrunk from 
the divine light, and called on the secular power to 


k Jer. 1. 10,—71 Cor. 1.19; 3. 19. m Or, reasonings,— 
nm Chap, 13. 2, 10.—o Chap. 2. 9: 7. 15.—  p Jobn 7. 24; 
chap. ὃ. 12; 1]. 18.—gq 1 οι. 14.37; 1 John 4. 6. 


contend for it! Popery sunk before Protestantism 
in the same way, and defended itself by the same 
means. The apostles destroyed heathenism where- 
ever they came; the Protestants confuted the Pa- 
pists wherever their voice was permitted to be 
heard. Bringing into captivity every thought 
--ἰ[ Αιχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα, leading captive every 
intent of the mind ; not thought nor intellectual sub- 
jection is here intended, but that of the wil/.— 
Alford.) [This is the work of the apostles, but 
only by the Spirit of God working through and by 
them.] The obedience of Christ — [Εἰς τὴν 
ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ; into subjection to Christ; 
the new state into which the wit (the moral na- 
ture) is brought by its subjection, as the country 
into which it is led captive. (Luke xxi, 24.)—Al- 


Jford.| |The work of the practical redemption of 


the soul by the power of the word and the Spirit 
of God, is first of all a conquest and a capture, and 
next a willing defection of the captive from his 
former allegiance and his complete self-subjection 
to the power and good pleasure of the conqueror ; 
and with his changed relations comes also a change 
of heart and spirit to the captive, and he finds to 
his great joy that the yoke that he has taken upon 
himself is easy, and the burden light. ] 

6. And having in a readiness to revenge all 
disobedience—I am ready, through this mighty 
armour of God, to punish (logically and spiritually) 
those opposers of the doctrine of Christ, and the 
disobedience which has been produced by them. 
When your obedience is fulfilled—Wlien you 
have, in the fullest manner, discountenanced those 
men, and separated yourselves from their commun- 
ion. The apostle was not in haste to pull up the 
tares, lest he should pull up the wheat also. All 
the terms in these two verses are mi/itary. Allu- 
sion is made to a strongly fortified city, where the 
enemy had made his last stand. The army of God 
comes against the place and attacks it; the strong- 
holds, ὀχυρωμάτων, all the fortified places, are carried. 
The imaginations, λογισμοί, engines, and whatever 
the imagination or skill of man could raise, are 
speedily taken and destroyed. Every high thing, 
πᾶν ὕψωμα, is thrown down and demolished ; and the 
besieging army, carrying every thing at the point 
of the sword, enters the city, and storms and takes 
the citadel. Everywhere defeated, the conquered 
submit, and are brought into captivity, αὐχμαλωτίζον- 
τες, are led away captives ; and thus the whole goy- 
ernment is destroyed. It is easy to apply these 
things, as far as may be consistent with the apos- 
tle’s design. The general sense I have given in the 
preceding notes. 

7. Do ye look on things after the outward 
appearance—Do not be carried away with appear- 
ances ; do not be satisfied with show and parade. 
If any man trust to himself that he is 
Christ’s—Here, as in several other places of this 
and the preceding epistle, the τίς, ἀπ or certain 

197 


A. M. 4961. A. Ὁ, 57. 
Yeur of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul refutes some calumnies 
littered against hiinself. 


he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this 
again, that, as he zs Christ’s, even so are" we 
Christ’s. ® For though I should ‘boast some- 
what more ‘of our authority, which the Lord 
hath given us for edification, and not for your 
destruction, tI should not be ashained: 9 That 
1 may not seem as if I would terrify you by 
letters. 10 For his letters, “say they, are 
weighty and powerful; but Ais bodily pres- 
ence is weak, and Ais “speech contemptible. 


14 Let such a one think this, that, such as we 
are in word by letters when we are absent, 
such will we be also in deed when we are 
present. 92 *For we dare not make our- 
selves of the number, or compare ourselves 
with some that commend themselves: but 
they, measuring themselves by themselves, and 
comparing themselves among themselves, ¥ are 
not wise. 4s But we will not boast of 
things without owr measure, but according to 


γ}]1 Cor. 3. 25: 9. 1; chap. 11. 23. 8 Chap. 13. 10.—d# Chap. 
7.14; 12. 6.——w Gr, suith he. —v 1 Cor. 2. 3,4: verse 1; chap. 


12.5, 7, 9: Gal. 4. 13.—701 Cor. 1. 17: 2. 1,4; chap. 11. 6.— 
w Chap. 3.1; ὅ. 12. y Or, understund it not.—z Verse 15, 


person, most evidently refers to the false apostle 
who made so much disturbance inthe Church. And 
this man trusted to himself—assumed to himself 
that he was Christ’s messenger. [There had evi- 
dently come to Corinth, perhaps from Jerusalem, 
teachers of the Judaizing party, who depreciated 
Paul’s apostleship as irregular in its origin, and his 
teaching as contrary to the authorized and original 
doctrines of the Gospel; and it is to these that the 
apostle is here responding.] Let him of himself 
think this—[Tovro λογιζέσθω, settle his mind to this 
conclusion.| As he arrogates to himself the char- 
acter of a minister of Christ, let him acknowledge 
that even so we are Christ’s ministers; and that 7 
have, by my preaching and the miracles which I 
have wrought, given full proof that I am especially 
comimissioned by him. 

8. For though I should boast, etc.—I have a 
greater authority and spiritual power than I have 
yet shown, both to edify and to punish; but I em- 
ploy this for your edification in righteousness, and 
not for the destruction of any delinquent. ‘ This,” 
says Calmet, ‘is the rule which the pastors of the 
Church ever propose to themselves in the exercise 
of their authority ; whether to enjoin or forbid, to 
dispense or to oblige, to bind or to loose. They 
should use this power only as Jesus Christ used 
it . . . for the salvation, and not for the destruction, 
of souls.” 

9. That I may not seem, etc.—I will add no 
more concerning this part of the subject, lest I 
should seem, as my adversary has insinuated, to 
wish to terrify you by (my) letters. 

10. For his letters, say they, are weighty 
and powerful—He boasts of high powers, and 
that he can do great things. (See on verses 1, 2. 
Bat his bodily presence is weak—When you 
behold the man, you find hima feeble, contemp- 
tible mortal; and when ye hear him speak, his speech, 
(ὁ λόγος, probably his doctrine,) (ἐξουθενημένος,) is 
good for nothing; his person, matter, ane manner 
are altogether uninteresting, unimpressive, and too 
contemptible to be valued by the wise and the 
learned. Many, both among the ancients and 
moderns, have endeavoured to find out the ground 
there was for any part of this calumny: as to the 
moral conduct of the apostle, that was invulnerable ; 
his motives, it is true, were suspected and de- 
nounced by this false apostle and his partisans ; 
but they could never find any thing in his conduct 
which could support their insinuations. What 
they could not attach to his chwracter, they disin- 
genously attached to his person and his e/ocution. 
|No countenance is given by these words to the 
idea that Paul was of weak physical constitution, 
or short in stature. His own explanation of them 
is sufficient. (See 1 Cor, ii.) It is, that when he 
was present among them, he brought, not the 

198 


strength of presence or words of the carnal teach- 
ers, but abjured all such influence, and in fear and 
trembling preached Christ crucified. It was this, 
and not weakness of voice, which made his “ speech 
contemptible.” At the same time the contrast be- 
tween his epistles and his word of mowth—his author- 
ity as wnaccompanicd or accompanied by his pres- 
ence—it must be assumed that there was something 
(see on chapter xii, 7) which discommended his ap- 
pearance and delivery. (See Winer’s Realwerk.)— 
Alford.| That St. Paul could be no such diminu- 
tive person we may fairly presume from the office 
he filled under the high-priest in the persecution 
of the Church of Christ; and that he had not an 
impediment in his speech, but was a graceful orator, 
we may learn from his whole history, and espec- 
ially from the account we have in Acts xiv, 12, 
where the Lycaonians took him for Mercury, the 
god of eloquence, induced thereto by his powerful 
and persuasive elocution. In short, there does not 
appear to be any substantial evidence of the apos- 
tle’s deformity, piymy stature, bald head, pale and 
wrinkled face, large nose, stammering speech, ete. 
These are probably all figments of fancy and fool- 
ish surmisings. 

11. Such as we are in word—[The added 
words will we be, which make the latter part of the 
sentence a promise, perhaps a threat, are not au- 
thorized by the connexion. The apostle simply re- 
iterates what had been said, that what he did while 
present with them was in the fullest harmony with 
what appeared in his letters. | 

12. We dare not make ourselves, etc.—As if 
he had said: I dare neither to associate with, nor 
compare myself to, those who are full of self-com- 
mendation. Some think this to be an éronical 
speech. But they, measuring themselves by 
themselves—[They were their own models of ex- 
cellence. The Greek (of the text) carries the two 
ideas of reciprocal exaltation and self-exaltation, 
and, no doubt, these persons practised both. They 
were a mutual-admiration and a self admiration 
society. The apostle contents himself with the 
criticism, “ they do not understand,” which is tame 
in sound, but contains a latent sting. . .. If it is 
not ironical, it means that their self-measurements 
and self-comparisons had only blinded their under- 
standings as to the true qualifications of an apos- 
tle.-—Speaker’s Com. ] 

13. Things without our measure — By the 
“measure,” mentioned here, the apostle seems to 
mean the commission he received from God to 
preach the Gospel to the Gentiles; a measure or 
district that extended through all Asia Minor and 
Greece, down to Achaia, where Corinth was situated, 
a measure to reach even unto you. [But according 
to the measure of the boundury line (ἄμετρα) which 
God (not our own choice) has assigned to us as 


The region of Corinth a part of 
Paul’s field of labour, 


CHAPTER 


A. M. 4061. Α. Ὁ. 51. 
Year of Rome, 510. 


ae 


the measure of the *rule which God hath dis- 
tributed to us, a measure to reach even unto 
you. &4 For we stretch not ourselves beyond 
our measure, as though we reached not unto 
you; *for we are come as far as to you also in 
preaching the gospel of Christ: 145 Not boast- 
ing of things without owr measure, that is, © of 
other men’s labours; but having hope, when 


your faith is increased, that we shall be ¢en- 
larged by you according to our rule abundantly, 
16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond 
you, and not to boast in another man’s «line 
of things made ready to our hand. 7 ‘But 
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 
18 For snot he that commendeth himself is 
approved, but ® whom the Lord commendeth. 


a Or, line.-—b 1 Cor. 3. 5, 10; 4.15: 9. 1.—e Rom, 15, 20.— 
d Or, magnified in you. 


eOr, rule. —sTsaiah 65. 16: Jer. 9. 24; 
27. 2..—/A Rom. 2. 29; 


1 Cor. 1. Mt eae Prov. 
1 Cor. 4. ὃ. 


measure, to reach even unto you. Our boasting will 
restrict and measure itself according -to the limit 
which God has drawn for us, and by which he has 
measured off the sphere of our activity in order that 
we should reach even to you with our working. By 
this Paul is manifestly aiming at the vainglorious- 
ness of the false apostles, who, . . . intruded into 
the provinces of others, .. . as indeed, in particular, 
they had come also to Corinth, which lay within the 
boundary-line of Paul’s apostolic action, and were 
now boasting as if the church-life in Corinth were 
chiefly their work.—Meyer. | 

14. For we stretch not ourselves beyond— 
[For we do not usurp for ourselves any extension 
of our working at variance with its destined limit, as 
would be the case if vou lay beyond the measured- 
off province which is divinely assigned to us... . 
If he were not destined (by God) to extend his 
official working even to Corinth, and yet wished to 
do so, he would resemble a man who stretches him- 
self beyond the boundary-line drawn for him. — 
Meyer.| ἘΟΥ we are come as far as to you 
—An appeal to well known facts in proof of the 
apostle’s divine call to preach the Gospel in Corinth, 
in which God gave to him and his associates a 
precedence in that place. ] 

15. Not boasting of things without our 
measure—We speak only of the work which God 
has done by us, for we have never attempted to 
enter into other men’s labours, and we study to 
convert those regions assigned to us by the Holy 
Spirit. But having hope, ... your faith is 
increased—| That being among the conditions that 
must precede what is further anticipated, namely, 
to be enlarged (in favour) among you, according to 
our rule, κατὰ τὸν κανόνα, as to our sphere, or bound- 
ary-line. Paul trusted that the improved spiritual 
condition of the Corinthian Church would afford 
him still further opportunities for extending his 
apostolic labours. ] 

16. To preach the gospel in the regions be- 
yond you—He probably refers to those parts of 
the Morea, such as Sparta, ete., that lay southward 
of them; and to Italy, which lay on the west. It 
does not appear that he considered his measure or 
province to extend to Libya, or any part of Africa. 
Not to boast in another man’s line—So very 
scrupulous was the apostle not to build on another 
man’s foundation, that he would not even go to 
those places where-other apostles were labouring. 
He appears to think that every apostle had a par- 
ticular district or province of the heathen world 
allotted to him, and which God commissioned him 
to convert to the Christian faith. No doubt every 
apostle was influenced in the same way; and this 
was a wise order of God; for by these means the 
Gospel was more quickly ‘spread through the hea- 
then provinces than it otherwise would have been. 

17. He that glorieth, let him glory in the 
Lord—Instead of boasting or exulting even in your 


own success in preaching the Gospel, as none can 
be successful without the especial blessing of God, 
let God who gave the blessing have the glory. 
Even the genuine apostle, who has his commission 
immediately from God himself, takes no praise to 
himself from the prosperity of his work, but gives 
it all to God. 

18. Not he that commendeth himself—Not 
the person who makes a parade of his own attain- 
ments; who preaches himself, and not Christ Jesus 
the Lord; and, far from being your servant for 
Christ’s sake, affects to be your ruler; not sucha 
one shall be approved of God by an especial bless- 
ing on his labours; but he whom the Lord com- 
mendeth, by giving him the extraordinary gifts of 
the Holy Spirit, and converting the heathen by his 
ministry. These were qualifications to which the 
false apostle at Corinth could not pretend He had 
language and eloquence, and show and parade; but 
he had neither the gifts of an apostle nor an apos- 
tle’s success. [Certain practical lessons of Christ- 
ian comity may be learned from this last paragraph, 
(verses 12-18,) the last of which has been shame- 
fully violated in modern times, and especially in 
foreign mission fields. | 


1. We find that from the beginning God ap- 
pointed to every man his province, and to every 
man his labour; and would not suffer even oue apos- 
tle to interfere with another. This was a very wise 
appointment; for by this the Gospel was not only 
more speedily diffused over the heathen nations, as 
we have already remarked, but the Churches were 
better attended to, the Christian doctrine preserved 
in its purity, and the Christian discipline properly 
enforced. What is any man’s work is no man’s 
in particular; and thus the work is neglected. In 
every Church of God there should be some one 
who, for the time being, has the care of it, who 
may be properly called its pastor, and who is ac- 
countable for its purity in the faith and its godly 
discipline. 

2. Every man who ministers in holy things 
should be well assured of his ca// to the work; 
without this he can labour neither with confidence 
nor comfort. And he should be careful to watch 
over the flock, that no destroying wolf be permitted 
to enter the sacred fold, and that the fences of a 
holy discipline be kept in proper repair. 

3. It is base, abominable, and deeply sinful, for 
aman to thrust himself into other men’s labours, 
and, by sowing doubtful disputations among a 
Christian people, distract and divide them, that he 
may get a party to himself. Such persons gen- 
erally act as the false apostle at Corinth; preach 
a relaxed morality; place great stress upon certain 
doctrines which flatter and soothe self-love ; calum- 
niate the person, system of doctrines, and mode of 
discipline of the pastor who perhaps planted that 
Church, or who, in the order of God’s providence, 

199 


A.M, 4061, A.D. 57. 
Year of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul declares his concern for 
the Corinthian church. 


CHAPTER XI. 

OULD to God ye could bear with me a 

little in «my folly: and indeed 'bear 
with me. 2 For I am <jealous over you with 
godly jealousy: for 41 have espoused you to 
one husband, ethat I may present you fas a 
chaste virgin to Christ. 8 But I fear, lest 
by any means, as §the serpent beguiled Eve 
through his subtilty, so your minds "should 
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in 


Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth 
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or 
if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not 
received, or ‘another gospel, which ye have 
not accepted, ye might well bear « with him. 
5 For I suppose "1 was not a whit behind the 
very chiefest apostles. 6 But though ™J be 
rude in speech, yet not "in knowledge; but 
°we have been thoroughly made manifest 
among you in all things. % Have I committed 


a Verse 16: chapter 5. 13. ---- ἢ Οὐ, ye do Lear with me. 
—ce Galatians 4. 17, 18. d Hosea 2. 19, 20: 1 Corinthiuns 
4. 15: e Colossians 1. 28, J Leviticus 21. 13. —g Genesis 
3. 4; John &. 44.—A Ephesians 6. 24; Colossians 2. 4, 8, 18; 


1 Timothy 1. 3; 4. 1; Hebrews 13. 9: 2 Peter 3. 17.—7 Gala- 


tians 1. 7, 8.---ὦ Or, with me. abs Corinthians 15. 10: chap- 
ter 12. 11; Galatians 2. 6—vn1 Cor. 1. ae 2. 1, 13; chapter 
10. 10.—w7 Ephesians ὃ. 4.——o ches 4. 5. 11; 12. 12. 


has the oversight of it. This is an evil that has 
prevailed much in all ages of the Church; there is 
at present much of it in the Christian world, and 
Christianity is disgraced by it. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. 

1. Would to God ye could bear with me— 
“Ogedov ἀνείχεσθέ μου μικρόν. [As the divine name 
does not appear in the original, so it should not be 
in the translation, which should read, Would that 
ye could bear with me a little.| The too frequent 
use of this sacred Name produces a familiarity with 
it that is not at all conducive to reverence and 
godly fear. [The same censure will apply to the 
usual translation of the strong negation, μὴ γένοιτο, 
by the phrase God forbid, though neither of these 
two words has an equivalent in the original.] In 
my folly—tIn my seeming ‘‘ folly;” for being obliged 
to vindicate his ministry, it was necessary “that he 
should speak much of himself, his sufferings, and 
his suecess. And as this would appear like boast- 
ing, those who were not acquainted with the neces- 
sity that lay upon him to make this defence might 
be led to impute it to vanity. 

2. Iam jealous over you, etc.—[I watch over 
you with intense solicitude and carefulness.] That 
I may present you as a chaste virgin—There 
seems to be a reference to Lev. xxi, 14, that the 
high priest must not marry any one that was not a 
pure virgin. Here, then, Christ is the high priest, 
the spouse or husband ; the Corinthian Church the 
pure virgin to be espoused ; the apostle and his 
helpers the [φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου, friend of the bride- 
groom, marriage friend, (Meyer,)| who had educated 
and prepared this virgin for her husband, and es- 
poused her to him. (John iii, 29.) 

3. As the serpent beguiled Eve through his 
subtilty—This is a strong reflection on the false 
apostle and his teaching: he was subéle, (πανοῦρ- 
yoc,) and by his subtlety, (tavovpyia,) his ver- 
satility of character and conduct, his capability of 
doing all work, and accommodating himself to the 
caprices, prejudices, and evil propensities of those 
to whom he ministered, he was enabled to corrupt 
the minds of the people from the simplicity of the 
Gospel of Christ. 

4. For if he that cometh—The false apostle, 
one taken as representing the whole class, Preach- 
eth another Jesus—Another historically, and also 
more powerful to save than that Jesus whom I 
have preached. Or if ye receive another spirit 
—Than the Holy Ghost, which has been given to 
you on your believing on the Christ whom we 
preached. Or another gospel—Than that which 
we have preached and which ye have accepted, then 
ye might well bear with him. [Caustic satire 
and reproach. The context shows that the apostle 

200 


considers what he puts hypothetically to be actually 
going on. The Jesus preached by the Judaizers 
was so different from the Jesus of St. Paul, that 
he is called another. . . . From their preaching his 
readers took, or “caught,” a spirit different in 
kind from that which they took from him; that is, 
a spirit of fear and bondage, (Rom. viii, 16,) in- 
stead of a spirit of liberty and adoption, (iii, 17.) 
They took also a Gospel of a radically different 
character from that which they “received” from 
him, for the glad tidings of free salvation, justifi- 
cation by faith, and sanctification by the Spirit, 
were cancelled if man still had to be saved by imi- 
tating Christ’s obedience to the law. From a dif- 
ferent Christology followed a different theory of 
salvation.—Speaker’s Com.] 

5. I was not... behind the very chiefest 
apostles—|[Here Paul begins the defense of his 
assertion of his apostleship, the purity and power 
of the Gospel preached by him, and his own irre- 
proachableness of life and character, being com- 
pelled to this course by the false teachings and the 
assaults of his adversaries.] The most eminent of 
the apostles have not preached Christ, ministered 
the Spirit, explained and enforced the doctrines of 
the Gospel, in a more powerful and effectual man- 
ner than I have done. [The reference of this pas- 
sage to Peter, James, and John, was supported 
among the earlier Protestants from polemical con- 
siderations, for the comparison in itself, and the 
plural expression, were urged against the primacy 
of Peter. (See Catovius, Bibl. Jli., p. 505.) In 
defence of this primacy it was maintained by the 
older Catholic writers that the equality referred to 
preaching and gifts, not to power and jurisdiction. 
(See Cornelius a Lapide.)— Meyer. ] 

6. But though I be rude in speech—Iia77¢ 
τῷ λόγῳ: though I speak in plain, unadorned 
phrase, studying none of the graces of eloquence, 
yet I am not unskilled in the most profound knowl- 
edge of God, of spiritual and eternal things; ye 
yourselves are witnesses of this, as in all these 
things / have been thoroughly made manifest 
among you. [How Paul, with the great eloquence to 
which all his epistles and speeches in the Book of 
Acts bear testimony, could yet with truth call himself 
“rude in speech,” (λόγος, language,) is explained in 
the fact that he so describes his speech—or manner 
of teaching — in contradistinetion to the artificial 
eloquence of the Sophists——J/eyer.] Inspired men 
received all their doctrines immediately from God, 
and often the very words in which those doctrines 
should be delivered to the world; but in general 
the Holy Spirit appears to have left them to their 
own language, preventing them from using any ex- 
pression that might be equivocal, or convey a con- 
trary sense to that which God intended. [This 


Paul’s apol for rendering his 
services without cost to them. 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. Μ. 4061. A. D. 57. 
Year of Rome, 810. 


an offence Pin abasing myself that ye might be 
exalted, because I have preached to you the 
gospel of God freely? 8% I robbed other 
churches, taking wages of them, to do you 
service. 9 And when 1 was present with 
you, and wanted, 41 was chargeable to no 
mau: for that which was lacking to me ‘the 
brethren which came from Macedonia sup- 
plied: and in all things I have kept myself 
*from being burdensome unto you, and so will 


I keep myself. 10 ‘As the truth of Christ is 
in me, "ἡ ΠΟ man shall stop me of this boasting 
in the regions of Achaia. 18 Wherefore? ἡ be- 
cause I love you not? God knoweth. 12 But 
what I do, that I will do, *that I may cut off 
oceasion from them which desire occasion; 
that wherein they glory, they may be found 
even as we. 13 For such » are false apostles, 
deceitful workers, transforming themselves: 
into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no mar- 


7 Acts 18.3; 1Cor. 9. 6,12; chap. 10, 1.—g Acts 20. 33; chap. 
12. 13; 1 Thess, 2. 9; 2 Thess. 3. 8, 9.—7 Phil. 4. 10, 15, 16.— 
8 Chap. 12. 14, 16.—7 Rom. 9, 1.—w Ur. this boasting shall 
not be stopped in me. 


recognises and defines the human element in the 
Holy Scriptures. ] 

7. Have I committed an offence in abasing 
myself—|*H ἁμαρτίαν. ἐποίησα ἐμαυτὸν ταπεινῶν wa 
ὑμεῖς ὑψωθῆτε. have I committed sin, abasing my- 
self that you may be exalted? The fore- going of his 
apostolic right to be supported, ἐζουσία, is brought 
into question as of «αὖ least doubtful expediency, 
though certainly they ought not to bring it against 
him as a sin, seeing he had done it that they might 
be exalted.] [The exaltation which they received 
by his demeaning himself was that of reception into 
the blessings of the Gospel, which (was intended to 
be) more effectually wrought thereby.—A/ford. | 

8. I robbed other churches—This part of the 
sentence is explained by the latter, taking wages 
... todo youservice. The word ὀψώνιον signities 
the pay of money and provisions (rations) given 
daily to a Roman soldier. As if he had said: I re- 
ceived food and raiment, the necessaries of life, from 
other churches while labouring for your salvation. 
Will you esteem this a crime? The whole sentence 
is a stinging irony. [The divine ordinance, that 
“they who preach the Gospel should live of the 
Gospel,” (1 Cor. ix, 14,) is much more than simply 
permissive, a justification of the preacher in receiv- 
ing a temporal maintenance from those to whom he 
ministers ; it is evidently a divine appointment de- 
signed for the benefit of the giver quite as much as of 
the receiver, The experience of the Church in all ages 
and countries shows that the Gospel is uniformly 
the most efiective when those who are ministered 
to in spiritual things render in return carnal (tem- 
poral) things, as their free gifts to those who min- 
ister the Gospel to them. It is quite possible that 
Paul felt this when he asked whether he had done 
wrong to the Corinthians in waiving his claim for 
a support from their hands, though there can be no 
doubt of the goodness of his intention, nor had the 
Corinthians a right to be offended with him for it. 
In Churches, even missionary Churches, self-sup- 
port seems to be the divinely appointed condition 
of the successful preaching of the Gospel.] 

9. And when I was present with you—I 
preferred to be, for a time, even without the neces- 
saries of life, rather than be a burden to you. To 
whom was this a reproach, to me or to you? [Per- 
haps to both.] The brethren which came from 
Macedonia—He probably refers to the supplies 
which he received from the Church at Philippi, 
which was in Macedonia; of which he says, that 
in the beginning of the Gospel no Church communi- 
cated with me, as concerning giving and receiving, 
but you only ; for even at Thessalonica ye sent once 
and again to my necessity. (Phil. iv, 15, 16.) [The 
evident unchristian churlishness of some of the 
Corinthians made it necessary for the apostle, in 


1 Cor. 9, 15. —vw Chap. 6. 11; 7.3; 12. 15.—a'l Cor. 9. 12. 
y Acts 15. 24; Romans 16. 18; Gal. 1. 7: 6. 12; Phil. 1. 14; 
2 Peter 2.1; 1 John 4.1; Rev. 2. 2.—e Chap. 2. 17; Phil. 3. 2; 
Titus 1. 10, 11. 


order to protect the honour of the Gospel and his 
own self-respect, to waive his just and proper claim 
to be supported by those to whom he ministered. 
Among the hard conditions of the case this may 
have been expedient, perhaps necessary, but the 
whole thing was wrong, nevertheless. } 

10. As the truth of Christ is in me—'Eorw 
ἀλήθεια Χριστοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ; the truth of Christ is in 
me. I speak as becomes a Christian man, and as 
influenced by the Gospel of Christ ; a solemn form 
of asseveration, but scarcely to be considered in 
the sense of an oath. In the regions of Achaia 
—The whole of the Peloponnesus, or Morea, in 
which the city of Corinth stood. From this it ap- 
pears that he had received no help from any of the 
other Churches in the whole of that district. 

11. Wherefore—Ava τί. Why have I acted thus ? 
and why do I propose to continue to act thus ? is it 
because I love you not, and will not permit you to 
contribute to my support? God knoweth the con- 
trary; 1 do most affectionately love you. 

12. But what I do, ete.—I act thus ‘dat 7 may 
cut off occasion of glorying or calumniating from 
them—the false prophets or teachers, who seek oc- 
casion—who would be glad that I should become 
chargeable to you, that it might in some sort vin- 
dicate them who exact much from you; for they 
bring you into bondage, and devour you. (Verse 
20.) Nothing could mortify these persons more 
than to find that the apostle took nothing, and was 
resolved to take nothing; while they were fleecing 
the people. It is certain that the passage is not to 
be understood as though the false apostles took 
nothing from the people, to whatever disinterest- 
edness they might pretend, for the apostle is as- 
sured of the contrary. [They did accuse him and 
his colleagues of mal-appropriation. (Chapter 
xii, 18.) They boasted, too, of their own unseltish- 
ness, but their practise contradicted their profes- 
sion. (Chapter ii, 17; xi, 20.) They did not re- 
ceive money or goods openly, but they did so in 
secret. He is resolved that his example shall con- 
strain them to desist from this clandestine spolia- 
tion. Herein appears the hypocritical villany which 
he proceeds to denounce.—Speaker’s Covi. 

13. For such are false apostles—Persons who 
pretend to be apostles, but have no mission from 
Christ. Deceitful workers—They do preach and 
labour, but they have nothing but their own emol- 
ument or partisan purposes in view. Transform- 
ing themselves—<Assuming, as far as they pos- 
sibly can consistently with their sinister views, the 
habit, manner, and doctrine of the apostles of 
Christ. 

14. And no marvel-— Kai ov θαῦμα; and no 
wonder; it need not surprise you what the disci- 
ples do, when you consider the character of the 

201 


A. M, 4061. A. Ὁ, 57, 
Year of Rome, 510. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul justifies himself and 
his ministry. 


vel; for Satan himself is transformed into *an 
angel of light. ἘΦ Therefore ἐξ is no great 
thing if his ministers also be transformed as 
the *ministers of mglteousness; * whose end 
shall be according to their works. 16 41 say 
again, Let no man think me a fool; if other- 
wise, yet as a fool ereceive me, that 1 may 
boast inyself a little. 2% That which I speak, 
ΓῚ speak ἐξ not after the Lord, but as it were 
foolishly, €in this confidence of boasting. 
15 "Seeing that many glory after the flesh, 
I will glory also. 49 For ye suffer fools 


vladly, ‘seeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For 
ye suffer, "if a man bring you into bondage, 
if a man devour you, if a man take of you, 
if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you 
on the face. 28 1 speak as concerning re- 
proach, 1 85 though we had been weak. How- 
beit, ™whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak 
foolishly,) 1 am bold also. 22 Are they He- 
brews? "soamI. Are they Israelites? so am 
I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as 
a fool,) I am more; °in labours more abun- 


a Gal. 1, 8 —b Chapter 3. 9.—c Phil. 3. 19.—d Verse 1; 
chapter 12. 6. 11.—e Or, segfer.—J 1 Cor. 7. 6, 12.-—-g Chap- 
ter 9. 4. 


h Phil. 3. 3, 4.71 Cor, 4. 10.— Zk Gal. 2. 4; 4. 9. —7 Chap. 
10. 10.—2 Phil. 9. 4.27 Acts 22.3; Rom, 11.1; Uhil. 3.5. 
ΟἹ Cor, 15. 10. 


master. Satan himself is transformed into an 
angel of light—As in verse 3 the apostle had the 
history of the temptation and fall of man particu- 
larly in view, it is very likely that here he refers to 
the same thing. In whatever form Satan appeared 
to our first mother, his pretensions and professions 
gave him the appearance of a good angel; and by 
pretending that Eve should get a great increase of 
light, that is, wisdom and understanding, he de- 
ceived her, and led her to transgress. 

15. Whose end shall be according to their 
works—A bad way leads toa bad end. The way 
of sin is the way to hell. 

16. Let no man think me a fool—As the 
apostle was now going to enter into a particular 
detail of his qualifications, natural, acquired, and 
spiritual, and particularly of his /abowrs and suf- 
ferings, he thinks it necessary to introduce the 
discourse once more, as he did verse 1. 

17. I speak it not after the Lord—Were it 
not for the necessity under which I am laid to vin- 
dicate my apostleship, my present glorying would 
be inconsistent with my Christian profession of 
humility, and knowing no one after the flesh. 

18, Seeing that many glory after the flesh 
—Boast of external and secular things. [There are 
times when Christian duty may command silence, 
even under reproach and calumny ; there are other 
times and circumstances when it becomes the duty 
of a Christian, and especially of a minister of the 
Gospel, to repel such attacks, and to vindicate his 
own good name, and his claim to confidence. | 

19. Ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye your- 
selves are wise—A very fine irony. It would be 
dishonourable to you as wise men to fall out with a 
fool; you will therefore patiently bear with his im- 
pertinence and foolishness because of your own 
profound wisdom. 

20. For ye suffer—As you are so meek and 
gentle as to submit to be brought into bondage 
—to have your property devoured, your goods 
taken away, yourselves laid in the dust, so that 
others may exalt themselves over you—yea, and 
will bear from those the most degrading indignity; 
then, of course, you will bear with ove who has 
never sulted, defrauded, devoured, taken of you, 
exalted himself against you, or offered you any kind 
of indignity ; and who only wishes you to bear his 
confident boasting concerning matters which he 
can substantiate. The expressions in this verse are 
some evidence that the false apostle was a Judaizing 
teacher. You suffer, says the apostle, if a man, 
καταδουλοι, bring you into bondage, probably mean- 
ing to the Jewish rites and ceremonies. (Gal. iv, 9.) 
Ifa man... devour you—As the Pharisees did 

202 


the patrimony of the widows, and for a pretence 
made long prayers. If a man take of you—Ex- 
act different contributions, pretendedly for the tem- 
ple at Jerusalem, etc. HExalt himself—Pretend- 
ing to be of the seed of Abraham, infinitely higher 
in honour and dignity than all the families of the 
Gentiles. If a man smite you on the face— 
Treat you with indignity, as the Jews did the Gen- 
tiles, considering them only as dogs, and not fit to 
be ranked with any of the descendants of Jacob. 

21. I speak as concerning reproach — Dr. 
Whitby thus paraphrases this verse: “ That which 
I said of smiting you upon the face, I speak as con- 
cerning the reproach they cast upon you as profane 
and uncircumcised, whereas they all profess to be 
a holy nation. As though we had been weak 
—Inferior to them in these things, not able to as- 
cribe to ourselves those advantages as well as they. 
Howbeit, whereinsoever any is bold, and can 
justly value himself on these advantages, I am 
bold also, and can claim the same distinctions, 
though I speak foolishly in setting any value on 
those things; but it is necessary that I should 
show that such men have not even one natural good 
that they can boast of beyond me.” [See alsoAl- 
ford, Meyer, Schrader, and others. | 

22. Are they Hebrews—Speaking the sacred 
language, and reading in the congregation from the 
Hebrew Scriptures? the same is my own language. 
Are they Israelites—Regularly descended from 
Jacob, and not from Esau? I am also one. Are 
they the seed of Abraham—Circumcised, and 
in the bond of the covenant? So am I. Iam no 
proselyte, but I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews, both 
by father and mother ; and can trage my genealogy, 
through the tribe of Benjamin, up to the father of 
the faithful. 

25. Are they ministers of Christ—XSo we find 
that these were professors of Christianity; and 
that they were genuine Jews, and such as endeay- 
oured to incorporate both systems, and, no doubt, 
to oblige to be circumcised those who had believed ; 
and this appears to have been the bondage into 
which they had brought many of the believing Co- 
rinthians. I am more—More of a minister of 
Christ than they are, and have given fuller proofs 
of it. I have suffered persecution for the cross 
of Christ, and of the Jews, too; and had I preached 
up the necessity of circumcision, I should have been 
as free from opposition as these are. In labours 
more abundant—Far from sitting down to take 
my ease in a Church already gathered into Christ, 
I travel incessantly, preach everywhere, and at all 
risks, in order to bring the heathen from the power 
of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Son. In 


Paul narrates his many exposures 
and sufferings, 


dant, Pin stripes above measure, in prisons 
more frequent, «ἰὴ deaths oft. 24 Of the 
Jews five times received I ' forty stripes save 
one. 2% Thrice was I ‘beaten with rods, 
tonee was I stoned, thrice I “suffered ship- 
wreck, a night and a day I have been in the 
deep; 26 δὲ journeyings often, ia perils of 
waters, in perils of robbers, ¥ iz perils by mine 
own countrymen, “in perils by the heathen, 
Pp Acts. 16; 20, 23: 21. 11; chapter 6. 4, 5.—q@1 Cor. 15. 30, 


81, 32; chapt-r 1. 9 10; 4. 11: 6. 9.—7 Deut. 25. 3.——« Acts 
10. 22,---ὖ Acts 14. 19.—w Acts 27. 41.—~ Acts 9. 23; 19. d0; 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 57. 


Year of Kome, 510, 


in perils in the city, in perils in the wilder- 


ness, iv perils in the sea, iz perils among false 
brethren; 27 In weariness and puinfulness, 
*in watchings often, yin hunger and thirst, in 
fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Be- 
sides those things that are without, that which 
cometh upon me daily, #the care of all the 
churches. 29 *Who is weak, and I am not 
weak ? who is offended, and I burn not? 30 If 


19. 23. 
See Acts 


20. 3 5 21. 8] : 23. 10, 11 : 25. 3.—zo Acts er ὃ: 
Ὁ Chapter 6. 5.—vy1 Cor. 4. 11 


Acts 2 
20. Ix, etc. H “Romans 1. 14.— «1 Cor. 8. 13; 9. 23, 


stripes above measure—Being beaten by the 
heathen, who had no particular rule according to 
which they scourged criminals; and we find from 
Acts Xvi, 22, 23, that they beat Paul wumercifully 
—with many stripes. In prisons more frequent 
—See Acts xxi, 11, and the whole of the apostle’s 
history ; and his long imprisonment of at least two 
years at Rome. (Acts xxviii.) It does not appear 
that there is any one instance of a false apostle 
having been imprisoned for the testimony of Christ ; 
this was a badge of the true apostles. In deaths 
oft—That is, in the most imminent dangers. (See 
1 Cor. xv, 31; 2 Cor. iv, 11, and the apostle’s his- 
tory in the Acts.) 

24, Of the Jews five times received I forty 
stripes save one—That is, he was five times 
scourged by the Jews, whose law (Deut. xxv, 3) al- 
lowed forty stripes; but they, pretending to be 
lenient, and to act within the letter of the law, in- 
flicted but thirty-nine. To except one stripe from 
the forty was a very ancient canon among the 
Jews. They thought it right to stop under forty, 
lest the person who counted should make a mis- 
take, and the criminal get more than forty stripes, 
which would be injustice, as the law required only 
forty. The Jews did not usually repeat scourgings 
except for enormous offences. But they had 
scourged the apostle five times; for with those 
murderers no quarter would be given to the dis- 
ciples, as none was given to the Master. 

25. Thrice was I beaten with rods — This 
was under the Roman government, as their lictors 
beat criminals in this way. We hear of the apos- 
tle’s being treated thus once, namely, at Philippi. 
(Acts xvi, 22.) Once was I stoned—Namely, at 
Lystra. (Acts xiv, 19, ete.) A night and a day 
I have been in the deep—lIt is generally sup- 
posed that in some shipwreck not on record the 
apostle had saved himself on a plank, and was a 
whole day and night on the sea, tossed about at the 
mercy of the waves. Others think, less probably, 
that βυθός, the deep, signifies a dungeon of a ter- 
rible nature at Cyzicum, in the Propontis, into 
which Paul was cast as he passed from Troas. 

26. In journeyings often—He means the par- 
ticular journeys which he took to different places, 
for the purpose of propagating the Gospel. In 
perils of waters—Exposed to great dangers in 
crossing rivers; for of sivers the original, ποταμῶν, 
must be understood. Of robbers—Judea itself, 
and perhaps every other country, was grievously 
infested by bandittiof this kind; and no doubt the 
apostle, in his frequent peregrinations, was often at- 
tacked, but, being poor, and having nothing to lose, 
he passed unhurt, though not without great dan- 
ger. In perils by mine own countrymen— 
The Jews had the most intense antipathy to him 
as an apostate from the true faith, and also as the 


means of perverting many ΠΝ There are sev- 
Θ᾽ ἃ] instances of this in the Acts; and a remark- 
able conspiracy against his life is related Acts 
xxi, 12, ete. In ‘perils by the heathen—In 
the heathen provinces whither he went to preach 
the Gospel. Several instances of these perils occur 
also in the Acts. In perils in the city—The dif- 
ferent seditions raised against him in Jerusalem, 
Ephesus, and Damascus, ete. Perils in the wilder- 
ness—In such places it is easy to imagine many 
dangers from banditti, wild beasts, cold, starvation, 
etc. Perils in the sea—The different voyages he 
took in narrow seas, such as the Mediterranean, 
about dangerous coasts, and without compass. 
False brethren—Persons who joined themselves 
to the Church simply to act as spies or apostates 
from the faith. 

27. In weariness and painfulness—Tribula- 
lations of this kind were his constant companions. 
Had not St. Paul been deeply convinced of the 
truth and absolute certainty of the Christian re- 
ligion, he could not have continued to expose him- 
self to such hardships. 

28. Besides those things that are without 
—Independently of these outward things, I have 
innumerable troubles and mental oppressions. 
Which cometh upon me—'H ἐπίστασις; this con- 
tinual press of business; this tumult of cases to be 
heard and solved relative to the doctrine, disci- 
pline, persecution, and supply of all the Churches. 
All Ais perils were little in comparison of what he 
felt relative to the peace, government, and estab- 
lishment of all the Churches among the Gentiles ; 
for as he was the apostle of the Gentiles, the gov- 
ernment of all the Churches among these fell in 
some sort on him, whether they were of his own 
planting or of the planting of others. (See Col. ii, 1.) 
None but a conscientious minister, who has at heart 
the salvation of souls, can enter into the apostle’s 
feelings in this place. [The ordering of the Gen- 
tile Churches, which was largely an original work, 
not simply a copying of the Churches of Judea, 
naturally and providentially devolved on St. Paul, 
and required of him a great amount of thought and 
labour. | 

29. Who is weak—What Church is there un- 
der persecution with which I do not immediately 
sympathize? or who, from his weakness in the 
faith and serupulousness of conscience, is likely to 
be stumbled, or turned out of the way, to whom I 
do not condescend, and whose burden I do not 
bear? Who is offended—Or likely to be turned 
out of the way, and I burn not with zeal to re- 
store and confirm him. [The meaning of the verse 
is to express the most cordial and lively sympathy, 
(comp. 1 Cor. xii, 20,)of his care amid the dangers 
to which’ the Christian character and life of “the 
brethen are exposed.—J/eyer. | 

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Year of Rome, 810. 


I must needs glory, I will glory of the things 
which concern mine infirmities. #8 *The 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
y which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that 
I lie not. 82 #In Damascus the governor un- 
der Aretas the king kept the city of the Dam- 
ascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend 
me: 8 And through a window in a basket 


II, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul glories in his sufferings 
for the suke of Christ. 


was I let down by [58 wall, and escaped his 
hands. 


CHAPTER XII. 
T is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. 
Ἅ1 will come to visions and revelations of 
the Lord. 2 I knew a man " in Christ above 
fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I 


5, 9, 10.—— Rom. ears eee: 123% Gals 120) 
1 Thess. 2. 5.—y Rom. 9.5 


w Chap, 12. 


5 Acts 9, 24, 25.—aGr, For I will come. 
chap. d. 17; Gal. 1. 29, 


b Rom, 16. 7 


30. I willglory ... which concern mine in- 
firmities—Ta τῆς ἀσθενείας, the thing of my weak- 
ness. I will not boast of my natural or acquired 
powers ; neither in what God has done by me; but 
rather in what I have suffered for him. The verb 
ἀσθενέω signifies to be weak, infirm, sick, poor, des. 
picable, through poverty, ete. And in afew places it 
is applied to “weakness in the faith, to young con- 
verts, who are poor in religious knowledge—not yet 
fully instructed in the nature of the Gospel. (Rom. 
iv, 19; xiv,1, 2.) And itis applied to the works of 
the law, to point out their-inability to justify a sin- 
ner, (Rom. viii, 3;) but.it is never applied to znward 
sin, and inward corruption. [The apostle’s weak- 
ness (verse 29) and his infirmities (verse 30) indi- 
cate his sympathy with the weak; and, with his 
anxious care, (verse 28,) altogether imply an un- 
rest of the flesh and spirit which is justly termed 
weakness. The reference also plainly extends to all 
that is enumerated in verses 23-28, and the term 
weakness is evidently used in a wide sense. See 
Speaker's Com. | 

31. The God and Father of our Lord— 
Here is a very solemn asseveration ; an appeal to 
the ever-blessed God for the truth of what he as- 
serts. It is something similar to his asseveration 
or oath in verse 10 of this chapter. (See also 
Rom. ix, 5, and Gal.i, 20.) And from these and 
several other places we learn that the apostle 
thought it right thus to confirm his assertions on 
these particular oceasions. But here is nothing to 
countenance profane swearing, or taking the name 
of God in vain, as many do in exclamations when 
surprised, or on hearing something unexpected, 
etc. St. Paul’s appeal to God is in the same spirit 
as his most earnest prayer. This solemn appeal 
the apostle makes in reference to what he mentions 
in the following verses. This was a fact not yet 
generally known. 

32. In Damascus the governor under Are- 
tas—(Acts ix, 2, 23.) As to King Aretas, there 
were three of this name. The first is mentioned 
2 Mace. v, 8. The second, by Josephus, Antiq. 
], xili, chapter 15, section 2; and 1, xvi, chapter 
1, section 4. The third, who is the person sup- 
posed to be referred to here, was the father-in- 
law of Herod Antipas, who married the daughter of 
Aretas, but divorced her in order to marry Hero- 
dias, his brother Philip’s wife. Aretas, on this in- 
dignity offered to his family, made war upon Herod. 
Herod applied to Tiberius for help, and the em- 
peror sent Vitellius to reduce Aretas, and to bring 
him, alive or dead, to Rome. By some means or 
other Vitellius delayed his operations, and in the 
meantime Tiberius died; and thus Aretas was 
snatched from ruin. (Jos., Antig., lib. xviii, chap- 
ter 5.) What Aretas did in the interim is not 
known; but it is conjectured that he made an ir- 
ruption into Syria and seized Damascus. The 
governor — ’Edvapyy¢. Who this ethnarch was 

204 


we cannot tell. The word ethnarch signifies the 
governor of a province under a king or emperor. 
Desirous to apprehend me—The enemies of the 
apostle might have represented him to the govern- 
or as a dangerous spy, employed by the Romans. 
33. Through a window in a basket — Διὰ 
θυρίδος, by means of a little door ; ἐν capyavy, in a 
wickerwork, that is, a basket. Probably the house 
was situated on the wall of the city. (See Acts ix, 
23- 25.) [In Acts, (ix, 24,) the watching of the 
gates is ascribed to the Jews, and here to “the eth- 
πο παν ; probably the ethnarch caused the gates to be 
watched by the Jews themselves, at their suggestion. 
Michaelis suggests that « Jewish gold had perhaps 
also some effect with the emir. He went to 
Arabia (Gal. i, 17) only in consequence of this in- 
cident. a Hever | [The naming of this incident in 
connexion with what he immediately proceeds to de- 
clare, may suggest that not improbably the trance or 
vision there named took place during his abode in 
Arabia. Thetime, fourteen years before the date of 
this epistle, agrees sufficiently well with the date. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 

It is not expedient for me—The plain 
meaning of the apostle, in this and the preceding 
chapter, in reference to glorying, is, that though to 
boast in any attainments, or in what God did by 
him, was in all possible cases to be avoided as 
contrary to the humility and simplicity of the Gos- 
pel, yet the circumstances in which he was found 
in reference to the Corinthian Church and his de- 
tractors there, rendered it necessary, not for his 


personal vindication, but for the honour of the 
Gospel, the credit of which was certainly at 
stake. I will come to visions—’Ozraciac, sym- 


bolical representations of spiritual and celestial 
things, in which matters of the deepest importance 
are exhibited to the eye of the mind by a variety of 
emblems, the nature and properties of which serve 
to illustrate those spiritual things. Revelations 
— ᾿Αποκαλύψεις, a manifestation of things not be- 
fore known, because they are a part of God’s own 
inscrutable counsels. 

2. I knew a man in Christ—I knew a Christ- 
ian, or a Christian man; for to such alone God now 
revealed himself, for vision and prophecy had been 
shut up from the Jews. [Ἔν Xpiorw—in Christ, 
so often used by the apostle, seems to have a spe- 
cific sense, indicating the mystical union of the be- 
liever with the personal Christ.] Fourteen years 
ago—On what occasion, or in what place, this trans- 
action took place we cannot tell; there are many con- 
jectures among learned men concerning it, but of 
what utility can they be when every thing is so pal- 
pably uncertain ? Allowing this epistle to have been 
written some time in the year 57, fowrteen years 
counted backward will lead this transaction to the 
year 42 or 43, which was about the time that Bar- 
nabas brought Paul from Tarsus to Antioch, (Acts 


Paul gives an account of 
a wonderful experience. 


cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I 
cannot tell: God knoweth;) such a one 
caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew 
such a man, (whether in the body, or out of 
the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth ;) 
4 How that he was caught up into 4 paradise, 
and heard unspeakable words, which it is not 
elawful for aman to utter. 5 Of such a one 
will I glory: ‘yet of myself I will not glory, 


CHAPTER. XII. 


A. M. 4961, A. D. 57, 
Year of Kome, $10. 


but in mine infirmities. 6 For &though I 
would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; 
for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, 
lest any man should think of me above that 
which he seeth me ‘to be, or that he heareth of 
me. % And lest I should be exalted abeve 
measure through the abundance of the revela- 
tions, there was given to me a*thorn in the 
flesh, ‘the messenger of Satan to buffet me, 


6 Acts 23, 17. —d Luke 23. (8. πὶ e Or, possible,— J Chap. 


g Chap. 10, 8; 11. 16.—/ See Ezek. 28, 24; Gal. 4. 13, 14.—7 Job 
2.7; Luke 15. 16. 


xi, 25, 26,) and when-he and Paul were sent by the 
Church of Antioch with alms to the poor Christ- 
ἴδ πη at Jerusalem. It is-very possible that, on this 
journey, or while in Jerusalem, he had this vision, 
which was intended to be the means of establishing 
him in the faith, and supporting him in the many 
trials and difficulties through which he was to pass. 
This vision the apostle had kept secret for fowrteen 
years. [See note at the end of the preceding chap- 
ter.| Whether in the body I cannot tell— 
The apostle was probably in an ecstasy or trance, 
something like that of Peter. (Acts x, 9, etc.) 
Caught up to the third heaven—He appeared 
to have been carried up to this place; but whether 
bodily he could not tell, or whether the spirit were 
not separated for the time and taken up to the 
third heaven, he could not tell. The third heaven 
—The Jews talk of seven heavens, and Mohammed 
has received the same from them; but these are 
not only fabulous but absurd. In the sacred writ- 
ings three heavens only are mentioned. The first 
is the atmosphere—the firmament or expansion, 
(Gen. i, 6.) The second, the starry heaven; where 
are the sun, moon, planets, and stars; but these 
two are often expressed under one term. (Gen. i, 17.) 
And, thirdly, the place of the blessed, or the throne 
of the divine glory. But on these subjects the 
Scripture affords us but little light; and on this 
distinction the reader is not desired to rely. Schoett- 
gen has shown, that ascending to heaven, or being 
caught wp to heaven, is a form of speech among the 
Jewish writers to express the highest degrees of in- 
spiration, If we may understand St. Paul thus, it 
will remove much of the difficulty from this place ; 
and perhaps the wnspeakable words (verse 4) are 
thus to be understood. He had the most sublime 
communications from God, such as would be im- 
proper to mention; though it is very likely that we 
have the substance of these in his epistles. In- 
deed, the two epistles before us seem, in many 
places, to be the effect of most extraordinary 
revelations. 

4. Caught up into paradise — The Jewish 
writers have no less than four paradises, as they 
have seven heavens; but it is needless to wade 
through their fables. On the word “ paradise,” see 
the note on Gen. ii, 8. Among the Christian 
writers paradise generally means the place of the 
blessed, or the state of separate spirits. Whether 
the third heaven and paradise be the same place 
we cannot absolutely say; [probably St. Paul used 
the two terms in reference to the state of divine 
rapture into which he had been thrown. It is not 
to be supposed that any removal to some distant 
place is here indicated. The whole affair, being in 
an ecstasy, must have been subjective.] Which 
it is not lawful for a man to utter—It is prob- 
able that the apostle refers to some communication 
concerning the divine nature and the divine econ- 


omy of which he was only to make a general use 
in his preaching and writing. No doubt that what 
he learned at this time formed the basis of all his 
doctrines. 

5. Of such a one will I glory—Through mod- 
esty he does not mention himself, though the ac- 
count can be understood of no other person. 

6. I shall not be a fool—Who that had got 
such honour from God would have been fourteen 
years silent on thesubject ? I will say the truth 
—I speak nothing but truth ; and the apostle seems 
to have intended to proceed with something else of 
the same kind, but, finding some reason probably 
occurring suddenly, says, I forbear—lI will say no 
more on this subject. Lest any man should 
think of me above—The apostle spoke of these 
revelations for two purposes: first, lest his enemies 
might suppose they had cause to think meanly of 
him ; and, secondly, having said thus much, he for- 
bears to speak any further of them, lest his friends 
should think too highly of him. It is a rare gift to 
discern when to speak and when to be silent, and 
to know when enough is said on a subject, neither 
too little nor too much. 

7. And lest I should be exalted—There were 
three evils to be guarded against: 1) The contempt 
of his gifts and call by his enemies. 2) The over- 
weening fondness of his friends. And, 8) Self- 
exaltation. MA thorn in the flesh—The word 
σκόλοψ signifies a stake, and ἀνασκολοπίζεσθαι, to be 
tied to a stake by way of punishment; and it is 
also used to signify the most oppressive afflictions. 
What this “ thorn in the flesh” might be has given 
birth to a multitude of childish conjectures. I be- 
lieve the apostle to refer simply to the distresses 
he had endured through the opposition he met with 
at Corinth; which were as painful and grievous to 
him as a thorn in his flesh, or his being bound to a 
stake; for, if he could have devoted himself to de- 
struction (Rom. ix, 8) for his rebellious and unbe- 
lieving countrymen, what must he have suffered on 
account of an eminent Church being perverted and 
torn to pieces by false teachers? God permitted 
this to keep the apostle humble, and at last com- 
pletely delivered the Church out of the hands and 
influence of this deceiver. The messenger of 
Satan—Another mode of expressing what he calls 
the “thorn in the flesh; and he seems most 
plainly to refer to the false apostle at Corinth. The 
apostle himself was, as he styles himself to this 
Church, ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ, (chapter i, 1,) 
the apostle of Jesus Christ. Tle person in question 
is styled here ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ, the apostle or angel 
of Satan. It is almost impossible to mistake the 
apostle’s meaning and reference. Jesus CHRIST 
sent Paul to proclaim his truth, and to found a 
Church at Corinth. Satay, the adversary of God’s 
truth, sent a man to preach lies at the same place, 
and turn the Church of God into his own synagogue; 

. 205 


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lest I should be exalted above measure. Θ * For 
this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it 
might depart from me. 9 And he said unto 
me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my 
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most 
gladly therefore 1 will I rather glory in my in- 
firmities, "that the power of Christ may rest 
upon me. 20 Therefore "I take pleasure 
in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in 
BOREC III in CHS ess for Christ’s sake: 


II, CORINTHIANS. 


Paul glories in his sufferings 
and his apostleship, 


°for when I am weak, then am I strong. 811 
am become Pa fool in glorying; ye have com- 
pelled me: for I ought to have been com- 
mended of you: for 4in nothing am 1 behind 
the very chiefest apostles, though ΤΙ be noth- 
ing. 152 *Truly the signs of an apostle were 
w rought among you in all patience, in signs, and 
wonders, and mighty deeds. Ἐπ ‘For what is 
it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, 
except it be that “I myself was not burden- 


k See Deut. 3. 28-27; Matt. 26. 44. ——Z Chap. 11. 30. — 
m1 Peter 4. 14. n Rom. 5. 3; chap. 7. 4.—o Bae 13. 4. 
—p Chap. 11. 1, 16, 17. 


: Eph. 3. 8 
or. 


qa Chap. 11.5; Gal. 2. 6, 7,8. 7 1Cor. spe τ: πὰ 
8 Rom. 15, 18, 19: 1 Cor, 9) 3% ἔηδὺς 4,23 
1, 7-——w 1 Cor. 9:12; chap. 11.9 


and by his teaching, lies, and calumnies the apostle 
was severely buffeted. Many, however, think that 
the apostle had really some bodily infirmity that 
rendered him contemptible, and was the means of 
obstructing the success of his ministry, and that 
the false apostle availed himself of this to set St. 
Paul at naught, and to hold him out to ridicule. 
I have shown this, elsewhere, to be very unlikely. 

8. I besought the Lord — That is, Christ, as 
the next verse proves, and the Socinians themselves 
confess. And if Christ be an object of prayer in 
such a case as this, or indeed in any case, it is a 
sure proof of his divinity. Thrice—Some suppose 
this to be a certain number for an uncertain ; as if 
he had said, I often besought Christ to deliver me 
from this tormentor; or, which is perhaps more 
likely, the apostle may refer to three solemn, fixed, 
and fervent applications made to Christ at different 
times ; at the last of which he received the answer 
which he immediately subjoins. It is worthy of 
remark, that our Lord in his agony acted in the 
same way; at three different times he applied to 
God that the cup might depart from him, and in 
each application he spoke the same words. (Matt. 
xxvi, 39-44.) 

9. My grace is sufficient for thee—Thou shalt 
not be permitted to sink under these afflictions. 
Thy enemies shall not be able to prevail against 
thee. My strength is made perfect in weak. 
ness—The more, and the more violently, thou art 
afflicted and tried, being upheld by my power and 
prospered in all thy labours, the more eminently 
will my power be seen and acknowledged. For 
the weaker the instrument I use, the more the 
power of my grace shall be manifested. (See at 
the end of this chapter.) Will I rather glory in 
my infirmities — His “infirmities” do not, of 
course, mean corruptions, or sins, or sinfulness of 
any kind; for in these no man could ‘‘ glory” be- 
fore God. That the power of Christ may rest 
upon me—'Ezioxyvocy ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ, that it may over- 
shadow me as a tent, or tabernacle ; affording me 
shelter, protection, safety, and rest. This expres- 
sion is like that of John i, 14: “‘ And the Word was 
made flesh,” καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, and made his 
tabernacle among us—‘ full of grace and truth.” 
The same eternal worp promised to make his ¢ab- 
ernacle with the apostle, and give him a proof that 
he was still the same—“ full of grace and truth,” 
by assuring him that his grace should be sufficient 
Jor him. Paul, knowing that the promise of grace 
could not fail, because of the divine truth, savs: 
Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my 
afflictions, that such a power of Christ may over- 
shadow and defend me. The words are also sim- 
ilar to those of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter iv, 5: 
“On all the glory shall be a defence.” God gives 

206 


the glory, and God gives the defence of that glory. 
The apostle had much glory or honour ; both Satan 
and his apostles were very envious; in himself the 
apostle, as well as all human beings, was weak, 
and therefore needed the power of God to defend 
such glory. Grace alone can preserve grace. 
When we get a particular blessing we need another 
to preserve it ; and without this, we shall soon be 
shorn of our strength and become as other men. 
Hence the necessity of continual watchfulness and 
prayer, and depending on the all-sufficient grace of 
Christ. (See on chapter xi, 30.) 

10. Therefore I take pleasure—I not only en- 
dure them patiently, but am pleased when 1 feel or 
suffer them; for I do it for Christ's sake—on his 
account. For when I am wealx — Most op- 
pressed with trials and afflictions, [most sensible 
of my own insufficiency,] then am I strong; God 
supporting my mind with his most powerful influ- 
ences, causing me to rejoice with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory. 

11. I am become a fool in glorying—lIt is 
not the part of a wise or gracious man to boast ; 
but ye have compelled me: I have been obliged to do 
it, in order to vindicate the cause of God. I ought 
to have been commended of you—You should 
have vindicated both myself and my ministry 
against the detractors that are among you. The 
very chiefest apostles —See on chapter xi, 1. 
Though I be nothing -- Though I have been thus 
set at naught by your false apostle : and though, in 
consequence of what he has said, some of you have 
been ready to consider meas ‘‘ nothing.” [Although 
I am quite without value and without importance ; 
the same humility as in 1 Cor. xv, 8-10. But how 
fraught with shame to the opposing party, with 
which those false apostles were of so great account. 
— Meyer. ] 

12. The signs of an apostle were wrought 
among you—Though I have been reputed as 
nothing, [and I confess that of myself I can do 
nothing, (1 Cor. iv, 40,)] | have given the fullest 
proof of my divine mission by various signs, won- 
ders, and miracles, and by that patience which I 
have manifested toward you. 

13. For what is it wherein ye were in- 
ferior—‘Hoowtyre, placed at disadvantage. This is 
a fine, forcible, yet delicate stroke. It was your 
duty and your interest to have supported your apos- 
tle; other Churches have done so. But I did not 
require this from you; in this respect all other 
Churches are superior to you. Iam the cause of 
your inferiority, by not requiring you to minister 
to my necessities: forgive me this wrong I have 
done you. It is the privilege of the Churches of 
Christ to support the ministry of his Gospel among 
them. Those who do not contribute their part to 


The disinterestedness of Paul 
’ and his brethren, 


some to you? forgive me ἡ this wrong. 14 " Be- 
hold, the third time I am ready to come to 
you; and I will not be burdensome to you: 
for *I seek not yours, but you: Yfor the chil- 
dren ought not to lay up for the parents, but 
the parents for the children. 85 And 11 will 
very gladly spend and be spent «for "you; 
though «the more abundantly I love you, the 
less I be loved. 26 But be it so, 41 did not 
burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, 1 


v Chap. 11. 7.—o Chap. 13. 1.—z« Acts 20. 33; 1 Cor. 10. 23. 
— y 1 Cor. 4, 14, 15.—z Phil. 2, 17; 1 Thess, 2. 8.—a@ John 
10. 11; chap. 1. 6; Col. 1. 24; 2°Tim. 2. 10. 


the support of the Gospel ministry either care 
nothing for it or derive no good from it. [To be 
excused is to suffer a wrong.] [Bitterly ironical 
justification of what was said in verse 12, for in 
nothing have you come behind (in privileges) as 
compared with other Churches, except, ete. In this 
exception lies the painful bitterness of the passage, 
which, in the request that follows, “forgive me this 
wrong,” becomes still sharper. —J/eyer’. | 

14. The third time I am ready—That is, this 
is the third time that “I am ready ”—have formed 
this resolution to visit you. He had formed this 
resolution twice before, but was disappointed. (See 
1 Cor. xvi, 5; 2 Cor. i, 15,16.) He now formed 
it a third time, having more probability of seeing 
them now than he had before. (See chapter xiii, 2.) 
[It is an open question, in the interpretation of this 
passage, whether the “ third time,” τρίτον, refers to 
his purpose to come to them, or that his actual 
coming, should it take place, would be a third visit. 
Meyer, favouring the latter view, remarks, “It was 
not on his third readiness to come that anything 
depended, but on the third arrival, for only as having 
arrived could he be pe oene I seek not 
yours, but you—lI seek your salvation, I desire 
not your property; others have sought your prop- 
erty, but not your sa/vation. (See chapter xi, 20.) 
For the children ought not to lay up for the 
parents—You may have many teachers, but you 
have but one father; “for in Christ Jesus I have 
begotten you through the Gospel. (See 1 Cor. 
iv, 15.) Ye are my children, and Lam your father. 
You have not contributed to my support, but I 
have been labouring for your life. I will act to- 
ward you as the loving father who works hard, and 
lays up what is necessary to enable his children to 
get their bread. 

15. And I will very gladly spend and be 
spent for you—lI will continue to act as a loving 
father, who spends all he has upon his children, 
and expends his own strength and life in providing 
for them the things necessary for their preserva- 
tion and comfort. Though the more abundant- 


ly I love you—I will then act toward you with | 


the most affectionate tenderness, though it happen 
to me, as it often does to loving fathers, that their 
disobedient children love them less, in proportion 
as their love to them is increased. Does it not 
frequently happen that the most disobedient child 
in the family is that one on which the parents’ ten- 
derness is more especially placed? See the parable 
of the prodigal son. It is in the order of God that 
it should be so, else the case of every prodigal 
would be utterly deplorable. The shepherd feels 
more for the lost sheep than for the ninety-nine 
that have not gone astray. [He cannot forbear ap- 
pending to this avowal of ever-increasing and su- 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 57, 


Year of Rome, 810. 


caught you with guile. 17 eDid I make a 
gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto 
you? ΒΦ ‘I desired Titus, and with him I 
sent a &brother. Did Titus make a gain of 
you? walked we not inthe same spirit? walked 
we not in the same steps? 19 » Again, think 
ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? 'we 
speak before God in Christ: * but we do all 
things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. 
20 For | fear, lest, when I come, I shall not 


6 Gr. your souls.—c Chap. 6. 12, 13.—d Chap. 11. 9.—— 
e Chap. 7, 2.—/7 Chap. 8. 6, 16, 22.—g Chap. 8. 18.——x Chup. 
5. 12. —— i Rom, 9.1; chap. 11. 31.— 4 1 Cor. 10. 33. 


perabounding love, a reproachful reminder of the 
niggardly, and, until recently, ever-diminishing, re- 
quital of it by his readers.—Speaker’s Com.] If 
I be asked, “Should Christian parents lay up money 
for their children?” I answer: It is the duty of 
every parent who can, to lay up what is neces- 
sary to put every child in a condition to earn his 
living. If he neglect this, he undoubtedly sins 
against God and nature. But God shows, in 
the course of his providence, that laying up for- 
tunes for children is not right; for there is scarce- 
ly ever a case where money has been saved up to 
make the children independent and gentlemen, in 
which God has not cursed the blessing. It was 
saved from the poor, from the ignorant, from the 
cause of God; and the canker of his displeasure 
consumed this i//-saved property. 

16. But be it so, I did not burden you—That 
is: You grant that I did not burden you, that I 
took nothing from you, but preached to you the 
Gospel freely: but you say that, BEING crarty, 7 
caught you with guile; that is, getting from you, 
by means of others, what I pretended to be un- 
willing to receive immediately from yourselves. 
[Πανοῦργος, crafty, expert, nearly always used in a 
bad sense—full of devices. The slander seems to 
have been, that while he pretended to be entirely 
disinterested, he was carrying on undcrhanded de- 
vices for his own advantage. | 

17. Did I make a gain of you—Did any per- 
son 1 ever sent to préach the Gospel to you, or 
help you in your Christian course, ever get any 
thing from you for me? Produce the proof, if you 
can. 

18. I desired Titus—I never sent any to you 
but Zitus and another brother. (Chapter viii, 6, 18.) 
And did Titus make a gain of you—Did he get 
any thing from you, either for Aimself or for me? 
You know he did not. He was actuated by the 
same spirit, and he walked in the same steps, as 
myself. [This mission of Titus is not that before 
alluded to, (chapter viii, 17,) upon which he had not 
yet been actually despatched, but that on which he 
had ‘previously initiated” (chapter viii, 6) the 
making up of the collection.— Speaker's Com.] 

19. Think ye that we excuse ourselves— 
᾿Απολογούμεθα, that we make an apology for our 
conduct ; or, that I have sent Titus and that broth- 
er to you because I was ashamed or afraid to come 
myself? We speak before God in Christ—I 
have not done so; I speak the truth before God; 
he is judge whether I was actuated in this way by 
any sinister or unworthy motive. For your edi- 
fying—W hatever I have done in this or any other 
way, I have done for your “ edifying,” not for any 
emolument to myself or friends. 

20, I fear, lest, when I come—I think the 

207 


A.M. 4061. A. 1D. 57, 
Year of Rome, 810. 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


Paul expresses his fears for 
the Church at Corinth, 


find you such as I would, and that!I shall be 
found unto you such as ye would not: lest 
there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, 
backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: 
21 And lest, when I come again, my God 


21 Cor. 4. 21; chap. 10. 2; 18. 2. 10.— Chap. 


present time is used here for the past; the apostle 
seems most evidently to be giving them the reason 
why he had not come to them according to his for- 
mer purposes, and why he sent Titus and his com- 
panion. He was afraid to come at that time lest 
he should have found them perverted from the 
right way, and he be obliged to make use of his 
apostolical vod, and punish the offenders ; but, feel- 
ing toward them the heart of a tender futher, he 
was unwilling to use the vod; and sent the first 
epistle to them, and the messengers above men- 
tioned, being reluctant to go himself till he had 
satisfactory evidence that their divisions were ended, 
and that they had repented for and put away the 
evils that they had committed; and that he should 
not be obliged to bewail them who had sinned so 
abominably and had not repented for their crimes. 
If this verse be understood in this way, all difficulty 
will vanish ; otherwise, what is here said does seem 
to contradict what is said in chapter vii, 6, 16, ete. ; 
as well as many things both in the eighth and ninth 
chapters. [There is, however, no sufficient authority 
for this substitution of the past tense for the pres- 
ent, in this case; and it is quite evident, that though 
some things had been corrected, many abuses were 
still continued in the Corinthian Church.| De- 
bates, envyings— From these different expres- 
sions, which are too plain to need interpretation, 
we see in what a distracted and divided state the 
Church at Corinth must have been. Brotherly 
love and charity seem to have been driven out of 
this once heavenly assembly. These ‘ debates,” 
etc., are precisely the opposite to that love which 
the apostle recommends and explains by its differ- 
ent properties in the 13th chapter of his first 
epistle. 

21. Lest, when I come again—And, even after 
all that has been done for you, I fear that when 
I do come, my God will humble me; will per- 
mit me to be affected with deep sorrow through 
what I may see among you; as I have been by the 
buffetings of the apostle of Satan who has per- 
verted you. Humiliation is repeatedly used for 
affliction, and here ταπεινώσῃ has certainly that 
meaning. Have sinned already — Προημαρτη- 
κότων, who have sinned before ; who were some of 
the first offenders, and have not yet repented. Of 
the uncleanness, etc.— And although what is here 
spoken could only be the case of a few, yet the 
many were ill disciplined, else these must have 
been cast out. On the whole, this Church seems 
to have been a composition of excellences and de- 
fects, of vices and virtues ; certainly not a model 
for a Christian Church. 


1. From St. Paul we receive two remarkable 
sayings of our Lord, which are of infinite value to 
the welfare and salvation of man; which are prop- 
erly parts of the Gospel, but are not mentioned by 
any evangelist. The first is, in Acts xx, 35: ‘I 
have showed you the words of the Lord Jesus, 
how he said, Ir 15 MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO 
RECEIVE.” Every liberal heart feels this in bestow- 
ing its bounty ; and every poor man, who is obliged 

208 F 


™ will humble me among_you, and that I shall 
bewail many "which have sinned already, and 
have not repented of the uncleanness and °for- 
nication and lasciviousness which they have 
committed, 


2, 1, 4.-—s2 Chap. 13. 2.—o1 Cor. d. 1. 


to receive help, and whose independency of spirit 
is still whole in him, feels this too. To the genuine 
poor it is more burdensome to receive a kindness 
than it is to the generous man who gives it. The 
second is recorded in the ninth verse of this chap- 
ter: “Η said unto me, My GRACE IS SUFFICIENT 
FOR THEE; FOR MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN 
WEAKNESS.” Of these two most blessed sayings 
St. Paul is the only evangelist. This last is of gen- 
eral application. In all states and conditions of 
life God’s grace is sufficient for us. If in any case 
we miscarry, it is because we have not sowght God 
earnestly, Let no man say that he is overcome by 
sin through want of grace; God’s grace was suffi- 
cient for him, but he did not apply for it as did St. 
Paul, and therefore he did not receive it. Men 
often lay the issue of their own infidelity to the 
charge of God—they excuse their commission of sin 
through their scantiness of grace; whereas the 
whole is owing to their carelessness and refusal to 
be saved in God’s own way; and in ¢his way alone 
will God save any man, because it is the only effec- 
tual way. 

2. The apostle must have been brought into a 
blessed state of subjection to God, when he could 
say, “1 take pleasure in infirmities ;” that is, in 
afflictions and sufferings of different kinds. Though 
this language was spoken on earth, we may justly 
allow, with one, that he learned it in HEAVEN. 

3. St. Paul preached the Gospel without being 
“burdensome.” In every case the labourer is 
worthy of his hire. He who labours for the cause 
of God should be supported by the cause of God: 
but woe to that man who aggrandizes himself and 
grows rich by the spoils of the faithful: and to 
him especially who has made a fortune out of the 
pence of the poor! In such a man’s heart the love 
of money must have its édrone. As to his professed 
spirituality, it is nothing ; he is a whited sepulchre, 
and an abomination in the sight of the Lord. Ifa 
man will love the world, (and he does love it who 
makes a fortune by the offerings of the poor,) the 
love of the Father is not in him. 


Remarks ON Patt’s Ecstasy, (verses 1-4.) 

[The original word for visions (ἐκστασι) signifies, 
in nearly all cases, supernatural sights presented to 
the spiritual or spiritualized gaze of one sleeping, 
waking, or in ecstasy. The “visions and revela- 
tions of the Lord” does not mean those in which 
the Lord was seen and revealed, although the words 
in some cases admit of that sense. (See Matt. 
iii, 2; Luke xxiv, 23.) Visions and revelations in- 
clude not only those cases in which Christ himself 
was seen and revealed, and of which he was also 
the author, but also others. (See Acts xvi, 9.) 
The vision, says Theophylact, “‘ permits only to see,” 
but the revelation “discloses also something deeper 
than the thing seen.” It may reasonably be con- 
jectured that, in the case before us, the vision and 
revelation concerned, in part at least, St. Paul’s re- 
turn from Arabia to a new sphere of action. For 
other instances take, above all, his conversion, and 
those cases referred to in Gal. ii, 2; Acts xxiii, 9, 


"» 


Consideritions on Paul's ecstasy, 
and the thorn in the flesh. 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4061. A. D. 57, 
Year of Rome, 810. 


and xxii, 17-21. As he received many such dis- 
closures of Christ’s will, his teaching, his conduct of 
his ministry, and his government of the Churches 
were placed beyond question or appeal. 

{In this particular case the personal will (and 
normal consciousness) was so completely overborne 
that he speaks of himself as though he were an- 
other, and not himself. “ΠΑ man in Christ ” might 
merely describe his Christian state, but in this con- 
text it expresses that his individuality was swal- 
lowed up in Christ; that it was the Spirit of Christ, 
in which (for the time being) he lived, that rendered 
him capable of the translation and its experiences. 
The specific date, “ fourteen years ago,” enables us 
to synchronize this rapture approximately with 
events at Damascus, (chapter xi, 32, 33,) as Paul’s 
mind passes vividly over the event of his escape 
from that city and his retirement into Arabia. The 
circumstantiality of the exact time shows that he is 
describing an actual event. Of the rapture itself 
he knows. What he does γιοῦ know is, whether the en- 
tire man was rapt, or the man without the body. 
His human consciousness as to this point was ob- 
literated ; and he was also probably alone, otherwise 
the doubt might have been solved by information. 
It is impossible to determine precisely St. Paul’s 
conception of the heavens, though no doubt he had 
one; he mentions a third, and also paradise, which 
may mean the same, or it may indicate a further 
stage of translation. The sameness in kind of this 
ecstasy with that of Isa. vi, with the transfiguration, 
and with John’s vision in Patmos, is manifest.— 
See Speaker's Com.]} 

[The revelations which Paul received were so sub- 
lime and holy, that the further communication of 
them would have been at variance with their char- 
acter. What was disclosed to him was to be for 
him alone—for his special enlightenment, strength- 
ening, comforting, with a view to the fulfilment of 
his great task. ΤῸ others it was to remain a mys- 
tery, in order to preclude fanatical or other misuse. 
As to what it was that Paul heard for himself, the 
fathers and schoolmen make many conjectures, 
after their fashion. From whom, as to the organ 
of communication, he heard it. remains veiled in 
apocalyptical indefiniteness.— Weyer. | 


Tue TuorN IN THE FLEsnH, (verses 7 and 8.) 


[The exposition given of verses 7 and 8 of the 
foregoing chapter will probably be generally ac- 
cepted as sufficiently clearly setting forth its most 
probable meaning. A somewhat fuller presenta 
tion of the subject, giving the views of the best 
commentators, may be acceptable to the reader. 

[As regards the éhorn itself, (σκόλοψ, any body 
with a sharp point, DoxneGan’s Lexicon.) very 
many and some very absurd conjectures have been 
hazarded. They may be resolved into three heads, 
two of which, from the nature of the case, may be 
said to be out of the question: 1) That Paul alludes 
to spiritual solicitations of the devil, (injectiones 
Sautane,) who suggested to him blasphemous 
thoughts, (so Luther, how characteristically!) or 
remorse for his former life, (so Osiander and Mos- 
heim,) or (according to the Romanist interpreters, 
who want to find here a precedent for their monk- 
ish stovies of temptations) incitements to lust. 
2) That he alludes to opposition from his adver- 
saries, or some especial adversary. (So many com- 
mentators, both ancient and modern.) 8) That he 
points to some grievous bodily pain, which has been 
curiously specified by different commentators as 

Vor. Il.—14 


κεφαλαλγία, (headache,) hypochondria. On _ the 
whole, putting together the figure here used—that of 
a thorn oecasioning pain, and the κολαφισμός, bif- 


Siting, οὐ putting to shame—it seems quite necessary 


to infer that the apostle alludes to some painful 
and tedious bodily malady which at the same time put 
him to shame before those among whom he exer- 
cised his ministry. Of such a kind may have been 
the disorder of his eyes, more or less indicated in 
several passages in his history and epistles. (See 
Acts xiii, 9; xxiii, I, etc. ; Gal. iv, 14, 15; vi, 11.) 
But it also may have been something besides this, 
and to such an inference probability would lead us ; 
disorders in the eyes, however sad in their conse- 
quences, not being usually of a very painful or dis- 
tressing nature ix themselves.— Alford. | 

[It is necessary to insist, that, when St. Paul as- 
cribes to the stake (σκόλοψ, thorn) a twofold rela- 
tion to the invisible world, and sees in it a concur- 
rence of divine and of Satanic agency, the latter 
controlled by the former, he is neither speaking 
figuratively nor merely stating his own personal 
impressions in accordance with popular views, but 
affirming what he knew to be a truth, and his state- 
ment is amply supported by other representations 
in Scripture. 

[The admixture of Satanic action makes the at- 
tempt precarious to identify the “stake” (/horn) 
with any known malady or ailment, such as acute 
headache, earache, a complaint of the eyes, or epi- 
lepsy. The view which chiefly claims consideration 
under this head, although there is an ancient and 
sustained tradition in favour of headache, is, that 
it was epilepsy. Both Jews and pagans deemed 
epilepsy a supernatural visitation, and hence its 
name, morbus divinus, or sacer.... Persons may 
become subject to epilepsy at middle age by a great 
shock, physical or moral, or both, such as St. Paul's 
conversion was. Those who may have seen a per- 
son seized with epilepsy while officiating in divine 
service will comprehend the language of Gal. 
iv, 14, and how natural it would be for St. Paul to 
regard any bodily liability at all resembling it as a 
terrible hinderance to his ministry... . 

[It may be questioned whether such inquiries and 
speculations as these, although interesting, can 
lead to any solid results, on account of the perfect- 
ly exceptional character of the apostle’s case. 
There is reason to think that no malady or. bodily 
disorder brought about by demoniacal agency, is 
ever identical with ordinary disease. If similarities 
are traceable, they are rather symptomatic than es- 
sential affinities. There are not suflicient data for 
determining what peculiar ingredient characteristic 
of Satanic malignity there was in the apostle’s af- 
fliction, but it would seem to have been something 
calculated to overwhelm him with ignominy rather 
than to excruciate him with pain. It is consolatory 
to know, that, however hard it was to bear, the 
grace of Christ enabled him ultimately to rejoice 
and glory in it as a means whereby the power of 
the Lord more fully tabernacled upon him and in- 
vested him with true strength for doing his Mas- 
ter’s work.—Speaker’s Com. | 

[In respect to this “ angel of Satan,” which should 
not be identified with the σκόλοψ, (thorn,) Meyer well 
remarks “at his first and second request no answer 
was given to him ; on the third occasion it came ; and 
his faithful resignation to the Lord’s will prevented 
his asking again.” He prayed the Lord (Christ) that 
it, or he, (the angel of Satan,) might depart. See 
Luke iv, 13, Acts xxii, 29. (See Alford.)] : 

20 


A. M. 4961. A. D. 57, 


II. CORINTHIANS. 


a 


The apostle sharply threatens 
the incorrigible. 


Year of Rome, “lv. 
T CHAPTER XIII. 
HIS is «the third time I am coming to you. 
'In the mouth of two or three witnesses 
shall every word be established. 2 91 told 
you before, and foretell you, as if I were pres- 
ent, the second time; and being absent now I 
write to them “which heretofore have sinned, 
and to all other, that, if 1 come again, °1 will 
not spare: $% Since ye seek a proof of Christ 
fspeaking in me, which to you-ward is not 


weak, but is mighty sin you. 4 For though 
he was crucified through weakness, yet ‘he 
liveth byethe power of God. For * we also 
are weak !in him, but we shall live with him 
by the power of God toward you. 5 ™Ex- 
amine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; 
prove your own selves. Know ye not your 
own selves, "how that Jesus Christ is in you, 
except ye be °reprobates?, 6 But I trust that 
ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 


aChap. 12. 14.) Num. 35. 30; Deut. 17. 6; 19. 15; Matt. 
18. 16; Johns. 17; Heb. 10. 28.-—e¢ Chap. 1). 2. αἱ Chap. 12. 21. 
——g Chap. 1. 23..—7 Matt. 10 20; 1 Cor, 5. 43 chap. 2. 10. 


g1 Cor, 9 2.—A Phil. 2. 7, 8; 1 Peter 3 18. —7 Romans 6. 4, 
—k See chap. 10. 3, 4.—Jd Or, with him. m1 Cor. 11. 28, 
—v7n Romans 8. 10; Gal. 4. 19.—o1 Cor. 9. 27. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER -XIII. 

1. This is the third time Iam coming to 
you—(Chapter xii, 14,) According to Schoettgen, 
the first coming of the apostle to Corinth was when 
he personally visited them, and there founded the 
Christian Church. By his second coming we are to 
understand his first epistle to them; and, by his 
being now ready to come to them the ¢hird time, we 
are to understand this second epistle, which he was 
then going to send them. These were the two wit- 
nesses, and the apostle the third, which he gave to 
the Corinthians concerning the truth of his own 
ministry, or the falsity of the ministry of the pre- 
tended apostle. Calmet, on the other hand, contends 
that the apostle had been fwice before at Corinth, 
and that he now purposed to go a ¢hird time; and 
that these visits were the ¢wo or three witnesses to 
which the apostle appeals. [This latter opinion is 
now very generally accepted as the more probable. | 
With respect to the two or three witnesses estab- 
lishing the subject, Dr. Whitby says: “ Though 
these words seem to be cited from Deut. xix, 15, 
rather than from Matt. xviii, 16, it being rare 10 
find this apostle citing any thing from the New 
Testament without calling it an ordinance of the 
Lord, yet it is probable that he here alludes to 
the practice there prescribed for the reclaiming of 
offenders. (See Matt. xviii, 16.) 


2. I told you before, ete.—As Calmet main-| 


tains that Paul had already been twice at Corinth, 
it is well to hear his reasons: “St. Paul came to 
Corinth the latter end of the year of our Lord 52, 
and remained there eighteen months. (Acts xvii, 1, 
etc.) He came there a second time in the year 55, 
but stayed only a short time, as he had to return 
speedily to Ephesus, (1 Cor. xvi, 7;) hence itis 
that St. Luke makes no mention of this second jour- 
ney in the Acts. Finally he determined to visit 
them a third time; as in effect he did about the 
year 57. Of his second voyage to Corinth, which 
is not mentioned in the Acts, he speaks expressly 
in this verse.” I will not spare—I will inflict 
the proper punishment on every incorrigible of- 
fender. [Paul at his second presence threatened 
those who had before transgressed, and he threatens 
them also now. On the two occasions the threat 
referred to the same kind of persons, to those who 
had before sinned, (chapter xii, 21,) and were still 
sinners. But the individuals were not (may not 
have been) quite the same, on the two occasions.— 
Meyer. | 

3. Since ye seek a proof of Christ—The con- 
version of the Corinthians was to themselves a 
solid proof that Christ spoke by the apostle; and 
therefore he could, with great propriety, say that 
this power of Christ, far from being weak, was 
mighty among them. But is mighty in you— 

210 


[Not of the internal indwelling and pervading, 
(Christ ;) but the Christ speaking in Paul has the 
power of asserting himself de facto as the vin- 
dicator of his word and work in the Church. — 
Meyer. | i 

4. For though he was crucified through 
weakness—|The fact that Christ died was proof of 
his mortality; itself distinctively a ‘“ weakness; ” 
but over against this stands the fact of his resur- 
rection, by the power of God, in which glorified 
state he liveth (in perpetuity) by the same glorious 
power.] [The “weakness ” which culminated in a 
death suffered once for all, not only thereby ceased 
forever, but was succeeded by a life coming from 
the power of God. For we also are weak in 
him, ete. — As he (Paul) is in Christ, Christ’s 
weakness is reproduced in him; but, on the other 
hand, Christ’s might also took effect in him, and 
the time was at hand when he would put it forth. 
—Speaker’s Com.| 

5. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in 
the faith — ‘Eavtovc πειράζετε, try yourselves ; 
pierce your hearts; test yourselves by what I have 
written, and see whether ye retain the true faith of 
the Gospel. Prove your own selves— Eavroic 
δοκιμάζετε, put yourselves to the test, as you would 
try gold or silver suspected of adulteration. No 
longer take that for Gospel which is not 80. 
Know ye not your own selves—Does Jesus 
Christ dwell in you? You have his Spirit, his 
power, his mind, if ye be Christians ; the Spirit of 
Christ bears witness with your spirit that ye are 
the children of God. And this is the case except 
ye be reprobates, ἀδόκιμοι, base counterfeits, mongrel 
Christians. They had a Judaizing Christian among 
them; such, presumptively, was the false apostle: 
they had received his Judaico-Chrjstian doctrine, 
and were what the prophet said of some of the Israel- 
ites in his time: “ Reprobate silver shall men call 
them.” (Jer. vi, 80.) And thus, when they were 
brought to the fest, they were found reprobate; 
that is, adulterated with this mixture of bad doe- 
trine. This reprobation came of the people them- 
selves. Man pollutes himself; then God repro- 
bates the polluted. 

6. Ye shall know that we are not repro- 
bates—Ye have had, and ye shall have, the fullest 
proof that I (we) have preached the true faith 
among you; and that God has confirmed it by his 
testimony ; and thus that I am proved and mani- 
fested to be what I ought to be, and shown to be 
approved of God. He courted the fullest and freest 
investigation of his spirit and actions. [However 
it may fall out with your proof of yorselves, I hope 
(confidently believe) that ye shall know that we are 
not worthless, that is, unable to abide the proof to 
which you put us.—A/ford.] 


Pan! expresses his desire for the 
prosperity of the Church, 


7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not 
that we should appear approved, but that ye 
should do that which is honest, though P we 
be as reprobates. δὶ For we can do nothing 
against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For 
we are glad, 4when we are weak, and ye are 
strong: and this also we wish, τ even your per- 
fection. 10 ‘Therefore I write these things 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A, M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 57. 


Year of Rome, 810, 


being absent, lest being present 'I should use 
sharpness, “according to the power which the 
Lord hath given me to edification, and not to 
destruction. I Finally, brethren, farewell. 
Be perfect, be of good comfort, ἡ be of one 
mind, live in peace; and the God of love * and 
peace shall be with you. I * Greet one an- 
other with a holy kiss. 18 All the saints 


p Chap. 6. 9.—q1 Cor. 4. 10; chap. 11. 30; 12. 5,9 10. 
ri Thess. 3. 1".—s1 Cor. 4. 21; chap. 2. 3; 10, 2; 12. 20, 21. 
—t Vitus 1. 13.—w Chap. 10. 8. 

7. Ipray to God that ye do no evil—Thuat 
ye do not persist in that course which will oblige 
me to use the authority of Christ to punish you. 
Some apply this prayer to the apostle himself : 
Now I pray to God that Imay do you no evil—that 
I may not be obliged to use my apostolic vod, and 
inflict evil upon you. [The proper sense of this 
rather obscure passage has been much disputed ; 
perhaps the conclusions of Dr. Whedon may be 
accepted as the most probable: ‘ Their salvation, 
from (by reason of) well-doing, was his supreme 
object. If by such (their) well-doing he was proved 
a true apostle, very good; if it rendered him as a 
no apostle, still may they do well.”] Not that we 
should appear approved—We are not concerned 
to give this proof that we are approved of God; 
(let that take care of itself.) But that ye should 
do that which is honest—That ye may do that 
which is right and seemly, τὸ καλὸν, though we 
should de, in consequence of that, as reprobates, 
as persons not approved of God; because your ref- 
ormation will prevent the exercise of this power, 
which would otherwise have given an awful proof 
that we are approved of God. [There is here an 
evident apposition—an alliteration—between κακὸν 
and καλὸν : the one to be shunned, the other 
sought. | 

8. For we can do nothing against the truth, 
but for the truth—The Gospel of Jesus is truth; 
and my testimony concerning it is truth. In my 
coming, and in my vod, you have nothing to fear, 
if you retain and abide in this truth. [Should 
those who have fallen away from the true Gospel 
(xi, 3) return; should those who had violated the 
obligation of love (xii, 20) and purity (xii, 21) re- 
pent ;—the cause of truth, doctrinal and practical, 
would be thus far re-established, and his power of 
chastising would be nullified, because it is, in its 
very nature, capable of being applied only for and 
never against the truth.— Speaker's Com ἢ 

9. For we are glad, when we are weak—It 
will give me only pleasure that I should still ap- 
pear to be poor, and without any display of power 
to punish, so that you be strong in all the gifts 
and graces of the Holy Spirit. And this also we 
wish, even your perfection — We cannot be 
satisfied that persons with such eminent capabili- 
ties, and who have once received the truth as it is in 
Jesus, should be deficient in any of the graces that 
constitute the mind of Christ. ἹΚατάρτισις, com- 
plete restoration, re-articulation. Beza says on this 
passage: “ The apostle’s meaning is, that whereas 
the members of the Church were all, as it were, 
dislocated and out of joint, they should be joined 


together in love; and they should endeavour to | 
| ship live among you, and encourage its continuance 


make perfect what was amiss among them, either 
in faith or morals.” The “ perfection,” or rejointing 
which the apostle wishes, is that which refers to 
the state of the Church in its fellowship, unity, or- 
_ der, ete. And perfection in the soul is the same, 


© Rom. 12. 16, 183 15 
3. 8.—~» Rom. 18, 33.- 
5. 26; 1 Peter d. 14. 


3 16: 1 Pet. 
16. 20; 1 Thess. 


+ 1 Cor. 1.10: Phil. 2. 2; 
—« Rom. 16. 16; 1 Cor. 


τῶν 


in reference to it, as perfection in the Church is to 
its order and unity. 

10. Therefore I write these things —I only 
warn you now, by this epistle, to put you on your 
guard, and lead you to reformation before I visit 
you; that I may not then have occasion to use 
sharpness, μὴ ἀποτόμως χρήσωμαι, that I may not 
deal sharply in the use of a power which God ‘has 
given me to be employed in your edification rather 
than in your destruction. [Verse 10 indicates the 
aim and special purpose of this whole epistle, 
namely, to put the Church on his arrival in person 
into that frame of mind which it was necessary 
that Paul should find, in order that he might 
thereupon set to work among them, not with stern 
corrective authority, but for their edification. But 
in order to attain this aim, he had to make it his 
chief task to elucidate, confirm, and vindicate his 
apostolical authority, which, in consequence of his 
former letter, had been assailed still more vele- 
mently, openly, and influentially by his opponents. 
For if that were regained, his whole influence 
would be regained; if the Church were again con- 
firmed on this point, and the opposition defeated, 
every hindrance to his successful personal labour 
among them would be removed. With the estab- 
lishment of his apostolical character and reputation 
he is therefore chiefly occupied in the whole epistle. 
— Meyer. | 

11. Finally—Aozév. All that remains for me 
now is, to wish you all manner of happiness, and 
so to take my leave. Farewell—Xaipere, all hail. 
A good wish from our old mother tongue, J/ay you 
go well; go on prosperously! Be perfect—Karap- 
τίζεσθε, be compact; get into joint again; let 
unity and harmony be restored. Be of good com- 
fort — Ilapaxaseicte, receive admonition, that ye 
may receive comfort. Be of one mind—To αὐτὸ 
φρονεῖτε, think the same; let there be no dissen- 
sions among you. Be of the same creed, and let 
disputes about that religion which should be the 
bond of peace for ever subside. Live in peace— 
Εἱρηνεύετε, be peaccable ; or, as he says elsewhere, 
follow peace. (Heb. xii, 14.) Cultivate a peace- 


able disposition, and neither say nor do any thing 


which has a tendency to irritate each other. And 
the God of love and peace shall be with you 
— Love ” cannot exist where there are brawls, con- 
tentions, and divisions, And where neither “ peace ” 
nor “love” is to be found, there God cannot be. And 
if HE be not there, yourselves and the devil make 
the whole assembly. 

12. Greet one another with a holy kiss — 
Use every means by which a good understanding 
may be brought about. Let the spirit of friend- 


by every friendly act. (See Rom. xvi, 16.) 
13. All the saints—The Christians of Mace- 
donia or Philippi. In the primitive Church a saint 


and a Christian meant the same. 
211 


A. Μ. 1061. A. Ὁ. 57. 
Year of Rome, 510. 


Il. CORINTHIANS. 


Conclusion of the epistle. 
Apostolical benediction. 


salute you. -44 yThe grace of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and 7the 


y Rom. 10. 24. 


14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ— 
All the favour and beneficence that come from and 
through the Redeemer of the world; as the Lorp, 
the ruler, the governor, of all things; as Jesus, the 
Saviour of all men by his passion and death; as 
Christ, the distributer of all that divine wnetion 
which enlightens, comforts, harmonizes, and puri- 
fies the mind. May this most exalted, glorious, and 
all-sufficient Saviour be ever with you! And the 
love of God—In the fullest manifestations of 
that love which caused him to give his only-begot- 
ten Son, that they who believe on him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life. May this God of 
love, and this love of God, be ever with you! 
And the communion of the Holy Ghost— May 
that Holy Spirit, that divine and eternal energy 
which proceeds from the Father and the Son; that 
heavenly fire that gives light and life, that purifies 
and refines, sublimes and exalts, comforts and 
invigorates, make you all partakers with himself! 
Kovwwvia, which we translate fellowship and com- 
munion, signifies properly participation ; having 
things in common; partaking with each other. 
This points out the astonishing privileges of true 
believers; they have communion with God’s Spirit ; 
share in all his gifts and graces; walk in his light; 
through him they have the fullest confidence that 
they are of God, that he is their father and friend, 
and has blotted out all their iniquities ; this they 
know by the Spirit which he has given them. And 
is it possible that a man shall be a partaker with 
the Holy Ghost, and not know it! that he shall be 
full of life and love, and not know it! that he shall 
have the spirit of adoption, by which he can cry, 
Abba, Father! and yet know nothing of his rela- 
tionship to God but by inference from indirect 
proofs’ In a word, that he shall have the grace 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the 
communion of the Holy Ghost with him, and all 
the while know nothing certain of the grace, as to 
his portion in it; feel nothing warming from the 
love, as to its part in him; and nothing energetic 
from the communion, as to his participation in the 

212 


communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you 
all. Amen. 


2 Phil. 2. 1. 


cifts and graces of this divine energy! This is all 
as absurd as it is impossible. Every genuine Christ- 
ian, who maintains a close walk with God, may 
have at all times a comfortable assurance of the 
divine favour, and his acceptance with God through 
Christ, and to deny this gracious privilege to all 
true believers is to refuse them the consolations 
designed for them by the Spirit of all grace, in 
infinite goodness for them all. This text, as well as 
that in Matthew iii, 16, 17, and that other, Matthew 
xxviii, 19, sérong/y marks the doctrine of the holy 
Trinity. (See the note on this latter text.) And 
had not the apostle been convinced that there was 
a personality in this ever-blessed and undivided 
Trinity, he could not have expressed himself thus. 
And had not our Lord intended to be understood in 
this way, he would not have given such a commis- 
sion to his apostles, to baptize the nations in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. The doctrine is the teaching of God, 
let men make of it what they please. And the gen- 
uine Church of God have ever received and under- 
stood it in this way. Amen—This word is want- 
ing, as usual, in almost every MS. of authority. 
“ Amen” seems to have been anciently added at the 
conclusion of books, exactly as we add the word 
Jinis, both merely signifying the end. As to the 7n- 
scription, it is wanting, either in whole or in part, 
in almost all the ancient MSS. The subscriptions 
to this epistle in the various MSS. and Versions 
are exceedingly various, but none of them of any 
value. It has been often remarked that no depen- 
dence can be placéd on many of the subscriptions 
to the sacred books, which are found in MSS. and 
Versions, because those subscriptions were not 
written by the authors of those books, but were 
afterwards added by the transcribers or copyists, 
who either followed tradition or their own judg- 
ment. It is generally allowed that this second epis- 
tle was written from some part of Macedonia 
probably from the city of Philippi, then a place of 
considerable importance. It is now a mass of 
ruins. See the preface to this epistle. 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE 


TO 


Ebb. GA A Th AINS: 


> -- - -΄--------- 


AUTHORSHIP. 
CF all the epistles that bear the name of St. Paul no one is more clearly shown 
to be genuine than this. The character of its style, spirit, and manner of 
argumentation is so clearly Pauline that the case admits of no question. The 
external testimony to the same point is also abundant; and it need not be here 
rehearsed. 
THE PERSONS ADDRESSED. 

Galatia, called also Gallo-Grecia by Strabo, derived its name from the Gauls, 
who settled in that region in the third century before Christ. It was situated 
near the middle of Asia Minor, having Bithynia and Paphlagonia for its northern 
boundary; Phrygia for its western; Lycaonia for its southern; and Pontus and 
Cappadocia for its eastern. Jerome states in his time: “The Galatians—except- 
ing the Greek, which all the East speaks—have nearly the same language which 
the Treviri have.” There can be no doubt that the most of them understood 
Greek, so that there could have been no difficulty either in preaching or writ- 
ing to them in that language. It appears, also, that “as early as the time of 
Augustus many Jews lived in Galatia, to whom the emperor granted a letter of 
protection.” These Jews, then, and others who doubtless adhered to them, 
would naturally be first addressed, and the converts from among them would 
form the nucleus of the Church, which had already become very powerful in that 
region in the first part of the second century. And yet it seems, from chapter 
iv, 8, that the greatest part of the Galatian Church were converted Gentiles. 

TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING. 

Paul’s second visit to Galatia was made about A. 1). 55, and the epistle was 
written after that, though probably not very long afterward. 

Paul and Timothy preached the Gospel to the Galatians about A.D. 52. 
(Acts xvi, 6.) About three years later the apostle passed through the 
country of Galatia and Phrygia, “strengthening the disciples.” (Acts xviii, 23.) 
These are all the references to the Galatians in the Acts. In the First Epistle to 
the Corinthians (chapter xvi, 1) Paul states that he had “given order to the 
Churches of Galatia” respecting a collection. The First Epistle to the Corin- 
thians was written about A. D. 58, (our date says 56,) and Paul refers here to his 
Visitation of the Galatians about three years earlier, which was his second mis- 


sionary tour through that country. 
213 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 


If the above date is accepted as that of the writing of the epistle, then Ephe- 
sus would be the probable place of its composition. If not that, then Corinth. 


ITS OBJECT. 

This is clearly indicated in the epistle itself. Judaizing teachers had followed 
the apostle in Galatia, opposing his doctrine respecting the non-use of the 
ceremonial law by Gentile converts, and also calling in question his apostolic 
authority, (chapter 1, 1-11,) and requiring that all converts should be circum- 
cised and keep the law, (chapter v, 2; vi, 12;) and evidently a strong party had 
been raised up against Paul personally, as well as against his doctrine. He had 
already testified against these in person, (i, 9; iv, 16,) and now, because the evil 
was still increasing, he writes the epistle to expressly and directly controvert it. 

The object of the epistle was, therefore, (to borrow the words of Alford,) 
“1) To defend his own apostolical authority. 2) To oppose the Judaistic 
error by which they were being deceived. Accordingly it contains two parts, 
the apologetic, (chapters i, 11,} and the polemic, (chapters ili-v, 12.) These are 
naturally followed by a hortatory conclusion.” 


MATTER AND STYLE. 

Its apologetic portion is especially valuable as containing a statement and 
defence of St. Paul’s calling to the apostleship, and of his apostolic career. 
The polemical portion is in the same line with the epistle to the Romans— 
asserting and proving the doctrine of salvation through Christ to be secured by 
faith alone, but less elaborate in its arguments and more directly controversial. 
It mingles somewhat strangely together severity and tenderness; and is among 
the most valuable portions of holy writ “ for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
for instruction in righteousness.” 

[Judaizing Christian teachers with Pharisaic leanings — probably from Pal- 
estine—had made their appearance among the Galatian Churches after Paul, and 
with their attacks upon his apostolic dignity, and their assertion of the necessity 
of circumcision for Christians, which involved as a necessary consequence the 
obligation of the whole law, had found but too ready a hearing, so that a Judaiz- 
ing tendency was on the point of getting the upper hand. . . . In accordance with 
this state of things, which gave occasion to the letter, it was the object of Paul to 
defend in it his apostolic authority, and to bring his readers to a triumphant con- 
viction of the freedom of the Christian from circumcision and the Mosaic law 
through the justification arising from the grace of Christ. Nor are we to assume 
that he overstates the danger of the case, as it involved the most vital question 
of Pauline Christianity, and along with it, also, the whole personal function and 
position of the apostle, who was divinely conscious of the truth of his Gospel, and 
therefore must not be judged in relation to his opponents according to the usual 
standard of party against party.—eyer. | 

214 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


Tae GALATIANG, 


CHAPTER I. 
fee, an apostle, (‘not of men, neither by 
man, but "by Jesus Christ, and God the 
Father, «who raised him from the dead;) 
2 And all the brethren ἃ which are with me, 
eunto the churches of Galatia: 8 ‘Grace be 
to you, and peace, from God the Father, and 


Jrom our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 * Who gave 
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us 
‘from this present evil world, according to the 
will of God and our Father: 6 To whom δὲ 
glory for ever and ever. Amen. 61 marvel 
that ye are so soon removed ‘from him that 
“ulled you into the grace of Christ unto an- 


a Verses 11, 12.—0 Acts 9, 6; 22. 10, 15, 21; 26.16; Titus 1. 3. 
—- Acts 2, 24.—d Phil. 2. 22; 4. 21.—e1 Cor. 1b. 
F Rom. 1. 7; 1 Cor. 1.3; 2 Cor. 1.2; Eph. 1. 2; Phil. 1.2; Col. 


1,— 


1.33 3 Thess. 1,148 Thess, 1. 2; 2 John 3.—-g Matt. 2), 28; 
Rom. 4. 25; chap. 2. 20: Titus 2. 14. ASee Isa 65.17: John 
15. 19; 17. 14; Heb. 2. 5; 6.5; 1 John 5. 19.——i Chap. 4. 8. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

[The very beginning of the Epistle to the Gala- 
tians introduces to us the peculiar state of things 
which prevailed in their Churches, and which 
caused the apostle to compose it. The Judaizing 
false teachers had impugned Paul’s apostolical au- 
thority, and represented him as subordinate to the 
Twelve.— Olshausen. ] 

1. Paul, an apostle—[Paul asserts his apostle- 
ship, and also declares its originality, οὐκ az’ ἀνθρώ- 
πων οὐδὲ δ ἀνθρώπου. ᾿Από, in the first clause, re- 
fers to the remote or originating cause ; διά, in the 
second, to the nearer or instrumental cause ; from 
both of which human ageney is excluded, and the 
divine, both of the Father and of Christ, is asserted. 
See Alford.] Not of men—Not commissioned by 
any assembly or council of the apostles, nor accord- 
ing to.any order or institution among men, or any 
other man, nor by any one of the apostles. But 
by Jesus Christ—Having his mission immediately 
from Christ himself. And God the Father— 
[Christ is the immediate agent of Paul’s apostle- 
ship, inasmuch as he was the instrument through 
which God called him; but God was the causa 
principalis.— Meyer.| Who raised him from the 
dead—[The resurrection, including and implying 
the ascension, was the Father’s bestowal on Christ 
of gifts for men, by virtue of which Paul’s apostle- 
ship had been received.—A/ford.| Raised him 
from the dead—(See Acts xxii, 14, 15,) and com- 
manded him to go both to the Jews and to the Gen- 
tiles, to open their eyes, to turn them from dark- 
ness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
God, that they might obtain remission of sins, and 
an inheritance among them that are sanctified. 
(See Acts ix, 1, ete., and the notes there.) 

2. And all the brethren which are with me 
—Those who ‘were his assistants in preaching the 
Gospel, [probably at Ephesus.] Churches of 
Galatia — Galatia was a region or province of 
Asia Minor ; there was neither οὐέψ nor town of this 
name, But as, in this province, St. Paul had 


planted several Churches, he directs the epistle to 
the whole of them, as they all needed the same 
instructions. 

3. Grace be to you, etc.—See on Rom. i, 7. 

4. Who gave himself for our sins — Who 
became a sin-offering to God in behalf of mankind, 
that they might be saved from their sins. {Περὲ 
τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, concerning, or in respect to, our 
sins; not ὑπὲρ, as in chapter ii, 20, where Jor me, 
means instead of me. Christ gave himself to die 
instead of (ὑπὲρ) sinners, and in respect to their 
sins, which were the occasion of his dying.| De- 
liver us from this present evil world—[Our 
personal deliverance consists partly in our pardon, 
and partly in strength to overcome the evil which 
comes to us in the form of temptation. . . . This 
deliverance rests on the atonement, without which 
it could not be; it is the end and purpose of the 
atonement.—Howson. | 

5. To whom be glory for ever—Let him have 
the glory to whom alone it is due, for having delivered 
us from the present evil world. [St. Paul’s manner 
is to break out suddenly into thanksgiving when 
he had occasion to make mention of the merey of 
God. (2 Cor. ix, 15; Eph. iil, 20. )—HHowson.] 

6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed— 
It was a matter of wonder to the apostle that a 
people so soundly converted to God, should have 
so soon made shipwreck of their faith, [This 
abruptness of manner is indicative of the apostle’s 
deep feeling respecting their falling away. This is 
seen all through the epistle.] [Θαυμάζω, in this 
sense, is a word of mildness, inasmuch as it im- 
ports that better things were expected of them, and 
of condescension, as letting down the writer to the 
level of his readers, and even challenging explana- 
tion of them. Still, like many other such mild 
words, it carries to the guilty conscience even 
sharper rebuke than a harsher one would.— 4/ford. | 
From him that called you—[(f course God 
only, not Paul. The medium of the call is the 
grace of Christ, (Olshausen ;) their removal consisted 

215 


A. M. 4056. A. D. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805, 


GALATIANS. 


Paul gives account of his conversion 
and call to the apostleship, 


other gospel: '% * Which is not another; but 
there be some 'that trouble you, and would 
pervert the gospel of Christ. S& But though 
"we, or an angel from heaven, preach any 
other gospel unto you than that which we 
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 
% As we said before, so say I now again, If 
any man preach any other gospel unto you 
"than that ye have received, let him be ac- 
cursed. 89 For edo I now Ppersuade men, 
or God? or 440 I seek to please men? for if I 
yet pleased men, I should not be the servant 
of Christ. ΑἹ "But I certify you, brethren, 
that the gospel which was preached of me is 


not after man. 4&2 For 51 neither received it 
of man, neither was 1 taught i¢, but 'by the 
revelation of Jesus Christ. £3 For ye have 
heard of my conversation in time past in the 
Jews’ religion, how that »beyond measure I 
persecuted the church of God, and ¥ wasted it: 
14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above 
many my “ equals in mine own nation, * being 
more exceedingly zealous ¥ of the traditions of 
my fathers. #5 But when it pleased God, 
who separated me from my mother’s womb, 
and called me by his grace, 16 Τὸ reveal 
his Son in me, that 1 might preach. him 
aunong the heathen; immediately I conferred 


2 o 24: 2 Cor, 5.17.5. 1} 15}. ΠΗ. δ. 
10, 12. 16. ΡΣ "32: Prov. 30. 6; 
Rev, 22, us Thess. 2 =p Sam. 24. 7; Matt. 28. 14: 
1 John 3. 19.—g 1 Thess. 24: James 4. 4.—~r ῦ Cor. ἰδ. 1.— 


si Cor, 15. 1,3; verse ᾿Ξ ἢ Eph. ὃ. 3. 


in their going back from the doctrine of salvation 
by faith without the deeds of the law, “to that of 
salvation by the works of the Jewish law,” which 
indeed was entirely another gospel than that which 
was at first preached to them, and in following 
which they had been brought into the liberty of 
the sons of God.] 

7. Which is not another—It is called a gospel, 
but it differs essentially from the real one published 
by the evangelists. It is not gospel, that is, good 
tidings, for it loads you again with the burdens 
from which the genuine Gospel has disencumbered 
you. Instead of giving you peace, it troubles you ; 
instead of being a useful supplement to the Gospel 
of Christ, it perverts that Gospel. 

8. But though we, or an angel—That Gospel 
which I have already preached to you is the only 
true Gospel; were I to preach any other, I should 
incur the curse of God. If your false teachers 
pretend, as many in early times did, that they re- 
ceived their accounts by the ministry of an angel, 
let them be accursed —separate them from your 
company, and have no religious communion with 
them. Leave them to that God who will show his 
displeasure against all who corrupé, all who add to, 
and all who take from, the word of his revelation. 

9. Let him be accursed — ᾿Ανάθεμα. The 
word here may be understood as implying that such 
a person should have no countenance in his bad 
work, but let him, as Theodoret expresses it, ’AA- 
λότριος ἔστω TOV κοινοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, be 
separated from the communion of the Church. 
This, however, would also imply that unless the 
person repented, the divine judgments would soon 
follow. 5 

10. Do I now persuade men, or God—The 
words πείθειν τὸν Θεόν may be rendered to court or 
solicit the favour of God, as the after clause suf- 
ficiently proves. While the apostle was a persecut- 
or of the Christians, he was the servant of men, 
and pleased men. When he embraced the Christian 
doctrine, he became the servant of Gop, and pleased 
nim. He therefore intimates that he was a widely 
different person now from what he had been while 
a Jew. 

11. But Icertify you, brethren, etc.—I wish 
you fully to comprehend that the Gospel which I 
preached to you is not after man; there is not a 
spark of human invention in it, nor the slightest 
touch of human cunning. 

12. I neither received it of man—By means 
of any apostle, as was remarked on verse 1. No 

216 


uw Acts 9, 1: 22.4; 26.11; 1 Tim. 1. 13.—~v Acts 8. 3. 

equals in years, w Acts 22, 3: 26. 9: Phil. 3 Ὁ. y Jer. 

ἢ se Matt. 15. 2; Mark 7. 5.—dzdIsa. 49. 1,5; Jer. 1. 5; Acts 

: 13. 2; 22. 14, 15: Rom. 1. 1.-—«a2 Cor. 4. 6. " Acts 9. 13; 
26. 17, 18: Rom, 11. 13: Evh., 3. 8. 


Gr. 


man eanelt me what I have preached to you. 
But by the revelation of Jesus Christ—Being 
commissioned by himself alone; receiving the 
knowledge of it from Christ crucified. [When did 
this revelation take place? Clearly, soon after his 
conversion, imparting to him as it did the knowledge 
of the Gospel which he afterward preached ; in all 
probability it is to be placed during that sojourn in 
Arabia referred to in verse 17. - Alford | 

13. Ye have heard of my conversation— 
Τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφῇν, my manner of life; the 
mode in which I conducted myself. [ Ye heard, ἠκού- 
σατε, not “have heard,” when I was among you.] 
Beyond measure I persecuted the church— 
For proofs of this the reader is referred to Acts ix, 
1, 2; xxii, 4, and the notes there. 

14. And profited in the Jews’ religion— 
[Προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ ᾿Ιουδαϊσμῷ, became proficient in 
Judaism.] The apostle does not mean that he be- 
came more exemplary in the love and practice of 
the pure love of God than any of his countrymen, 
but that he was more profoundly skilled in the 
traditions of the fathers than most of his fellow 
students or contemporaries were. 

15. Who separated me from my mother’s 
womb—([The language of the passage calls our 
attention, as distinctly as possible, to the fact that 
the divine will acted supremely in this whole mat- 
ter, independently of any human plan or effort. 
The verb, (εὐδοκέω,) the free and unconditioned 
(and at the same time good and gracious) will of 
God, operating first in the choosing of Paul, and 
secondly in his calling. The apostle 1 ROW passes on 
to a third point, the inward revelation which fitted 
for the efficient discharge of his high mission.— 
Howson. | 

16. To reveal his Son in me—To make me 
know Jesus Christ, and the power of his resurrection. 
That I might preach him among the heathen 
—For it was to the Gentiles, and the dispersed 
Jews among the Gentiles, that St. Paul was espe- 
cially sent. Peter was sent more particularly to the 
Jews in the land of Judea; Paul to those in the 
different Greek provinces. [Paul seems to intimate 
that being sent to preach Christ “among the hea- 
then,” he had nothing further to do with that form of 
Judaism from which he had been converted. This 
he employed as an argument suited to the point in 
hand.| 1 conferred not with flesh and blood 
—I did not take counsel with men ; σάρξ καὶ αἷμα, 
(which is a literal translation of the Hebrew 72 
D1), basar vedam, flesh and blood,) is a periphrasis 


The apostle gives account of 
some of his journeys, 


not with flesh and blood: 4% Neither went 
I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles 
before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned 
again unto Damascus. ΕΝ Then after three 
years 41 ewent up to Jerusalem to see Peter, 
and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But 
f other of the apostles saw I none, save ¢ James 
the Lord’s brother. 20 Now the things which 


¢ Matt. 16. 17; 1 Cor. 15. 50: Eph. 6, 12, d Acts 9, 26,—e Or, 
returned.—f 1 Cor. 9. 5. 


for man, any man, a human being, ov beings of any 
kind. Many suppose that the apostle means he did 
not dally, or take counsel, with the erroneous sug- 
gestions and wnrenewed propensities of his own 
heart, (or love of ease,) or those of others. [The 
expression “ flesh and blood” denotes man in gen- 
eral, with a shade of depreciation in reference to 
the weakness and ignorance of human nature.— 
Howson. | 

17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem—The 
‘aim of the apostle is to show that he had his cali 
so immediately and pointedly from God himself 
that he had no need of the concurrence even of the 
apostles, being appointed by the same authority, 
and fitted to the work bythe same grace and Spirit, 
as they were. But I went into Arabia—That 
part of Arabia which was contiguous to Damascus, 
over which Aretas was then king. Of this journey 
into Arabia we have no other account. As St. 
Luke was not then with Paul it is not inserted 
in the Acts of the Apostles. Jerusalem was the 
stated residence of the apostles; and, when all the 
other believers were Scattered throughout the re- 
gions of Judea and Samaria, we find the apostles 
still remaining, unmolested, at Jerusalem! (Acts 
viii, 1.) 

18.. After three years I went up to Jeru- 

salem—These three years may be reckoned either 
from the departure of Paul from Jerusalem, or 
from his return from Arabia to Damascus, [though 
almost certainly from the time of his conversion. ] 
To see Peter—'loropijoa: Ἰ]έτρον, to become per- 
sonally acquainted with Peter; for this is the prop- 
er import of the verb ἱστορεῖν. [The verb here 
employed denotes more than would appear from 
the English Version. It means close and _ pains- 
taking inquiry into that which deserves careful in- 
vestigation. — Howson.| And abode with him 
fifteen days—It was not, therefore, to get relig- 
ious knowledge from him that he paid him this 
visit. He knew as much of the Jewish religion as 
Peter did, if not more; and as to the Gospel, he 
had received that from the same source, and had 
preached it three years before this. 
19. James the Lord’s brother—Dr. Paley ob- 
serves: There were two apostles, or at least two 
eminent members of the Church, of the name of 
James. Acts xii, 2 relates the death of James, 
the brother of John; and in chapter xv, and in 
chapter xxi, 18, is a speech delivered by James in 
the assembly of the apostles and elders. Some 
think there were (Aree of this name: '1) JaMEs, our 
“Lord’s brother,” or cousin, as some will have it ; 
2) James, the son of Alpheus; and 8) James, the 
son of Zebedee. [It seems very difficult to identify 
this “James the Lord’s brother” with “ James the 
son of Alpheus.” (See Farrar.)] 

20. Before God, I lie not—This he speaks in 
reference to having seen only Peter and James at 
Jerusalem ; and consequently to prove that he had 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4961, A. TD. 57, 
Year of Rome, 810, 


I write unto you, "behold, before God, I lie 
not. 24% ‘Afterwards I came into the regions 
of Syria and Cilicia; 22 And was unknow n 
by face ‘unto the churches of Judea which 
' were in Clirist: 23 But they had heard only, 
That he which persecuted us in times past now 
preacheth the faith which once he destroy ed. 
24 And they glorified God i in me. 


g Matt. 13. 55; Mark 6, 3.—h Rom, 9, 1.—i Acts 9, , 30.— 
k1 Thess, 2. 14.—/ Rom, 16. 


not learned the Gospel from the assembly of the 
apostles at Jerusalem, nor consequently yeceived 
his commission from them. [He confirms this 
communication with his oath, (solemn assevera- 
tion,) in order to remove any possible doubt, show- 
ing the importance attached by the apostle to the 
fact that he had neither received the Gospel nor 
been commissioned to preach it from the apostles 
or the Church of Jerusalem. ] 

21. Afterwards I came into the regions of 
Syria, etc.— The course of the apostle’s travels, 
after his return from Arabia, was thus: He went 
from Damascus to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem 
into Syria and Cilicia. ‘ At Damascus the disci- 
ples took him by night, and let him down by the 
wall in a basket; and when Saul was come to 
Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the dis- 
ciples.” (Acts ix, 2, 26.) Afterward, when the 
brethren knew the conspiracy formed against him 
at Jerusalem, they brought him down to Cesarea, 
and sent him forth to “Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. 
(Acts ix, 30.) This account in the Acts agrees 
with that in this epistle. [Were those who con- 
spired against Saul professed Christians ?] 

22. And was unknown by face—I was not 
personally acquainted with any of the Churches of 
Judea ; I was converted in another place, and had 
not preached the Gospel in any Christian congrega- 
tion in that country; I knew only those at Jerusa- 


lem. [And probably only a few individuals of them. ] 
23. They had heard only—As a persecutor 


of the Chureh of Christ I was well known; and as 
a convert to Christ I was not less so. The fame of 
both was great, even where I was personally un- 
known. 

24. They glorified God in me—Hearing now 
that I preached that faith which before I had per- 
secuted and endeavoured to destroy, they glorified 
God for the grace which had wrought my conver- 
sion. I owe nothing to them; I owe all to God; and 
they themselves ac cknowledge this. I received all 
from God, and God has all the glory. 


1) It appeared of great importance to St. Paul 
to defend and vindicate his divine mission. As he 
had none from man, it was the more necessary that 
he should be able to show plainly that he had one 
from God. Paul was not brought into the Christ- 
ian ministry by any rite ever used in the Christian 
Church. 

2) The apostle was particularly anxious that the 
Gospel should not be corrupted, that the Church 
might not be perverted. Whatever corrupts the 
Gospel subverts the Cuurca. The Church is a 
spiritual building, and stands ona spiritual founda- 
tion. Its members are compared to stones in a 
building, but they are /iving stones—each instinct 
with the spirit of a divine life; Jesus is not only 
the foundation and the headstone, but the spirit 
that quickens and animates all. 


217 


A.M. 4°56. A.D. 52. 
Year of Rome, δυδ, 


CHAPTER II. 
ΠῈΝ fourteen years after *I went up again 
to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Ti- 
tus with me also. 2 And I went up by reve- 
lation, 'and communicated unto them that gos- 
pel which I preach among the Gentiles, but 
¢ privately to them which were of reputation, 


GALATIANS. 


Paul’s visit to Jerusalem, with 
Barnabas and Titus, 


lest by any means 1 should run, or had run, 
in vain. $8 But neither Titus, who was with 
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be cir- 
cumcised: 4M And that because of ¢false 
brethren unawares brought in, who came in 
privily to spy out our ‘liberty which we have 
in Christ Jesus, § that they might bring us into 


a Acts 15. 2. —D Acts 15. 12. —-c Or, severally. — d Phil. 
2. 16; 1 Thess. 3. ὃ: 


e Acts 15. 1,24; 2 Cor. 11. 26.—/ Chap. 3. 25; 5. 1, 18.—g2Cor. 
11. 20; chap. 4. 3, 9. 


8) If he is a dangerous man in the Church who 
introduces Jewish or human ceremonies which God 
has not appointed, how much more is he to be 
dreaded who introduces any false doctrine, or who 
labours to undermine or lessen the influence of that 
which is ¢rwe? And even he who does not faith- 
fully and earnestly preach and inculcate the true 
doctrine is not a true pastor. 

4) How is it that we have so many Churches 
like those in Galatia? Is it not because, on one 
hand, we disturb the simplicity of the Christian 
worship by Jewish, heathenish, or improper rites 
and ceremonies; and on the other, corrupt the 
purity of its doctrines by the inventions of men ? 
How does the apostle speak of such corrupters ? 
Let them be accursed. 

5) St. Paul well knew, that if he endeavoured to 
please men, he could not be the servant of Christ. 
The interests of Christ and those of the world are 
so opposite, that it is impossible to reconcile them ; 
and he who attempts it shows thereby that he 
knows neither Christ nor the world, though so 
deeply immersed in the spirit of the latter. 

6) God generally confounds the expectations of 
men-pleasing ministers ; they seldom ultimately suc- 
ceed, even with men. God abhors them, and those 
whom they have flattered find them to be dishon- 
est, and cease to trust them. He whois unfaithful 
to his God should not be trusted by man. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. Then fourteen years after—There is a con- 
siderable difference among critics concerning the 
time specified in this verse: the apostle is, however, 
generally supposed to refer to the journey he took 
to Jerusalem, about the question of circumcision, 
mentioned in Acts xv, 4, ete. These years, says 
Dr. Whitby, must Be reckoned from the time of 
his conversion, (mentioned here chapter i, 18,) which 
took place A. D. 35, (53;) his journey to Peter was 
A. D. 38, (36,) and then between that and the coun- 
cil of Jerusalem, assembled A. D. 49, (52,) will be 
fourteen intervening years. The dates in paren- 
theses are according to the chronology which I fol- 
low in the Acfs of the Apostles. [A very great 
amount of learned labour has been bestowed upon 
the question of this date; but that here given still 
remains the most probable.] [The point of import- 
ance in the argument is, that he was labouring in 
the cause of Christ many years without any inter- 
ference from the older apostles, and without any 
dependence upon them.—Howson. 

2. I went up by revelation — This either 
means, that he went up at that time by an express 
revelation from God that it was his duty to do so, 
made either to the Church of Antioch to send these 
persons to Jerusalem, or to these persons to go ac- 
cording to the directions of that Church; or it may 
refer to the revelation made to certain prophets 
who came to Antioch, and particularly Agabus, 
who signified by the Spirit that there would be a 

218 


dearth; in consequence of which the disciples pur- 
posed to send relief to their poor brethren at Jeru- 
salem. [In the history, (Acts xv,) his outward 
commission is named; in the epistle, the inward 
communication to himself. This is quite natural, 
and we have several parallel cases. — Howson. | 
Communicated unto (laid before) them—|’ Avefe- 
μὴν ; giving the apostles at Jerusalem a state- 
ment of the Gospel which he had preached to the 
heathen. Though he would not subject either him- 
self or the Churches he had formed to the apostles, 
yet he was free to lay before them a statement of 
the subject-matter of his preaching.] But pri- 
vately to them which were of reputation— 
Τοῖς δοκοῦσιν, to the chief men; those who were 
highest in reputation among the apostles. Δοκοῦν- 
τες, according to Hesychius, is οἱ ἔνδοξοι, the hon- 
ourable. With these the apostle intimates that he 
had some private conferences. Lest by any 
means — As he held these private conferences 
with these more eminent men to give them infor- 
mation how, in consequence of his divine call, he 
had preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the 
great good which God had wrought by his ministry, 
so it was also necessary that he should give the 
apostolic council the fullest information that he 
had acted according to the divine mind in every re- 
spect, and had been blessed in his deed. [The ren- 
dering of the Revised Version of this somewhat 
difficult clause seems to express its real meaning ; 


“Test by any means I should be running, or had 


run, in vain.” Either it was designed to show 
that Paul had preached the pure Gospel of Christ, 
or else to submit the case to the chiefs of the 
Chureh at Jerusalem, that they might correct him 
if found to be in error. | 

3. But neither (οὐδὲ, not even) Titus, who was 
with me—The apostle proceeds to state that his 
account was so satisfactory to the apostles, that 
they not only did not require him to insist on the 
necessity of circumcision among the Gentiles, but 
did not even require him to have Titus, who was a 
Greek, circumcised; though that might have ap- 
peared expedient, especially at Jerusalem, to have 
prevented false brethren from making a handle of 
his uncireumcision, and turning it to the prejudice 
of the Gospel in Judea. 

4. And that because of false brethren, etc.— 
[The construction is difficult ; but the simplest way 
to understand the sentence seems to be, that be- 
cause of the mischievous influence and bad coun- 
sel of these “false brethren” Paul refused to 
yield to the moral compulsion brought to bear upon 
him.—Howson.] To spy out our liberty—The 
Judaizers got into the assembly of the apostles in 
order to find out what was implied in the liberty of 
the Gospel, that they might know the better how to 
oppose St. Paul and his fellows in their preaching 
Christ to the Gentiles, and admitting them into the 
Church without obliging them to observe circum- 
cision and keep the law. 


Paul and Barnabas receive the 
right hands of fellowship. 


CHAPTER II. 


- ᾿ 


A. Μ. 4956. A. D. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805, 


bondage: & To whom we gave place by sub- 
jection, no, not for an hour; that "the truth 
of the gospel might continue with you. 6 But 
of those 'who seemed to be somewhat, what- 
soever they were, it maketh no matter to me: 
kGod accepteth no man’s person: for they 
who seemed to be somewhat 1 in conference 
added nothing to me: Ὁ But contrariwise, 
™when they saw that the gospel of the uncir- 
cumcision "was committed unto me, as the 
gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 
®§ (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to 
the apostleship of the circumcision, ° the same 
was Pinighty in me toward the Gentiles ;) 
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who 
seemed to be ‘pillars, perceived ‘the grace 


that was given unto me, they gave to me and 
Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that 
we should go unto the heathen, and they unto 
the circumcision. 10 Only they weuld that 
we should remember the poor; ‘the same 
which I also was forward to do. 11 ‘But 
when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood 
him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 
412 For before that certain came from James, 
“he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they 
were come, he withdrew and separated lim- 
self, fearing them which were of the circum- 
cision. U8 And the other Jews dissembled 
likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas 
also was carried away with their dissimulation. 
14 But when 1 saw that they waiked not up- 


h Verse 143 chap. 3. 1; 4. 16.—7 Chap. 6. 3.-—* Acts 10. 34; 
Rom, 2. 11. 2 Cor. 12 11.—m Acts 13.46; Rom, 1.4; 11.13: 
1 Tim. 2. 7: 2 Tim. 1. 11. —v7 1 Thess. 2. 4.—o Acts. 15; 13.2; 
22. 21; 26. 17, 18; 1 Cor. 15. 10; chap. 1. 16; Col. 1. 29. 


p Chap. 3. 5—gq Matt. 16. 18; Eph. 2. 20: Rev. 21. 14.— 
γ' Rom. 1. δ: 12. 3,6; 15. 15; 1 Cor. 15. 10: Eph. 3, &—s Acts 
11. 30; 294. 17; Rom. 15. 24: 1 Cor. 16.1; 2 Cor. chaps. 8, 9.— 
t Acts 1d. 35.—wu Acts 10. 28; 11.3. 


5. To whom we (Paul and his fellows) gave 
place by subjection—[This decided refusal to 
yield had been adequately explained by the char- 
acterization “ false brethren ;” it is now given again. 
—Schmoller.| They continued to insist on the ex- 
emption of the Gentiles from the necessity of sub- 
mitting to Jewish rites; that the truth of the 
gospel—this grand doctrine, that the Gentiles ave 
admitted by the Gospel of Christ to be fellow-heirs 
with the Jews—might continue. [See the ren- 
dering of this text in the Revised Version, mar- 
gin.) 

6. Those who seemed to be somewhat— 
Τῶν δοκούντων eivai τι, those who were of acknow!- 
edged reputation ; so the words should be under- 
stood. (See verse 2.) The verb δοκεῖν, to seem, is 
repeatedly used by the best Greek writers, not to 
call the sense in question, or to lessen it, but to 
deepen and extend it. 

7. But contrariwise—They were so far from 
wishing me to alter my plan, or to introduce any 
thing new in my doctrine to the Gentiles, that they 
saw plainly that my teaching was the same as their 
own, coming immediately from the same source; 
and therefore gave to me and to Barnabas the right 
hand of fellowship. The gospel of the uncir- 
cumcision—They saw, to their utmost satisfaction, 
that I was as expressly sent by God to preach the 
Gospel to the Gentiles as Peter was to preach it to 
the Jews. 


8. For he that wrought effectually—'0 ἐνερ- 


yhoac ἸΠέτρῳ, ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐμοὶ, he who wrought 
powerfully with Peter, wrought powerfully also with 
me. He gave us both those talents which were 
suited to our work, and equal success in our differ- 
ent departments. 


9. James, Cephas, and John, who seemed | 


to be pillars—Oi δοκοῦντες στύλοι εἶναι, who were 


known to be very eminent, and acknowledged as chief 


men among the apostles. Among the Jews, per- 
sons of great eminence and importance are repre- 
sented as pillars and foundations of the world. 
Schoettgen: “These pillars must be distinguished 
from the foundation. The foundation of the 
Church is Jesus Christ alone; the pillars are the 
more eminent teachers, which, without the founda- 
tion, are of no value.” The right hands of fel- 
lowship—Giving the right hand to another was 
the mark of confidence, friendship, and fellowship. 


‘ | 
so 


heathen, ete.—[This division of labour was not, 
and could not be, strictly observed. Every where in 
the Acts we find Paul preaching “to the Jews 
first,” and everywhere the Judaizers followed on, 
his track.—A/ford. ] 

10. Only they would that we should re- 
member the poor— They saw plainly that God 
had as expressly called Barnabus and me to go to 
the Gentiles as he had called them to preach to the 
Jews; and they did not attempt to give us any new 
injunctions, only wished us to remember the poor 
in Judea; but this was a thing to which we were 
previously disposed. 

11. When Peter was come to Antioch— 
There has been a controversy whether Πέτρος, 
Peter, here should not be read Kyoac, Aephas ; 
and whether this Aephas was not a different person 
from Peter the apostle. [The reading Κηφᾶς is 
probably the correct one, but it in no wise changes 
the sense. There can be no question that the 
apostle Peter is meant. An open outbreak had 
been with some difficulty avoided at Jerusalem ; 
but at Antioch, where Paul and his party could use 
greater liberty, the collision at length occurred.] 
Because he was to be blamed—| Kare) νωσμένος, 
was blameworthy. This was a case of temporizing, 
ἦν, which might or might not be allowable, (for even 
Paul temporized in the circumcision of Timothy,) 
but Paul saw in it the betrayal of a most sacred 
principle in the work of the Gospel. Later devel- 
opments showed that Paul had the right of the 
matter; though Peter ought not to be too severely 
blamed. ] 

12. Before that certain came from James— 
[ Who, it appears, considered the ritual law still to be 
in force.] He did eat with the Gentiles—|Tlus 
leading them to suppose that he deemed the re- 
strictions imposed by the law to be done away. | 

13. And the other Jews dissembled likewise 
—The converted “ Jews,’ who had ceased to observe 
the Jewish ritual, seeing Peter act this part, and also 


fearing them that were of the circumcision, separated 


themselves from the converted Gentiles, and acted 
soas to concede the moral obligation of that ritual : 
and so great was the force of such an example, that 
Barnabas also was carried away by (/ir dis- 
simulation, αὐτῶν τὴ ὑποκρίσει, with their hypocrisy 
—feigning to be what they really were not. 


14. That they walked not uprightly—0i« 


(See Lev. vi, 2.) That we should go unto the | ὀρθοποδοῦσιν, they did not walk with a straight step, 


219 


A.M. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


GALATIANS. 


No man is justified by the 
works of the law, 


rightly according to ‘the truth of the gospel, 
I said unto Peter » before them all, * If thou, 
being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gen- 
tiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest 
thou the Gentiles to live aslo the Jews? 
15 » We who are Jews by nature, and not 
zsinners of the Gentiles, 2&6 * Knowing that 
aman is not justified by the works of the law, 
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we 
have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might 
be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by 


the works of the law: for ¢by the works of 
the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, 
while we seek to be justified by Christ, we 
ourselves also are found 4sinners, 7s therefore 
Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 
Is For if I build again the things which I 
destroyed, 1 make myself ἃ transgressor. 
19 For 1 ethrough the law fam dead to the 
law, that I might ¢live unto God. 20 I am 
"crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet 
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life 


Verse 5.—701 Tim. 5. 20.—za Acts 10. 28; 11. 3.—yActs 
15. 10, 11.—z2 Matt. 9.11; Eph 2. 3, 12.—a«a Acts 13. 38, 39.— 
6 Ron. 1, 17; 3. 22, 28; 8.35; chap. 3. 24; Heb. 7. 18, 19, 


c Psa. 143. 2; Rom. 3. 20; chap. 3. 11.—d1 John 8. 9.—e Rom, 
2.—/ Rom. 6. 14; 7. 4,6. g Rom, 6. 11: 2 Cor. 5. 15, 1 Thess, 
. 10; Heb. 9. 14; 1 Pet. 4. 2.— A Rom. 6. 6; chap. ὃ. 24; 6. 14. 


| gr00 


[they dissembled;] they did not maintain a firm 
footing. According to the truth of the gospel 
—According to that true doctrine which states that 
Christ is the end of the law for justification to every 
one that believeth; and that such are under no obli- 
gation to observe circumcision and the other pe- 
culiar rites and ceremonies of the law. [Paul be- 
held, in the conduct of Peter and other Jewish 
Christians, an infringement of the “truth of the 
Gospel,” (its essential spirit,) especially of the 
principle of Christian freedom founded in the Gos- 
pel.—Schinoller.] Before them all—[ Very prob- 
ably in an assembly of the Church, although not 
convened immediately for this purpose.—WMeyer. | 
If thou, being a Jew, livest, etc.—[ Notably in 
the case of Cornelius, (Acts x,) and probably after- 
ward, Peter had departed from Jewish custom by 
eating with uncircumcised persons; but now, be- 
cause of the clamour raised by the Judaizers, he 
apparently abandoned the principle he had been 
taught of God, and on which he had then acted, not 
to call any man common or unclean.| Why com- 
pellest thou the Gentiles—Thou didst once con- 
sider that they were not under such an obligation, 
and now thou actest as if thou didst consider the 
law in full force; but thou art convinced that the 
contrary is the case, yet actest differently! This is 
hypocrisy. 

15. We who are Jews by nature—We (you 
and I) who have been born, bred, and educated 
Jews. And not sinners of the Gentiles—'‘Awap- 
τωλοί. Not without the knowledge of God, as they 
have been, ‘AuaptwAdc often signifies a heathen 
—one who had no knowledge of the true God. 
[Paul puts himself for the moment in the position 
of the most prejudiced Jew, uses his language, and 
thus makes his argument as strong as possible. 
Admitting, to the full, all the religious advantages 
of Judaism, and all the moral degradation of 
Heathenism, yet ‘even we” have renounced this hope 
of being justified throngh Judaism. This manner 
of speaking of the heathen was customary and pro- 
verbial among the Jews.—Howson. | 

16. Kaowing that a man is not justified— 
(See the notes on Rom. i, 17; iii, 24, 27; and 
viii, 3; and see on Acts xiii, 38, 39; in which places 
the subject of this verse is largely discussed.) Nei- 
ther the works of the Jewish law, nor of any other 
law, could justify any man; and if justification or 
salvation could not have been attained in some other 
way, the whole world must have perished. Justifica- 
tion by faith in the boundless mercy of God is as rea- 
sonable as it is scriptural and necessary. Flor by the 
works of the law—[Paul here adduces the same 
quotation from Psalm exliii as in Rom. iii, 20, and 
in the same form and with the same freedom... . 

220 


No fitter and more pointed sentence can be imagined 
for the termination of his address to St. Peter.— 
Howson.| [With this verse it is supposed that the 
address of Paul to Peter, as recollected and re- 
hearsed by the writer of the epistle, ended ; and 
what follows is addressed as original arguments to 
the Galatians. ] 

17. But if, while we seek to be justified— 
[Εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ, κ. τ. A., but 
if, seeking to be justified in Christ, we are found 
sinners, for only simers can be so justified, and 
coming to Christ for justification implies the ree- 
ognition and confession of sin, from which it is 
conceded the law is not able to save.| Is therefore 
Christ the minister of sin—[The apostle rejects 
the inference of the adversaries of the doctrine of 
justification by faith with the greatest abhorrence 
and detestation. It is no new prejudice, though a 
very unjust one, against the doctrine of justification 
by faith alone, that it opens a door to licentious- 
ness, and makes Christ the minister of sin —Aiddle. | 
God forbid—My7 γένοιτο, is something much more 
than a direct negation, such as “ No verily:” it is 
a vehement expression of indignant aversion... . 
And therefore the English God forbid! properly 
understood, that is, God forbid that any one should 
so speak, is a fit rendering of it—Aiddle.] [The 
phrase is clearly an imperative negative. Its lit- 
eral and grammatical equivalent in English is, ‘ Let 
it not be,” or, ‘It must not be.” Its idiomatie 
equivalent is No, no / of course with an imperative 
signification. ] 

18. For if I build again the things which I 
destroyed—If I act like a Jew, and enjoin the 
observance of the law on the Gentiles, which I have 
repeatedly asserted and proved to be superseded by 
Christ, then I build up what I destroyed, and thus 
make myself a tranusgressor. 

19. For I through the law am dead to the 
law—[1I, (emphatic, as a case of personal experi- 
ence,) 1, for my own part, letting my own experience 
speak, to say nothing of the experience of others. 
—Meyer.| [The law itself had taught him (chap- 
ter iii, 24) that he must utterly discard the law as 
the ground of justification. He had tried the ex- 
periment of being justified by the law, and had 
failed at every point. See Romans vii, passim.— 
Riddle. | 

20. IT am crucified with Christ—The death 
of Christ on the cross has showed me that there is 
no hope of salvation by the law; I am therefore as 
truly dead to all expectation of justification by the 
law as Christ was dead when he gave up the ghost 
upon the cross. Through him alone I live—Enjoy 
a present life, and have a prospect of future glory, 
Yet not I—It is not of my natural life I speak, 


Tho foolishness of the Galatians 
in rejecting the Gospel. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4056. A. D. 52, 


Year of Rome, 805. 


which I now live in the flesh tI live by the 
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and 
gave himself for me. 2 I do not frustrate 
‘the grace of God: for *if righteousness come 
by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. 


CHAPTER III. 
0 FOOLISH Galatians, *who hath be- 
‘the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ 


witched you, that ye should not obey 
hath been evidently set forth, crucified among 


you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Re- 
ceived ye ¢tle Spirit by the works of the law, 
dor by the hearing of faith? % Are ye so 
foolish? ehaving begun in the Spirit, are ye 
now made perfect by ‘the flesh? 4 * Have ye 
suffered ®so many things in vain? if it be yet 
in vain. & He therefore 'that ministereth to 
you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among 
you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or 
by the hearing of faith? @ Even as * Abra- 
ham believed God, and it was !accounted to 


F2 Cor. 5.15; 1 Thess. 5.10; 1 Pet 4. 2. σ Chap. 1. 4; Eph. 
5.2; Titus 2. 14—/ Chap. 3. 21; Heb. 7. 11; see Rom, 11. 6; 
chap. 5. 4. —vw Chap. 5. 7.—) Chap. 2. 143; 5. 7.—e Acts 2. 38; 
8.15; 10. 47; 15. 8; verse 14; Eph. 1. 13; Heb. 6. 4 


nor of any spiritual things which I myself have 
procured ; but Christ liveth in me. God made man 
to be a habitation of his own Spirit ; the law can- 
not live in me soas to give me a divine life; it 
does not animate, but kills; but Christ lives in me ; 
he is the soul of my soul; so that I now live to 
God. But this life 1 have by the faith of the 
Son of God; by believing on Christ as a sacrifice 
for sin; for he loved me, and because he did so, 
he gave himself for me: made himself a sacri- 
fice unto death, that I might be saved from the 
bitter pains of death eternal. [Paul, beyond all 
doubt—as in the parallel expressions of Christ abid- 
ing in believers, of his making his abode in their 
hearts, (John xiv, 25,)—means to assert a real in- 
dwelling of Christ in the soul through the commu- 
nication of his being... . The personality does 
not cease through Christ in us, nor’ even the life of 
faith; but it is in that very abiding faith that we 
receive Christ. . . . Faith is here taken for a spir- 
itual receptivity for God and the divine workings 
of grace, not as the mere accepting of certain doc- 
trines as true, which is merely a consequence of 
living faith.— Olshausen. ] 

21. I do not frustrate—Oix« ἀθετῶ, I do not 
contemn, despise, or set aside the grace of God; 
the doctrine of Christ crucified; which I must do 
if I preach the necessity of observing the law. 
For if righteousness—If justification and salva- 
tion come by an observance of the law, then 
Christ is dead in vain; his death is useless if an 
observance of the law can save us; but no obser- 
vance of the law can save us, and therefore there 
was an absolute necessity for the death of Christ. 
[This verse contains an implied charge against 
those of the opposite part, of doing what the apos- 
tle says he does not do; for, as Luther says, ‘to 
seek to be justified by works of the law is to re- 
ject the grace of God.” ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. O foolish Galatians—[’Avéyrou, slow of un- 
derstanding.| O stupid people ; you act like those 
who are fascinated. That ye should not obey 
the truth—This clause is wanting in nearly all the 
ancient MSS. and in the most important of the 
Greek and Latin Fathers. It should certainly be ex- 
punged. There are several various readings on this 
verse, from which it appears that the verse in the 
best ancient MSS. and Versions was read thus: Ὁ 
foolish Galatians, who hath bewitehed you? Before 
whose eyes Jesus Christ crucified hath been plainly set 
forth. [Christ crucified, as preached by the apos- 
tles, logically implied Paul’s doctrine of justification 
by faith.] Among you— Ey ὑμῖν is wanting in 
the best MSS. and Versions, and should be omitted. 


d Romans 10. 16, 17. 6 Chap. 4. 9.—/ Hebrews 7. 16; 9. 10. 

g Hebrews 10. 35, 36; 2 John 8.—A Or, so great.—i 2 Cor. 

3. 8.—-k Genesis 15. 6; Romans 4. 3, 9, 21, 22; James 2. 23,— 
1Or, imputed. 


2. Received ye the €pirit by the works of 
the law—This may refer to the miraculous gifts of 
the “Spirit,” which were very common in the apos- 
tolie Church. It may also refer to the “Spirit” of 
adoption, and consequently to their sonship. [The 
“works of the law and the hearing of faith” are 
contrasted as sharply as possible. (See Rom. i, 5; 
xvi, 26.) The phrase, “ hearing of faith,” comprises 
in its meaning (objectively) the preaching which 
addresses itself to faith, and (subjectively) that 
hearing of the heart which is the result of faith in 
that which is preached.— Howson. | 

3. Having begun in the Spirit—Having re- 
ceived a spiritual religion, and having received the 
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of adoption, by whom ye 
were assured of the remission of sins, and incorpo- 
ration with the family of God. Are yenow made 
perfect by the flesh—Are ye seeking to complete 
that spiritual religion, and to perfect these spiritual 
gifts, by the carnal right of circumcision, [with 
its implied obligations and observances?| It ap- 
pears that by the “ Spirit,” here, both the Holy Spirit 


-and his gifts are to be understood; and by the 


“flesh,” circumcision itself. Σάρξ (flesh) and 
πνεῦμα (Spirit) are here united, (contrasted,) in the 
same way as γράμμα (the letter) and πνεῦμα (the 
spirit) in Rom. ii, 29, as designations of the out- 
ward and the inward, the form and the essence.— 
Olshausen.]} 

4. Have ye suffered (did ye suffer) so many 
things in vain—[Have you not. profited by what 
you have experienced.| Though it is possible that 
the Galatians had suffered some persecution for the 
truth of Christ, yet it is as likely that the apostle 
refers also to the benefits which they had received, 
Ye have received faith, the pardon of your sins, 
the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with it many ex- 
traordinary gifts and graces; and have ye suffered 
the loss of all these things? Have ye received all 
these in vain ? If yet in vain—|[A repetition of 
the question in verse 2, in another form. ] 

5. He therefore that ministereth to you the 
Spirit— The apostle means himself, [though his 
words may have a wider eet He had 
been the means of conveying the Holy Spirit to 
them, and by that “Spirit” he wrought miracles 
among them; and he did all this, not as a Jew, (for 
as such he had no power,) but he did all as a be- 
liever in Christ. The word ἐπεχορηγῶν, which we 
translate “ ministereth,” is very emphatic, and sig- 
nifies leading wp the chorus, bringing up one after 
another, adding grace to grace, benefit to benefit. 
God, by means of his apostle, had greatly enriched 
them with various spiritual blessings. 

6. Abraham believed God—This is quoted 
from Gen. xv, 6; and St. Paul produces it, Rom. 

x VA 


A. M. 4056, A. Ὁ. 52, 
Yeur of Rome, x5, 


GALATIANS. 


Believers in Christ are the 
children of Abraham. 


him for righteousness. % Know ye therefore 
that "they which are of faith, the same are 
the children of Abraham. & And "the Scrip- 
ture, foreseeing that God aa justify the 
heathen through faith, preached before the 
gospel unto Abr: tham, saying, °In thee shall 
all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which 
be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 
10 For as many as are of the works of the 
law are under the curse: for it is written, 
P Cursed is every one that continueth not in all 
things which are written in the book of the 


law to do them. I Butathat no man is 
justified by the law in the sight of God, it is 
evident: for, ‘The just shall live by faith. 
12 And sthe law is not of faith: but, ‘The 
man that doeth them shall live in them. 
183 °Christ hath redeemed us from the curse 
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it 
is written, ἡ Cursed is every one that hangeth 
onatree: 14. That the blessing of Abra- 
ham might come on the Gentiles through Je- 
sus Christ; that we might receive * the prom- 
ise of the Spirit through faith. 18 Brethren, 


2, 16.—n See Rom. 9. 17; verse 22. 


m John §, 39: Rom. 4. 11,1 
set. 12.3: 18, 18; 22. 18; Acts 3. 25. —p Deut. 27. 26: Jer. 
118 q Chap. 2. 16. γ" Hab. 2.45; Rom. 1. 17: led, 10, 


—~s Roni. + 4, 5; 10: 5, 6; 11. Ὁ ev, 18. 5; Neb. 9. 39: 


iv, 8-5. Abraham, while yet uncircumcised, be- 
lieved in God, and his faith was reckoned to him 
for justification, and so he is called the father 
of the faithful, or of believers. If, then, he was 
justified without the deeds of the law, he was jus- 
tified by faith ; and if he was justified by faith, 
long before the law was given, then the law is not 
necessary to salvation. 

7. They which are of faith, ete—[Going back 
of the law, and before the institution of the rite of 
circumcision, the doctrine of justification by faith 
is found to be exemplified in the case of Abraham 
himself; and therefore they who are now saved by 
faith alone are in that fact shown to be the sons 
of Abraham. | 

8. The Scripture, foreseeing—See the notes 
on Rom. iv, 3-16. As God intended to justify 
the heathen (that is, all men) through faith, he 
preached the Gospel of salvation by faith before, 
to Abraham, while he was yet outside of the special 
Abrahamic covenant, and thus he is called the 
father of believers ; all, therefore, who shall be- 
lieve the same Gospel, whether Jews or Gentiles, 
with a genuine faith, should find in themselves the 
promise fulfilled: 
the earth be blessed. 

9. They which be of faith—All who believe, 
as Abraham believed, are made partakers of 
Abraham’s blessing. [Of faith,’ πίστεως, has 
the emphasis . . . σύν (is used) to show their com- 
munity with him (Abraham) in the blessing. Τῷ 
πιστῷ, to show wherein the community consists, 
namely, Farra.— Alford. | 

10. As many as are of the works of the 
law—All that seek salvation by the performance 
of the works of the law are under the curse, be- 
cause it is impossible for them to come up to the 
spiritual meaning and intent of the law; and the 
law pronounces them cursed that continue not in 
all things which are written in the book of the law 
to do them. Hence, every Jew is necessarily under 
the curse of God’s broken law; and every one is 
under the same curse, though he be not a Jew, who 
does not take refuge in the salvation provided for 
him by the Gospel. [“Οἐ the works of the law,” 

Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, those who depend upon the 
works of the law, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν, are under the 
curse, being in that state, ἐν φύσει, by nature, and 
never having been delivered, since ‘ works ” can- 
not accomplish that deliverance, they remain ‘‘ under 
the curse.”] Cursed is every one, etc.—[Prob- 
ably quoted from Deut. xxvii, 26, which says: 
“Cursed be (is) he that confirmeth not all the 
words of this law, to do them,” and in Jer. xi, 3, 
are the words, ‘Cursed de (is) the man that obey- 
222 


you done ? 


In thee shall all the nations of 


Ezek. 20. 11; Rom. 10. 5.—wu Rom. 8. 3; 2 Cor. 

ἧς ἘΣ 0) Deut. 2 3,-—w Rom. 4. 9, 16,—a Isa. ἢ 

Jer. 31,305.32. 40: Ezek. 11. 19; 36. 27; Joel 2. 28, 29; Zech. 
12, 10; Jolin 7 7. 39; Acts 2. 33. 


eth not the words of this covenant.” The law 
prescribed duties, and pronounced cwises upon all 
possible forms and degrees of delinquents, but 
made no provisions either to help the feeble and 
erring, or to pity or relieve the guilty. | 

But that no man is justified by the 
law—By the observance of the law, suppose he 
had even continued in all things that are written 
in it to do them, is evident; for the Prophet Hab- 
akkuk (chapter ii, 4) has declared, under the direct 
influence of the Spirit of God, ‘The just shall live 
by faith ;” or, Ae who is just by faith shall live: 
therefore this justification comes not by wov/'s, or 
the observance of the law, but by faith. (See Rom, 
, 17; Heb. x, 38.) 

12. And the law is not of faith—It promises 
no forgiveness to believing, but requires obedience, 
It asks not, What do you believe? but, What have 
The man that doeth them perfectly, at 
all times, and in all places, shall live in them ; 
—But if in any case he fails, he forfeits his life. 

13. Christ ... redeemed us— Εξηγόρασεν. [Re- 
deemed, not “hath;”’ the ¢enmse is important as 
referring the act to a definite time.] Bought us 
with a price, namely, his d/ood or life. Being 
made a curse for us—Being made an atonement 
for our sins; for whatever was offered as an atone- 
ment for sin was considered as bearing the punish- 
ment due to sin, and the person who suffered for 
transgression was considered as bearing the curse 
in his body. Every culprit was considered ac- 
cursed of God, (Deut. xxi, 22, 23 ;) hence the neces- 
sity of wemoving the accursed THING, out of sight, by 
a speedy burial. [It is to be observed, on the one 
hand, that κατάρας, (curse,) is without the article, 
thus (being unlimited) covering the whole ground 
of the disadvantage and condemnation under 
which we lay; and on the other hand, that Paul 
does not say, in the words of the original quota- 
tion, that Christ was “cursed and separated by 
God,” (κεκατηραμένος ὑπὸ Oeov.)— Howson. | 

14. That the blessing of Abraham—That is, 
justification, or the pardon of sin, with all other 
blessings consequent on ity such as peace with God, 
spiritual life, and eternal glory. Might come on 
the Gentiles through Jesus Christ—So we 
find that he was made a ewrse for (instead of) ws, 
that the blessings promised to Abraham might be 
civen to all who believe on him, he having been 
made a curse, that is, an expiatory victim, for them. 
[The s sacrifice of Christ was not merely a Jewish 
offering for a specially favoured race: it was as wide 
in its purpose as the promise to Abraham, “in thy 
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” ] 
The promise of the Spirit—The Spirit of adop- 


The law could not annul the previous 
promise to Abraham, 


I speak after the manner of men; » Though 
it be but a man’s ?covenant, yet if it be con- 
tirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 


16 Now «to Abraham and his seed were the 


promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, 
as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, 
which is "Christ. 117 And this I say, that 


the covenant, that was confirmed before of 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4056.° A. D, 52, 
Year of Rome, 805, 


God in Christ, the law, «which was four hun- 
dred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, 
“that it should make the promise of none ef- 
fect. IS For if ¢the inheritance de of the 
law, ‘it is no more of promise: but God gave 
it to Abraham by promise. 19. Wherefore 
then serveth the law? €&It was added because 
of transgressions, till »the seed should come to 


v Heb, 9, 17.—2z Or, testament.—a Gen. 12. 3, 7: 17. 7: 
verse 8.—U 1 Cor. 12. 12.—c Exod. 12.'40, 41.—d Rom. 4 


13, 14; verse 21.—e Rom. 8. 17.-- - 7 Rom. 4. 14.—g John 15, 
22; Rom. 4. 15; 5. 20; 7. 8, 13: 1 Tim. 1. »:—A Verse 16, 


tion, sonship with God; and the Spirit of God to 
attest that sonship. And all this was through 
faith. Hence, from the beginning God had _pur- 
posed that salvation should be through faith, and 
never expected that any soul of man should be 
justified by the works of the law; and only gave 
that law that the exceeding sinfulness of sin might 
appear, and that man might be prepared to wel- 
come the Gospel, which proclaimed salvation to a 
lost world through the atoning passion and death of 
Christ. [The rendering of this verse in the Re- 
vised Version is especially felicitous. By placing 
“upon the Gentiles” foremost, according to the 
original, due prominence is given to that ultimate 
object of the blessing (évAoyia) of Abraham which 
was to be made effective “in Christ Jesus; and 
then in the last clause, in opposition to “the bless- 
ing,” is placed the ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος, the 
promised things of the Spirit, which we, all be- 
lievers in common, are to receive through faith. ] 
15. I speak after the manner of men—I am 
about to produce an example taken from. civil 
transactions. If it be confirmed—If an agree- 
ment or bond be properly executed. No man dis- 
annulleth—It stands under the protection of the 
law, and nothing can be legally erased or added, 
16. Now ‘to Abraham and his seed—The 
promise of salvation by faith was made to Abra- 
ham and his posterity; [spiritual rather than nat- 
ural.] Efe saith not, And to seeds—The difii- 
culty of this passage has been generally confessed, 
and the attempted solutions have not always been 
satisfactory. |Dean Howson remarks, “ The apostle 
Sees in the promise something far beyond the mere 
Jews, however numerous and however widely seat- 
tered. He sees in it that deep unity which com- 
prehends all mankind. ... The whole force of the 
fulfilment is concentrated in Curist; and the more 
it is concentrated in HM, the more comprehensive 
and universal is its meaning.’ To Paul’s mental 
vision the Old Testament seemed radiant. with 
prophecies of Christ.] As we know that promises 
of justification, ete., could not properly be made to 
Christ in himself, we must conclude his members to 
be here intended, and the word Christ is put here 
for Christians. It is from Christ that the grace 
flows which constitutes Christians, Christians are 
chose who believe after the example of Abraham ; 
they, therefore, are the spiritual seed. Christ, work- 
_ ing in and by these, makes them the light and salt 
of the world; and through them, under and by 
Christ, are all the nations of the earth blessed. 
This appears to be the most consistent interpreta- 
ion, though everything must be understood of 
Christ in the first instance, and then of Christians 
only through him [and as of his mystical body. ] 
._ 17. And this I say — [Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, this 
ts what J mean.| The covenant — [Rather, a 
covenant, διαθήκην, (without the article.) Any 
Covenant so made, would be safe against subse- 


quent changes. Εἰς Χριστόν, in Christ, is want- 
ing in the best MSS., and is now generally given 
up.] Confirmed before of God in Christ— 
[The covenant made with Abraham was wider than 
the law; and being before it in point of time, was 
of higher authority; and, being a covenant in 
which two parties were concerned, it was not al- 
lowable that one of the parties to it, acting as a 
legislator, should set it aside.]| Four hundred 
and thirty years after—[There are various meth- 
ods of obviating the chronological discrepances of 
this passage, as collated with the Old Testament. 
If taken from the call of Abraham to the giving 
of the law, the interval would be about six hundred 
years. If from Jacob’s going down to Egypt, about 
four hundred and thirty ; but why assume the lat- 
ter date as the terminus a quo?| [Paul follows 
the statement of the Septuagint, which was well 
known to and current among his readers, without 
entering further into this point of chronology, 
which was foreign to his aim.—J/eyer.] Justitica- 
tion by faith is promised in the Abrahamic cove- 
nant, and attributed to that alone; therefore it is 
not to be expected from the law, nor can its works 
justify any, for the law in this respect cannot an- 
nul or affect the Abrahamic covenant. But sup- 
pose, ye say, that the law, which was given four 
hundred and thirty years after the covenant with 
Abraham, has superseded this covenant, and lim- 
ited and confined its blessings to the Jews? I an- 
swer: This is impossible, for the covenant most 
specifically refers to the Messiah, and takes in, not 
the Jewish people only, but all nations ; for it is 
written, Jn thy seed—the Messiah and his spiritual 
progeny—shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. 
This universal blessedness can never be confined, 
by any figure of speech or by any legal act, to the 
Jewish people exclusively ; and, as the covenant was 
properly made and confirmed, it cannot be annulled ; 
it must therefore remain in reference to its object. 

18. For if the inheritance be of the law— 
See the preceding arguments, in which this is 
proved. [The proof depends on the relation of 
contrast between law and promise, whereby the 
working of the one excludes the like working of the 
other. For, if the possession of the Messianic sal- 
vation proceeds from the law, which must have 
been the case if God’s covenant with Abraham had 
lost its validity by means of the law, then this pos- 
session comes no longer from promise. “ But God 
gave it unto Abraham by promise.”—JMeyer. | 

19. Wherefore then serveth the law—If the 
law does not annul (supersede) the Abrahamic cove- 
nant, and cannot confer salvation on its votaries, 
why did God give it? This was a very natural 
objection, and must arise in the mind of any Jew 
who had paid attention to the apostle’s reasoning. 
It was added because of transgressions—It was 
given that we might know (detect) our sinfulness, 
and need of the mercy of God. The a is the 

23 


A.M. 4°56, A. Ὁ, 52. 
Year of Romie, 805, 


GALATIANS. 


The law is not against the 
promises of God. 


whom the promise was made; anid it was ' or- 
dained by angels in the hand * of a mediator. 
20 Now a mediator is not ὦ mediator of one, 
‘hut God is one. 28 J/s the law then against 
the promises of God? God forbid: "for if 
there had been a law given which could have 
given life, verily righteousness should have 
been by the law. 22 But*the Scripture hath 


concluded °all under sin, P that the promise by 
faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them 
that believe. 28 But before faith came, we 
were kept under the law, shut up unto the 
faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
24 Wherefore 4the law was our schoolmaster 
to bring us unto Christ, ‘that we might be 
justified by faith. 28 But after that faith is 


4 Acts 7. 53; Heb. 2. 2. k Exod. 20. 19, 21, 22; Deut. 5. 5, 
99, 23, 27, 31; Jobn 1. 17; Acts 7. 38; 1 Tim, 2. 5.—Z/ Rom. 3. 
29, 30. a Chap. 2. 21. 


m Verse 8. —o Rom. 3. 9, 19, 2: 
12516: gq Matt. 5.17; Rom. 10. 4; 
7" Acts 18, 39; chap. 2. 16. 


3:11. 32. —p Rom. 4. 11, 
Col. 2.17; Heb. 9. 9, 10.— 


right line, the straight edge, that determines the 
obliquity of our conduct. (See the notes on Rom. 
iv, 15; and especially on Rom. v, 20, where this 
subject is largely discussed, and the figure ex- 
plained.) Till the seed should come—The law 
was to be in force till the advent of the Messiah, 
(the true seed of Abraham.) After that it was to 
cease. |The law was temporary and intermediary, 
extending from Moses to Christ, during which time 
it served to reveal God’s essential righteousness, 
and to show to men their sins, and the impossi- 
bility of justification by the ‘‘deeds of the law,” 
and to lead them to accept Christ and his salvation. 
—Verse 24.] It was ordained by angels—The 
ministry of angels was certainly used in giving 
the law. (See Psa. Ixviii, 17; Acts vii, 53; Heb. 
ii, 2.) But they were only instruments for trans- 
mitting; Moses was the mediator between God and 
the people. (Deut. v, 5.) [The term ‘“angels”’ may 
here be taken in the most general sense as includ- 
ing every kind of intermediary agencies. Before 
the advent of Christ divine communications to 
men were made at second hand; but Christ, as the 
Sent of God, and himself the eternal Worp, spake 
directly to men without any intermediary agency. | 

20. A mediator is not a mediator of one— 
As a mediator (μεσίτης) signifies a middle person, 
there must necessarily be two parties, between 
whom he stands and acts in reference to both, as 
he is supposed to have the interests of both equally 
at heart. [Of these, in the former case, God was 
one and Israel the other party; but of this lat- 
ter covenant Christ is the mediator, and God and 
man the parties severally; who, at first separated 
on account of man’s sin, are now reconciled through 
Christ’s mediation with a sacrifice.] The sense of 
the whole is: Moses was the mediator of one (the 
literal) part of Abraham’s seed, namely, the /sraed- 
ites ; but of the other seed, the Gentiles, he was 
certainly not the mediator, for the mediator of that 
seed, according to the promise of God and the cove- 
nant made with Abraham, is Christ. Dr. Whitby 
sums up the case in the following words: “ But this 
mediator (Moses) was only the mediator of the 
Jews, and so was only the mediator of one party, to 
whom belonged the blessings of Abraham. (Verses 
8, 14.) But God, who made the promise that in 
one should all the families of the earth be blessed, 
Is ONE; the God of the other party, the Gentiles, 
as well as of the Jews, ἐπείπερ εἷς ὁ Θεός, seeing he 
is ONE Gov, who will justify the circumcision by 
Saith and the uncirewmcision through faith.” 
(Rom. iii, 80.) This exposition is so plain, and so 
well supported by the different Scriptures already 
quoted, that there can be but small, if any, doubt of 
its propriety. The clause has been translated thus : 
“Now a mediator supposes two parties, of which 
God is but one.” 

21. Is the law then against the promises of 
God — [Paul saw that this thought might arise, 

224 


and therefore he anticipates it, first with a strong 
negation, and next with the true exposition of the 
case.] [Notwithstanding all the above features of 
contrast between the law and the promise, it is not 
against them, for it does not pretend to perform 
the same office ; if ἐέ did, then there would be this 
vivalry, which now does not exist.—A/ford.] For 
if there had been a law, etc.—If any law or rule 
of life could have been found out that would have 
given life —saved sinners from death and made 
them truly happy—then righteousness (justifica- 
tion) should have been by that law. {Christ’s atone- 
ment met an emergency in our case. | 

22. But the Scripture hath concluded—aAll 
the writings of the prophets have uniformly de- 
clared that men are all sinners, and the law de- 
clares the same by the continual sacrifices which it 
prescribes. All have sinned and come short of the 
elory of God; and, being found guilty, συνέκλεισεν 
ἡ γραφὴ, the Scripture (as the voice of God) hath 
shut them wp—put them in prison, till the time 
should come in which the sentence of the law 
should be executed upon them. (See Rom. iii, 9- 
20; Rom. xi, 32, where the apostle uses the same 
metaphor.) That the promise (of justification) 
by faith of Jesus Christ, ete.—(Rom. viii, 3, 4.) 

23. But before faith came— Before the Gospel 
was published. We were kept under the law, 
shut up—'Edpovpovyeba, we were kept as in a 
stronghold, (συγκεκλεισμένοι, locked up. Unto (εὶς) 
the faith—The religion of the Lord Jesus. 
Which should afterwards be revealed—{ Hic 
indicates the preparatory design, and not merely 
the result of the arrival of the manifestation of 
the way of salvation by faith.] Here the same 
metaphor is used as above, and for its explanation 


1 must refer the reader to the same place. (Rom, 


xi 32.) Π 
94, The law was (became) our schoolmaster— 
Ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, the law 
became our pedagogue wnto (in respect to) Christ. 
The παιδαγωγός (pedagogue) is not the schoolmas- 
ter, but the servant who had the care of the chil- 
dren to lead them to and bring them back from 
school, and had the care of them out of school 
hours. [The word “schoolmaster” does not ex- 
press the meaning fully; but it disturbs the sense 
less than those have done who have selected one 
portion only of the pedagogue’s duty, and under- 
stood by it the slave who leads a child to the house 
of the schoolmaster, thus making Christ the (real) 
schoolmaster, which is inconsistent with the ima- 
gery. On the contrary, the whole schoolmaster’s 
work is included in the παιδαγωγός, and Christ rep- 
resents the ἐλευθερία (liberty) of the grown-up son. 
... To Christ, as teacher, there is here no allusion, 
—Alford.] 

25. But after that faith is come—(Faith hav- 
ing come.) [Through the power of the Holy 
Spirit, received by faith, we (all believers) have 


? 


All believers in Christ are 
on an equal footing. 


come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
26 For ye ‘are all the children of God by 
faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For tas many of 
you as have been baptized into Christ "have 
put on Christ. 28 ἡ There is neither Jew nor 
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is 
neither male nor female: for ye are all ἡ one 
in Christ Jesus. 29 And *if ye be Christ’s, 
then are ye Abraham’s seed, and ¥ heirs ac- 
cording to the promise. 


sJohn1. 12; Rom. 8, 14, 15, 16; chap. 4. 5; 1 John 3. 1, 2.— 
tRom. 6. 3. u Rom. 13. 14. v Rom. 10. 12; 1 Cor. 12. 13; 
chap. 5. 6: Col. 3. 11.—oe John 10. 16; 17. 20, 21; Eph. 2. 14, 
15, 16: 4. 4, 15. —@ Gen. 21. 10,12; Rom. 9 7; Heb, 11. 18,— 
y Rom, 8. 17; chap. 4. 7, 28; Eph. 3. 6. 


ceased to be children, to be led passively, and 
taught only the first element of the truth, by the 
law, acting as a pedagogue.] It is worthy of re- 
mark, that as ὁ νόμος, the Law, is used by St. Paul 
to signify not only the /aw, properly so called, but 
the whole of the Mosaic economy, so ἡ πίστις, the 
FAITH, is used by him to express not merely the 
act of believing in Christ, but the whole of the 
Gospel. 

26. For ye—Who have believed the Gospel. 
Are all the children (sons) of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus—But no man is a child of God by 
circumcision, nor by any observance of the Mo- 
saic law. 

27. As many of youas have been baptized 
into Christ— All of you who have believed in 
Christ as the promised Messiah, and received bap- 
tism as a public confession of your faith, have 
put on Christ—have received his Spirit, and en- 
tered into his interests and copied his manners. 
To “put on,” or to be clothed with one, is to assume 
the person and character of that one; and they 
who do so are bound to act his part, and to sus- 
tain the character which they have assumed. The 
profession of Christianity is an assumption of the 
character of Christ; he has left us an example 
that we should follow his steps; and we should, as 
Christians, have that mind in us which was in him. 
(See Rom. vi, 3, 4; xiii, 14.) 

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek — 
“Ἕλλην, Greek, is put here for é@vixoc, heathens. 
Under the Gospel all distinctions are done away, 
as either helping or hindering; all are equally wel- 
come to Christ, and all have an equal need of him ; 
all persons, of all sects and conditions and sexes 
who believe in him, become one family through 
him; they are one body, of which he is the head. 
Neither male nor female—Between the privi- 
leges of men and women there was a great dis- 
parity among the Jews. In many cases women 
were treated more like children than as adults ; and 
to this day they are not permitted to assemble with 
the men in the synagogues, but are put up in gal- 
leries, where they can scarcely see, nor can they be 
seen. Under the blessed spirit of Christianity 
they have equal rights, equal privileges, and equal 
blessings; and, let me add, they are equally 
useful, 

29. And if ye be Christ’s—If ye have all re- 
ceived justification through his blood, and the mind 
that was in him, then are ye Abraham’s seed ; (that 
other seed, to whom the promises were made ;) and 
then heirs according to that promise, being fitted 
for the rest that remains for the people of God— 
that heavenly inheritance which was typified to the 
Jews by the earthly Canaan. 

Vor. 11.--τῦ 


CHAPTER IIL. 


Δ, M. 4056. A. D. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


CHAPTER IV. 

OW I say, That the heir, as long as he is 

a child, differeth nothing from a servant, 
though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tu- 
tors and governors until the time appointed of 
the father. % Even so we, when we were 
children, *were in bondage under the "ele- 
ments of the world: 4 But ¢when the ful- 
ness of the time was come, God sent forth his 
Son, 4made *of a woman, ‘made under the 


a Verse 9; chap. 2. 4; 5. 1; Col. 2. 

rudiments,—c Gen. 49.10; Dan. 9. 

. 14; Rom. 1. 3; Phil. 2. 

3.15; Isa, 7. 14; Micah 5, 3; Matt, 1. 
J Matt. δ. 17; Luke 2. 27. 
NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

[The supposition in our text is, that a father has 
pre-ordained a time for his sonand heir to come of 
age, and till that time has subjected him to guar- 
dians and stewards. In the type, the reason might 
be absence, or decease, or even high office or in- 
tense occupation of the father; in the antitype, it 
is the father’s sovereign will; but the cirewmstances 
equally exist.—A/ford. ] 

1. The heir, as long as he is a child—Though 
he be appointed by his father’s will heir of all his 
possessions, yet till he arrive at the legal age he is 
master of nothing, and does not differ from one of 
the common domestics. 

2. But is under tutors—’Exitpézovc, guardians 
and governors ; οἰκονόμους, those who have the 
charge of the family. These words are nearly sim- 
ilar ; but we may consider the former as executor, the 
latter as the person who sxperintends the concerns of 
the family and estate till the heir become of age ; 
such as we call trustee. Until the time ap- 
pointed of the father—The time of maturity 
mentioned in his father’s will or testament. 

ὃ. Even so we—The whole Jewish people 
were in a state of nonage while under the law. 
[Christians generally, the Jewish and Gentile 
Christians together... . Zhe pre-Christian con- 
dition in relation to the Christian condition of the 
same persons, was their age of boyhood.— Meyer.] 
The elements of the world—A mere Jewish 
phrase, “the principles of this world.” The apos- 
tle intimates that the law was not the (complete) 
science of salvation, it was only the elements or al- 
phabet of it; and in the Gospel this alphabet is 
composed into a most glorious system of divine 
knowledge. [The Jewish religion, and in a certain 
sense all heathen religions too, had this relation to 
the full revelation of the Gospel— Howson. | 

4. When the fulness of the time was come 
—([This “fulness of the time” will appear in the 
following particulars: 1) Christ was manifested 
in the flesh when the world needed him the most. 
2) When the powers of the human mind had been 
cultivated to the utmost both in Greece and Rome, 
and had made every possible effort, but all in vain, 
to find out some efficient scheme of happiness. 
3) When the Jews were in the lowest state of 
corruption, and had the greatest need of the prom- 
ised Deliverer. 4) When the fulness of the time 
came foretold by the prophets. 5) When both 
Jews and Gentiles, the one from their jealousy the 
other from their learning, were best qualified to 
detect imposture and to ascertain fact, 6) Ina 
word, Christ came when his advent was most 
likely to promote its great object—glory to God in 
the highest, and peace and goodwill among men. 

225 


8,20; Heb. 9. 10. -----ὐ Or, 
24; Mark1.15; Eph. 1. 10, 
7: Heb. 2. 14.——eGen. 
23; Luke 1. 81,3 2. 7.— 


A. M. 4056. Α. Ὁ. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805, 


GALATIANS. 


The apostle rebukes those who 
have departed from Christ. 


law. & &To redeem them that were under 
the law, that we might receive the adoption 
of sons. © And because ye are sons, God 
hath sent forth ‘the Spirit of his Son unto 
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Where- 
fore thou art no more a servant, but a son; 
kand if a son, then an heir of God through 
Christ. 8 Howbeit then, ! when ye knew not 
God, ™ye did service unto them which by na- 
ture are no gods. 9 But now, "after that ye 


have known God, or rather are known of God, 
ὍΠΟΥ turn ye Pagain to4the weak and beg- 
garly "elements, whereunto ye desire again to 
be in bondage? 10 * Ye observe days, and 
months, and times, and years. 28 IJ am afraid 
of you, ‘lest I have bestowed upon you labour 
in vain. #2 Brethren, I beseech you, be as 
lam; for I am as ye are: "ye have not in- 
jured me at all. 18 Ye know how * through 
infirmity of the flesh 1 preached the gospel 


Heb, 9, 12; 


g Matt. 20. 98: chap. 3 : Eph. 1. 7; Titus 2, aa 
1 Pet. 18, 19. cata ΕΣ 3. 26; ΕΡἢ.1 i Rom. 
5.5: 8.15.—x Rom. 8. 16. 17; chap. 3, 29, ea Ὧν 1231 Thess. 
4. 5.——m Rom. 1. 25; 1 Cor. 12. 2; Eph. 2 . 11, 12; 1 Thess. 1. 9. 


ap. 3. 3; Col. 2, 20,— 


p Or, ΠΣ Pera 8, 8: Heb, 18, ἔπεσες Or, A udiments, 
verse3, —w Rom. 14.5; Col. 2 16.——? Chap. 2. 23d. 2,4:1 Thess, 
ὃ. 5.——w 2 Cor. ee hee "2.3: 2. Cor, 11. 30; 12. 7,9. 


And the success that attended the preaching of 
Christ and his apostles, together with the wide and 
rapid spread of the Gospel, all prove that it was 
the due time, κατὰ καιρὸν, the proper season; and 
that divine wisdom was justified in fixing upon that 
time in preference to all others. God sent forth 
his Son—Him who came immediately from God 
himself. MWlade of a woman—According to the 
promise, (Gen. iii, 15;) produced by the power of 
God in the womb of the Virgin Mary without any 
intervention of man; the Son of God. (See Luke, 
chapter i, 35, and the note there.) [᾿Εξαπέστειλεν, 
sent forth, from himself; the same word is used in 
verse 6 inrespect to the sending forth of the Spirit, 
indicating that both the Son and the Spirit ‘ pro- 
ceeded forth and came from God.”] Made under 
the law—In subjection to it, that in him all its de- 
signs might be fulfilled, and by his death the whole 
might be abolished. [Both γυναικός (woman) and 
νόμος (law) without the limitation of the article, 
made of woman, made under law, the former imply- 
ing our Lord’s identification with universal human- 
ity, the latter, his subjection to universal law. The 
Jewish law is indeed included herein, but only as 
the less in the greater, a part in the all-compre- 
hending whole. } 

5. To redeem them — ’Efayopdon, [that he 
might redeem,] fo pay down a price for them, and 
thus buy them off from the curse, and to bring 
them into the liberty of children of God. That 
we might receive the adoption of sons—lIt is 
the Gospel only that puts us among the children, 
and gives us a place in the heavenly family. (On 
the nature of adoption, see the notes on Rom, 
viii, 15.) 

6. And because ye are sons—By faith in 
Christ Jesus being redeemed both from the bond- 
age and curse of the law; Gop—the /ather, called 
usually the First Person of the glorious Trrsiry— 
hath through Jesus Christ, the Second Person, sent 
forth the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Third Person, 
crying, Abba, F'ather, from the fullest and most 

satisfactory evidence that God, the Father, Son, and 
Spirit, had become their portion. (See Mark’ xiv, 
36, and Rom. viii, 15.) 

7. Thou art no more a servant—Thou who 
hast believed in Christ art no longer a slave, either 
under the dominion of sin or under obligation 
to the Mosaic ritual; but a son of God, adopted 
into the heavenly family, [saved by grace, not of 
works.] And if a son, then an heir—Having a 
right to the inheritance. But this heirship is ‘the 
most extraordinary of all; it is not an heirship of 
any tangible possession, either in heaven or earth ; 
it is not to possess a part or the whole of either; it 
is to possess Him who made all things; not God’s 
works, but God himself; heirs of Gop through Christ. 

226 


8. When ye knew not God — [The Galatian 
converts having escaped from one form of bondage, 
and come into the liberty of sons of God, are now 
exhorted to maintain that liberty.] 

9. Now, after that ye have known God— 
After having been brought to the knowledge of 
God as your Saviour. Or rather are known of 
God —Are approved of him, having received the 
adoption of sons. [They did not so much acquire 
the knowledge of God, as they were taken into 
knowledge, recognised, by him. And this made their 
fall from him the more matter of indignant appeal, 
as being a resistance of his will respecting them.— 
Alford.| To the weak and beggarly elements 
—After receiving all this, will ye turn again to the 
ineffectual rites ‘and ceremonies of the Mosaic law 
—rites too weak to counteract your sinful habits, 
and too poor to purchase pardon and eternal life 
for you. [Having given up external formalism in 
one shape, they were now ready to renew it in 
another. It startles us to see Heathenism and Ju- 
daism thus classed together. . . . In no way could 
the apostle have more severely condemned the Ju- 
daistic system of justification than by this co-ordi- 
nation.— Ellicott. | 

10. Ye observe days—Ye superstitiously re- 
gard the sabbaths, and particular days of your own 
appointment. And months—New moons. Times 
—Festivals, such as those of tabernacles, dedica- 
tion, passover, etc. Years—Annual atonements, 
sabbatical years, and jubilees. 

11. I am afraid of you—I begin now to be 
seriously alarmed for you, and fear youmay become 
so thoroughly perverted from the Gospel of Christ, 
that all my pains and labour iny your conversion 
will prove to have been thrown away. 

12. Be as I am—Thoroughly addicted to the 
Christian faith and worship, from the deepest con- 
viction of its truth. For I am as ye are—I was 
formerly a Jew, and as zealously addicted to the 
rites and ceremonies of Judaism as ye are, but I am 
saved from that mean and unprofitable dependence 
“ Be therefore as 1 am now, who was once as you 
now are.” Others think the sense to be this: “ Be 
as affectionate to me as I am to you, for ye were 
once as loving to me as I am now to you.” Ye 
have not injured me at all—I do not thus ear- 
nestly entreat you to return to your Christian pro- 
fession because your perversion has been a loss to 
me, nor chiefly because your conversion can be to 
me any gain. Ye have not injured me at all; ye 
only i injure ) yourselves, [Personally, I have nothing 
to gain or lose in the matier. | I entreat you, there- 
fore, through the intense love I bear to you, as my 
once-beloved brethren in Christ Jesus, to return to 
him from whom ye have revolted. 


18. Ye know how through infirmity —[A? 


The apostle expresses his grief 
at their estrangement, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. Μ. 4055. A.D. 52, 
Year of Rome, 50s. 


unto you “at the first. 14. And my tempta- 
tion which was in my flesh ye despised not, 
nor rejected; but received me *as an angel of 
God, Yeven as Christ Jesus. 15 *Where is 
then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear 
you record, that, if ἐξ had been possible, ye 
would have plucked out your own eyes, and 
have given them tome. 16 Am I therefore 
become your enemy, *because I tell you the 


τὸ Chap. 1. 6.—a2 Sam. 19. 27; see Zech. 12.8: Mal. 2. 7. 
—y Matt. 10. 40; Luke 10. 16; John 13. 20; 1 Thess, 2, 13,.— 
οι, What was then. 


truth? 117 They >zealously affect you, but 
not well; yea, they would exclude ὁ you, that 
ye might affect them. 18 But it és good to 
be zealously affected always in a good thing, 
and not only when I am present with you, 
19 ¢ My little children, of whom I travail in 
birth again until Christ be formed in you, 
20 I desire to be present with you now, and 


to change my voice; for 61 stand in doubt of 
Been τον ive viet 588... 

a Chap. 2. 5, 14.-—} Rom, 10. 2; 2 Cor. 11. 2.—e Or, us. 
ΑἹ Cor. 4. 15; Philem. 10; James 1. 1s.—e Or, Zam per- 
plexed For you. 


ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς, on account of an attack of 


bodily illness.—Howson.] [It is clear that on Paul's 
first journey through Galatia (Acts xvi, 6) he was 
compelled, by reason of bodily weakness, to make a 
Stay there, which probably did not form a part of 
his plan. . . . Whether he suffered from natural 
sickness or from ill-treatment, which he had pre- 
viously endured on account of the Gospel, (Gal. 
vi, 17,) we do not know.—Meyer.] The apostle 
Seems tosay that he was much afflicted in body 
when he first preached the Gospel to them. This 
might have been only an occasional affliction, while 
labouring in that part of Asia Minor; and not a 
continual and incurable infirmity, as some have too 
hastily conjectured. 

14. And my temptation which was in my 
flesh—The word πειρασμὸν, which we translate 
“temptation,” signifies ¢rial of any kind. The verse 
therefore may be read, “Ye despised not your 
trial, which was in my flesh:” that is, what my 
flesh suffered on your account, the afflictions I 
passed through in consequence of my severe labours 
on your account. You did not consider me less 
an apostle of God on account of my sinking for a 
time under the weight of my work. ' Had they been 
disaffected toward him at that time, they would 
have used this to the prejudice of his apostolic 
mission. But, on the contrary, notwithstanding 
these afflictions, they received him as an angel of 
God—as a messenger from heaven, and as Christ 
Jesus himself. That St. Paul had frequent and 
Severe afflictions, in consequence of his constant 
and severe exertions in the Gospel ministry, we may 
readily believe, and of this his own words bear suf- 
ficient testimony. (See 2 Cor. xi, 23-29.) 

15. Where is then the blessedness [μακα- 
ρισμὸς͵ gratulation| ye spake of—| What was that 
demonstrative enthusiasm on my account worth, if 
it is so soon passed away ?—Howson.| If we under- 
Stand the words as implying the benedictions they 
then heaped on the apostle, the sense will be suffi- 
ciently natural, and agree well with the concluding 
part of the verse: for I bear you record, that, if 
possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, 
and have given them to me. You had then the 
Strongest affection for me; you loved God, and you 
loved me for God's sake, and were ready to give 
me the most unequivocal proof of your love. 
Dearer than one’s eyes, or to profess to give one’s 
eyes for the sake of a person, appears to have 
been a proverbial expression, intimating the high- 
est tokens of the strongest affection. [The infer- 
ence of any ocular disease from these words, seems 
to me precarious.— Alford. ] 

16. Am I therefore become your enemy— 
How is it that you are so much altered toward me, 
that you who formerly loved me with the most fer- 
vent affection now treat me as an enemy? Is it 
because I tell you the truth ? [rather, “ speaking 


the truth,” not only in this letter, but eminently in 
preaching to you the Gospel,] that very “truth” 
for which you at first so ardently loved me? 

17. They zealously affect you, but not wel. 
-δηλοῦσιν ὑμᾶς ov καλῶς. [They are very zealous 
about you, but “not well,” to any good end.] These 
false teachers endeavour to conciliate your feelings, 
but not on honest or true principles ; they work 
themselves into your good graces ; they wish you 
to place all your affection upon themselves. They 
would exclude you—They wish to shut you out 
from the affection of your apostle, that ye might 
affect them, iva αὐτοὺς ζηλοῦτε, that you might 
love them alone, hear them alone, abide by their 
directions only, and totally abandon him who ealled 
you into the grace of the Gospel of Christ. [The 
sharpness of the controversy then carried on be- 
tween the two parties in the apostolic Church is ir 
dicated in this passage. ] 

18. It is good to be zealously affected—It is 
well to have a determined mind and an ardent 
heart in reference to things which are laudable and 
good. [If understood as a midd’e, ζηλοῦσθαι would 
indicate that the Galatians were (perhaps ironi- 
cally) congratulated for their great interest in re- 
ligious inquiry ; but Grotius and others understand 
it passively, and to refer to the apostle himself: “It 
is good when others court our favor.” Either in- 
terpretation makes a good sense.] Not only 
when I am present—You were thus attached to 
me when I was among you, but now ye seem to 
have lost both your reverence and affection for me. 
Your false teachers pretended great concern for 
you, that you might put all your confidence in 
them ; they have gained their end ; they have es- 
tranged you from me, and got you to renounce the 


| Gospel, and have brought you again into bondage. 


19. My little children — Texvia μου, my be- 
loved children. As their conversion to God’ had 
been the fruit of much labour and prayers, so he 
felt toward them as his children, and peculiarly dear 
to him; therefore he represents himself as suffer- 
ing the same anxiety and distress which he endured 
at first when he preached the Gospel to them, when 
their conversion to Christianity was a matter of 
great doubt and uncertainty. The metaphor which 
he uses needs no explanation. Until Christ be 
formed in you—Till you once more receive the 
Spirit and unction of Christ in. your hearts, from 
which you are fallen by your rejection .of the 
spirit of the Gospel. [The state of “ Christ having 
been formed in man” is by no means realized (com- 
pleted) so soon as a man becomes a Christian, 
but, . . . (it) is the goal of development, which the 
process of becoming Christian (in all its fulness) 
has to reach; when this goal is attained, the Christ- 
ian is he in whom Christ lives.— Meyer. ] 

20. I desire to be present with you—[I wish 
Wwe were once more face to face. (See verse 18, 

227 


A. MM. 4056, A. Ὁ. 59, 


Year of Rome, 8u5, 


GALATIANS. 


The Gentile Chyrch more numerous 
than the Jewish. 


you. 24 Tell me, ye that desire to be under 
the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is 
written, that Abraham had two sons, ‘the one 
by a bondmaid, ¢the other by a free woman. 
23 But he who was of the bondwoman ὃ was 
born after the flesh; ‘but he of the free wom- 
an was by promise. 24 Which things are an 
allegory: for these are the two * covenants; 


the one from the mount! ™Sinai, which gen- 
dereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For 
this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and "an- 
swereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in 
bondage with her children. 26 But °Jeru- 
salem which is above is free, which is the 
mother of us all. 27 For it is written, P Re- 
joice, thou barren that bearest not; break 


S Gen, 16, 15. — σ Gen. 21 
18. 10, 14; 31. 1,9; 


yas 


. 2.—Ah Rom. 9. 7, 8. —Zé Gen. 
Hleb, 11. 11. ἢ Or, testuments.—l Gr. 


n Ov, is in the same rank with. 
Rev. 3. 12: 21. 2, 10.—p Isa, 54. 1. 


Sina.—m Deut. 33. 2. 
—o Isa. 2.2; Heb. 12; 225 


Jast clause.j}—Howson.| I wish to accommodate 
my doctrine to your state; I know not whether 
you need stronger reprehension, or to be dealt with 
more leniently. To change my voice—[If pos- 
sible, from rebuke to commendation.] I stand in 
doubt of you—I have doubts concerning your 
state, the progress of error and conviction among 
you, which I cannot fully know without being 
among you. 

21. Tell me—[Now follows an illustration of the 
relative positions of the law and the promise, by 
an allegorical’ interpretation of the history of the 
two sons of Abraham, See Alford.]| Ye that 
desire to be under the law—Ye who desire to 
incorporate the Mosaic institutions with Chris- 
tianity, and thus bring yourselves into bondage to 
these oppressive rites. Do ye not hear the 
law — Do ye not understand what is written in 
the Pentateuch relative to Abraham and his chil- 
dren? [Here, in its first use, the word νόμος (Jaw) 
is without the article, ὑπὸ νόμον, under law ; the 
second has the article, τὸν νόμον, do ye not hear the 
law, that is, as it was given to Abraham. The Ga- 
latian Christians were seeking for a legal justifica- 
tion, and the apostle seeks to show them, that even 
under the Abrahamic covenant justification was 
by faith.] 

22. For it is written—Namely, in Gen. xvi, 15, 
and xxii, 1, ete., that Abraham had two sons, Ish- 
mael and Isaac; the one, Ishmael, by a bondmaid, 
Hagar; the other, Isaac, by a free woman, Sarah. 
[Paul, of course, accepts the patriarchal narrative 
as literally and historically true. But he says that 
it is capable also of an allegorical interpretation. 
A mystical meaning lies hid under this literal his- 
tory, and the spiritually-instructed mind can see in 
it an expression of principles deeper than that 
which lies on the surface.—Howson.] [Just as the 
house of Abraham was the true Church, so there is 
no doubt that the principal and most memorable 
events that happened therein were types for us. 
Just as there was allegory in circumcision, in the 
sacrifices, in the whole Levitical priesthood, so 
likewise there was allegory in the house of Abra- 
ham.— Calvin. | 

23. Was born after the flesh—Ishmael was 
born according to the ordinary course of nature, 
his parents being both of a proper age, so that 
there was nothing uncommon or supernatural in 
his birth; this is the proper meaning of the apos- 
tle’s κατὰ σάρκα, after or according to the flesh ; 
naturally, according to the common process of na- 
tire. By promise—The birth of Isaac was su- 
pernatural ; the effect of an especial promise of 
God, and it was only on the ground of that prom- 
ise that it was either credible or possible. 

24. Which things are an allegory—They are 
to be understood spiritually ; more being intended 
in the account than meets the eye. F'or these 
are the two covenants—These signify two dif- 

228 


ferent systems of religion: the one by Moses, the 
other by the Messiah. The one from the 
mount Sinai—On which the law was published ; 
which was typified by Hagar, Abraham’s bond- 
maid. Which gendereth to bondage—For as 
the bond-maid or slave could only bring forth her 
children in a state of slavery, and were themselves 
slaves from their birth, so all that live under those 
Mosaic institutions Jive in a state of bondage. 

25. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia 
— Τὸ γὰρ “Ayap Σινᾶ ὄρος ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ᾿Αραβίᾳ. 
This is the common reading; but it is read differ- 
ently in some of the most respectable MSS., Ver- 
sions, and Fathers; thus: τὸ yap Σινὰ ὄρος ἐστὶν 
ἐν τῇ ᾿Αραβία, for this Sinai is a mountain of Ara- 
bia, the word “Ayap, Agar, being omitted. [The 
discovery of the Sinaitic manuscript has settled a 
point which was previously doubtful, and it ap- 
pears that the true reading is simply this: “ For 
Mount Sinai is in Arabia,” the very region which 
was the home of Agar and Ishmael.] Answer- 
eth to Jerusalem—Hagar, the bondmaid, bring- 
ing forth children ina state of slavery, “answereth 
to Jerusalem that now is,” συνστοι χεῖ, points out, or, 
bears a similitude to, Jerusalem in her present state 
of subjection; which, with her children — her 
citizens, is in bondage to the law, to its oppres- 
sive ordinances, and to the heavy curse which it 
has pronounced against all those who do not keep 
them. [The burdensomeness of the ordinances of 
the law was not the substance of its slavery, but 
the fact that it had, in itself, no power to set free 
the guilty, but only to condemn. } 

26. But Jerusalem which is above—The 
apostle still follows the Jewish allegory, showing 
not only how the story of Hagar and Sarah, Ish- 
mael and Isaac, was allegorized, but pointing out 
also that even “Jerusalem” was the subject of al- 
legory. [Jerusalem represents here, as it always 
did in the Old Testament, the Jewish people.— 
Schmoller.| Is free, which is the mother of us 
all, (which is our mother)—There is a spiritual 
Jerusalem, of which this is the type; and this Je- 
rusalem, in which the souls of all the righteous 
are, is free from all bondage and sin; or by this, 
probably, the kingdom of the Messiah was intend- 
ed; and this certainly answers best to the apostle’s 
meaning, as the subsequent verse shows. There is 
an earthly Jerusalem, but this earthly Jerusalem 
typifies a heavenly Jerusalem: the former, with all 
her citizens, is in bondage ; the latter is a free city, 
and all her inhabitants are free. And this Jerusa- 
lem is owr mother ; it signifies the Church of 
Christ, (the true city of God;) the state of liberty 
into which all true believers are brought. 

27. Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not— 
This quotation is taken from Isa. liv, 1, and is cer- 
tainly a promise which relates to the conversion of 
the Gentiles, as the following clause proves: for 
the desolate—the Gentile world—hath many 


Believers in Christ are children of 
promise, not of the bondwoman. 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4056, A. Ὁ. 55. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for 
the desolate hath many more children than she 
which hath a husband. 28% Now we, breth- 
ren, as Isaac was, are 4the children of prom- 
ise. 29 But as then 'he that was born after 
the flesh persecuted him that was born after 
the Spirit, seven so ἐΐ is now. 30. Neverthe- 
less what saith ‘the Scripture? »Cast out the 
bondwoman and her son: for ythe son of the 
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of 
the free woman. dal So then, brethren, we 


ἜΟΣΟΣ 9»: Rom. 9. 8; chap. 8. 29.—r ian. 21.9. Ghar: 
δι 11s αὶ $.——2 Chap. 3. 8, δ Gen. 21. 10, 12.—v John 
8, tes es john 8. 36; chap. ὃ. 


are not children of the bondwoman, * but of 
the free. 
CHAPTER V. 
TAND fast therefore in the liberty where- 
with Christ hath made us free, and be not 
entangled again »with the yoke of bondage. 
2 Behold, I Paul say unto yon, that cif ye be 
circumcised, Christ ‘shall profit you nothing. 
3 For I testify again to every man that. is cir- 
cuncised, 4 that he i is a debtor to do the whole 
law. 4° Christ i is } become of no effect unto 


a John & 32; Rom, 6. 18; 1 Pet. 
2. 4; 4. 9—e Acts 1a. oli 
éRom. 9, 31, 32 


2. 16.—DbD Acts 15.10; aL 
see Acts 16. 3.—d Chap. 3. 10.— 
; chap. 2. 21. 


more children—is a much larger and more nu- 
merous Church—than she, Jerusalem, the Jewish 
stute, which hath a husband; has been so long 
in covenant with God, living under his continual 
protection, and in possession of so great spiritual 
advantages ; and especially those offered to her by 
the Gospel which she has rejected, and which the 
Gentiles have accepted. 

28. Now we (who believe in the Lord Jesus) 
are the children of promise—Are the spiritual 
offspring of the Messiah, the seed of Abraham, in 
whom the promise stated that all the nations of the 
earth should be blessed. 

29. But as then he (Ishmael) that was born 
after the flesh—Whose birth had nothing super- 
natural in it, but was according to the ordinary 
course of nature. Persecuted him (Isaac) who 
was born after the Spirit—Who had a supernat- 
ural birth according to the promise, and through 
the eflicacy of the Holy Spirit giving effect to 
that promise, “Sarah shall have a son. ὯΝ (Gen, xvii, 
16-21, xxi, 1, etc.) Persecuted him—tThe per- 
secution here referred to is that mentioned in 
Gen. xxi, 9. It consisted in Ishmael’s mocking his 
brother Isaac. Even so it is now—So the Je ews, 
in every place, persecute the Christians, and show 
thereby that they are rather of the posterity of 
Hagar than of Sarah. 

30. What saith the Scripture—(In Gen. xxi, 
10.) Cast out the bondwoman and her son— 
And what does this imply in the present case ? 
Why, that the present Jerusalem and her children 
shall be cast out of the favour of God, and shall 
not be heir with the son of the free woman 
—Shall not inherit the blessings promised to Abra- 
ham, because they believe not in the promised 
Seed. [It implies that they who seek to be jus- 
tified by the deeds of the law must be rejected 
—cast out—and must give place to those who 
are the saved according to the grace of the 
Gospel. } 

81. So then... we (Jews and Gentiles, who 
believe on the Lord Jesus) are not children of 
the bondwoman—Are not in subjection to the 
Jewish law. But of the free — And conse- 
quently are delivered from all its bondage, obli- 
gation, and curse. Thus the apostle, from their 
own Scripture, explained by their own allegory, 
pvoyes that it is only by Jesus Christ that they can 
have redemption : and because they have not be- 
lieved in him, therefore they continue to be in bond- 
age: and that shortly God will deliver them up in- 
to a long and grievous captivity: for we may nat- 
urally suppose “that the apostle has reference to 
what had been so often foretold by the prophets, 
and confirmed by Jesus Christ himself, And this 


was the strongest argument Paul could use to show 
the Galatians “their folly and their danger in sub- 
mitting again to the bondage from which they had 
escaped, and exposing themselves to the most 
dreadful calamities of an earthly kind, as well as 
to the final ruin of their souls. They desired to be 
under the law ; then they must take all the conse- 
quences ; and these the apostle sets fairly before 
them. 


On allegorizing, in explaining the word of God, 
something has already been said, under verse 24; 
but on the subject of allegory in general much 
might be said. That very “learned” and accur ate 
critic Dr. Lowth, in his work De Sacra Poesi He- 
breorum has entered at large into the subject of 
allegory as existing in the s acred writings, in which 
he has discovered three species of this rhetorical 
figure. First, that which rhetoricians term a cov- 
tinued metaphor, as Solomon’s portraiture of old 
age. (Eccles. xii, 2-6.) A second kind of allegory 
is that which, in a more proper and _ restricted 
sense, may be called parable. (See Matt. xiii, and 
the note on verse 3 of that chapter.) The third 
species of allegory is that in which a double mean- 
ing is couched under the same words. These are 
called mystical allegories; and the two meanings 
are termed the /iteral and mystical senses. For 
examples of all these kinds I must refer to the 
learned prelate above named. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

Stand fast therefore in the liberty—Hold 
fast your Christian profession [and faith in Christ, 
as your sole and sufficient Saviour, that] brings 
spiritual liberty; on the contrary, Judaism is spir- 
itual bondage. The “liberty” mentioned by the 
apostle is not only freedom from Jewish rites and 
ceremonies, called properly the yoke of bond- 
age, but also and eminently liberty from the power 
and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of 
Christ can. take away. 

2. If ye be circumcised—By circumcision vou 
take on you the whole obligation of the Jewish law, 
and consequently profess to seek salvation by 
means of its observances ; and therefore Christ can 
profit you nothing; for, by seeking justification by 
the works of the law you renounce justification by 
faith in Christ. 

3. He is a debtor to do the whole law— 


Lays himSelf, by receiving circumcision, under 
the obligation to fulfil all its precepts, ordi- 


nances, etc. 

4. Christ is become of no effect unto you— 
It is vain for you to attempt to unite the two sys- 
tems. You must have the law and no Christ, or 

229 


A. M. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


you, whosoever of you are justified by the law ; 
fye are fallen from grace. 5 For we through 
the Spirit * wait for the hope of righteousness 
by faith. © For "in Jesus Christ ‘neither cir- 
cumeision availeth any thing, nor uncircum- 
piston; but ‘faith which worketh by love. 
97 Ye*did run well; '™who did hinder you 
that ye should not obey the truth? 9 This 
peisu: ision cometh not of him " that calleth you. 


GALATIANS. 


Faith, working by love, essential 
to individual salvation, 


9 »A little leaven leaveneth the whole iump. 
10 PI have contidence in you through the 
Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded : 
but 4 he that troubleth you ‘shall bear his judg- 
ment, whosoever he be. 11 * And J, brethren, 
if I yet preach circumcision, ‘why do I yet 
suffer persecution? then is "the offence of the 
cross ceased. 4&2 Υ] would they were even 
cut off ἡ which trouble you. 413 For, breth- 


Ff Heb. 19, 15.—-9 Rom. 8, 24, 5: 2 Tim. i 8. igen 19; 


chap. 3. 28; 6.15; Col. 3. 11. Thess. 1. 3; James 2. 18,20, 22) 
1 Vor. 9, 24, —1 Or, who did drive you back. ~—m Chap. 
Beil n Chap. 1. 6. 


o1 Cor, 5. 6; 15. 33. P Ger: Boe Se arg Chap. 1. 7.— 
v2 Cor. 10. 6. } 2 θ 5. 305 chap. 4. 29; 
6. 17.——z 1 Cor. 1. 23. Se Toth . 293 1 Gon 5. 13; chap. 1. 8, 9: 


—w Acts la. 1, 2, 24. 


Christ and no law, for your justification. Ye are 
fallen (away) from grace—From the Gospel. 
They had been brought into the grace of the Gos- 
pel; and now, by adopting the Mosaic or dinances, 
they had abandoned the Gospel as a system of per- 
sonal faith. [The verse expresses the consequence 
of becoming a “debtor to keep the whole law.” 
The two conditions of grace and merit, the former 
distinguishing the Gospel and the latter the Law, 
are not compatible, and cannot be conjoined as 
means of salvation. To accept the former is, de 
Facto, to fall away from the latter. ] 

5. For we (Christians) through the Spirit 
—Through the operation of the Holy Ghost, under 
this spiritual dispensation of the Gospel. Wait 
for the hopé of righteousness — Expect that 
which is the object of our hope, on being justified 
by faith in Christ. “ Righteousness,” δικαιοσύνη, 
may here, as in many other places of St. Paul’s 
epistles, mean justification, and the hope of justifi- 
cation, or (the object of) the hope excited and in- 
spired by it, is the ss de of eternal glory; for, 
says the apostle, (Rom. v, 1, 2,) Being Justified by 
faith we have peace with God... and rejoice in 
HOPE of the GLORY of Gop. But, as this glory is 
necessarily future, it is to be waited for; but this 
waiting is not only a blessed expectation, but also 
a continual foretaste of it; and therefore the 
apostle says, ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, we receive out of it. 
This is the experience of every genuine Christian ; 
he is continually receiving foretastes of that glory, 
“the fulness of which he expects after death. Thus 
they ave receiving the end of their faith, the salva- 
tion of their souls. (1 Pet. i, 9.) 

6. For in Jesus Christ—By the dispensation 
of the Gospel alllegal observances, as essential to sal 
vation, are done away ; the Gentile state contributes 
as much to salvation as the Jewish state; that is, 
they are both equally ineffectual ; and nothing now 
avails in the sight of God but that faith (δ ἀγάπης 
évepyouuévn) which is made active, or energetic, by 
love. Faith which does not work by love will not 
stand its possessor in stead when God comes to take 
away his soul: ἐξ availeth nothing. Faith without 
Jove has neither soul nor operation; in the language 
of the Apostle James, it is dead, and can perform 
no function of the spiritual life. 

7. Ye did run well — Ye once had the faith 
that worked by love—ye were genuine, active, use- 
ful Christians. Who did hinder—Who prevented 
you from continuing to obey the truth? Ye could 
only be turned aside by your own consent. St. 
Paul here, (as in 1 Cor. ix, 24,) compares the Christ- 
ian life to a race. 

8. This persuasion — [Πεισμονὴ, per: suading 
force, convincing you of the necessity of being cir- 
‘cumcised and obeying the law of Moses mis not of 
him that calleth you. I never preached such a 

230 


doctrine to you; I called you out of bondage to 
liberty, from a galling yoke to a cheerful service. 
Some translate πείσμονῆ, obedience or subjection. 
This subjection of yours to the Mosaic law is op- 
posed to the will of God, and never was preached 
by me. 

9. A little leaven Jeaveneth the whole 
lump—A proverbial expression, (see 1 Cor. v, 6,) 
very aptly applied to those who receive the small- 
est tincture of false doctrine relative to the things 
essential to salvation, which soon influences the 
whole conduct, so that the man becomes totally 
perverted. They might have argued, “It is a 
small thing, and should not be made a subject of 
serious controversy, whether we be circumcised or 
not.” Granted that in itse/f it is a small matter; 
but if it is relied on as a means of life, every man 
who is circumcised is a debtor to do the whole law, 
(verse 8,) and so your circumcision leads necessarily 
to your total perversion; as the little portion of 
leaven mixed with the meal soon leavens the whole 
lump. [Since each of the fundamental doctrines 
of the Gospel implies all the rest, the acceptance 
of any one essential untruth perverts the whole 
system. | 

10. Ihave confidence in you—lI now feel a 
persuasion from the Lord that I shall not be per- 
mitted to expostulate with you in vain. That ye 
will be none otherwise minded—That ye will 
come to see the danger to which ye are exposed, 
and will retreat in time, and recover the grace 
which ye have lost. But he that troubleth you 
—The false teacher, who sowed doubtful disputa- 
tions among you, and thus has troubled the repose 
of the whole Church, shall bear his judgment— 
shall meet with the punishment the deserves, for 
having sown his tares among G'od’s wheat. 

11. If I yet preach circumcision—It is very 
likely that some of the false apostles, hearing of 
Paul’s having circumcised Timothy, (Acts xvi, 3,) 
which must have been done about this time, reported 
him as being an advocate for circumcision, and by 
this means endeavoured to sanction their own doc- 
trine. To this the apostle replies: Were I a friend 
to this measure, is it likely that I should suffer 
persecution from the Jews? But were I a friend 
to this doctrine, the offence of the cross—preach- 
ing salvation only through the sacrifice of Christ— 
would soon cease ; the Jews would be no longer my 
enemies. 

12. Iwould they were even cut off which 
ἔτεκε you—[ 0 that they who disturb you would 
mutilate (emasculate) themselves. | This saying has 
puzzled many, and different interpretations of the 
place have been proposed by learned men. At 
first sight it seems as if the apostle was praying for 
the destruction of the false teachers who had per- 
verted the Churches of Galatia. As the persons 


Love the fulfilling of the law. 
Benetit of the Spirit’s leading. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. Μ. 4956. A. Ὁ. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805, 


ren, ye have been called unto liberty; only 
xuse not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, 
but » by love serve one another. £4 For 2all 
the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; 
*Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, 
take heed that ye be not consumed one of an- 
other. 16 This I say then, 'Walk in the 


Spirit, and ¢ye shall not fulfil the lust of the 
flesh. 197 For ¢the flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and 
these are contrary the one to the other; ¢so 
that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
Is But ‘if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are 
not under the law. 19 Now ¢the works of 
the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adul- 


m1 Cor, 8, 9: 1 Peter 2. 16; 2 Peter 2. 19; Jude 4. v1 Cor, 
9.19; chap. 6. 2.—< Matt. 7. 12; 22. 40; James 2. 8.—ua Lev. 
19. 18; Matt. 22. 39; Rom. 13. 8, 9.—J Rom. 6. 12; 8&1, 4, 12; 


18. 14; verse 25, 1 Peter 2. 11.—cOr, fulfil not. d Rom, 
qe 20s (Stange 6 Rom, 7. 15, 19.—/ Rom. 6. 14; 8, 2.— 
σὶ Cor. 3. 3; Eph. 5. 3; Col. 3.5; James 3. 14, 15. 


who were breeding all this confusion in the Churches 
of Galatia were members of that Church, the apos- 
tle appears: to me to be simply expressing his de- 
sire that they might be cut off, or excommunicated, 
from the Church. And the whole passage is so 
parallel to that in 1 Cor. v, 6, 7, that I think there 
can be no reasonable doubt of the apostle’s mean- 
ing: “Let those who are unsettling the Church of 
Christ in your district be excommunicated ; this is 
my wish, that they should no longer have any place 
among you.” [Modern critics and commentators 
have been even more perplexed with this passage 
than the older ones were. The verb is conceded to 
have a middle sense, and its grammatical sense is 
the act of self-emasculation, which but for reasons 
of taste and good morals all would be ready to ac- 
cept. And it has been pertinently asked, ‘“ Have 
we a right to adopt forced interpretations in order 
to avoid a natural one, because it seems to us 
unrefined ?””] 

13. Ye have been called unto liberty—A total 
freedom from all the burdensome rites and ceremo- 
nies [and impossible requirements] of the Mosaic 
law. Only use not (this) liberty for an occasion 
to the flesh—By “ flesh,” here, we may understand 
all the unrenewed desires and propensities of the 
mind; whatsoever is not under the influence and 
guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. The Gospel pro- 
claims liberty from the ceremonial law; but binds 
you still faster under the moral law ; [not, however, 
as a basis of justification before God, but as the 
fruit of that faith whereby we are saved.] To be 
freed from the ceremonial law is the Gospel lib- 
erty ; to pretend freedom from the moral law is 
Antinomianism. By love serve one another— 
Having that faith which worketh by love, serve 
each other to the uttermost of your power. (Chap- 
ter vi, 2.) 

14. For all the law is fulfilled—All which 
respects our duty to our fellows is comprehended 
in one word : [ἐν évi λόγῳ, in one sentence, or pre- 
cept.| “ Thaw shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 
[Πᾶς νόμος, the totality of the law in contradistine- 
tion to its single utterances, (precepts,) πληροῦϑθαι, 
is complied with, (comprehended in,) τὸν πλησίον. 
Neighbour originally meant “ thy fellow Israelite,” 
but our Lord, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, 
gave it the wider sense, which must be here under- 
stood and accepted.] (See Matt. xix, 19, and Rom. 
xiii, 9.) 

15. If ye bite and devour one another— 
These Churches seem to have been in a state of 
great distraction ; there were continual altercations 
among them. They had fallen from the grace of 
the Gospel ; and, as Christ no longer dwelt in their 
hearts by faith, pride, anger, illwill, and all unkind 
and uncharitable tempers took possession of their 
souls, and they were in consequence alternately 
destroying each other. [Chrysostom remarks at 


this point, “δ (Paul) says not simply dite, which 
indicates sudden anger, but devowr, which implies 
continuance in an evil mind.”] [Mutual anger 
and mutual hate must result in mutual destruction. 
—Flowson. } 

10. Walk in the Spirit—[‘ Walk,” περιπατεῖτε, 
live continuously and actively, πνεύματι, (dative of 
manner,) not simply in a spiritual manner, as op- 
posed to the flesh, but in the Holy Ghost. See this 
idea expanded in the succeeding verses.) Ye 
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh—If the 
Holy Spirit dwell in and rule your heart, the whole 
carnal mind will be destroyed ; and then not only 
carnal ordinances will be abandoned, but also the 
works and propensities of the flesh will be effec- 
tually resisted. 

17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit 
—(‘Lusteth,” ἐπιθυμεῖ, commonly with a bad sense, 
but not necessarily nor always. It is the verb to 
be supplied after the word Spirit, where the sense 
cannot be bad.| [The essential commentary on 
these words is in the seventh chapter of Romans. 
... It is not the final victory of the Christian 
that is here described, but the conflict that precedes 
it.— Howson. 

18. But if ye be led of the Spirit—If ye re- 
ceive again, and abide in, the grace of Christ, and 
permit yourselves to be governed by the Holy Spirit, 
ye are not under the law. [Through the ruling 
power of the Spirit ye find yourselves in such a 
condition of moral life (newness of life, Rom. vi, 4) 
that the law has no power to censure, to condemn, 
or to punish you, (because you walk by faith.)— 
Meyer.| 

19. Now the works of the flesh are mani- 
fest—By “flesh” we are to understand the evil 
and fallen state of the soul, no longer under the 
guidance of God's Spirit and right reason, but un- 
der the animal passions; and they are even ren- 
dered more irregular and turbulent by the influence 
of sin; and sv all-commanding is this evil nature 
that it leads men into all kinds of crimes; and 
among them the following, which are manifest— 
(recognizable)—known to all, and most prevalent ; 
and, though these are most solemnly forbidden by 
the law, the observance of its ordinances gives no 
power to overcome them, and provides no pardon 
for the guilt and condemnation produced by them. 
Adultery—Movyeia ; illicit connexion with a mar- 
ried person, This word is wanting in this place in 
the best MSS., Versions, and Fathers. [Ts omitted 
in Revised Version.] Fornication—Ilopveia; il- 
licit connexion between single or unmarried per- 
sons, yet often signifying adu//ery also. Unclean- 
ness—'Axatapoia; whatever is opposite to purity ; 
probably meaning here, (as in Rom. i, 24; 2 Cor. 
xii, 21,) wunatural practices ; sodomy, bestiality. 
Lasciviousness—’Acé/yeva ; whatever is contrary 
to chastity; all lewdness. 

231 


A.M. 4056. A.D, 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


GALATIANS. 


Works of the flesh and fruits 
of the Spirit contrasted. 


tery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, em- 
ulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revel- 
lings, and such like: of the which I tell you 
before, as I have also told you in time past, 


hi Cor. 6.9; Eph. Be 5; Col. 3.6; Rev. 22. 15.—z John 15. 2; 
‘Eph. Ds A Gol. 3. 12; James 3. 17. 


that "they which do such things shall not in- 
herit the kingdom of God. 22 But ‘the fruit 
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 
k gentleness, } goodness, "faith, 28 “Meekness, 
temperance: “against such there is no law. 
24 And they that are Christ’s °have crucitied 


Rom. 15. 14.—7 1 Cor. 
13. 14; 


13. 1. — 1 Tim. 1. 9.—o Rom. 6. ὃ; 
chap. 2. 20; 1 Peter 2. 11. 


20. Idolatry — Εἰδωλολατρία; worshipping of 
idols; frequenting idol festivals; all the rites of 
Bacchus, Venus, Priapus, ete., which were common 
among the Gentiles. Witchcraft— Φαρμακία, (poi- 
son mingling,) from φαρμακόν, a drug or poison, 
because in all spells and enchantments, whether 
true or false, drugs were employed. [Sorcery was 
very prevalent, especially in Asia.—Meyer.] Ha- 
tred—'Hylpac; aversions and antipathies, when 
opposed to brotherly love and kindness. Wari- 
ance— Epic; contentions, where the principle of 
hatred proceeds to open acts ; hence, contests, al- 
tercations, lawsuits and disputes in general. Eym- 
ulations—Z7/0¢ ; that is, strife to excel at the ex- 
pense of another; lowering others to set up one’s 
self; unholy zeal, fervently adopting a bad cause, 
or supporting a good one by unrighteous means. 
Wrath—Ovvo/; turbulent passions, disturbing the 
harmony of the mind, and producing domestic, so- 
cial, and civil broils and disquietudes. Strife— 
᾿Εριθίαι; disputations, janglings, logomachies, or 
strife about words, [uncharitable judging.] Se- 
ditions—Avyooracia; divisions into separate fac- 
tions; parties, whether in the Church or State. 
Heresies — Αἱρέσεις ; factions ; parties in the 
Church, separating from communion with each 
other, and setting up altar against altar. The 
word, which is harmless in itself, is here used in a 
bad sense. 

21. Envyings—46ve:; “pain felt and malig- 
nity conceived at the sight of excellence or happi- 
ness.” A passion the most base and the least cu- 
rable of all that disgrace or degrade the fallen soul. 
(See Rom. xiii, 13.)] Mlurders—[®ovo ; omitted 
by the best authorities.] Drunkenness—Méda ; 
taking more wine or any kind of inebriating liquor 
than is necessary for health; whatever unfits for 
public, domestic, or spiritui al duties; even the 
cares of the world, when they intoxicate the mind. 
(See Rom. xiii, 13.) Revellings—Kauor ; lascivi- 
ous feastings, with obscene songs, music, ete. (See 
Rom. xiii, 13.) And such like—Kai τὰ ὅμοια rov- 
roc; all that proceeds from the evil passions of a 
fallen spirit, besides those above specified; and all 
that the law of God specifies and condemns. Of 
the which I tell you before—[I forewarn you 
now.] As I have also told you in time past— 
When I was with you. The apostle had visited 
them twice. (See Acts xvi, 6; xviii, 23.) [In 
preaching the Gospel to the heathen the apostles 
were especially zealous in enforcing its morals. ] 
Shall not inherit—They are not children of God, 
and, therefore, cannot inherit the kingdom, which 
belongs only to the children of the divine family. 

22. But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit—[The 
sharp contrast between ἔργα (works) and καρπὸς 
(fruit) should be carefully observed. On this 
Chrysostom remarks that what is bad comes read- 
ily from ourselves alone, whereas the good that we 
do depends not on ourselves only, but (it is prima- 
rily of the Spirit, and always) needs God’s fostering 
care.—Howson. | Both flesh—the sinful disposi- 

232 


tions of the human heart and spirit — the soul 
purified by the grace and Spirit of God, are repre- 
sented by the apostle as trees, one yielding good, 
the other bad, fruit; the productions of each being 
according to the nature of the tree, as the tree is 
according to the nature of the seed from which it 
sprung. Love—Ayazy; an intense, loving affec- 
tion toward God and all mankind; the very soul and 
spirit of all true religion; the fulfilling of the law, 
and what gives energy to faith itself. (See verse 
6.) Joy—Xapa; the exultation that arises from 
a sense of God’s mercy, revealed in the soul in the 
pardon of its iniquities, and the assured hope of 
eternal glory, of which it has the foretaste in the 
pardon of sin. (See Rom. v, 2.) Peace—Eipiv7; 
the calm quiet and order which iake place in the 
justified soul, instead of the doubts, fears, and 
dreadful forebodings which every true penitent 
less or more feels and must feel until the assur- 
ance of pardon brings peace and satisfaction to the 
mind. Peace is the first sensible fruit of the par- 
don of sin. (See Rom. v, 1.) Longsuffering— 
Μακροθυμία ; bearing with the frailties and proyo- 
cations of others, from the consideration that God 
has borne long with ours; submitting cheerfully 
to every dispensation of God’s providence, and thus 
deriving benefit from every occurrence. Gentle- 
ness—X pyaréry¢ ; a long holding out of the mind 
before it gives room for action or passion. [A man 
has this grace who, having to do with injurious 
persons, does not suffer himself to be easily pro- 
voked by them.—Zvrench.]| Goodness —’ Αγαθω- 
σύνη ; the perpetual and dominant desire to do good 
to the bodies and souls of men to the utmost of 
our ability, springing from a good heart—purified 
by the Spirit of God. Faith—tIliozvic, here used 
for fidelity; punctuality in performing promises ; 
conscientious carefulness in preserving what is 
committed to our trust; neither betraying the se- 
crets nor disappointing the confidence of those 
who trust us. 

23. Mieekness — Πραύτης ; mildness, patient 
suffering of injuries without feeling a spirit of re- 
venge ; ‘the entire opposite to anger. Temper- 
ance—’Eyxpazera; continence, self gover nment, Or 
moderation, principally with regard to sensual or 
animal appetites. Moderation in eating, drinking, 
sleeping, ete. Against such there is no law— 
Those whose lives are adorned by the above vir- 
tues cannot be condemned by any law, for the 
whole purpose and design of the moral law of God 
is fulfilled in those who have the Spirit of God 
producing in their hearts and lives the preceding 
fruits. 

24. And they that are Christ’s—All genuine 
Christians. Have crucified the flesh—Are so 
far from obeying its dictates and acting under its 
influences that they have crucified their “sensual ap- 
petites; hence says St. Paul, (Rom. vi, 6,) ow old 
man-—the flesh, w ith its affections and lusts—is eru- 
cified with him, that the body of sin might be de- 
stroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, 


Admonition to meekly bear with 
and restore the backsliding, 


the flesh with the P affections and lusts. 25 4 If 
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the 
Spirit. 26 τ Let us not be desirous of vainglory, 
provoking one another, envying one another. 


CHAPTER VI. 
Beerazen, abif aman be overtaken in a 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. Μ. 4056. A. Ὁ, 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


fault, ye °which are spiritual, restore such a 
one “in the spirit of meekness; considering 
thyself, elest thou also be tempted. 2 ‘ Bear 
9 
ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil ¢ the 
law of Christ. 8% For "if a man think himself 
to be something, when ‘he is nothing, he de- 
ceiveth himself. 4 But «let every man prove 


p Or, passions.—gq Rom. 8. 4, 5; verse 16. 7 Phil. 2. 3. 
— «a Rom, 14. 1; 15. 1; Heb. 12. 15; James ὅ. 19, 4 Or, al- 
though.—c1 Cor. 2, 15; ὃ. 1.—d 1 Cor. 4. 21; 2 Thess. 3. 13; 
2 Tim, 2. 25. 


that is, all that a man may feel contrary to love and 
purity, and all that he may desire contrary to 
moderation and that self-denial peculiar to the 
Christian character. [The strength of the expres- 
sion “ crucified ” should be noted—first, because it is 
in harmony with the frequent mention of the cru- 
cifixion of Christ in this epistle; and secondly, be- 
cause it expresses separation from sin in the most 
decisive way—by death—and by a painful death. 
(See chapter ii, 20, and vi, 14.)—Howson.] 

25, If we live in the Spirit—[// by the (Holy) 
Spirit we have our life, ζῶμεν, (in God,) let us go 
forward, στοιχῶμεν, in the Spirit. Let us walk 
worthy of our vocation, (Eph. iv, 1.)] Let us show in 
our lives and conversation that the Spirit of God 
dwells in us. 

26. Let us not be desirous of vainglory— 
Κενόδοξοι ; let us not be vainglorious, [covetous of 
the honours that come from men, self-opinioned. | 
Provoking one another—[These words are ad- 
dressed to all the Galatians; the danger was com- 
mon to both parties, the obedient and disobedient, 
the orthodox and the Judaizers.—<Alford.] But 
the exhortation is necessary for every Christian, 
and for every Christian Church. He who professes 
to seek the honour that comes from God should not 
be desirous of “vainglory.” He who desires to keep 
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace should 
not provoke another. He who knows that he 
never deserved any gift or blessing from God 
should not envy another those blessings which the 
divine goodness may have thought proper to be- 
stow upon him. If all Christians would be con- 
tent with the honour that comes from God, if they 
would take heed to give no provocations to their 
fellow Christians, if they would cease from envy- 
ing those on whom either God or man bestows 
honours or advantages, we should soon have a hap- 
pier and more perfect state of the Christian 
Church than we now see. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 

1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken— Hiv 
προλημφθῇ, if he be surprised, seized on without 
warning, suddenly invaded, taken before he is 
aware: all these meanings the word has in connex- 
ions similar to this. [Probably during the dis- 
turbed state of the Christians of Galatia there had 
been on the one hand not a few personal backslid- 
ings, and on the other unbrotherly severity toward 
such; hence the apostle’s exhortation.] [‘ Breth- 
ren,” bespeaking their attention by a friendly ad- 
dress ; marking also the opening of a new subject, 
connected, however, with the foregoing. — Alford. | 
Overtaken in a fault—[A lapse.] [Ina mild and 
trustful tone Paul conceives the sin which might 
occur among his Galatians only as a sin of precipi- 
taney.—Meyer.] 
who still retain the grace of the Gospel, and have 
wisdom and experience in divine things. [Paul 


61 Cor, 7. 5; 10. 12.—f Rom. 15. 1; chap. 5, 13: 1 Thess. 5. 14. 
g John 13. 14, 15, 34; 15, 12; James 2. 8; 1 John 4. 21.— 
h fom, 12. 3: 1 Cor. 8.2; chap. 2. 6. ὦ 2 Cor, ὃ. ὃ: 12. 11.— 
k1 Cor. 11. 28: ἃ Οοι. 13. ὃ. 


thus puts it to the consciousness of every reader to 
regard himself as included or not. Ye that are 
“spiritual,” (οἱ πνευματικοὶ, the spiritual,) that is, 
who are led by the Holy Spirit, the opposite of “the 
mind of the flesh.” (Rom, viii, 6.) See Meyer.] 
Restore such a oné—Kazaprivere τὸν τοιοῦτον ; 
bring the man back ato his place. It is ἃ meta- 
phor taken from a dislocated limb, brought back 
by the hand of a skilful and tender surgeon into 
its place. In the spirit of meekness—Use no 
severity nor haughty carriage toward him; as the 
man was suddenly overtaken, he needs encourage- 
ment and lenient usage. There is a great differ- 
ence between a man who, being suddenly assailed, 
falls into sin, and the man who transgressed in con- 
sequence of having WALKED in the counsel of the 
UNGODLY, o7 stoop in the way of sinners. Con- 
sidering thyself—Xkorav σεαυτόν; looking to 
thyself; as he fell through a moment of unwatch- 
fulness, look about, that thow be not surprised; as 
he fell, so mayest thou; thou art now warned at 
his expense ; therefore keep a good lookout. Lest 
thou also be tempted—[The change of the num- 
ber of the pronoun, (thou for ye,) makes the ad- 
vice all the more pointed, (ov, thou, thyself.) 
Hence, “the spirit of meekness”? becomes us in 
trying to “restore” others. Nor is any other 
spirit likely to be successful.— Howson. | 

2. Bear ye one another’s burdens — Have 
sympathy ; feel for each other; and consider the 
case of a distressed brother as your own. [᾿Δλλή- 
λων, of one another. Mutually one of the other bear 
ye the burdens. Τὰ βάρη, figuratively denotes moral 
Faults, pressing on men with a sense of guilt. The 
mutual bearing of moral (spiritual) burdens is the 
mutual loving participation in another’s feeling of 
guilt, weeping with those who weep (in sorrow for 
sin.)—Mever.| And so fulfil the law of Christ 
—The law or commandment to love one another ; 
or that to do unto all men as we would they should 
do unto us. We should be as indulgent to the in- 
firmities of others as we can be consistently with 
truth and righteousness: our brother's infirmity 
may be his burden. 

3. Ifa man think himself to be something, 
when he is nothing—Those who suppose them- 
selves to excel all others in piety, understanding, 


| ete., while they are harsh, censorious, and over- 


bearing, prove that they have not the charity that 
thinketh no evil; and in the sight of God are only 
as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. There 
are no persons more censorious or uncharitable than 
those among some religious people who pretend to 
more light and a deeper communion with God than 
others. They are generally carried away with a sort 
of sublime, high-sounding phraseology, which seems 
to argue a wonderfully deep acquaintance with 


Ye which are spiritual—Ye | divine things; stripped of this, many of them are 


like Samson without his hair. 
4, Prove his own work—By the words and 
233 


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Year of Rome, 805, 


his own work, and then shall he have rejoic- 
ing in himself alone, and 'not in another. 
5 For ™every man shall bear his own burden. 
6 "Let him that is taught in the word com- 
municate unto him that teacheth in all. good 
things. % °Be not deceived; ?God is not 
mocked: for 4 whatsoever a man soweth, that 
shall he also reap. $ "For he that soweth 


JALATIANS. 


Whatsoever a man soweth that 
shall he also reap. 


to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; 
but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the 
Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And *let us not 
be weary in well doing: for in due season we 
shall reap, ‘if we faint not. 10 As we have 
therefore opportunity, Ylet us do good unto all 
men, especially unto them who are of » the 
household of faith. I Ye see how large a 


1 See Luke 18. 11.—s Romans 2. 6; 1 Cor. 3. 8.—n Ro- 
mans 15. 27; 1 Cor. 9. 11, 14.—0o1 Cor. 6. 9; 15. 33.—p Job 
13. 9.—g Luke 16. 25, Romans 2. 6; 2 Cor. 9. 6,—7 Job 4. 8; 
Proverbs 11. 18; 22. 8; Hosea 8. 7; 10. 12; Romans 8. 13; 


James 3. 18.— 81 Cor. 15. 58; 2 Thess. 3. 13. t Matt. 24. 13; 
Hebrews 3. 6,14; 10. 36; 12.3, 5; Rev. 2. 10. u John 9. 4; 
12. 3a. v1 Thess. 5. 15; 1 Timothy 6, 18; Titus 3. 8.—v7 Ephe- 
sians 2, 19; Hebrews 3. 6. 


example of Christ; and if he find that they bear 
this touchstone, then he shall have rejoicing in 
himself alone, feeling that he resembles his Lord 
and Master, and not in another—not derive his 
consolation from comparing himself with another 
who may be weaker or less instructed than him- 
self. The only rule for a Christian is the work of 
Christ; the only pattern for his imitation is the ex- 
ample of Christ. He should not compare himself 
with others: they are not his standard. Christ 
hath left us an example that we should follow his 
steps. 

5. Every man shall bear his own burden— 
All must answer for ¢hemselves, not for their neigh- 
bours. And every man must expect to be dealt 
with by the divine Judge as his character and con- 
duct have been. The greater offences of another 
will not excuse thy smaller offences. Every man 
must give account of himself to God. [Evidently 
the reference is, not to the final judgment, but to 
the course of affairs in human life; there are bur- 
dens to be borne by all, and toward all charity and 
forbearance should be cheerfully exercised. See Al- 
ford. | 

6. Let him that is taught in the word—He 
who receives instructions in Christianity by the 
publie preaching of the word. Communicate un- 
to him that teacheth—Contribute to the support 
of the man who has dedicated himself to the work 
of the ministry, and who gives up his time and his 
life to preach the Gospel. It appears that some of 
the believers in Galatia could receive the Christian 
ministry without contributing to its support. [From 
the mention of bearing one another’s burdens, the 
apostle naturally passes to one way and one case 
in which those burdens may be borne, namely, by 
relieving the necessities of their ministers.—A/- 
ford.| [It is often found among the relatively 
poor, and in mission Churches gathered from the 
heathen, that it is especially necessary to instruct 
them in respect to this duty. | 

7. Be not deceived — Neither deceive your- 
selves nor permit yourselves to be deceived by oth- 
ers. He seems to refer to the Judaizing teachers. 
God is not mocked—Ye cannot deceive him, and 
he will not permit you to mock him with pretended 
instead of real services. Whatsoever a man 
soweth—Whatsoever kind of seed a man sows in 
his field, of that shall he reap; for no other species 
of fruit can proceed from that which is sown. 
Darnel will not produce wheat, nor wheat darnel. 

8. He that soweth to his flesh—In like man- 
ner, he that sows ‘‘ to the flesh ”—who indulges his 
sensual and sinful appetities—shall have corruption 
as the crop. According as your present life is, so 
will be your eternal life; whether your sowing We to 
the flesh or to the Spirit, so will your eternal reaping 
be. To sow, here, means transacting the concerns of 
aman’s natural life: to reap, signifies his enjoyment 

234 


or punishment (both in the present and) in another 
world. [Every art in life, and every imagination of 
the heart, are of the nature of seeds; they root 
themselves in the soul, and reproduce their kind, 
whose fruits must be reaped soon or late.] He 
who rejects the Gospel, and follows the leadings 
of his own depraved lusts, will reap endless disap- 
pointment and misery. He who trusts in Christ, 
and receives the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, 
shall reap life everlasting. [If carnal indulgence 
(or worldly pursuits) is the end for which a man 
lives, moral ruin must be the result. If he aims at 
the higher life, which comes through the operations 
of the Holy Spirit, the higher life will be his re- 
ward.—Howson.| [“ Corruption,” φθοράν, destrue- 
tion, here, is, in accordance with the contrast of 
“eternal life,” eternal destruction. (Rom. vili, 13.) 
— Meyer. | 

9. Let us not be weary in well doing— 
“Well doing ” is easier in itself than d/l doing ; and 
the danger of growing “weary” in the former 
arises only from the opposition to good in our 
own nature, or the outward hinderances we may 
meet with from a gainsaying and persecuting world. 
In due season we shall reap—<As the husband- 
man, in ploughing and sowing, is supported by the 
hope of the harvest; so every follower of Christ may 
be persuaded that if he shall live in conformity to 
his Master’s will, he will assuredly reap the fruit of 
it in eternal glory. This is sowing to the Spirit; and 
the impulse and the grace to persevere to the end 
are furnished by Christ Jesus, and by him the king- 
dom of heaven is opened to all believers; but only 
those who believe, love, and obey, (and endure to 
the end,) shall enter into it. 

10. As we have... opportunity—While it is 
the time of sowing let us sow the 'good seed; and 
let our love be, as the love of Christ is, freely mani- 
fested to all. Let us help all who need help ac- 
cording to our power, but let the first objects of 
our regards be those who are of the household of 
faith, the members of the Church of Christ, who 
form one family, of which Jesus Christ is the head. 
These have the first claims on our attention; but 
all others have their claims also, and therefore we 
should do good unto all. 

11. Ye see how large a letter—There is a 
strange diversity of opinions concerning the apos- 
tle’s meaning in this place. Some think he refers 
to the length of the epistle, others to the largeness 
of the letters in which this epistle is written, others 
to the inadequacy of the apostle’s writing. It ap- 
pears plain that most of his epistles were written 
by an amanuensis, and simply subscribed by him- 
self ; but the whole of the epistle to the Galatians 
was written by his own hand. As to writing the 
Greek, there was in his time nothing difficult, be- 
cause the uncial character was that which was alone 
in use in those days, and this character is as easily 


The death of Jesus the theme 
of Paul’s exultation. 


letter I have written unto you with mine own 
hand. 42 As many as desire to make a fair 
show in the flesh, *they constrain you to be 
circumcised ; ¥ only lest they should ¢ suffer per- 
secution for the cross of Christ. ΚΦ For nei- 
ther they themselves who are circumcised keep 
the law; but desire to have you circumcised, 
that they may glory in your flesh. 14 «But 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4056. A.D. 59, 
Yeur of Rome, 80%. 


God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, ἡ. whom the world 
is ‘crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 
{5 For 4in Christ Jesus neither circumcision 
availeth any thing, nor uncireumcision, but “ἃ 
new creature. 6 ‘And as inany as walk 
Saccording to this rule, peace be on them, 
and merey, and upon the Israel of God. 


2 Ch. 5. 11.—a Phil. 3. 3 


w Ch, 2. 3, 14.—yPhil. 3. 18. é 
d 1 Cor. 7. 


—b Or, whereby.—e Rom. 6. 6; ch. 2. 20. 


aes 

9; 
made as the capitals in the Roman alphabet, which 
have been taken from it. I conclude, therefore, 
that what the apostle says must be understood of 
the length of the epistle, in all probability the 
largest he had ever written with his own hand; 
though several, much larger, have been dictated by 
him, but they were written by his scride or aman- 
uensis. [Paul adds to the letter, which up to this 
point he had dictated, the conclusion from verse 11 
onward in his own handwriting. By means of these 
autograph endings the epistles indicated their au- 
thentic character. But this close of our epistle . . . 
was intended to catch the eyes of the readers, as 
something so especially important, that, from verse 12 
to the end, the apostle wrote it in very large letters, 
just as we, in writing and printing, distinguish by 
letters of a larger size any thing we wish to be con- 
sidered as peculiarly significant.— Meyer. | 

12. A fair show in the flesh—The Jewish re- 
ligion, as it was then professed and practised among 
the Jews, had nothing very grievous to the “ old 
man;” an unrenewed nature might go through all 
its observances with little pain or crossbearing, 
On the other hand Christianity could not be very 
popular; it was too strict. A Jew made a “ fair 
show,” according to his carnal system, and it was a 
temptation to a weak Christian to swerve into 
Judaism, that he might be exempted from perse- 
cution, and be ereditable among his countrymen, 
This is what the apostle intimates: “They con- 
Strain you to be circumcised, lest they should suf- 
fer persecution for the cross of Christ.” 

13. Neither they themselves who are cir- 
cumcised—They receive circumcision and profess 
Judaism, not from a desire to be conformed to the 
will of God, but because Judaism is popular, and 
the more converts the false teachers can make the 
more occasion of glorying they will have; and they 
wish to get those Christian converts to receive 
circumcision, that they may glory in their Jlesh. 
Thus they would have gloried, or boasted, not that 
the people were converted to God, but that they 
were circumcised ere or confirmed. ] 

14. But God forbid that I should glory— 
[ But let me not glory, ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι. 
The phrase “ God forbid ” is not found in the orig- 
inal, neither here nor elsewhere.]| Whatever oth- 
ers may do, or whatever they may exult or glory in, 
I will exult only in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ; in the grand doctrine that justification and 
salvation are only through Christ crucified, he hay- 
ing made an atonement for the sin of the world by 
his passion and death. And I glory, also, in the 
disgrace and persecution which I experience through 
my attachment to this crucified Christ. By whom 
the world is crucified unto me — Jewish rites 
and Gentile vanities are equally insipid to me; I 
know them to be empty and worthless. If Jews 
and Gentiles despise me, I despise that in which 
they trust; through Jesus, all are crucified to me— 


ch, 5. 6; Col. 3. 11.——e2 Cor. 5. 17. Psa_ 125. 5.—g Phil. 
ὃ. 16.— A Rom. 2. 29; 4. 12; 9. 6, 7, 83 ch. 3. 7, 9,29: Phil, 3. 3. 


their objects of dependence are as vile and execra- 
ble to me as I am to those in whose sight these 
things are of great account. 

15. In Christ Jesus—Under the dispensation 
of she Gospel, of which he is head and supreme; 
neither circumcision—nothing that the Jew can 
boast of, nothing that the Gentile can call excellent ; 
availeth any thing—can in the least contribute 
to the salvation of the soul. [The words rendered 
“in Christ” are now, by general consent, excluded 
as not authentic. The universal worthlessness of 
circumcision is the object of the apostle’s earnest 
asseveration.] But a new creature—’ A774 καινὴ 
κτίσις, but a new creation, [but a new thing fee 
total renewal of the whole man, of all the powers 
and passions of the soul: and as creation could 
not be effected but by the power of the Almighty, 
so this change cannot be effected but by the same 
energy ; no rites nor ceremonies can do this; only 
the power that made the man at first can new 
make him. (See 1 Cor. vii, 19; 2 Cor. v, Τὴ 
[The idea of ereation is probably not here intended, 
but the fact that only the something new, “that 
which by nature we cannot have,” can avail to the 
soul’s salvation. ] 

16. As many as walk according to this rule 
-- Τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ, this canon ; namely, that re- 
demption is through the sacrifice of Christ; that 
circumcision and uncircumcision are equally un- 
available ; and that none can be saved without being 
created anew. This is the grand canon or rule in 
Christianity. Peace be on them—Those who act 
from this conviction will have the peace and merey 
of God; for it is in this way that mercy is com- 
municated and peace obtained. The Israel of 
God—tThe true Christians, called here the “ Israel 
of God,” to distinguish them from Israel according 
to the flesh. (See Rom. ii, 29; iv, 12.) [What Paul 
says in this section (11-18) of the Judaistic teach- 
ers applies strikingly, mutatis mutandis, to the 
great mass of nominal Christians. They by no 
means wish to keep the law in its whole extent,— 
that is much too burdensome for them; on the con- 
trary, they appeal to the fact that they, forsooth, 
believe on Christ, and therefore are free from the 
yoke of the law. But now, on the other hand, 
they have as little mind to believe on Christ in the 
whole extent of faith ; what is inconvenient in this 
they leave behind, and that is the cross of Christ; 
that is, so far as it is a means of quieting the con- 
science it is willingly accepted, but so far as it in- 
cludes the dying of the old man, and the entering 
into a fellowship of the cross with Christ, they will 
none of it. Instead of this, men turn rather to the 
otherwise despised law, and arbitrarily make the 
law to consist in this or that particular, some prac- 
tice, some abstinence, and imagine themselves 
thus to be satisfying all the severer requirements 
of God, while yet they are far from this (the apos- 
tle’s) utterance: “The world is crucified to me, 

235 


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Year of Rome, 805. 


GALATIANS. 


Paul declares that his body bears 
the marks of Jesus. 


17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: 
for ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord 


@2 Cor 1, 5 4. 109 1. 253) chapso, 11: 


Jesus. 18 Brethren, «the grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 


Col, 1. 24.—A 2 Tim. 4. 22: Philem. 28. 


and 1 to the world!” Christ’s cross is the touch. 
stone of true Christianity; it is in this that salva- 
tion and comfort is to be sought, and so far it 
would not be very hard to glory,in the cross of 
Christ, which many are willing to do. But salva- 
tion and consolation are to be sought exclusively 
in that,—no longer in the world, no longer in one’s 
self, every thing else is to be accounted loss, and 
on the other hand the fellowship with the cross of 
Christ is to be counted no loss: in brief, there 
must come into being a new creature. This, (verse 
16,) is the “‘ canon” for a Christian; and only he 
who guides himself according to this is, in truth, a 
Christian.—Schmoller in Lange. | 

17. From henceforth let no man trouble me 
—Put an end to your contentions among your- 
selves; return to the pure doctrine of the Gospei; 
abandon those who are leading you astray; sepa- 
rate from the Church those who corrupt and dis- 
turb it ; and let me be grieved no longer with your 
defections from the truth. I bear in my body 
the marks of the Lord Jesus—The στίγματ 
(stigmata) of which the apostle speaks here, may be 
understood as implying the sears of the wounds 
which he had received in the work of the ministry. 
Or, the apostle may allude to the stigmata or marks 
with which servants and slaves were often im- 
pressed in order to ascertain whose property they 
were. ‘“ Donot trouble me; I bear the marks of 
my Lord and Master, Jesus ; I am his, and will re- 
main so. You glory in your mark of cireumeision; 
I glory in the marks which I bear in my body for 
the testimony of the Lord; I am an open, professed 
Christian, and have given full proof of my attach- 
ment to the cause of Christianity.” The first sense 
appears to be the best: “1 have suffered already 
sufficiently; Iam suffering still; do not add any 
more to my afflictions.” [Ta στίγματα, the marks 
branded on slaves to indicate their owners. These 
marks, in St. Paul’s case, were of course the scars 
of his wounds received in the service of his Master. 
(See 2 Cor, xi, 23.) There is no allusion whatever to 
any similarity between himself and our Lord, ‘the 
marks which Jesus bore ;” such an allusion would 
be quite irrelevant : and with its irrelevancy falls a 
whole fabric [of mystic sentimentalism, and ascetic 
egotism as well as] of Romanist superstition which 

236 


has been raised on this verse, and which the fair and 
learned Windischmann, giving, as he does, the hon- 
est interpretation here, yet attempts to defend in 
a supplemental note. Neither can we naturally 
suppose any comparison intended between these 
στίγματα, as Christ’s servant, (bondman,) and ci7- 
cumeision, for he is not now on that subject, but on 
his authority as sealed by Christ ; and such a com- 
parison is alien from the majesty of the sentence.— 
Alford.| [In this passage the Church of Rome 
pretended to find its authority for the miracle of 
stigmatization,—the most remarkable instance of 
which is that of St. Francis of Assisi, who, after 
submitting to the severest austerities, during many 
years, at length received the stigmata. “His hands 
and feet,” says the account, “ were (miraculously) 
pierced with nails in the middle. The heads of the 
nails, round and black, were in the palms of his 
hands and forepart of the feet. The points of 
the nails, which were a little long, and which ap- 
peared on the other side, were bent backward on 
the wound which they made. He also had on his 
right side a red wound, as if it had been pierced 
with a lance, which often shed sacred blood on his 
tunic.” Other instances, to the number of eighty, 
occur in the traditions of the Romish Church, 
though the stigmatization in some of them is only 
partial. The affair, in all its phases, constitutes a 
remarkable ease of the effects of an intense fanat- 
icism, turned to account by priesteraft in its worst 
forms. See M’Clintock and Strong. ] 

18. Brethren—[’AcdeAgot. This word is the last 
one in the Greek text of this epistle, emphasizing 
by its position the writer’s tender regard for those 
whom he liad so warmly rebuked.] [The epistle, 
in great part so severe, ends with a mode of address 
which still breathes unaltéred love-—Meyer.] The 
grace—Favour, benevolence, and continual influ- 
ence of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit—may it 
live in your heart, enlighten and change your souls, 
and be conspicuous in your life! With your 
spirit—[Instead of the persons, simply, we find, 
that with greater simplicity and fervor, the spirit of 
the persons is named, because it is on the spirit 
(πνεῦμα) of man (the higher principle of life) that 
the grace of Christ works.—AMeyert] Amen—to 
tet it be! 


ΕΟ THE EPISTLE 


TO 


ἘΠΕ EP ERS rACN SS: 


I. TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 

N the first verse of the Authorized Version this question seems to be decided 
in favour of the commonly accepted opinion, that this epistle was written 
to the “saints,” (believers,) at Ephesus, and the Revised Version also retains that 
reading, but with a marginal note that says, “Some very ancient authorities omit 
at Ephesus.” The question thus recognised is one of long standing, and for each 
side of which there is a very considerable show of authority. In the last century 
those two eminent scholars, Drs. Lardner and Paley, took opposite sides, the 
former arguing in favour of its destination to Ephesus, and the latter opposing, 
with his characteristic fulness of argumentation, and favouring the notion that this 

was the epistle to the Laodiceans referred to Col. iv, 16. 

The subscriptions found at the end of the epistle in most of the MSS. and 
Versions favour the traditional opinion, though these are of very little authority 
as witnesses in the case. Among modern critics of the highest authority, Tre- 
gelles adopts ἐν ᾿Εφέσῳ, in Ephesus, and Tischendorf inserts it in brackets, as of 
doubtful authenticity. Meyer, after reviewing the argument on both sides, de- 
cides, “In view of all that has been said we must defend ἐν ’E@éow, that is, as 
decidedly genuine;” and Alford sums up a full review of both sides of the 
question with these decided words: “I infer, then, in accordance with the prey- 
alent belief of the Church in all ages, that this epistle was veritably addressed to 
the saints in Ephesus, and to no other Church. The testimony of the most ancient 
MSS. is divided. In both the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus, the ἐν ’E@éow in 
the first verse is wanted, but both of them have the subscription to the Aphesians. 
In all others of the oldest and best MSS., with a single unimportant exception, it 
is found, and the authority of the Fathers and of the Versions is decidedly in 
its favour. There seems, therefore, no sufficient reason against the commonly 
accepted opinion; and though the question may be accounted an open one among 
critics, there is no good reason to seek any change of the title. 


THE PLACE AND THE PEOPLE. 
Ephesus was a city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, and once the metropolis of that 
part of the world. The ancient city was situated at the mouth of the river 
Cayster, on the shore of the Agean Sea, about fifty miles south of Smyrna. The 


Ephesus in which St. Paul founded a Church, and which for a time flourished 
237 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 


gloriously, was not the ancient Ephesus; for that was destroyed, and a new city, 
of the same name was built by Lysimachus. 

This most famous of all the Asiatic cities is now a miserable village, composed 
of mean huts formed out of the ruins of its once magnificent structures. 

In its ancient glory Ephesus was an abode of commerce, arts, and sciences, and 
the seat of the world-renowned worship of Artemis, the Diana of the Romans. 
Here Paul, having been preceded by Aquila and Priscilla, planted Christianity, 
(Acts xviii, 19; xix, 1;) and his successful labours in that city for nearly three 
years placed him in those close confidential relations to the Church of which his 
touching farewell to the elders (Acts xx, 17) is an imperishable memorial. At 
first the Church was a mixed one, composed of Jewish and Gentile converts, per- 
haps chiefly of the former, but at the later date, when this epistle was written, it 
is evident that the latter predominated. Paul’s address at Miletus shows that 
the Church at Ephesus was thoroughly organized under its own proper officers, 
having, after Paul’s departure, remained the some time under the care of Timo- 
thy. Here, too, the apostles encountered some rather formidable antagonists, 
notably the sons of Sceva, Hymeneus and Alexander, and also Phygellus and 
Hermogenes. The name of the Apostle John is also closely connected with Eph- 
esus, which Church was one of those written to by him under the direct instruction 
of Christ, (Rev. ii, 1,) and also in the story of his later life as given by Eusebius. 
Ignatius, also, addressed one of his epistles to this Church. 


THE AUTHOR AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS EPISTLE. 


The epistle opens with the name and title of its reputed author, and the 
evidence in favour of the correctness of its implication as to its authorship is too 
clear and strong to admit of any serious question. And accordingly, critics 
and biblical scholars of every class have, with almost absolute unanimity, conceded 
its Pauline original. “The genuineness and authenticity,” says Bishop Ellicott, 
“admit of no reasonable doubt. The testimonies of the early Church are usually 
strong and persistent, and have never been called in question till comparatively 
recent times.” In addition to the united testimony of the early Church, that of the 
early heretics may also be cited, for they without dissent concur in confessing its 
genuine Pauline authorship. 

As to the occasion that ealled it out: it does not appear to have been written 
to meet any special demand, but rather as an expression of the deep love felt 
by the apostle for his converts and fellow Christians of the Ephesian Church, 
and his earnest desire not only that they should remain steadfast in the faith, but 
also attain to all of their high privileges in the Gospel. ‘ The epistle thus con- 
tains many thoughts that had pervaded the nearly contemporaneous epistle to the 
Colossians, reiterates many of the same practical warnings and exhortations, bears 
even the tinge of the same diction, but at the same time enlarges upon such pro- 
found mysteries of the divine counsels, displays so fully the origin and develop- 
ment of the Church in Christ, its wnion, communion, and aggregation in him, 
that this majestic epistle can never be rightly deemed otherwise than one of the 
most sublime and consolatory outpourings of the Spirit of God on the children of 
men. ‘To the Christians at Ephesus dwelling under the shadow of the great tem- 
ple of Diana, daily seeing its outward grandeur, and almost daily hearing of its 
pompous ritualism, the allusions in this epistle to that mystic building of which 
Christ was the corner stone, the apostles the foundations, and himself and his 
fellow Christians portions of the august superstructure, (ii, 19-22,) must have 

258 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 


spoken with a force, an appropriateness, and a reassuring depth of teaching that 
cannot be overestimated.”—W? Clintock and Strong. 

[We are unable to perceive from the letter itself any special occasion for it 
on the part of the Ephesians. It appears that Paul simply availed himself of the 
opportunity offered by the mission of Tychicus and Onesimus to Colosse, to send 
Tychicus also to Ephesus, in order not only to supply the Christians there with 
oral news of himself and to obtain news of them, but also to address to them a 
written discourse, partly on the glory of redemption and of their state as Christ- 
ians, and partly on the conduct in keeping with it, in order to strengthen and further 
them in steadfastness and unity of faith and Christian morality. There are no 
traces of Ephesian false teachers similar to those at Colosse in this epistle, neither 
is a precautionary regard to such theosophy and asceticism hinted at in the epistle. 
Paul may, however, have had in the background the thought of the possible 
approach of that Gnostic danger, though he did not consider it necessary or suit- 
able at this time to furnish an express reference or warning to that effect.—See 
Meyer. | 

THE TIME AND PLACE OF ITS COMPOSITION. 

The writer of this epistle styles himself “ the prisoner of the Lord,” (chapter 
iv, 1; vi, 20,) which definitely fixes the place of the writing, and approximately 
the time; for it has always been the prevailing opinion that this imprisonment 
was the captivity at Rome, extending over the two years named at the close 
of the Acts of the Apostles. (See preface to Philippians.) [St. Paul’s (first) 
imprisonment at Rome commenced early in A. D. 61, and lasted at least two 
years. The three epistles (Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon) were certainly 
sent at one and the same time. In speaking therefore of the time and place of 
writing this epistle, we are dealing with the others likewise. That all these were 
written at Rome during that imprisonment has been the general belief from 
ancient times downward, and all the circumstances of this epistle are readily 
adapted to that theory. The theory that assigns its composition to Paul’s im- 
prisonment at Cesarea, (Acts xxiv, 27,) which is favoured by Meyer, is not so easily 
adjusted to statements and allusions in the epistle. From Ephesians vi, 19, 20, 
we gather that Paul had a certain amount of freedom in preaching the Gospel 
which is not consistent with what we read in Acts xxiv, 23, of his imprisonment 
at Cesarea: At Rome also his friends had much more ready access to him than 
seems to have been the case in the former place. The mention of the compan- 
ions that were with him agrees much better with the circumstances of the latter 
imprisonment. Probably this question (of the place of writing, as between 
Cesarea and Rome) will never be settled with absolute certainty, though the 
evidence seems to be decidedly in favour of the Roman side. We may then 
safely assume that our epistle was from Rome, probably during the period com- 
prised in Acts xxviii, 30, before St. Paul’s imprisonment assumed the harsher 
character which seems to come before us in the epistle to the Philippians. See 
Alford. ] 

CONTENTS OF THE EPISTLE. 

The apostle thanks God for the privileges enjoyed in the Gospel through the 
divine predestination, and declares that he ever gives thanks and prays for those 
to whom he writes, that God may enable them to see the riches of the Gospel 
and the greatness of its power as displayed in God’s raising Christ from the 
dead and exalting him to heaven. (Chapter i.) He reminds them of what they 


once were, when dead in sins; but now he declares they have been saved by grace 
239 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 


through faith in Jesus Christ, who is our peace, and has broken down the middle 
wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, and that they are no longer 
strangers, but fellow-citizens with the saints. He declares that a dispensation of 
the Gospel has been committed to him, to whom it was revealed that the Gentiles 
should be fellow heirs and partakers of the blessings of the Gospel, which it is 
his mission to preach among the Gentiles. He prays that they may be fully 
established in grace, and be enabled to know fully the love, and to be filled with 
the fulness, of God. (Chapters ii, ili.) He exhorts them to walk worthy of their 
high vocation, in humility, love, and unity, and speaks of the various officers in 
the Church appointed by Christ for its edification and unity. He exhorts them 
to live, not as other Gentiles, in blindness and lust, but to put on the new man 
of righteousness and holiness; to be truthful, angry without sin, honest, chaste 
in conversation; to lay aside all bitterness, anger, and evil speaking, and to walk 
in love and purity of life, redeeming the time; to be sober, to praise God in 
sacred songs, and to be thankful. He illustrates the relation existing between 
husbands and wives by that which exists between Christ and his Church; de- 
scribes the mutual duties of parents and children, of servants and masters, and 
exhorts the saints to put on the whole armour of God, which he describes, that 
they may master their spiritual foes. He asks their prayers for himself in his 
bonds, and informs them that he has sent Tychicus, who will give them informa- 
tion respecting his affairs, and closes by invoking upon them the divine blessing. 
(Chapters iv—v1.)—Harman. 

[The student of the epistle to the Ephesians must not expect to go over his 
ground rapidly; must not be disappointed if the week’s end find him still on the 
same paragraph, or even on the same verse, weighing and judging—penetrating 
gradually, by the power of the mind of the Spirit, through one outer surface 
after another—gathering in his hand one and another of the ramifying threads, 
till at last he grasps the main cord whence they all emerged, and where they all 
unite, and stands rejoicing in his prize, deeper rooted in the faith, and with a 


firmer hold on the truth as it is in Christ.— Alford. | 
240 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


THE HPHEHSIANS. 


CHAPTER I. 
AUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ *by the 
é will of God, "to the saints which are at 
Ephesus,-c and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 
2 “Grace be to you, and peace, from God 


a2Cor. 1. 1.—d Rom. 1. 7: 2 Cor. 1. 1.—ce1 Cor. 4. 17; chap. 
6. 21; Col. 1. 2.—d Gal. 1.3; Titus 1. 4.—e2Cor. 1. 3; 1 Pet. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER 1. 

1. An apostle of Jesus Christ—[Rather, of 
Christ Jesus ; which is the order of the Greek 
text.] The expression Χριστοῦ ‘Iycov seems rather 
to denote possession, than to belong to ἀπόστολος 
and designate the person by whom sent.—A/ford. } 
By (through) the will of God — [Ava θελήματος 
Θεοῦ. Referring to the preveniently purposed grace, 
by the operation of which all actual and perfected 
grace among believers is “ begun, continued, and 
finished.”] To the saints which are at Eph- 
esus—The words ἐν ᾿Εφέσῳ, in Ephesus, have been 
called in question. The consideration of the sub- 
ject will be found in the preface. By the term 
“saints,” ἁγίοις, we are to understand those who in 
that place professed Christianity, and were mem- 
bers of the Christian Church. “Saint” properly 
signifies a holy person, and such the Gospel of 
Christ requires every man to be, and such every 
true believer is, both in heart and life; but “saint” 
appears to have been as ordinary a denomination 
of a believer in Christ in those primitive times, as 
the term Christian is now. Yet many had the 
name who had not the thing. [The first verse may 
be rendered—Paul an apostle (belonging to) Jesus 
Christ, (made such) through the will of God, to 
those who are saints [in Ephesus] and to the be- 
lievers in Christ Jesus.] The faithful in Christ 
Jesus — Ilicroic, the believers ; the persons who 
received Christ as the promised Messiah and the 
Saviour of the world, (their personal Saviour,) and 
continued in the grace which they had received. 

. 4 Grace be to you—See note on Romans 
Tye ts ; 

8. Blessed be the God—See the note on 2 Cor. 
i, 8, where the same form is used. With all spirit- 
ual blessings—[IIvevwarixéc, in the New Testa- 
ment, always implies the working of the Holy 
Spirit, never bearing merely our modern inaccurate 
sense of spiritual as opposed to bodily —Adford. ] 
With the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and the 
abundant gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, justi- 
fying, sanctifying, and building us up on our most 


holy faith. In heavenly places—’Ev τοῖς érov- 
Vo. II.—16 


our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
3 © Blessed δὲ the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all 
spiritual blessings in heavenly ‘ p/aces in Christ : 
4 According as ὅπ hath chosen us in him 


1. 3.—/ Or, things, chap. 6. 12.——g Rom. 8. 28; 2 Thess. 2. 13; 
2 Tim. 1. 9: James 2. 5; 1 Pet. 1.2; 2.9, 


ρανίοις, in heavenly things, such as those mentioned 
above. Some think the word should be understood 
as signifying d/essings of the most exalted or excel- 
lent kind, such as are spiritual in opposition to 
those that are earthly ; such as are eternal in oppo- 
sition to those that are temporal ; and all these in, 
through, and by Curist. [Besides in this passage, 
the phrase ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις is found in verse 20; 
ii, 6; iii, 10; vi, 12, and in all with a local sense— 
in the domain of the heavenly; hence, in accord- 
ance with the nature of the matter, it is not to be 
taken in any coarse, sensuous signification as meas- 
urable space, but as domain, region.— Lraune. | 

4. According as he hath chosen us in him 
—As he has decreed from the beginning of the 
world, and has kept in view from the commence- 
ment of the religious system of the Jews, (which 
the phrase sometimes means,) to bring us Gentiles 
to the knowledge of this glorious state of salvation 
by Christ Jesus. The Jews considered themselves 
an elect or chosen people, and wished to monopolize 
the whole of the divine love and beneficence. The 
apostle here shows that God had the Gentiles as 
much in the contemplation of his mercy and good- 
ness as he had the Jews; and the blessings of the 
Gospel, now so freely dispensed to them, were the 
proof that God had ¢iws chosen them, and that his 
end in giving them the Gospel was the same which 
he had in view by giving the Law to the Jews, name- 
ly, that they might be holy and without blame be- 
fore him. [Καθὼς, according, since, seeing that. 
This word explains and expands the foregoing, 
showing wherein the εὐλογία (blessing) consists as re- 
gards us, and in God’s working toward us.—A/ford. | 
[Ἡ μᾶς, us, we, owr, (used thirteen times in verses 
3-12,) while it exp/icit/y includes himself (the apos- 
tle) and the Ephesians, it also by implication takes 
in all believers. —Whedon.] [‘‘ Hath chosen us,” 
ἐξελέξατο, selected us. I render selected in prefer- 
ence to elected, as better giving the middle sense, 
‘he choose us for himself,” and the ἐξ (shows) that 
it is a choosing out of the world.—A/ford.] [The 
prefix ἐκ, out of, implies an unchosen remainder 
really or conditionally left, which remainder consti- 

241 


A. Μ. 4065, A.1. 61. 
Year of Rome, 514, 


EPHESIANS. 


Redemption obtained for men 
through the blood of Christ. 


hbefore the foundation of the world, that we 
should ‘be holy and without blame before him 
in love: & «Having predestinated us unto 
'the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to 
himself, ™according to the good pleasure of 
his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his 


grace, "wherein he hath made us accepted in 
°the Beloved: 7% PIn whom we have redemp- 
tion through his blood, the forgiveness of 
sins, according to4the riches of his grace; 
s Wherein he hath abounded toward us in 
all wisdom and prudence; 9 "Having made 


10: 5, 27; Col. 1. 22: 
verse 1],—Z John 
. 1.—m Matt. 


21 Pet. 1. 2, a —i Luke 1. 75; chap. 2. 
1 Thess, 4. 7; ‘Tit. 2. 12. k Rom. 8. 20 30: 
1, 12; Rom. 8. 1a; 2 Cor. 6.15: Gal. a 5; |John3. 
11. 26; Luke 12. 325; 1 Cor. 1. 213 verse 9. 


tutes the anti-Church of chapter v, 1-21. This 
choice was part of the grand divine ideal, the univer- 
sal restoration of verse 10.—Whedon.] [᾿Εν αὐτῷ, 
in him, Christ, as the head and representative of the 
spiritual, as Adam was the representative of the nat- 
ural, humanity. — H/icott.]| Before the founda- 
tion of the world—|IIpo καταβολῆς κόσμου. The 
election of grace took place before the creation, the 
beginning of the carrying out of the well- ordered 
plan of the universe, (κόσμος. ) Thus the reference 
to the eternity preceding time is made very strong. 
—Braune. | ‘[Eivac ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους, to be holy 
and blameless, the infinitive of design. The calling 
of believers is not because they are holy, but that 
they may become so. | 

5. Having predestinated us—IIpoopicac. The 
verb προορίζω, I define, or terniinate, (whence ὅρος, 
a boundary or limit,) signifies to define beforehand, 
and circwmscribe by certain bounds or limits. Here 
the word is used to point out God’s fixed purpose 
or predetermination to bestow on the Gentiles the 
blessing of the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ, 
which adoption had been before granted to the 
Jewish people. And the apostle marks that all this 
was foredetermined by God; that the Jews had no 
reason to complain, for God had formed this pur- 
pose before he had given the law, or called them 
out of Egypt; and that, therefore, the conduct of 
God in calling the Gentiles now—bringing them into 
his Church, and conferring on them the gifts and 
graces of the Holy Spirit, was in pursuance of his 
original design; and that, as the Jews were taken 
to be his peculiar people, not because they had any 
goodness or merit in themselves; so the Gentiles 
were called, not for any merit they had, but ac- 
cording to the good pleasure of his will; that 
is, according to his eternal benevolence, showing 
mercy and conferring privileges in this new crea- 
tion, as he had done in the original creation ; for 
as, in creating man, he drew every consideration 
from his own innate eternal benevolence, so now, 
in redeeming man, and sending the glad tidings of 
salvation both to the Jews and the Gentiles, he 
acted on the same principles, deriving all the rea- 
sons of his conduct from his own infinite good- 
ness. 

[ Predestination here, as in Rom. viii, 29, is a des- 
tination to a particular thing, namely, (in this case,) 
to sonship in the image of Christ... . Election is 
the preference for the conditioned object, (person,) 
lying in the eternal divine nature; predestination, 
the specific direction of the object to its (his) par- 
ticular blessed destiny. It (predestination) is the 
divinely established connexion between the conditioned 


object and his final salvation, never being affirmed of 


the wicked.— Whedon. ] 

6. To the praise of the glory of his grace 
—Ading τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ, the glory of his grace, 
for χάρις ἔνδοξος, his glorious or illustrious grace, 
according to the Hebrew idiom. The grace or 
mercy of God is peculiarly illustrated and glorified 

242 


n Rom. 3. 24; 5. 15.—o Matt. 3.17; 17.5: John 3. 3: 
---- Ὁ Acts 20. 28; Rom. 3. 24; Col. 1. 14; Heb. 9. 12; 
18, 19; Rev. 5. 9.—g Rom. 2. 4; 8, 24; 9.23; chap. 2. 7; 
Phil. 4. 19.-—?r Rom, 16. 253; chap. 3. 4,9; Col. 1. 26. 


5; 10. 17. 
1 Pet. 1. 
3. 8, 10; 


in the plan of redemption by Christ Jesus. By the 
giving of the law God’s justice and holiness were 
rendered most glorious ; by the giving of the Gos- 
pel his grace and merey are made equally conspic- 
uous. Wherein he hath made us accepted in 
the Beloved—This translation of ἐν ἧς éyapitwcev 
ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ is not clear; with which he 
has graciously favoured us through the Beloved, is at 
once more literal and more intelligible. W hitby, 
Macknight, and Wakefield translate the passage in 
nearly the same way. [Wherewith he endued us 
in the Beloved.—Revised Version. | 

7. In whom we have redemption—God has 
glorified his grace by giving us redemption by the 
blood of his Son, and this redemption consists in 
forgiving and delivering us from our sins; so then 
Christ’s blood was the redemption price paid down 
for our salvation; and this was according to the 
riches of his grace; as his grace is rich or abundant 
in benevolence, so it was manifested in beneficence 
to mankind, in their redemption by the sacrifice of 
Christ, the measure of redeeming grace being the 
measure of God’s own eternal goodness. Through 
his blood—[The choice of these words (by the 
apostle) is of itself a testimony to the idea of ez- 
piation having been in his mind. Not the death of 
the victim, but its BLoop, was the typical instru- 
ment of expiation.—Harless.] [The nexus we may 
not be able to discover fully, but... the death of 
Christ has governmental relations—has an influence 
on our salvation totally different in nature and 
sphere of operation from its subjective power in 
subduing the heart by the love which it presents, 
and the thrilling motives which it brings to bear 
upon it.— adie. ] 

8. Wherein he hath abounded— That is, in 
the dispensation of mercy and goodness by Christ 
Jesus. In all wisdom and prudence — Giving 
(to) us apostles the most complete instructions in 
heavenly things by the inspiration of his Spirit ; 
and at the same time “ prudence,” that we might 
know when and where to preach the Gospel so that 
it may be effectual to the salvation of those who 
hear it. Nothing less than the Spirit of God could 
teach the apostles that ‘“ wisdom” by which they 
were to instruct a dark and sinful world; and noth- 
ing less than the same Spirit could inspire them with 
that ‘‘ prudence ” (disereetness) which was necessary 
to be exercised in every step of their life and ministry. 
Every minister of Christ needs these still; and if 
he abide not under the influence of both, not ouly 
his prayers but his ministerial labours will be all 
hindered. 

9. Having made known unto us the mys- 
tery—That the Gentiles should ever be received in- 
to the Church of God, and have all the privileges 
of the Jews, without being obliged to submit to 
circumcision and perform the rites and ceremonies 
of the Jewish law was a “mystery”? —a hidden 
thing which had never been published before. It 
was God’s will that it should be so, but that 


God’s purpose to form one Church 
of all believing men, 


known unto us the mystery of his will, ac- 
cording to his good pleasure * which he hath 
purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispen- 
sation of ‘the fulness of times" he might gather 
together in one Yall things in Christ, both 
which arein * heaven, and which are on earth; 


Chap. 3.11; 2 Tim. 1. 9.—7# Gal. 4. 4; Heb. 1.2; 9. 16: 1 Pet. 
1. 20.—w | Cor, 3. 22, 23; 11. 3; chap. 2 15; 3. 16.—» Phil. 3. 
9, 10; Col. 1. 20. wr. the heavens. 


“will” he kept iidden to the present time. <A ‘“ mys- 
tery’ signifies something hidden, but it ceases to 
be a mystery as soon as it is revealed. (See the 
note on Matt. xiii, 11; and particularly that on 
Rom. xi, 25.) (St. Paul ever represents the re- 
demptive counsel of God as a mystery; that is, a 
design hidden in his counsel, until revealed to man- 
kind in and by Christ.— Alfor d.| Good pleas- 
ure—Tiv εὐδοκίαν, that benevolent design which he 
hath purposed in himself, it not being induced 
by any consideration from without. 

10. In the dispensation cf the fulness of 
times—Eic οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν. 
The word οἰκονομία, from which comes our word 
economy, signifies, as Dr. Macknight has well ob- 
served, “the plan which the master of a family, or 
his steward, has established for the management of 
the family; it signifies, also, a plan for the man- 
agement of any sort of business; and here it means 
the dispensation of the Gospel—that plan by which 
God has provided salvation for a lost world; and 
according to which he will gather all believers, 
both Jews and Gentiles, into one Church under Je- 
sus Christ, their head and governor. By the phrase 
“fulness of times” we are to understand either 
the dispensation of the Gospel, which is the con- 
summation of all preceding dispensations, and the 
last that shall be afforded to man; or that ad- 
vanced state of the world which God saw to be the 
most proper for the full manifestation of those benev- 
vlent purposes which he had formed in himself rela- 
tive to the salvation of the world by Jesus Christ. 
(See Gal. iv, 4.) That... he might gather 
together in one—’ Ανακεφαλαιώσασθαι, to reduce to 
one sum; toadd up; to bring different sums to- 
gether, and fractions of sums. so as to reduce them 
under one denomination ; to recapitulate the princi- 
pal matters contained ina discourse. Here it means 
the gathering together both Jews and Gentiles, who 
have believed in Christ, into one Chureh and flock. 
(See the preceding note.) All things... which 
are in heaven, and which are on earth—This 
clause is variously understood: some think, by 
“things in heaven” the Jewish State is meant; 
and by “things on earth” the Christian. Others 
imagine that the “things in heaven” mean the an- 
gelical hosts; and the * things on earth,” believ- 
ers of all nations, who shall all be joined together 
at last in one assembly to worship God throughout 
eternity. And some think that the “ things in 
heaven” mean the saints who died before Christ’s 
advent, and who are not to be made perfect till the 
resurrection unites them with their holy souls, to 
reign in his presence for ever. And some think 
that the “ heavens” and “the earth,” signifying 
all creatures, are to be understood of all mankind, 
without discrimination of peoples, kindreds, or 
tongues; Jews, Greeks, or barbarians. All that 
are saved of all nations, (being saved in the same 
Way, namely, by faith in Christ Jesus, without any 
distinction of nation or previous condition,) and all 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4965. A.D. 6]. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


even in him: ΑἹ *In whom also we have ob- 
tained an inheritance, ¥ being predestinated 
according to #the purpose of ‘him who work- 
eth all things after the counsel of his own 
will: 12 *That we should be to the praise of 
his glory, "who first «trusted in Christ. 13 In 


3. 24; Titus 3.7; 


ω Acts 20. 32; 26.18; Rom. 8, 17: Col. 1. 12; 
3 10, 11.—aVerse 


Jam, 2.4; 1 Pet. 1. 4. —y Verse 5. Isa. 40. 


6. 14; 2 hess. 2, 13,-—U Jam, 1. 18.—ce Or, hoped. 
gathered into one Church or assembly. Evidently 
the forming one Church out of both Jews and 


Gentiles is that to which the apostle refers. This 
agrees with what is said in chapter ii, 14-17. [ 7he 
things in the heavens, universal—not limited to the 
angels, nor spirits of the just, still less to be un- 
derstood of the Jews, those upon the earth being 
Gentiles, but the apostle’s meaning extends much 
further. The construction is a common one, 
all creation is summed up in Christ; it was the re- 
sult of the love of the Father for the Son, and in 
the Son it is all regarded by the Father. ... The 
Church, of which the apostle here mainly treats, is 
subordinated to him in the highest degree of con- 
scious and joyful union.—A/ord. | 

11. In whom—Christ Jesus. Also we—Christ- 
ians, both Jews and Gentiles. Have obtained 
an inheritance—W hat was promised to Abraham 
and his spiritual seed, namely, the adoption of sons 
and the kingdom of heaven, signified by the privi- 
leges under the Mosaic dispensation and the pos- 
session of the promised land. Being predesti- 
nated—God having determined to bring both Jews 
and Gentiles to salvation, not by works, nor by any 
human means or schemes, but by Jesus Christ ; that 
salvation being defined and determined before in 
the divine mind, and the means by which it should 
be brought about all being according to his purpose, 
who consults not his creatures, but operates ac- 
cording to the counsel of his own will, that be- 
ing ever wise, gracious, and good. The original 
reference is still kept up here in the word zpoopic- 
θέντες, being predestinated, as in the word προορίσας, 
verse 5. And as the apostle speaks of obtaining 
the inheritance, he most evidently refers to that of 
which the promised land was the type and pledge. 
And as that land was assigned to the Israelites by 
limit and lot, both of which were appointed by 
God, so the salvation now sent to the Gentiles was 
as expressly their lot or portion as the promised 
land was that of the people of Israel. All this 
shows that the Israelites were a typical people ; 
their land, the manner of possessing it, their εὐ 
and religious code, ete., all typical ; and that in, by, 
and through them, God had fore-determined, fore- 
described, and fore-ascertained a greater and more 
glorious people, among whom the deepést counsels 
of his wisdom should be manifested, and the most 
powerful works of his eternal merey, grace, holi- 
ness, goodness, and truth be fully exhibited. Thus 
there was nothing fortuitous in the Christian 
scheme; all was the result of infinite counsel and 
design. (See on verse 5. 

15. That we—|' Ἡμᾶς, we, here first distinguished 
ee ὑμεῖς, ye, in the next verse.] Apostles and 
messengers of God, to whom the first offers of sal- 
vation were made, ‘and who were the first that be- 
lieved in Christ. Should be to the praise of his 
glory— By being the means of preaching Christ 
crucified to the Gentiles, and spreading the Gospel 
throughout the world. 

243 


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EPHESIANS. 


The apostle’s wonderful prayer 
for believers at Ephesus, 


whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard ¢ the 
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: 
in whom also, after that ye believed, cye 
were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, 
14 ¢ Which is the earnest of our inheritance 
£ until the redemption of ® the purchased posses- 
sion, 'unto the praise of his glory. 15 Where- 
fore I also, «after 1 heard of your faith in the 


Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 
16 ' Cease not to give thanks for you, making 
mention of you in my prayers; 17 That "the 
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of 
glory, "may give unto you the spirit of wis- 
dom and revelation °in the knowledge of him: 
Is Pp The eyes of your understanding being en- 
lightened; that ye may know what is ‘the 


d John 1.17; 2 Cor. 6. 7. 6 Cor. 1. 99; chap. 4. 30.— 
"2 Cor. 1. 22; 5. 5.—g Luke 21. 28; Rom. 8. 23; chap. 4. 30.— 
iVerses6, 12; 1 Pet. 2.9.—ACol. 1.4; Philem. 4. 


,Acts 2'!, 28, 


13. In whom ye also trusted—[There is no 
word for “trusted” in the original. Some good 
critics would supply ἐστέ, were, which is less violent, 
and makes good sense. The apostle delighted to 
reiterate the idea that Christians are im Christ. 
See Alford.] Ye Gentiles, having heard from us 
the word, τὸν λόγον, the doctrine of the truth, 
which is the gospel, or glad tidings, of your sal- 
vation, have believed, as we Jews have done, and 
received similar blessings to those with which God 
has favoured us. ‘In whom also,” ἐν ᾧ, Christ 
Jesus—after that ye believed, namely, that he 
was the only Saviour, and that through his blood 
redemption might be obtained, ye were sealed 
with that Holy Spirit of promise: that is, The 
Holy Spirit, which is promised to those who believe 
on Christ Jesus, was given to you, and thus you 
were ascertained tu be the children of God; for 
God has no child who is not a partaker of the Holy 
Ghost, and he who has this Spirit has God’s seal 
that he belongs to the heavenly family. It was 
customary among all nations, when a person pur- 
chased goods of any kind, to mark with his seal 
that which he had bought, in order that he might 
know it, and be able to claim it if mixed with the 
goods of others; to this custom the apostle may 
here allude: but it was also customary to set, a seal 
upon what was dedicated to God, or what was to be 
offered to him in sacrifice. (See on John vi, 27.) 
[The sealing was objective, making manifest to 
others; but also subjective, an approval and sub- 
stantiation of their faith ... This, and not the 
other alternative, that the Spirit confirms God’s 
promises to us, is the true rendering. The fact 


that the Spirit is to ws “the Spirit of promise,” is 
abundantly expressed in the following clause. _See 


Alford. ] 

14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance 
—The Holy Spirit, sealing the soul with truth and 
rigliteousness, is earnest, foretaste, and pledge of the 
heavenly inheritance. And he who can produce 
this earnes(—this witness of the Spirit—in the day 
of judgment, shall have an abundant entrance into 
the holiest. On the ἀρραβὼν, or earnest, see the 
notes on 2 Cor, i, 22. The redemption of the 
purchased possession—’ ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς TEpLTOL- 
yocwc, [used here in the sense as “the Church 
which he purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 
xx, 28.) The Church is already purchased, and so 
belongs to Christ of right; its complete redemption 
is not yet consummated, but is assured.] Unto 
the praise of his glory—[The thorough and final 
redemption of the Church which he has acquired 
to himself (through Christ,) is the greatest triumph 
of his (the Father’s) glory.— Alford. | 

[In verses 15-23 the idea of the Church is car- 
ried forward in the form of a prayer for the Ephe- 
sians, in which the fulfilment of the Pather’s coun- 
sel throush the Son and by the Spirit, in his peo- 
ple, is set forth, as consisting in the knowledge of 

244 


9: 


7Rom. 1. 9; Phil. 1. 3, 4; Col. 1. 3; 1 Thess. 1. 2; 2 Thess, 
1. 3.—7 John 20. 17. —~7 Col. 1. 9.—o Or, for the acknowl- 
edgment; Col. 2. 2.—p Acts 26. 18.—g Chap. 2. 12; 4. 4. 


the hope of calling, of the riches of his promise, 
and the power which he exercised on his saints as 
first wrought by him, in Christ, whom he has made 
head over all to the Church.—A/ford. } 

15. Wherefore—[Ava τοῦτο, for this. What is 
named in verses 13, 14, axovoac, having heard of.| 
Faith... and love unto all—Cordial reception 
of the Christian religion, amply proved by their 
love to all the saints—to all the Christians. Per- 
haps ‘‘ love,” here, implies not only the kind affee- 
tion so called, but also all the fruits of love—be- 
nevolence, and kind offices of every description. 

16. Cease not to give thanks—The apostle 
intimates, so fully satisfied was he of the genuine- 
ness of their conversion and of their steadiness 
since their conversion, that it was to him a con- 
tinual cause of thanksgiving to God, who had 
brought them into that state of salvation; and of 
prayer, that they might be preserved blameless to 
the end. Making mention of you—[“ Of you” 
is not in the original, and probably it should be 
exchanged for of them, that is, your faiéh and 
love. | 

17. That the God of our Lord Jesus—Jesus 
Christ, as man and mediator, has the Father for his 
God and Father; and it is in reference to this 
that he himself says: 1] ascend wnto my Father and 
your Father, and to my God and your God. (John 
xx, 17.) The Father of glory—The author and 
giver of that glory which you may expect as 
being found in Christ. This may be a Hebraism 
for glorious Father, but the former appears to be 
the better sense. [God is the Father—by being the 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—of that 
glory, the true and all-including glory, and only 
glory, of the Godhead, which shone forth in the 
manhood of the only begotten Son, (John i, 14,) the 
true shechinah, which his saints beheld in the face 
of Christ.— A/ford.| The Spirit of wisdom and 
revelation—I pray that God may give you his 
Holy Spirit, by whom his will is revealed to men, 
that he may teach and make you wise unto salva- 
tion, that you may continue to have the full knowl- 
edge (ἐπεγνώσις) of him, Christ Jesus, as your only 
Lord and Saviour. 

18. The eyes of your understanding being 
enlightened — [Instead of διανοίας, (understand- 
ing,) most of the best authorities have καρδίας, 
(heart,) which doubtless should be received.] What 
the eye is to the body the heart is to the soul; and 
as the eye is not light in itself, and can discern noth- 
ing but by the means of light shining not only on 
the objects to be viewed but into the eye itself, so 
the heart of man can discern no sacred thing of or 
by itself, but sees by the influence of the Spirit of 
wisdom and revelation; for without the influence 
of God’s Holy Spirit no man ever became wise un- 
to salvation, no more than a man ever discerned an 
object (no matter how perfect soever his eye might 
have been) without the instrumentality of light. 


Conclusion of the apostle’s 
wonderful prayer. 


the glory of his ‘inheritance in the saints, 
19 
his 
ing 


20 


power to us-ward who believe, * accord- 
to the working tof his mighty power, 


places, 2 Far above all * principality, 


and power, and might, and dominion, and 


CHAPTER I. 
hope of his calling, and what the riches of 
And what is the exceeding greatness of 
Which he wrought in Christ, when 


"he raised him from the dead, and ‘set him 
at his own right hand in the heavenly 


A. M. 4065. A. D. 61, 


Year of Rome, Sid. 


every name that is named, not only in this 
world, but also in that which is to come: 
22 And yhath put all things under his 
feet, and gave him τέο be the head over all 
things to the church, 28 °Which is his 
body, ethe fulness of him athat filleth all 
in all. 


CHAPTER II. 
een *you hath he quickened, "who were 


r Verse !1.—s Chap. 3.7: Col. 1. 29; 
might of his power.—u Acts 2. Ud, 33. " 
7. 9,56; Col. 3. 1: Heb. 1.3% 10, 12,—v Phil. 2. 9, 10; 
10; Heb. 1. 4.—a Rom. 8. 38; Col. 1. 16; 2, 15. 


2. 12..—7tGr. of the 
» Psa. 110.1; Acts 
Col, ὃ. 
y Psa. 8.6: 


Matt. 28.18; 1 Cor. 15. 27; Heb, 2, 8.—- Chap. 4. 15, 16; Col. 
1, 13; Heh, 2. 7,—o Rom, 12.5; 1 Cor, 12.12, 97: chap. 4. 12; 
ὃ, 23, 30; Col. 1. 18, 24—pCol. 2, 9.—dq 1 Cor, 12. 6; chap, 4. 
10; Col. 3. 11.—a John 5. 24; Col, 2. 13.—s Ver. 5; chap. 4. 18. 


The hope of his calling—That you may clearly 
discern [have just appreciation of] the glorious and 
important objects of your hope, to the enjoyment 
of which God has called you; and the riches of the 


glory of his inheritance—The glorious abundance 
of the spiritual things to which you are entitled in 
consequence of being made children of God. 

19. The exceeding greatness of his power 
—[The third object of the insight is the power of 
God, which leads from the calling to the inheri- 
tance. The “exceeding greatness ” of this power 
is a worthy object of profound (spiritual) insight. 
It must and can also be experienced, since it makes 
itself felt “ to us-ward ”—to those “ who believe.” — 
Braune.| According to the working of his 
mighty power—Kara τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους 
τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, according to (through, by virtue 
of ) the energy of the power of his might. We may 
understand these words thus: MIGHT, ἰσχύος, is the 
State or simple efficiency of this attribute in God ; 
POWER, κράτους, is this might or efficiency in action ; 
ENERGY, ἐνέργεια, is the quantum of force, mo- 
mentum, or velocity with which the power is ap- 
plied. Though they appear to be synonymous terms 
they may be thus understood: passive power is 
widely different from, power in action; and power 
in action will be in its results according to the 
energy or momentum with which it is applied. 
The effect here is, in proportion to the cause and 
the energy he puts forth in order to produce it, 
But such is the nature of God’s power in action, 
that it is perfectly inconceivable to us; and even 
these astonishingly strong words of the apostle are 
to be understood as used in condescension to hu. 
man weakness, [The resurrection of Christ was not 
ἃ mere bodily act, an earnest of our bodily resur- 
rection, but was a spiritual act, the raising of his hu- 
manity (which is ours)... from infirmity to glory, 
from the cursE to the final TRIUMPH.— A/ford. | 

21. Far above all principality, and power, 
and might, and dominion—[That is, God hath 
invested him with uncontrollable authority over all 
demons in hell, all angels in heaven, and all the 
princes and potentates on earth. And every name 
that is named—We know the king is above all, 
though we cannot name all the officers of his court. 
So we know that Christ is above all, though we are 
not able to name all his subjects. Not only in 
this world, but also in that which is to come 
—The world “to come” is so styled, not because 
it does not exist, but because it is not yet visible. 
Principalities and powers are named now. But 
those also who are not even named in this world, 
but shall be revealed in the world to come, are all 
subject to Christ.— Wesley.] It is certain that the 
apostle means that all created power, 
influence are under Christ ; 


glory, and! dead. 
and hence it is added—| his heart, in the three following verses, runs into a 


22. And hath put all things under his feet— 
All beings and things are subject to him, whether 
they be thrones, dominions, principalities, or pow- 
ers ; (Col. i, 16-18, and ii, 10;) for he, God the Fa- 
ther, has given him to be head—chief and supreme 
over all, ἐο the Church, the Church having no ruler 
but Jesus Christ; others may be officers in his 
Church, but he alone is head and supreme, 

23. Which is his body—aAs he is head over all 
things, he is head to the Chiurch y and this Church 
is considered as the body of which he is especially 
the head; and from him as the head, the Church 
receives light, life, and intelligence. The ful- 
ness of him—That in which he especially man- 
ifests his power, goodness, and truth; for though 
he fills all the world with his presence, yet he fills 
all the members of his mystical body with wisdom, 
goodness, truth, and holiness, in an especial man- 
ner, Some understand the “fulness” or πλήρωμα, 
here, as signifying the thing to be filled; so the 
Christian Church is to be filled by him whose ful- 
ness fills all his members with all spiritual gifts 
and graces. And this corresponds with what St. 
John says, (chapter i, 16:) “And of his fulness 
have all we received, and grace for grace:” and 
with what is said in Col. ii, 9, 10, “Ye are complete 
in him;” καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῳ πεπληρωμένοι, and ye 
are in him filled full ; that is, with gifts and grace, 


How, in any other sense, the Church ean be said 
to be the fulness of him who fills all in all, is dithi- 
cult to say. However, as Jesus Christ is repre- 
sented to be the head, and the Church, the body 
under that head, the individuals being so many 
members in that body; and as it requires a body 
(members) to make a head complete: so it requires a 
Chureh, or general assembly of believers, to make 
up the body of Christ. When, therefore, the Jews 
and Gentiles are brought into this Church, the 
body may be said to be complete; and thus Christ 
has his visible fulness upon earth, and the Church 
may be said to be the fulness of him, ete. (See 
verse 10.) [It (the Church) is veritably his body ; 
not that which in our glorified humanity he per- 
sonally bears, but that in which he, as the Christ of 
God, is manifested and glorified by spiritual or- 
ganization.— A/ford. | 


NOTES CN CHAPTER II. 

1, And you hath he quickened—[And you 
also ; the sentence is incomplete, but the sense is 
plain, as expressed by the words supplied.] [In the 
19th and 20th verses of the preceding chapter, Paul 
spoke of God’s working in them by the same al- 
mighty power whereby he raised Christ from the 
On the mention of this he, in the fulness of 


245 


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Year of Rome, 814. 


dead in trespasses and sins; 2 ¢ Where- 
in in time past ye walked according to the 
course of this world, according to 4 the prince 
of the power of the air, the spirit that now 
worketh in ¢the children of disobedience: 
Φ ‘Among whom also we all had our conver- 
sation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, 


el Cor. Ὁ, 11; chap. 4. 22: Coll 1:21: +3. 7 1 John 5. 19,.— 
Hupeee 6. 12 5.6; Col. 3. 6— Ὁ Titus 3. 3; 1 Pet. 
g Gal. 5. 16. sae He the wills.—i Psa. 51. 5: Rom. 


EPHESIANS. 


Former character and conversion 
of the Ephesians, 


fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the 
mind; and ‘were by nature the children of 
wrath, even as others. 4 But God, * who is 
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he 
loved us, & !Even when we were dead in 
sins, hath ™quickened us together with Christ, 
("by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised 


5. 12, 14 k Rom. 10. 12; chap. 1. 7: 
8, 10; verse 1.— Rom. 6. 4, 5; Col. 
n Or, by whose grace: see Acts 15, 


p 7.—/ Rom. 5d. 6, 
2. 12, 18; 3.1, 3.— 
verse 8; Titus 3. 5. 


flow of thought concerning the glory of Christ’s 
exaltation. He here resumes the thread of his dis- 
course. Who were dead — Not only diseased, 
but dead; absolutely void of all spiritual life ; and 
as incapable of quickening yourselves, as persons 
literally dead.— Wes/ey.] ΤῊ trespasses and sins 
—(It is doubtful whether or not the apostle intended 
different things by the two words ‘ trespasses ” and 
“sins ;” if so, the former may refer to sinful acts, 
and the latter to the depraved state of their hearts. | 
2. Wherein in time past ye walked—There 
is much force in these expressions ; the Ephesians 
had not sinned casually, or now and then, but con- 
tinually ; it was their continual employment: they 
““walked” in trespasses and sins; and this was not 
a solitary case, all the nations of the earth acted in 
the same way; it was the course of this world, 
κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, according to the 
life, mode of living, or successive ages of this world. 
The word αἰών, the literal meaning of which is con- 
slant duration, is often applied to things which 
have a complete course ; 80, here, the whole of life 
is a tissue of sin from the cradle to the grave, 
every liuman soul, unsaved by Jesus Christ, con- 
tinues to transgress. And the nominally Christian 
world is in the same state to the present day. Age 
after age passes on in this way and the living lay j it 
not to heart. The prince of the power of the 
air—|’ Ajp, air, which in its etymology reminds us 
of αἱών and in its nature of πνεῦμα, (spirit, ) is (liter- 
ally) the air, the atmosphere surrounding the earth, 
breathed by all, acting upon the κόσμος, the world of 
men, standing in many relations to and exerting 
great power and influence upon their life; hence 
the power which the prince (the devil) controls is 
described as “of the air;” in this (the spirit of the 
world, society) are found the place and character of 
the power—its medium, element, region, and domain, 
its means and mode. ... We too say, it lies in the 
air, in the time, thus denoting a quiet, profound, and 
power ful operation. Thus Satan, with his kingdom, 
is sharply characterized ; his nature spreading wide. 
ly miasmata of corrupting power, from which even 
those truly living can scarcely withdraw or defend 
themselves ; miasmata from diabolical choke-d: amp, 
(as in the French Revolution,) even to the most re- 
fined ethereal poisons of classical sesthetic litera- 
ture.-—Braune.| [The κόσμος of the New Testa- 
ment is opposed to God, for it hates Christianity : 
the believer does not belong to it, (John XVil, 14,) 
for it is crucified to him and he to it. (Gal. vi, 14.) 
That same world may be an ideal sphere compre- 
hending all that is sinful in thought or pursuit, all 
that out-field which lies beyond the livi ing Church of 
Christ.—Hadie.|_The spirit that now worketh 
—Tov νῦν ἐνερ) οὔντος. The sphere of the opera- 
tions of the prince of this world (John xiv, 80, 
ete.) is the wicked heart of man, and im this he 
works with energy. He seldom inspires indiffer- 
ence to religion; the subjects in whom he works 


they are systematic and energetic transgressors of 
God’s laws. Children of disobedience — Per- 
haps a Hebraism for disobedicnt children ; but, 
taken as it stands here, it is a strong expression in 
which “ disobedience,” ἡ ἀπειθεία, appears to be 
personified, and wicked men exhibited as her chil- 
dren; the “ prince of the power of the air” being 
their father, while “disobedience” is their mother. 
Thus they are emphatically, what our Lord calls 
them, (Matt. xiii, 38,) children of the wicked one ; for 
they show themselves to be of their father the 
devil, because they wi/l do his works. (John viii, 44.) 

3. Among whom also we all had our con- 
versation—“ We” Jews, as well as you Gentiles, 
have lived in transgressions and sins ; ἀνεστράφημεν, 
this was the course of our life ; we lived in sin, walked 
in sin, it was woven through our whole constitution, 
it tinged every temper, polluted every faculty, and 
perverted every transaction of life. The lusts— 
the evil, irregular, and corrupt affections of the 
heart showed themselves in the perversion of the 
mind as well as in our general conduct. The mind 
was darkened by the lusts of the flesh, and both 
conjoined to produce acts of unrighteousness. It was 
not the will cf God that was done by us, but the 
will of the flesh and of the mind. Ard were 
by nature the children of wrath — [Wrath- 
children by nature.—Meyer.] For the iniport of 
the phrase, by nature, φύσει, see the note on Gal. 
ii, 15, and Rom. ii, 14. [Φίσις, in its fyndamental 
idea, is that which has grown as distinguished from 
that which has been effected. .. . The φύσις, nuture, 
of any individual thing denotes the peculiarity of 
its being, which is the result of its being as op- 
posed to every accessary quality.—Hazless.| [The 
wrath of God is not to be understood merely of that 
of the future judgment, the holy emotion of abso- 
lute displeasure at evil (sin) which is necessarily 
posited by absolute love to the goog, and is thus the 
necessary principle of temporal and eternal punish- 
ment on the part of God.—Meyer.] “Children of 
wrath” is the same as son of perdition, son of death, 
ete. ; that is, persons exposed to God’s displeasure 
because of their sins. 

4. But God, who is rich in mercy—As they 
were corrupt in their nature, and sinful in their 
practice, they could possess no merit, nor have any 
claim upon God; and it required much “mercy” 
to remove so much misery and to pardon such 
transgressions. His great love—God’s infinite 
love is the groundwork of our salvation; in refer- 
ence to us (fallen men) that love assumes the form 
of mercy, and that mercy provides the Saviour, the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

5. Even when we were dead in sins—[Re- 
peating this affirmation to give it emphasis because 
of its importance.] [God vivifies (quickens) us éo- 
gether with Christ; in the one act and fact of his 
(Christ’s) resurrection he raised all his people to 
spiritual life, and to victory over death.—A/ford.] 


are either determinate opposers of true religion, or | Hath quickened us together with Christ—God 


246 


Salvation is by grace through 
faith, and not of works, 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4065. Α. Ὁ. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


us up together, and made ws sit together °in | Christ Jesus unto good works, *’ which God 


heavenly places in Christ Jesus: % That in 
the ages to come he might show the exceed- 
ing riches of his grace, in νἀ kindness to- 
ward us, through Christ Jesus. αὶ 4For by 
grace are ye saved ‘through faith; and that 
not of yourselves: ‘it is the gift of God; 
9 ‘Not of works, lest any man should boast. 
10 For we are “his workmanship, created in 


hath before * ordained that we should walk in 
them. 11 Wherefore *remember, that ye 
being in tine past Gentiles in the flesh, who 
are called Uncireumcision by that which is 
called ¥ the Circumcision in the flesh made by 
hands; 12. #That at that time ye were with- 
out Christ, *being aliens from the common- 
w valth of Israel, and strangers from 'the cove- 


oChap. 1. 20.—~p Titus 8. 4.—g Romans 3. 24; verse 
2 Tim. 1. §.—vr Romans 4. 16.—s Matt. 16. abs ; John 6. 44, 
Romans 10. 14, 15, 17; chap. 1. 19: Phil. 1. 29, 
20, 27, 28; 4.9: 9. IL; il. 6: 1 Cor, 1. 29, 30, Lia 
3. 5.—vw Deut. 32. 6; Psa. 100. 3; Isa. 19. 25: 29. 233 44. 215 


has given us as complete a resurrection from the 
death of sin toa life of righteousness as the body 
of Christ had from the grave. And as this quicken- 
ing, or making alive, was most gratuitous on God’s 
part, the apostle, with great propriety, says: By 
grace ye are saved. 

6. And hath raised us up together... in 
Christ Jesus —[Not only with Christ, by virtue 
of our fellowship, but 7 Christ, by virtue of our 
mystical, central, or organic union with him. — 
Eadie.| 

7. That in the ages to come—[Here it is man- 
ifest, 1) that the αἰῶνες (ages) from which the mys- 
tery was hidden are the past ages of the world ; and 
2) that those to whom, as here, God will make 
known the riches of his glory, are his saints, his 
Church on earth. The αἰῶνες ἐπερχομένες, are the 
coming ages of the Church, and the persons involved 
in them are the future members of the Church, 
(that is, believers.) Chapter i, 12.—A/ford.| That 
... he might show—|The verb stands emphatical, 
first, (in the original,) and has the signification of 
an efficient cause. making known through causing 
to experience. — Brawne. Ϊ᾿ This observation of the 
apostle is of great use and importance; because we 
are authorized to state, in all the successive ages of 
the world, that he who saved the sinners at Ephe- 
sus is ever ready to save all who, like them, repent 
of their sins, and believe in Christ Jesus. 

8; 9. For by grace are ye saved, through 
faith—Since, when this Gospel reached you, you 
were all found dead in trespasses and in sins, 
therefore it was God’s free merey to you, manifested 
through Christ, in whom ye believed by the power 
of the Holy Spirit, that ye received, and were 
sealed by, the Holy Spirit of promise; so that this 
salvation is not of yourselves, (as to either power 
or worthiness,) but is the free gift of God; and 
not of any kind of works; so that no man can 
boast as havi ing wrought out his own salvation, or 
even contributed any * thing toward it. This is a 
true doctrine, and continues to be essential to the 
salvation of man to the end of the world. “By 
this grace ye are saved through faith: and Tuts 
(τοῦτο, this salvation) not of you; it is the gift of 
God, not of works: so that no one ean boast.” 
“The relative τοῦτο, this, which is in the neuter 
gender, cannot stand for πίστις, faith, which is the 
feminine ; but it has the whole sentence that goes 
before for its antecedent.” Faith is the gift of 
God as to the grace by which it is produced; but 
the grace or power to believe, and the act of be- 
lieving, are two different things. Without the grace 
or divinely given power to believe, no man ever did 
or can exercise saving faith ; but with that power 
the act of faith is a man’s own. God never be- 
lieves fur any man any more than he repents for 


chap. 4, 24; Titus 2. 14. 


John 3. 3, 5; 1 Cor. 3. 9; 2 Cor. 5. 5,17: 

—» Chap. oe 4.—w Or, prepared. αὐ1 Cor. 12. δι chap. 
5. 8: Col. 1. 21: 2. 13. —— y Romans 2. 28, 29; Col. 11.—— 
2 Chap. 4. 18; Col. 1. 21.—u See Ezek. 13. 9; John 10. 16.—— 


ᾧ Romans 9, 4, ἃ, 


him ; the penitent, through this grace enabling him, 
believes for himself: nor does “he believe wecessa- 
rily, or by compulsion, when he has that power: the 
power to believe may be present when it is not 
exercised, else why the solemn w arnings with which 
we meet everyw here in the word of God, and threat- 


enings against those who do not believe! This, 
therefore, is the true state of the case: God gives 


the power, man uses the power thus given, and 
brings glory to God: without the power no man 
can believe; with it, any man may, (or may 
not.) 

10. For we are his workmanship—So far is 
this salvation from being our own work, or granted 
for our own works’ sake, that we are ourselves not 
only the ereatures of God, but our new creation is 
produced by his power; for we are created in 
Christ Jesus unto good works—For though we 
are not saved for our good works, yet we are saved 
that we may perform good works, to the glory of God 
and the benefit of man. [Of him we are the handi- 
work. A spiritual creation, with the incidental design 
that we should render “ good works,” not being 
saved by them, or on account of their deserts, but 
having been saved, that corresponding works should 
be rendered.] Which God hath before ordained 
— Οἷς προητοίμασεν, for which God before pre: 
pared us, that we might walk in them. 'The before 
ordaining, or rather preparing, may refer to the 
time when God began the new creation in their 
hearts, [and also the original purposes of grace in 
respect to all that are truly and experimentally 
called,| for obedience to the will of God is the 
very element in which a holy or regenerated soul 
lives. 

11. Wherefore — [Since so many and great 
blessings are given by God to his people, among 
whom ye 8.6.1] Remember — [What ye were— 
heathens—without the mark of the Abrahamic cove- 
nant in your flesh.] [The expression (ἀκροβυστία, 
rendered rather freely Uncircumcision) is depie- 
ciatory; as concerns the people who bore the name 
Περυτομή, (Circumcision.) — Meyer.] [They are 
reminded of their former state of entire separa- 
tion from the covenanted mercy of God. (Rom. ix, 
4, 7.)] 

12. That at that time ye were without 
Christ—Not only were not Christians, but had no 
knowledge of the Christ or Messiah, and no (out- 
ward) title to the blessings which were to proceed 
from him. Being aliens from the common- 
wealth of Israel—[ Both as to their temporal priv- 
ileges and spiritual blessings. And strangers from 
the covenants of promise—The great promise in 
both the Jewish and Christian covenants was the 
Messiah ; having no hope, because they had no 
promise whereon to ground their hope. And (be- 

247 


A. M. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814, 


EPHESIANS. 


Believing Jews and Gentiles 
constituted one Church, 


nants of promise, ὁ having no hope, 4and with- 
out God in the world: 18 e¢But now, in 
Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were ‘far off 
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For 
&he is our peace, » who hath made both one, 
and hath broken down the middle wall of par- 
tition between us ; 15 ‘Having abolished * in 
his flesh the enmity, even the law of command- 


cl Thess. 4. 13.—d Gal. 4. 8; 1 Thess. 4. 5.—eGal. 3. 28. 
—/ Acts 2 39; verse 17. σ Micah 5. ὃ; John 16, 33; Acts 10. 
86: Romans 5. 1; Col. 1. 20, A John 10, 16; Gal. ὃ. 23.— 
4Col. 2. 14, 20. A Col. 1. 22.—72 Cor. ὅ. 17; Gal. ὃ. 15; 
chap. 4. 24. 


ments contained in ordinances ; for to make in 
himself of twain one 'new man, so making 
peace; 4&6 And that he might ™reconcile 
both unto God in one body by the cross, ® hay- 
ing siain the enmity °thereby: 17% And came 
Pand preached peace to you which were afar 
off, and to 4them that were nigh. 18 For 
‘through him we both have access *by one 


m Col. 1, 20, 21, 22.—mn Rom 6. 6; 8. 3; Col. 2. 14.—o Or, 
in himselfim—p Isa. 57. 19; Zech. 9. 10; Acts 2. 39; 10. 363 
Rom, ὅ: 1; verses 13, 14. ——g Psa. 148. 14.— 7 John 10. 9; 14.6; 
Rom. 4. 2; chap. 3. 12; Heb. 4. 16; 10, 19, 20; 1 Peter 3. 18.— 
$1 Cor. 12. 13; chap. 4. 4. 


ing) without God—Wholly ignorant of the true 
God, and so in effect atheists. Such in truth are, 
more or less, all men in all ages, till they know 
God by the teaching of his own Spirit. In the 
world—The wide, vain world, wherein ye wan- 
dered up and down, unholy and unhappy.— Wes- 
ley.| [The apostle seems to seek especially to im- 
press those whom he addressed with a deep and 
lively sense of the misery of their condition, until 
saved by the Gospel. As the picture here drawn is 
simply that of the heathen world as such, it leaves 
but little room for hope in respect to them in their 
relations to the divine judgment. | 

13. But now—[Nvvi, in antithesis to τῷ καιρῷ 
ἐκείνῳ, at that time, of verse 12, marking the transi- 
tion.]| In Christ Jesus—[Before they were with- 
out Christ, χωρίς, away from him ; now they are in 
him.| Ye who sometime were far off—Being 
“far off,” signified the state of the Gentiles, as con- 
tradistinguished from the Jews, who were nigh. 
And these expressions were used in reference to 
the tabernacle, God’s dwellingplace among the Is- 
raelites, and the sacrifices there offered. All those 
who had access to this tabernacle, or were nigh to 
it or encamped about it, were said to be nigh to 
God; those who had no access to it were said to be 
far off. Hence the latter phrase is used to distin- 
guish the Gentiles from the Jewish people. [All 
who are brought into Christ receive his peace, (Rom 
v, 1.) and are also reconciled to all men. (Luke 
ii, 14.)] You Gentiles, who were unacquainted with 
God, and were even without God in the world, are 
brought to an acquaintance with him; and are now, 
through Christ Jesus, brought into the favour and 
fellowship of God. And as the Jews of old ap- 
proached God by the blood of their sacrifices, so 
you approach him by the blood of Christ. 

14. For he is our peace—[ Αὐτὸς, emphatic, 
HE and no other; he alone, as the Christ, the Re- 
storer.] Jesus Christ has died for both Jews and 
Gentiles, and has become a peace offering, to recon- 
cile both to God and to each other. Who hath 
made both one—Formed one Church out of the 
believers of both people. [Τὰ ἀμφότερα, the both, 
and ἕν, one; neuters with nouns; the two kinds or 
classes have become one.]| The middle wall of 
partition—By abolishing the law of Jewish ordi- 
nances, he has removed that which kept the two 
parties not only in a state of separation, but also at 
variance, [The reconciliation which Christ effected 
between Jew and Gentile was in fact only a subor- 
dinate step of the great reconciliation of both to 
God, which he effected by his sacrifice in the flesh. 
—Alford.] This expression, “the middle wall,” can 
refer only to that most marked distinction which the 
Jewish laws and customs made between them and 
all other nations whatsoever. [Which itself grew 
out of the separated life of the Jews, as God’s pe- 

248 


culiar people. The added words “ between us,” are 
entirely superfluous. | 

15. Having abolished in his flesh—By his 
incarnation and death Jesus Christ not only made 
an atonement for sin, but he appointed the doctrine 
of reconciliation to God, and of love to each other, 
to be preached in all nations; and thus glory was 
brought to God in the highest, and on earth peace 
and goodwill were diffused among men. The en- 
mity—The “ enmity ” of which the apostle speaks 
was reciprocal among the Jews and Gentiles; the 
former detested the Gentiles, and could hardly allow 
them the denomination of men; the latter had the 
Jews in the most sovereign contempt, because of 
the peculiarity of their religious rites and cere- 
monies, which were different from those of all the 
other nations of the earth. [Their enmity against 
God was the real cause of separation, first from 
God, and then between Jew and Gentile. Christ, by 
abolishing the first, abolished the other also.—Al- 
ford.) The law of commandments— Contained 
in, or rather concerning, ordinances; which law 
was made (among other things) for the purpose of 
keeping the Jews a distinct people, and pointing 
out the Son of God till he should come. When, 
therefore, the end of its institution was answered, 
it was no longer necessary ; and Christ, by his death, 
abolished it. To make in himself—To make one 
Church out of both people, which should be con- 
sidered the body of which Jesus Christ is the head. 
Thus he makes one new man—one new Church ; 
and thus he makes and establishes peace. 

16. That he might reconcile both. ..in one 
body—(The relation of the believer to Christ is 
direct and primary; but to the Church it is only 
secondary, as to both time and sequence. And as 
all who are saved are iz him, so they compose “one 
body.” The reconciliation of men to God, by the 
death of Christ, effectually destroys the enmity. 
The outward cause of it is taken away by the in- 
coming of the Gospel, by which the law of “ ordi- 
uances ” is superseded ; the inward by the work of 
the divine Spirit, creating our peace. | 

17. And came and preached peace—[Pro- 
claimed the readiness of God to forgive and save 
both Jews and Gentiles. ] 

18. For through him (Christ Jesus) we both 
(Jews and Gentiles) have access by one Spirit, 
through the influence of the Holy Ghost, unto the 
Father, God Almighty. This text is a plain proof 
of the Holy Trinity. Jews and Gentiles are to be 
presented unto God the Farner; the Spirir of God 
works in their hearts, and prepares them for this 
presentation; and Jesus Curisr himself introduces 
them. No soul can have access to God but by Je- 
sus Christ, and he introduces none but such as re- 
ceive his Holy Spirit. All who receive that Spirit 
are equally dear to him ; and, whatever their names 


The Church is founded upon 
~ Christ and his truth. 


CHAPTER IZ. 


A. M. 4965, A. D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye 
are no more strangers and foreigners, but ¢ fel- 
low citizens with the saints, and of "the house- 
hold of God; 20 And are * built “upon the 
foundation of the * apostles and prophets, Jesus 
" tPhil. 3. 20; Heb. 12, 22, 23, —w Gal. 6, 10: chap. 3. 15. 


1 Cor. 3. 9, 10; chap. 4. 12; 1 Peter 2, 4, 5.—2w Matt. 16. 18; 
Gal. 2.9; Rev. 21. 14. 


may be among men, they are known in heaven as 
children of God and heirs of eternal glory. 

19. Ye are no more strangers—[In this chap- 
ter the Church of God is compared to a city, which 
has a variety of privileges, rights, ete., founded on 
regular charters and grants. The Gentiles, having 
believed in Christ, are all incorporated with the be- 
lieving Jews in this holy city. Formerly, when any 
of them came to Jerusalem, being ξένοι, strangers, 
they had no kind of rights whatever; nor could 
they, as mere heathens, settle among them. Again, 
if any of them acknowledged the God of Israel, 
but did not receive cirewmcision, he might dwell in 
the land, but he had no right to the blessings of 
the covenant; such might be called πάροικοι, so- 
journers—persons who have no social or political 
status in the commonwealth. Fellow citizens 
with the saints—| Called to the enjoyment of the 
common privileges of believers ; who were bound to 
be holy, and therefore were often called saints, or 
holy persons, when both their hearts and conduct 
were far from being right in the sight of God. 
But the saints spoken of here are the converted 
or Christianized Jews. Of the household of 
God—tThe house of God is the temple; the temple 
wasa type of the Christian Church; this is now 
become God's house; all genuine believers are 
considered as being οἰκεῖοι, domestics, of this house, 
the children and servants of God Almighty, [or 
as to the city, enfranchised citizens,] having all 
equal rights, privileges, and advantages ; as all, 
through one Spirit, by the sacred Head of the family, 
or commonwealth, had equal access to God, and 
each might receive both grace and glory. 

20, And are built upon the foundation—Fol- 
lowing the same metaphor, ᾿ἀσεό πάθον" the Chureh 
of Christ to a city and to the temple, the believing 
Ephesians are represented as parts of that build- 
ing; the /iving stones, out of which it is principally 
formed, (1 Pet. ii, 4, 5,) having for foundation, 
ground plan and superstructure, the doctrine taught 
by the prophets in the Old Testament and the 
apostles inthe New: Jesus Christ being the cor- 
ner stone, or dxpoywraioc, the chief angle, the 
connecting medium, by which both Jews and Gen- 
tiles were united in the same building. Elsewhere 
Jesus Christ is termed the foundation stone: “ Be- 
hold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, 
a precious corner stone,” (Isa. xxviii, 16 ;) but the 
meaning is the same in all the places where these 
terms (foundation and corner stone) oceur. 

21. In whom — By which foundation corner 
stone, Christ Jesus—[rather in him, for the process 
is in him, as well as by him, and 6y him only as it 
is in him|—all the building, composed of con- 
verted persons, whether Jews or Gentiles, fitly 
framed together, συναρμολογουμένη, properly joint- 
ed and connected together, groweth unto a holy 
temple, is continually increasing, as new converts 
are added. It is nota finished building, but will 
continue to increase and become more and more 
perfect till the day of judgment. 

22. In whom ye also are builded—[The 


Christ himself being ¥the chief corner stone; 
21 ¢In whom all the building fitly framed to- 
gether groweth unto*a holy temple in the Lord: 
22 0] whom ye also are builded together for 
a habitation of God through the Spirit. 


a1 Cor. 12. 28; chap. 4. 11.—y Psa, 118, 22; Isa. 28. 16: Matt. 
21. 42,—z2 Chap. 4. 15, 16.—da@1 Cor, 3. 17; 6. 19; 2 Cor. 6. 16. 
—b 1 Pet, 2. 5. 


apostle now applies the metaphor to the purpose 
for which he produced it, retaining, however, some 
of the figurative expressions. As the stones in a 
temple are all properly placed so as to form a com- 
plete house, and be a habitation for the deity that 
is worshipped there, so ye are all, both believing 
Jews and Gentiles, prepared by the doctrine of the 
prophets and apostles, under the influence of the 
Spirit of Christ, to become a habitation of God, a 
Church in which God shall be worthily worshipped, 
and in which he can continually dwell. ] 


[1. The divine ideal of the Church is given in the 
last four verses of this chapter, in a twofold meta- 
phor, first of a political organism, or state, and then 
of an edifice or temple. But, aside from all such 
figurative representations, it may be described as 
essentially a fellowship, closely united and organic. 
Her support (foundation) is in Christ; Mer begin- 
ning, in the pure and powerful word of God, in his 
apostles and prophets; her design respects every 
man and every nation; her ¢ask is not merely the 
worship of God, but abiding fellowship with God, 
and accordingly each individual must be prepared 
in the work of the Holy Ghost, freed from his 
singularity, (ego-ism,) and framed into the whole. 
(Verses 19-22.) She is ‘the assured residence 
and abiding working place” of God, from which 
he will and does work further into this world. In the 
world he indeed already has his real, immanent, 
continued presence, but in the Church he is present 
in an extraordinary manner: she is his palace, his 
immediate surroundings, his family, while the world 
is his broad kingdom on which he operates from 
this, and which is subservient to it. Certain as the 
permanence of the Church is, she is still in process 
of growth, not yet complete: but she is real, not 
merely ideal. 

2. [In the expression “ the foundation of the apos- 
tles and prophets,” (verse 20,) the Holy Scriptures 
are referred to. There is evidently here a rem- 
iniscence of the words of Christ, (Matt. xvi, 18, 
“Thou art Peter,” ete.,) in which he promises to 
build his Church, not upon the person of Peter, 
but upon Peter’s confession of the person of Christ. 
The foundation of the Church, the beginning of this 
building, is not the persons of the apostles, but 
their witness of him—the preaching of the apostles. 
Scripture is not the producer, but the product; not 
before the Church, but within and for her. The 
word of God springing up in the apostles, as 
prophets of God, as men to whom revelation was 
imparted by the Holy Ghost, and preached by 
them, is the foundation, but what is given in fixed 
form in the Scriptures is the norm for the Church. 
She has her support and deepest ground in Christ, 
her beginning in the preaching of the apostles, but 
her rule in the standard of truth contained in the 
apostolic and prophetical Scriptures, the sufficiency 
of which is such that no tradition is needed in ad- 
dition.— Braune. | 

[And no other foundation can suffice. When 
philosophical speculation or critical erudition, 

249 


A. ΜΝ. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


EPHESIANS. 


God’s purpose to cal] the Gentiles 
revealed to Paul. 


CHAPTER III. 
OR this cause I Paul, «the prisoner of Je- 
sus Christ *for you Gentiles, 2 If ye 
have heard of ¢the dispensation of the grace of 


God 4 which is given me to you-ward: 3 * How 
that ‘by revelation ¢he made known unto me 
the mystery; (*as I wrote ‘afore in few words; 
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand 


@ Acts 21. 33; 28. 17, 20; chap, 4 
Col. 4.3 18:2 Tim. 1. 832. 
1.24; 2 ‘tim: 2. 10. ——c Rom. i. 5311. 13; 1 Cor. 4. 


11; 6.20; Phil. 1. 7,13, 14,16; 
tee 8.11: Col. 
; chap. 4. 7; 


Col, 1: 25.--- Acts 9. Tas ie 2; Rom. 12. 3: Gal. 1.16; verse 8. 
¢ Acts 22. 17, 21; 26. 17,1 -7 Gal, 1. 12.—g Rom. 16. 23; 
Col. 1. 26, 27,—A Chap. 1. δ 10. Or a little before. 


political affinity or human enactment, supplants it, 
the structure topples, and is about to fall. The 
opinions of Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Wesley, 
Knox, or Erskine, (and these were all “ pillars,” ) 
are not the foundation; nor are the edicts and 
creeds of Trent, Augsburg, Dort, or Westminster. 
Such writings may originate sectional distinctions, 
and give peculiar shape to column or portico, 
shaft or capital, in the great edifice, but they 
can never be substituted for the one Foundation. 
— Eadie. | 

3. Of this glorious Church every Christian soul 
is an epitome ; for as God dwells in the Church at 
large, so he dwells in every believer in particular : 
each is a “habitation of God through the Spirit.” 
In vain are all pretensions among sects and parties 
to the privileges of the Church of Christ if they 
have not the doctrine and life of Christ. Traditions 
and legends are not apostolic doctrines, and showy 
ceremony are not the life of God in the soul of man. 

4. Religion has no need of human ornaments or 
trappings ; it shines by its own light, and is reful- 
gent with its own glory. Where it is not in life 
and power, men have endeavoured to produce a 
specious image, dressed and ornamented with their 
own hands. Into this God never breathed, there- 
fore it can do no good to man, and only imposes 
on the ignorant and credulous by a vain show of 
lifeless pomp andsplendour. This phantom, called 
true religion and the Church by its votaries, is in 
heaven denominated vain superstition ; the speech- 
less symbol of departed piety. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

[The rendering of this whole chapter is brought 
into doubt by the uncertainty that prevails as to 
the construction of the first verse, and its relations 
to the rest of the chapter. Among the various 
constructions that have been given to it a few may 
be mentioned: 1) Some would supply the verb εἰμί 
after ὁ δέσμιος, when the sentence would read: or 
this cause I Paul am the Lord’s prisoner for 
you Gentiles. This is the reading of the Syrian 
Version, was adopted by Chrysostom, and was 
pretty generally accepted by the early Church. It 
is objected against it, though still favoured by many 
eminent scholars, that it makes the two clauses, 
For this cause, and for you Gentiles, tautological, 
—that Paul calling himself ὁ δέσμιος, the “ prisoner 
of the Lord,” as if He alone was such, would be an 
undue assumption, and not in character. There 
are also serious grammatical objections urged 
against it. 2) Some make a sudden breaking “off 
at the end of this verse, leaving the subject. ἐγὼ 
Παῦλος without a predicate ; and then making all 
the further portion of the chapter a parenthesis, 
with the resumption of the discourse at the begin- 
ning of the next chapter, and the repetition there 
of the subject. Alford objects to this, and his 
objection is pretty widely accepted as well taken, 
that “chapter iii is no parenthesis, but an integral 
and altogether complete portion of the epistle, ‘fin- 
ished, moreover, with the doxology, (verses 20, 21,) 
and altogether ‘distinct in subject and character 

250 


from chapter iv.” 8) The preponderating major- 
ity of modern authorities favour the opinion that 
no predicate should be supplied to the subject 
of the first verse, but that it should be read as 
abruptly suspended, while the matter extending 
through the next five verses (2-6) should be read as 
a parenthesis, to which the next paragraph (verses 
7-12) is an important side thought; and then, at 
verse 13, the matter of this first verse is resumed, 
with the repetition of the opening clause, τούτου 
χάριν, followed by the verb in the first person. 
Thus, the subject ἐγὼ Παῦλος δέσμιος Χριστοῦ (in 
the first verse) has for its predicate κάμπτω τὰ 
γόνατα, “1, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, bow 
my knees,” the clause τούτου χάριν, for this cause, 
being repeated. As a solution of a merely gram- 
matical difficulty this seems at least plausible, 
and less liable to serious objections than any- 
other; it also brings clearly into view the ob- 
vious sense of the whole passage. | 

1. For this cause—Tovtov χάριν, for this, be- 
cause Paul maintained that the Gentiles were ad- 
mitted to all the privileges of the Jews, and all the 
blessings of the new covenant. [And still more 
comprehensively, for the service rendered as an 
apostle, on account of which he had been sent 
prisoner to Rome.] (See Acts xxi, 21-28, ete.) 

2. If ye have heard of the dispensation— 
The compound particle εἴ ye, which is commonly 
translated if indeed, may also mean since indeed, 
or seeing that, and should be translated so in 
this verse and in several other places of the New 
Testament. Seeing “ye have heard of the dispen- 
sation of God which is given me to you-ward: ” this 
they had amply learned from the apostle during 
his stay at Ephesus, for “She had not shunned to 
declare unto them the whole counsel of God,” 
(Acts xx, 27,) and “had kept back nothing that was 
profitable to them.” (Verse 20.) And “this was 
certainly among those things that were most 
profitable and most necessary to be known. By 
the “dispensation of the grace of God” we may 
understand either the apostolic office and gifts 
granted to St. Paul for the purpose of preaching 
the Gospel among the Gentiles, (see Rom. i, 5,) 
or the knowledge which God gave him of that 
gracious and divine plan which he had formed for 
the conversion of the Gentiles. For the meaning 
of the word economy see the note on chapter i, 10. 

3. By revelation he made known unto me 
the mystery—[Instead of ἐγνωρίσε, he made 
known, ἐγνωρίσθη, was made ect is doubtless 
the true reading. Μυστήριον, a mystery, without the 
article, that is, the dispensation of saving grace to 
all men—Gentiles and Jews alike.| The apostle 
wishes the Ephesians to understand that it was 
not an opinion of his own, or a doctrine which he 
was taught by others, or which he had gathered 
from the ancient prophets ; but one that came to 
him by immediate revelation from God, as he had 
informed them before in a few words, referring to 
what he had said chapter i, 9-12. 

4, Whereby [πρὸς ὃ, by which thing, that is, 
reading| when ye read— When ye refer baci 


The Gentiles called to be fullow 
heirs with the believing Jews, 


my knowledge Εἴη the mystery of Christ,) 
δ᾽ 'Which in other ages was not made known 
unto the sons of men, ™as it is now revealed 
unto his holy apostles and prophets by the 
Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles "should be fellow 
heirs, and eof the same body, and P partakers 
of his promise in Christ by the Gospel: 
7 «Whereof 1 was made a minister, τ accord- 


1 Cor. 4. 1; chap. 6 19. Acts 10, 28; Romans 10. 23; 
verse 9.-—m Chap. 2. 20.—n Gal. 3. 98, 29; chap. 2. 14.— 
oChap 2 15. 16 -—p Gal. 3 14.—g Romans 1ὅ, 16; Col. 1. 
23, 25.— Romans 1. 5. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4065, A.D. 61. 
Year of Kome, 814, 


ing to the gift of the grace of God given unto 
me by ‘the effectual working of his power. 
$ Unto me, ‘who ain less than the least of 
all saints, is this grace given, that "I should 
preach among the Gentiles ythe unsearchable 
riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see 
what ἐξ the fellowship of » the mystery, * which 
from the beginning of the world hath been hid 


8 Romans 15 18; chap. 1. 19; Col, 1, 29, —11 Cor. 15.9: 1 Tim, 
1.13, 15.—vw Gal. 1. 18; 2.8: 1 Tim. 2.7 ; 2 Tim. 1. 11 —-v Chap. 
1 ( 

τ 


7: Col. 1. 27. —w Chap. 1. 9; verse 3.—a Romans 16. 23; 
ersed; 1 Cor. 2.7; Col. 1. 26, 


to them. [By which, when ye read, (it,) ye may 
understand my knowledge — Apprehend and 
appreciate it.] 

5. Which in other ages was not made 
known—That the calling of the Gentiles was made 
known by the prophets in different ages of the 
Jewish Church is exceedingly clear ; but it certain- 
ly was not made known in that clear and pre- 
cise manner in which it was now revealed by the 
Spirit unto the ministers of the New Testament ; 
nor was it made known unto them at all that the 
Gentiles should find salvation without coming under 
the yoke of the Mosaic law, and that the Jews them- 
selves should be freed from that yoke of bondage: 
these were discoveries totally new, and now re- 
vealed for the first time by the Spirit of God. His 
holy apostles and prophets—Paul conceives of 
the “apostles and prophets” as a corporation, 
(body,) (chapter iv, 11,) and as such, in their official 
character, he gives them the predicate aycoc, (holy,) 
as he styles believers, conceived as a whole, ayzoz 
or ἡγιασμένοι, but never as individuals.— Alford. ] 

6. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs 
—This is the substance of that mystery which had 
been hidden from all ages, and which was now 
made known to the New Testament apostles and 
prophets, and more particularly to St. Paul. [‘ Fel- 
low heirs,” συνκληρονόμα, comprises the whole, on 
the ground of the relation to God as a Father, who 
has prepared an inheritance for his children. Fvl- 
low members, (of the same body,) σύνσωμα, denotes, 
by a peculiarly formed word, the membership in 
that body, the head of which is Chrst. Fe/iow pu- 
takers of the promise, συνμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, de- 
notes participation in the promise, the fulfilment of 
which is already begun, but by no means complete. 
—Braune.} 

7, Whereof I was made a minister—Aséxo- 
voc, a deacon, a servant acting under and by the di- 
rection of the great Master, Jesus Christ ; from 
whom, by an especial call and revelation, I received 
the apostolic gifts and office, and by τὴν ἐνέργειαν 
τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, the energy, the in-working of 
his power, this Gospel which I preached was made 
effectual to their salvation, 

8. Less than the least of all saints—’E/a yic- 
τοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων, As the design of the apos- 
tle was to magnify the grace of Christ in the salva- 
tion of the world, he uses every precaution to pre- 
vent the eyes of the people from being turned to 
any thing but Christ crucified ; and although he 
was obliged to speak of himself as the particular 
instrument which God had chosen to bring the Gen- 
tile world to the knowledge of the truth, yet he 
does it in such a manner as to show that the ex- 
celleney of the power was of God, and not of him: 
and that, highly as he and his fellow apostles wep 
honoured, they had the heavenly treasure in earthen 
vessels ΤῸ lay himself as low as possible, [per- 


haps with a humbling recollection of what he had 
been,] consistently with his being in the number of 
divinely commissioned men, he calls himself “less 
than the least.” On ἐλάχιστος, least, which is the 
superlative of ἐλαχίς, little, St. Paul forms his 
comparative, ἐλα χιστότερος, “less than the least,” a 
word of which it would be vain to attempt a better 
translation than that given in our own version. 


[This rendering cannot be improved.— Riddle.] It 
most strongly marks the humility of the apostle, 


and the amazing condescension of God in favour- 
ing him who had been before a persecutor and 
blasphemer, with the knowledge of this glorious 
scheme of human redemption, and the power to 
preach it so successfully among the Gentiles, The 
unsearchable riches of Christ—The word ἀνεξιχ- 
νίαστον is well chosen; it refers to the footsteps 
of God, the plans he had formed, the dispensations 
which he had published, and the innumerable prov- 
idences which he had combined to prepare, mature, 
and bring to full effect and view his gracious de- 
signs in the salvation of a ruined world by the in- 
carnation, passion, death, and resurrection of his 
Son. There were in these schemes and providences 
such “riches ’—such an abundance, such a variety, 
as could not be comprehended even by the natu- 
rally vast, and, through the divine inspiration, un- 
paralleledly capacious, mind of the apostle. Yet he 
was to proclaim among the Gentiles these astonish- 
ing wonders and mysteries of grace; and as he pro- 
ceeds in this great and glorious work, the Holy 
Spirit that dwelt in him opens to his mind more 
and more of those riches—leads him into those 
footsteps of the Almighty which could not be in- 
vestigated by man nor angel, so that his preaching 
and epistles, taken all in their chronological order, 
will prove that his views brighten and his discover- 
ies become more numerous and more distinct in 
proportion as he advances. And had he lived, 
preached, and written to the present day he had 
not exhausted the subject, nor fully declared to the 
Gentiles [that is, to all men] the “ unsearchable 
riches of Christ .—the endless depths of wisdom 
and knowledge treasured up in him, and the infin- 
ity of saving acts and saving power displayed by 
him. 

9. And to make all men see — Kui φωτίσαι 
πάντας, and to illuminate all γ᾽ to afford them a suf- 
ficieney of light, so that they might be able dis- 
tinetly to discern the great objects exhibited in this 
Gospel. What is the fellowship of the mys- 
tery—['H οἰκονομία row μυστηρίου, the economy of 
the mystery, the dispensation (arrangement or 
regulation) of the union of Jews and Gentiles in 
Christ, (and the salvation of all alike that believe,) 
is now to be humbly traced and acknowledged in 
the fact of its having secretly existed (not fully de- 
clared) in the primal counsels of God, and now having 
been revealed to the heavenly powers by means of 

251 


A.M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 514. 


EPHESIANS. 


The manifold wisdom of God made 
known to the Chureh. 


in God, »who created all things by Jesus 
Christ: 10 7To the intent that now «unto 
the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places "might be known by the church the 
manifold wisdom of God, I “ According 
to the eternal purpose which he purposed in 


ψ Psalm 33. 6; Jolin 1. 3: Colossians 1. 16; Hebrews 1. 2.— 
21 Peter 1. 12.—a Romans &, 38; chap. 1. 21: Colossians 1, 16; 
1 Peter 3. 22. 61 Corinthians 2. 7; 1 Timothy 8. 16. 


Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have 
boldness and “access * with confidence by the 
faith of him. 18 ‘ Wherefore I desire that ye 
faint not at my tribulations &for you, » which 
is your glory. 14 For this cause 1 bow my 
knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 


8. e Hebrews 4. 16,—/7 Acts 


eChap. 1. 9.—d Chap. 2. 
1 Thessalonians ὃ. 3.—g Verse 1. 


14, 22; Philippians 1. 14; 
—A 2 Corinthians 1. 6 


1 
7 


the Church.—Eilicott.| Who created all things 
by Jesus Christ—Some very judicious critics are of 
opinion that this does not refer to the material crea- 
tion; and that we should understand the whole as 
referring to the formation of all God’s dispensa- 
tions of grace, mercy, and truth which have been 
planned, managed, and executed by Christ from 
the foundation of the world to the present time. 
[He who created all that exists must already have 
had implicitly contained in his creative plan the 
great unfolding of the world, which forms the con- 
tents of this mystery.—Jever.] The words διὰ 
᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, by Jesus Christ, are conceded to be 
not genuine. The text, therefore, should be read: 
which from the beginning of the world had been hid- 
den in God, who created all things. 

10. That now unto the principalities and 
powers in heavenly places— Who are these 
“principalities and powers?” Some think evil angels 
are intended, because they are thus denominated 
chapter vi, 12. Others think good angels are 
meant; for as these heavenly beings are curious to 
investigate the wondrous economy of the Gospel, 
though they are not its immediate objects, (see 
1 Pet. i, 12,) it is quite consistent with the good- 
ness of God to give them that satisfaction which 
they require, And in this discovery of the gospel 
plan of salvation, which reconciles things in heaven 
and things on earth—both men and angels—these 
pure spirits are greatly interested, and their praises 
to the divine Being rendered much more abundant. 
Dr. Macknight supposes that ‘the different orders 
of angels in heaven are intended, whose knowledge 
of God’s dispensations must be as gradual as the 
dispensations themselves ; consequently their knowl- 
edge of the manifold wisdom of God must have 
been greatly increased by the constitution of the 
Christian Church.” By the church — That is, 
by the Christians and by the wonderful things done 
in the Church; and by the apostles, who were its 
pastors. The manifold wisdom of God—H 
πολυποίκιλος σοφία, that multifarious and greatly 
diversified wisdom of God ; laying great and infinite 
plans, and accomplishing them by endless means, 
through the whole lapse of ages; making every oe- 
currence subservient to the purposes of his infinite 
mercy and goodness. God’s gracious design to 
save a lost world by Jesus Christ could not be de- 
feated by any cunning skill or malice of men or 
devils: whatever hinderances are thrown in the way 
his wisdom and power can remove; and his infinite 
wisdom can never want ways or means to effect its 
designs. [It is all ove in sublime unity of truth 
and purpose; but cannot be apprehended in finite 
minds in this its unity, and therefore is by him 
variously portioned out to each finite race and 
finite capacity of individuals so that the Church is 
a mirror of God’s wisdom, chromatic, so to speak 
with the rainbow colours of that light which in it- 
self is one and undivided.— Alford. | 

11. According to the eternal purpose—Kara 

252 


πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων, according to the purpose of the 
ages, {the genitive of time, or duration, and so the 
English translation is evidently correct.]_ Which 
he purposed in Christ Jesus —“Ev ἐποίησεν. 
Which he made or constituted in or for Christ 
Jesus. The manifestation of Christ, and the 
glory which should follow, were the grand objects 
which God has kept in view in all his dispensa- 
tions. 

12. In whom we have boldness—ZLy whom 
we (all believers, including Gentiles) have (τὴν παρ- 
pyoiav) this liberty of speech, (so that we may say 
any thing by prayer and supplication,) and τὴν προ- 
σαγωγὴν, this introduction, into the divine presence 
by faith in Christ. It is only in his name we can 
pray to God, and it is only by him that we can come 
to God ; none can give us an introduction but Christ 
Jesus, and it is only for his sake that God will 
either hear or save us. It is on the ground of such 
Scriptures as these that we conclude all our prayers 
in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

13. I desire that ye faint not—‘I suffer my 
present imprisonment on account of demonstrating 
your privileges, of which the Jews are envious: I 
bear my afflictions patiently, knowing that what I 
have advanced is of God, and thus I give ample 
proof of the sincerity of my own conviction. The 
sufferings, therefore, of your apostles are honour- 
able to you and to your cause; and far from being 
any cause why you should “faint,” or draw back 
like cowards, in the day of distress, they should 
be an additional argument to induce you to per- 
severe.” 

14. For this cause I bow my knees—|[Ilere 
the apostle resumes the line of remark that was 
broken off at verse 1, repeating the words, τούτου 
χάριν, for this cause.| The best modern authorities 
omit the words τοῦ Kupiov ἡμῶν "Teyjood Χριστοῦ, of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and then the passage reads: 
IT bow my knees unto the Father. The apostle prays 
to God the Father, that they may not “ faint ;” and 
he bows his knees in this praying. [The sign de- 
notes the substance (of prayer.)—-Calvin.| [We 
have no need to think of an actual falling on his 
knees during the writing —Jfeyer.]| [And yet it 
would not have been strange if, in view of the won- 
derful and glorious things that filled his mind and 
heart, he had done 50.] Many parts of this prayer 
bear a strict resemblance to that offered up by 
Solomon, (2 Chron. vi, 1, ete.) when, dedicating the 
temple, ‘He kneeled down upon his knees before 
all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his 
hands toward heaven.” (2 Chron. vi, 13.) The 
apostle was now dedicating the Christian Church 
that then was, and that ever should be, to God; and 
praying for those blessings which should ever rest 
on and distinguish it; and he kneels down after 
we example of Solomon, and invokes Him to whom 
the first temple was dedicated, and who had made 
it a type of the gospel Church, 


Prayer that the Ephesian Church may 
be strengthened by God’s Spirit, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4065. A. D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 14, 


15 Of whom ‘the whole family in heaven and 
earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, 
kaccording to the riches of his glory, 'to be 
strengthened with might by his Spirit in ™the 


i Chap. 1. 10; Phil. 2. 9, 10, 11.—&A Rom. 9. 23; chap. 1. 7; 
Phil. 4. 19; Col. 1. 27,—J2 Chap. 6. 10; Col. 1. 11.—s7z Rom, 


inner man; E&Y *®That Christ may dwell in 
your hearts by faith; that ye, °being rooted 
and grounded in love, #8 ? May be able to 


comprehend with all saints 4what 7s the 
7. 22; 2 Cor. 4. 16.—vn Jobn 14. 23; chap, 2. 22.—o Col. 1. 23; 


p Chap. 1. 18.—g Rom. 10. 3,11, 12. 


15. Of whom the whole family—[’E¢ οὗ πᾶσα 
πατριὰ. . ὀνομάζεται.) [every family, not the whole 
family, as in the English version.—A/ford.] [Here 
God is certainly characterized as universal Father ; 
as Father of all angel classes in heaven, and all 
peoples upon earth.... But it is not at all meant 
by the apostle in the bare sense of creation, nor in 
the rationalistic conception of the all-fatherhood, 
when he says that every πατριὰ (gens, tribe) derives 
this name (ἐκ Θεοῦ) from God as from its father; 
but in the higher spiritual sense of the divine Fa- 
therhood and the Sonship of God.—Meyer.] _ [It is 
also pretty evident that Paul had in mind, and de- 
signed to assert, the common relations of the divine 
Father to both Gentiles and Jews.] 

16. That he would grant you—This prayer 
of the apostle is one of the most grand and sublime 
in the whole oracles of God. The riches of the 
grace of the Gospel, and the extent to which the 
soul of man may be saved here below, are most 
emphatically pointed out. Every word seems to 
have come immediately from heaven, labouring to 
convey ideas of infinite importance to mankind. 
No paraphrase can do it justice, and few commen- 
‘tators seem to have entered into its spirit, perhaps 
deterred by its unparalleled sublimity. I shall only 
attempt ἃ few observations upon the ferms, to show 
their foree and meaning, and leave all the rest to 
that Spirit by which these most important words 
were dictated. That he would grant you—Only 
as a free gift through Christ Jesus; this should be 
the ruling sentiment of our hearts» when we pray. 
According to the riches of his glory—Accord- 
ing to the measure of his own eternal fulness ; 
God’s infinite mercy and goodness being the meas- 
ure according to which we are to be saved. In the 
bestowments of his grace God acts up to the dignity 
of his infinite perfections; he gives “according to 
the riches of his glory.” To be strengthened 
with might—We have many enemies, cunning and 
strong; many trials, too great for our natural 
strength ; many temptations, which no human pow- 
er is able successfully to resist; many duties, to 
perform which cannot be accomplished by the 
strength of man; therefore we need divine strength. 
We must have “ might ;” and we must be “ strength- 
ened” everywhere, and every way fortified by that 
might. Mightily and most effectually strengthened. 
By his Spirit—By the sovereign energy of the 
Holy Ghost. This fountain of spiritual energy can 
alone supply the spiritual strength which is neces- 
sary for this spiritual work and conflict. In the 
inner man—Every man is a compound being; he 
has a body and a soul. The outer man is that 
alone which is seen and considered by men; the 
“inner man” is that which stands particularly in 
reference to God and eternity. The outer man 
is strengthened by earthly food, οἷο: the inner 
man, by spiritual and heavenly influences. Knowl- 
edge, love, peace, and holiness are the food of the 
inner man. The soul must be as truly fed and 
nourished by divine food as the body by natural 
food. [Εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, in respect to the in- 
ner man,] [εἰς is not for ἐν, (in,} but in reference to 


the inner man, containing the more precise defini- 
tion of the relation. The inner man, (not to be 
identified with the καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, the new man, 
chapter ii, 15; iv, 24,) is the rational and moral 
ego, self, the ethical personality. This, in the un- 
regenerate, is under the bondage of sin, and even in 
the regenerate it needs constant renewing and 
strengthening by the Spirit of God, whose seat 
of operation it is, in order not to be overcome by 
the sinful desires (propensions) in the flesh, (σάρξ!) 
of which the ψύχη, the animal soul-nature is the 
living principle. See Meyer.] 

17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts 
by faith—In this, as well as in many other pas- 
sages, and particularly that in chapter ii, 21, the 
apostle compares the body or Church of true be- 
lievers to a temple, built up to be a habitation of 
God through the Spirit. Paul, having considered 
the Church at Ephesus completely formed, prays 
that God may continue, and in increased measure, 
to dwell in it. And as there could be no indwelling 
of God but through Christ, and no indwelling of 
Christ but by faith, he prays that they may have 
such faith in Christ as shall keep them in constant 
possession of his love and presence. This is what 
the apostle points out to the believing Ephe- 
sians in praying that Christ might intensely and 
constantly dwell (κατοικῆσαι) in their hearts by 
faith. That ye, being rooted and grounded in 
love—Here is a double metaphor; one taken from 
agriculture, the other, from architecture. As trees, 
they are to be “rooted in love *—this is the soil in 
which their souls are to grow; as a building, their 
foundation is to be laid in this love. Here is the 
ground on which alone the soul, and all its hopes 
and expectations, can be safely founded. This isa 
foundation that cannot be shaken; and it is from 
this alone that the doctrine of redemption flows to 
man, and from this alone has the soul its form and 
comeliness, In this, as its proper soil, it grows: 
ΟΝ this, as its only foundation, it rests. 

18. May be able to comprehend with all 
saints—"Iva ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι. These words 
are so exceedingly nervous and full of meaning 
that it is almost impossible to translate them. The 
first word, ἐξισχύσητε, signifies that they might be 
thoroughly able, by having been “strengthened 
with might ” by God’s power. The second word, 
καταλαβέσθαι, may be translated, that ye may fully 
comprehend this wonderful mystery of God. The 
mind must be rendered apt, and the soul invigor- 
ated, to take in and comprehend these mysteries. 
[‘‘ With all (the) saints.” All the people of God in 
whom is fulfilled that which is here prayed for.— 
Alford.| [All these are the common heritage of 
believers as such, not special mercies reserved for a 
favoured few.] What is the breadth, and 
length, and depth, and height—Here the apostle 
still keeps up the metaphor comparing the Church 
of God to a building. They were to be builded up 
a “‘ heavenly house,” a “habitation of God through 
the Spirit; and this must have its latitude or 
breadth, its longitude or length, its altitude or 
height, and its profundity or depth. [Of what are 

253 


A. M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Yeur of Rome, x14. 


EPHESIANS. 


Prayer that the Ephesian Church 
may be filled with God, 


breadth, and length, and depth, and height;|tabove all that we ask or think, “according 


19 And to know the love of Christ, which 
passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled 
r with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto 
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 


to the power that worketh in us, 28 » Unto 
him be glory in the church by Christ Je- 
sus throughout all ages, world without end. 
Amen. 


7 Jolin 1. 16; chap. 1. 23; Col. 2. 9, 10.—s Romans 10. 25; 
Jude 24. 


t1 Cor, 2. 9.—w Verse 7; Col. 1. 29.—v Romans 1]. 36; 16. 27; 
Heb. 13. 21. 


these dimensions predicated? Not of the Christ- 
ian Church, as the spiritual temple of God, which 
is at variance with the context. Not of the work of 
redemption, because after verse 14 the μυστήριον 
(the mystery) is not again mentioned. Not of 
the love of God to us, because previously ἐν ἀγάπῃ 
(in love) does not apply to this love. Not of the 
divine gracious nature, nor of the wisdom of God. 
The love of Christ to men (verse 19) is the subject, 
the boundless greatness of which is depicted.— 
Meyer.| 

19. To know the love of Christ, which 
passeth knowledge—It is only by “the love of 
Christ ” that we can know the love of God; the 
love of God to man induced him to give Christ 
for our redemption; Christ’s love to man induced 
him to give his life’s blood for our salvation. The 
gift of Christ to man is the measure of God’s 
love; the death of Christ for man is the measure 
of Christ’s love. [The apparent (not real) para- 
dox lies in the fact that an adequate (full and all- 
comprehensive) knowledge of the love of Christ 
transcends human capacity, but the relative knowl- 
edge of the same opens up in a higher degree the 
more the heart is filled with the Spirit of Christ.— 
Meyer.| That ye might be filled with all the 
fulness of God—Among all the great sayings in 
this prayer this is the greatest. To be FILLED with 
God is a great thing; to be filled with the ¥ut- 
ness of God is still greater; but to be filled with 
ALL the fulness of God, πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, 
utterly bewilders the sense and confounds the un- 
derstanding. To be “filled with all the fulness of 
God,” is to have the whole soul filled with meekness, 
gentleness, goodness, love, justice, holiness, mercy, 
and truth. And as what God fil/s neither sin nor 
Satan can fill, consequently it implies that the 
soul shall be emptied of sin, that sin shall neither 
have dominion over it nor a being in it. It is im- 
possible for us to understand these words in a lower 
sense than this. But how much more they imply 
(for more they do imply) I cannot tell. As there 
is no end to the merits of Christ, no bounds to the 
mercy and love of God, no limits to the improva- 
bility of the human soul, so there can be no bounds 
set to the saving influence which God wil! dispense 
to the heart of every believer. We may ask, and 
we shall receive, and our joy shall be full. 

20. Now unto him—Havine finished his short, 
but most wonderfully comprehensive and energetic 
prayer, the apostle brings in his doxology, giving 
praise to Him from whom all blessings come, and 
to whom all thanks are due. That is able to do 
exceeding abundantly—It is impossible to ex- 
press the full meaning of these words. God is om- 
nipotent, therefore he is able to do all things, and 
able to do ὑπὲρ ἐκ περισσοῦ. superabundantly above 
the greatest abundance. All that we ask or 
think—We can “ask” every good of which we 
have heard, every good which God has promised in 
his word; and we can “think” of, or imagine, 
goods and blessings beyond all that we have either 
read of or seen: yea, we can imagine good things 
to which it is impossible for us to give a name; we | 

254 


can go beyond the limits of all human descrip- 
tions; we can imagine more than even God has 
specified in his word; and ean feel no bounds to 
our conceptions of good but ¢mposszbility and 
eternity ; and after all, God “is able to do more 
for us than we can ask or think;” and his ability 
here is so necessarily connected with his willing- 
ness, that the one indisputably implies the other. 
According to the power that worketh in us— 
All that he can do, and all that he has promised 
to do, will be done “ according” to what he has done, 
by that “ power” of the Holy Ghost,r7v ἐνεργουμένην, 
which worketh strongly in us—acts with energy in 
our hearts, expelling evil, purifying and refining 
the affections and desires, and implanting good. 
21. Unto him—Thus possessed of power and 
goodness. Be glory in the church—Be unceas- 
ing praises ascribed in all the assemblies of the 
people of God, wherever these glad tidings are 
preached, and wherever this glorious doctrine shall 
be credited. By Christ Jesus—Through whom 
and for whom all these miracles of mercy and 
power are wrought. Throughout all ages—Eic 
πάσας τὰς γενεὰς, through all succeeding gencrations 
—while the race of human beings continues to 
exist on the face of the earth. World without 
end—Tovd αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων, throughout the eter- 
nity of the eternities—in the coming world as well 
as in ¢his. The song of praise begun upon earth, 
and protracted through all the generations of men, 
shall be continued in heaven by all that are re- 
deemed from the earth, where eras, limits, and 
periods are no more forever. Amen—So let it be! 
the counsels of God are faithfulness and truth; 
and not one jot or tittle of his promise has failed, 
nor can fail, till mortality is swallowed up of life. 
Therefore to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be 
glory, dominion, power, and thanksgiving, now, 
henceforth, and for ever. Amen and Amen. 


1. For the great importance of the matter con- 
tained in this chapter, and the sublimity of the 
language and conceptions, there is no portion of 
the New Testament equal to this. The apostle was 
now shut up in prison, but the word of the Lord 
was not bound; and the kingdom of God seems to 
have been opened to him in a most astonishing 
manner. There seems to have been exhibited to 
him a view of the divine counsels and conduct rela- 
tive to the salvation of man, before and from the 
foundation of the world to the end of time; and 
while, with the eye of his mind, he contemplates 
this plan, he describes it in language at once the 
most elevated that can be conceived, and every- 
where dignified and appropriate to the subject ; 
so that he may with safety be compared with 
the finest of the Grecian writers. It is very difficult 
to give any literal translation of the many com- 
pound epithets which the apostle uses. Indeed, his 
own nervous language seems to bend and tremble 
under the weight of the divine ideas which it 
endeavours to express. 

2. With such portions of the word of God before 
us, how is it that we can be said conscientiously to 


Paul beseeches the Ephesians to 
walk worthy of their calling. 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814, 


CHAPTER IV. 
THEREFORE, *the prisoner "οὗ the Lord, 
beseech you that ye *walk worthy of the 

vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 ἃ With 
all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, 
forbearing one another in love; % Endeavour- 


ing to keep the unity of the Spirit ein the bond 
of peace. 4 § There is one body, and £one 
Spirit, even as ye are called in one "hope of 
your calling; & ‘One Lord, * one faith, ᾿ one 
baptism, 6 ™One God and Father of all, who 
is above all, and "through all, and in you all. 


a Chap, 3. 1: Philem. 1, 9.——d Or, in the Lord.—c Phil. 1. 
27: Col. 1.10; 1 Thess. 2. 12.—d Acts 20. 19: Gal. 5, 22, 235 Col, 
8. 12, 13.—e Col. 3. 14.—-7 Rom. 12. 5; 1 Cor, 12. 12, 13; chap. 


ἃ 16.—-9 1 Cor. 12. 4, 11.—A Chap. 1. 18.—71 Cor, 1. 13; 
12. 5: 2 Cor. 11. 4—A Verse 13; Jude 3.—/ Gal. 3. 27, 28; 
Heb, 6. 6.-—2 Mal. 2. 10; 1 Cor. & 6; 12. 6.—-2 Rom. 11. 36. 


credit the doctrines of Christianity, and live satis- 
fied with such slender attainments in the divine 
life? Can any man that pleads for the necessary 
and degrading continuance of indwelling sin 
believe what the apostle has written? Can we, 
who profess to believe it, be excusable, and live 
under the influence of any temper or passion that 
does not belong to the mind of Christ? It is the 
will of God that all these blessings should be en- 
joyed by his true followers, that Christ should 
dwell in their hearts, and that they should be 
filled with all the fulness of God; yea, and that 
God should do for them more abundantly than they 
can ask or think. This necessarily implies that 
they should be saved from all sin, inward and 
outward; that the thoughts of their hearts should 
be cleansed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 
that they might perfectly love him and worthily 
magnify his holy name. As sin is the cause of the 
ruin of mankind, the gospel system, which is its 
cure, is called good news, or glad tidings; and 
it is good news because it proclaims Him who saves 
his people from their sins. It would be dishonour- 
able to the grace of Christ to suppose that sin 
had made wounds which that cannot heal. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

{With chapter iv begins the second principal 
division of this epistle, which is chiefly practical 
and hortatory, deriving its motives from the great 
doctrinal truths presented in the preceding. | 

1. I therefore—‘ Therefore,” because God has 
provided for you such an abundant salvation; and 
ye have his testimonies among you, and have full 
liberty to use all the means of grace. The pris- 
oner of the Lord—Who am deprived of my lib- 
erty for the Lord’s sake. Beseech you that ye 
walk—|llapaxai@, [call upon, admonish, you, περι- 
πατῆσαι, to walk, is the usually employed figure 
for a continuous course of life.] The vocation 
wherewith ye are called—The calling, κλῆσις, is 
the free invitation they had from God to receive 
the privileges of the Gospel, and become his sons 
and daughters, without being obliged to observe 
Jewish rites and ceremonies. Their vocation, or 
calling, took in their Christian profession, with all 
the doctrines, precepts, privileges, duties, ete., of 
the Christian religion. [Their call out of the Gen- 
tile state into the high privileges of the Gospel 
devolved upon them the most sacred obligations to 
devote themselves to holy living, as specified in 
what follows. | 

2. With all lowliness—It is by acting as the 
apostle here directs that a man walks worthy of 
this high vocation. Ταπεινοφροσύνη signifies subjec- 
tion or humility of mind. Meekness—The op- 
posite to anger and irritability of disposition. 
Longsuffering — Μακροθυμίας, longmindedness — 
hever permitting a trial or provocation to get to 
the end of your patience. Forbearing one an- 
other—Aveyduevoe ἀλλήλων, faithfully caring for 
one another; or, if the word be taken in the sense of 


bearing with each other, (which is scarcely author- 
ized,) it may mean that, through the love of God 
working in our hearts, we should bear with each 
other’s infirmities, ignorance, ete., knowing how 
much others have been or are still obliged to bear 
with us. 

3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the 
Spirit in the bond of peace—Probably the 
Church at Ephesus was composed of both Jews and 
Gentiles, and, from the different manner in which 
they had been brought up, there might be frequent 
causes of altercation. The apostle cautions them 
against this, and shows them that they should in- 
tensely labour (for so the word σπουδάζειν implies) 
to promote and preserve peace and unity. By the 
‘unity of the Spirit” we are to understand, not only 
a spiritual unity, but also a unity of sentiments, 
desires, and affections, such as is worthy of and 
springs from the Spirit of God. By the “ bond of 
peace” we are to understand a peace of union, 
where the interests of all parties are concentrated, 
cemented, and sealed; the Spirit of God being the 
seal upon this knot. 

4. There is one body -— Namely, of Christ, 
which is his Church. One Spirit—The Holy 
Ghost, who animates this body. [The assertion of 
the unity of the Church and of our Lord in all his 
operations and ordinances, springs immediately out 
of the last exhortation, as following it up to its 
great primal ground in the verities of God—Al- 
ford.| One hope—Of everlasting glory, to which 
glory ye have been called by the preaching of the 
Gospel; through which ye have become the body 
of Christ, instinct with the energy of the Holy 
Ghost. 

5. One Lord—Jesus Christ, who is the governor 
of this Church. One faith—One system of re. 
ligion, proposing the same objects to the faith of 
all. [The subjective medium by which that one 
Lord is apprehended and appropriated.—A/yord. ] 
One baptism—<Administered in the name of the 
holy Trinity; indicative of the influences, privi- 
leges, and effects of the Christian religion. [The 
objective seal of the subjective faith, by which, as 
a badge, the members of Christ are outwardly and 
visibly stamped with his name.—<A//ord. | 

6. One God—The fountain of all being—self- 
existent and eternal. And Father of all—Both 
Jews and Gentiles, because he is the Father of the 
spirits of all flesh. Who is above all—0 ἐπὶ 
πάντων, who is over all; as the King of kings, 
and Lord of lords. And through all—Pervading 
every thing; being present with every thing; pro- 
viding for all creatures; and by his energy sup- 
porting all things. And in you all—by the 
energy of his Spirit enlightening, quickening, puri- 
fying, and comforting; in a word, making your 
hearts the temples of the Holy Ghost. Some think 
the mystery of the blessed Trinity is contained in 
this verse: God is over all, as Father ; through 
all, by the Logos or Word ; and in all, by the Holy 
Spirit. 

. 255 


A.M. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61. 
Yeur of Rome, 514. 


EPHESIANS. 


"The various offices in the Church 
designed for its edification. 


7 But °unto every one οὗ us is given grace 
according to the measure of the gitt of 
Christ. ὦ Wherefore he saith, ? W hen he as- 
cended up on high, 4he led “captivity captive, 

and gave gifts unto men. 9 (: Now that he 
ascended, what is it but that he also descended 
first into the lower parts of the earth. 10 He 
that descended is the same also tthat ascended 


up far above all heavens, "that he might * fill 
all things.) If ἡ And he gave some, apostles; 
and some, prophets; and some, * evangelists ; 
and some, ἡ pastors, and #teachers; E2 *For 
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the 
ministry, for the edifying of «the body of 
Christ: 138 Till we all come “in the unity of 
the faith, eand of the knowledge of the Son of 


oRom, 12. 3h δ: 1 Cor. 12. 11.—7 Psa. 68, 18. ---ἰσ Judg. 5 


Col. a multitude of cuptives.—s John Ἢ 1: 
6. ΠΣ ὁ Acts 1, 9, 11; 1 Tim. 3. 16; Heb. 4. 14; 7. 26; 8. 1; 
92 5 


2 Or, fulfil.—w 1 Cor. 12. 28; chap. 2. 
2Tim +. 6.—vy Acts 20. 28.—z Rom. 
—/h1 Cor. 14. 26.—ce Chap. 1. 23; Col. 
unity.—e Col, 2. 2. 


20.—=~ Acts 21. 8: 
12. 7.—da 1 Cor. 12. 7. 
1. 24.—d Or, into the 


7. Unto every one of us is given grace— 
Though we are all equal in the respects already 
mentioned, yet we have all different offices and situa- 
tions to fill in the Church and in the world; and 
we receive a free gift from Christ according to the 
nature of the office. According to the measure 
of the gift of Christ—With the same fulness and 
freeness as is bestowed on him, according to the 
office or function which he has given us to fulfil. 

8. Wherefore he saith—The reference seems 
to be to Psalm Ixviii, 18, which, however it may 
speak of the removal of the tabernacle, appears to 
have been also intended to point out the glorious 
ascension of Jesus Christ after his resurrection. 
[That psalm is a song of triumph at some bringing 
up of the ark to the hill of Zion. It is therefore 
a Messianic psalm. Every part of the ark, every 
stone of that hill, was full of spiritual meaning. 
Every note struck on the lyres of the sweet singers 
of Israel is but part of a chord, deep and world- 
wide, sounding from the golden harps of redemp- 
tion. The partial triumphs of David and Solomon 
only prefigured, as in a prophetic mirror, the uni- 
versal and eternal triumph of the incarnate Son of 
God.— Alford.| When he ascended up on high 
—The whole of this verse, as it stands in the psalm, 
seems to refer to a military triumph. Take the fol- 
lowing paraphrase: Thou hast ascended on high: 
the conqueror was placed in a very elevated chariot. 
Thou hast led captivity captive : the conquered kings 
and generals were usually bound behind the chariot 
of the conqueror, to grace the triumph. Thow hast 
received gifts for (Paul, given gifts unto) men: at 
such times the conqueror was wont to throw money 
among the crowd. Hoven to the rebellious: those who 
had fought against him now submit unto him, and 
share his munificence; for it is the property of a 
hero to be generous. That the Lord God might 
dwell among them: the conqueror being now come 
to fix his abode in the conquered provinces, and 
subdue the people to his laws. All this the apostle 
applies to Christ. The apostle, under the inspira- 
tion of God, applied the verse in this way; and 
whatever David might intend, and of whatever 
event he might have written, we see plainly that 
the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense 
of the Spirit of God; for the Spirit in the Old and 
New Testaments is the same. The gifts which Je- 
sus Christ distributes to man, he has received in 
and by virtue of his incarnation; and it is in con- 
sequence of his being made man that it may be 
said, The Lord God dwells among them ; for Jesus 
was called Jnmanuel, God with us, in consequence 
of his incarnation. This view of the subject is 
consistent with the whole economy of grace, and 
suits well with the apostle’s application of the 
words of the psalmist in this place. 

9. He ascended. . . also descended—The mean- 
ing of the apostle appears to be this: The person 

256 


who ascended is the Messiah, and his ascension 
plainly intimates his descension; that is, his incar- 
nation, humiliation, death. 

10. He that descended—He who descended so 
low is the same who has ascended so high. He 
came to the lower parts of the earth—the very 
deepest abasement, having emptied himself, taken 
upon him the form of a servant, and humbled him- 
self unto death, even the death of the cross; now 
he is ascended far above all heavens—higher than 
all height ; he has a name above every name. Here 
his descending into the “lower parts of the earth” 
is put in opposition to his ascending “ far above all 
heavens.” His abasement was unparalleled; so 
also is his exaltation. That he might fill all 
things—That he might be the fountain whence all 
blessings might flow ; dispensing all good things to 
all his creatures, according to their several capaci- 
ties and necessities ; and, particularly, fill both con- 
verted Jews and Gentiles with all the gifts and 
graces of his Holy Spirit. 

[Verses 9 and 10 make a parenthesis, showing 
that as the person spoken of in the foregoing quo- 
tation, who is here assumed to have been the Mes- 
siah, is said to have ascended, so he had first de- 
scended,; so tracing our Lord's career from the throne 
of his eternal glory with the Father in heaven to 
earth in his incarnation, and to hades in his death, 
from which descent he rose again in his resurree- 
tion and ascended up to his Messianic throne, upon 
which he is here contemplated, “filling all things.” ] 

11. He gave some, apostles—| By his provi- 
dence and through the Holy Spirit he assigned to eer- 
tain persons their appropriate duties, | and, to qualify 
them for their work, gave them the proper ro Pinus: 
[No equivalent for the word “ some” is found i in the 
original, and its use here is uncalled for and mis- 
leading. The statement is, that the ascended and 
enthroned Head of the Church has given ‘‘apos- 
tles,” ete., for the purposes afterward ‘named. ] 

12. For the perfecting of the saints—For 
the complete instruction, purification, and union of 
all who have believed in Christ Jesus, both Jews 
and Gentiles. For the meaning of καταρτισμός, per- 
fection, see the note on 2 Cor. xiii, 9. For the 
work of the ministry—Avaxoviac, for the work 
of service. [The same idea of the Church, viewed as 
a well-regulated household, is continued—in which 
all who serve are διάκονοι, servants, whether apos- 
tles, prophets, ev angelists, pastors, or teachers. ] 
Edifying of the body—The body of Christ is his 
Church, (see chapter ii, 20, ete. ;) and its edifi¢a- 
tion consists in its thorough instruction in divine 
things, and its being filled with faith and holiness. 

13. In the unity of the faith—{ Intellectual, 
experimental, and practical.| Jews and Gentiles 
being all and alike converted according to the doc- 
trines laid down in the faith—the Christian system, 
The knowledge of the Son of God—aA true un- 


Cautions against instability 
in doctrinal belief, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4965, A. D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


God, unto ‘a perfect man, unto the measure} whom the whole body fitly joined together 


of the Sstature of the fulness of Christ: 
14 That we henceforth be no more * children 
itossed to and fro, and carried about with 
every © wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, 
and cunning craftiness, ' whereby they lie in 
Wait to deceive; 15 But ™*speaking the truth 
in love, °may grow up into him in all things, 
P which is the head, even Christ: 16 4 From 


J 1 Cor, 14. 20; Col. 1. oa A age. —h Isa, 28, 9: 1 Cor. 
14, 950.--- ὁ Heb: 13. 9.—k Matt. 11. 7.—/ Rom. 16. 18; eee 
4. 17.—m Or, being sincere._—n Zech. 8. 16; 2 Cor. ἜΡΜΟ, 


derstanding of the mystery of the incarnation—God 
manifest in the flesh to reveal God to man and in 
order to human salvation. Unto a perfect man 
—Téheiov, fullgrown. One thoroughly instructed ; 
the whole body of the Church being fully taught, 
justified, sanctified, and sealed. Measure of the 
stature—The full measure of knowledge, love, and 
holiness which the Gospel of Christ requires, and 
for the attainment of which it provides. The 
“measure of the stature” of the fulness is too 
seldom seen; the measure of the stature of little- 
ness, dwarfishness and emptiness is often exhib- 
ited. 

14. Be no more children—“ Children,” here, 
are opposed to the “ perfect man” in the preced- 
ing verse; and the state of both is well explained 
by the apostle’s allusions. The man is grown up 
strong and healthy, and has attained such a meas- 
ure or height as qualifies him for the most respect- 
able place in the ranks of his country. The child 
is ignorant, weak, and unsteady, tos sed about in 
the nurse’s arms, or whirled round in the giddy 
sports or mazes of youth; this seems to be the 
apostle’s allusion. By the sleight of men—The 
words ἐν τῇ κυβίᾳ refer to the arts used by game- 
sters, who employ false dice that will always throw 
up one kind of number, which is the reason why 
those who play with them cannot win. Cunning 
craftiness—It is difficult to give a literal transla- 
tion of the original words : ἐν πανουργίᾳ πρὸς τὴν με- 
θοδίαν τῆς πλάνης : “ By cunning, for the purpose of 
using the various means of deception.” [lavouvpyia 
signifies craft and subtlety in general, cheating and 
imposition. Melodia, from which we have our term 
method, signifies a wile, a par ticular sleight, mode 
of tricking and deceiving ; it is applied to the arts 
which the devil uses to deceive and destroy souls ; 
(see chapter vi, 11;) called there the wiLEs of the 
devil. From this it seems that various arts were 
used, both by the Greek sophists and the Judaizing 
teachers, to render the Gospel of none effect, or to 
adulterate and corrupt it. 

15. But speaking the truth in love—The 
“truth δ recommended by the apostle is the whole 
system of Gospel doctrine; this they are to teach 
and preach, and this is opposed to the deceit men- 
tioned above. This truth, as it is the doctrine of 
God’s eternal love to mankind, must be preached in 
“love.” Scolding and abuse from the pulpit. or 
press, in matters” of religion, are truly monstrous. 
He who has the truth of God has no need of 
any means to defend or propagate it but those 
which love to God and man provides. Grow up 
into him—This is a continuance of the metaphor 
taken from the members of a human body receiving 
nourishment equally, and growing up, each in its 
due proportion to other parts and to the body in 
general. The truth of God should be so preached | 

Vou. IL.—17. 


, 


fathers. 


and compacted by that which every joint sup- 
plieth, according to the effectual working in 
the measure of every part, maketh increase 
of the body unto the edifying of itself in 
love. 17 This I say therefore, and testify in 
the Lord, that tye henceforth walk not as 
other Gentiles walk, sin the vanity of their 
mind, 18‘ Having the unde rstanding darkened, 


verse 25; i Satin 3. 18.—o Chap. 1. 22: 2. 21.—vp Col. 1. 18. 
Col. 2. 19.— Chap. 2. 1, 2,3; verse ΕΝ Col. δ. 7:1 Peter 
4. 3.—s Rom. 1. 21.---ὖ Acts 26, 18. 


=o’ 


to all the members of the Church of God that they 
may all receive an increase of grace and life; so 
that each, in whatever state he may be, may get 
forward in the way of truth and holiness. In the 
Chureh of Christ there are persons in various 
states: the careless, the penitent, the lukewarm, the 
tempted, the diffident, little children, young men, and 
He who has a talent for the edification of 
only one of those classes should not stay long in a 
place, else the whole body cannot grow up in all 
things under Ais ministry. 

16. From whom the whole body — “The 
apostle’s meaning is, that as the haman body is 
formed by the union of all the members to each 
other, under the head, and by the fitness of each 
member for its own office and place in the body, so 
the Church is formed by the union of its members 
under Christ, its head. Further, as the human 
body increases till it arrives at maturity by the 
energy of every part in performing its proper 
function, and by the sympathy of every part with 
the whole, so the body or Church of Christ grows 
to maturity by the proper exercise of the gifts and 
graces of individuals for the benefit of the whole.” 
—Macknight. Not only the general ideas here, but 
the whole phraseology also, is anatomical. The ar- 
ticulation of the bones, the composition and action 
of the muscles, the circulation of the fluids, carry- 
ing nourishment to every part and depositing some 
in every place, the energy of the system in keeping 
up all the functions, being particularly introduced, 
and the whole terminating in the general process 
of nutrition, increasing the body, and supplying all 
the waste that had taken place in consequence of 
labour, ete. 

17. This I say therefore —[Toiro οὖν 2έγω. 
The word οὖν, “ therefore,” again refers back to the 
beginning of ‘the chapter, as ‘supplying the grounds 
for the further exhortation. ] Walk not as other 
Gentiles walk—Ye are called to holiness by the 
Gospel, the other Gentiles have no such ealling; 
walk not as they walk. In this and the two fol- 
lowing verses the apostle gives a most awful ac- 
count of the conduct of the heathens who were 
without the knowledge of the true God, They 
walked in the vanity (foolishness) of their mind 
—'Ev ματαιότητ ε τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν, in the mind. [Μα- 
ταιότης is to be understood of the whole intellectual 
and moral character of heathenism, in which the 

rational and moral principle is theoretically and 
practically estranged from the truth, and subject to 
error and the service of sin.— Meyer] 

18. Having the understanding darkened— 
Having no means of knowledge, the heart, naturally 
dark, became more and more so by means of ha- 
bitual transgressions. Every thing in the Gentile 

system had a direct tendency to blind the eyes and 
darken the whole soul. Being alienated from 
257 


A. M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


EPHESIANS. 


The old nature to be re off by 
the believer in Christ. 


being “alienated from the life of God through 
the ignorance that is in them, because of the 
yw blindness of their heart: 849 * Who being 
past feeling » have given themselves over unto 
lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with 
greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned 


and have been taught by him, as the truth is 
in Jesus: 22 That ye *put off concerning 
'the former conversation «the old man, which 
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 
2:3 And ‘be renewed in the spirit of your 
mind; 24 And that ye®put on the new man,. 


Christ; 2 2Ifso be that ye have heard him, | w hich after God ‘is created in righteousness 
τ Chap. 2. 12; Gal. 4. 8:1 Thess. 4, 5.—v Rom. 1. 21.— 2, 1 Ὁ Chap. 2 2, 33 verse ἵν τ ὃ: wr ΠΘΕΙΡΙ cs Bye 

0 Or, hardness. 051 Tim. 4. y Rom. 1. 24, 26; 1 Peter πεν ae Rom, 12. ; Col. 6 Rom, ΙΣ 4:-2 (ὋΣ. 
ieee Chap. 1. 13.—da Col. 2 2 3 3. 8,9; Heb. 12. 1; 1 Peter | 5. 17; Gal. 6. 15: chap. 6. i: Col. δ is Chap. 2 10. 


the life of God—The “life of God” in the soul 
of man is that without which trne happiness was 
never found by any human spirit; from this, 
through the ignorance that is in them, διὰ τὴν 

ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὗσαν, there was nothing to instruct, 
nothing to enlighten ; for the most accurate writ- 
ings of their best philosophers left them entirely 
ignorant of the real character of God. Their moral 
state became so wretched that they are represented 
as abhorring everything spiritual and pure, for 
this is the import of ‘the word ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι, 
alienated. They abhorred everything that had a 
tendency to lay any restraint on their vicious pas- 
sions and inclinations. Because of the blind- 
ness (callousness) of their heart—Ava τὴν πώρω- 
ov, Callous signifies a thickening of the outward 
skin of any particular part, especially on the hands 
and feet, by repeated exercise or use, through 
which such parts are rendered insensible. This 
may be metaphorically applied to the conscience of 
a sinner, which is rendered stupid and insensible 
by repeated acts of iniquity. 

19. Who being past feeling—Oirivec ἀπηλγη- 
κότες, [They being without any moral sense, and 
therefore shameless and remorseless, utterly regard- 
less of conduct, character or retribution.] Have 
given themselves over unto lasciviousness— 
“ Lasciviousness,” ἀσελγεία, is here personified ; and 
the Gentiles in question are represented as having 
delivered themselves over to her jurisdiction. This 
is a true picture of the Gentile world; uncleanness 
and debauchery of every kind flourished among 
them without limit or restraint. Almost all their 
gods and goddesses were of this character. [See 
a terrible demonstration of this in the discoveries 
made among the ruins of Pompeii.| To work all 
uncleanness with greediness—This is a com- 
plete finish of the most abandoned character. ~ To 
do an unclean act is bad, to labour in it is worse, to 
labour in all uncleanness is worse still; but to do 
all this in every case to the utmost extent, ἐν πλεο- 
νεξίᾳ, with desire exceeding time, place, opportunity, 
and strength, is worst of all, and leaves nothing 
more proflig: ite or more abandoned to be described 
or imagined: just as Ovid paints the drunken Si- 
lenus, whose wantonness survives his strength, and 
keeps alive his desires though old age has de- 
stroyed the power of gratification. Such was the 
state of the Gentiles before they were blessed with 
the light of the Gospel; and such is the state of 
those nations who have not yet received the Gos- 
pel; and such is the state of multitudes of those 
in Christian countries who refuse to receive the 
Gospel, endeavour to decry it, and to take refuge 
in the falsities of infidelity against the testimony 
of eternal truth. 

20, But ye have not so learned Christ—Ye 
have received the doctrines of Christ, and therefore 
are taught differently; ye have receiv ed the Spirit 
of Christ, and therefore are saved from such dis- 
positions. [But you (emphatic in contrast with 

258 


THEM) “have not so learned Christ; ” Christ, per- 
sonal ; not simply Christian morality, but Christ 
himself, who is the subject of all Christian preach- 
ing and Christian learning. To know him (Phil. 
ili, 10) is the great lesson of the Christian life, 
which these Ephesians began to learn at their con- 
version. See Alford. ] 

21. If so be that ye have heard him—Ei γε, 
Seeing that, since indeed, ye have heard us proclaim 
his eternal truth; we have delivered it to you as 
we received it from Jesus. [The idea of the in- 
dwelling Christ is still maintained. | 

22. That ye put off—And this has been one 
especial part of our teaching, that ye should aban- 
don all these, and live a life totally opposite to 
what it was before. The old man—*ee the note 
on Rom. vi, 6, and especially the notes on Rom. 
xiii, 18,14. Which is corrupt—The whole of 
your former life was corrupt and abominable; ye 
lived in the pursuit of pleasure and happiness; ye 
sought this in the gratification of the lusts of the 
flesh ; and were ever deceived by these lusts, and 
disappointed in your expectations. [’Az οθέσθαι, 
the infinitive of purpose, having the force of the 
imperative, to put off, κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν, 
as to your former manner of life.| {This in fact 
concerns the whole moral nature before conversion ; 
and putting off the old man affirms that the con- 
verted man is to retain nothing of his pre-Christian 
moral personality ; but utterly to do away with the 
old ethical individuality, and to become the new 
man.— Meyer. ] 

23. And be renewed in the spirit of your 
mind—The whole “spirit” of the “mind” is to be 
renovated ; all its faculties and powers must be 
thoroughly, completely, and universally renewed. 
[Since (before conversion) the πνεῦμα, spirit, in 
which the vove, mind or will, has its determining 
agent, is under the power of sin,in the flesh non- 
free, bound, and weak, . . . it needed renewal unto 
moral freedom, which it receives in regeneration by 
means of the Holy Spirit.—J/eyer. | 

24. Put on the new man—(et a new nature; 
for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails 
anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 
Which after God is created in righteousness 
—In the beginning God created man in his own 
image. (Gen. i, 27 2 And here St. Paul says that 
they should ‘ put on the new man, which after God 


is created in righteousness and true holiness,” or, 
ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας, inthe holiness of truth. From 


the apostle we learn what Moses meant by the 
image of God; it was righteousness and the tr uth of 
holiness. It is not this or the other degree of 
moral good which the soul is to receive by Jesus 
Christ, it is the whole image of God ; and it is to 
be formed κατὰ Θεὸν, according to God, the ethical 
likeness of the divine Being. [This new habitude 
appears as the new man, which God has created, 
but man appropriates for himself, so that moral 
freedom is not annulled.—Jeyer' 


The conversation of Christians 
should be chaste. 


and £true holiness. 
away lying, 
neighbour: for ‘we are members one οὗ an- 
other. 26 * Be ye angry, and sin not: let not 
the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 ! Nei- 
ther give place to the devil. 2% Let him that 
stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, 
working with Ais lands the thing which is 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61, 
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25 Wherefore putting | good, that he may have "to give °to him that 
"speak every man truth with his} needeth. 


29 Let no corrupt communication 
proceed out of your mouth, but 4 that which is 
good © to the use of edifying, * that it may min- 
ister grace unto the hearers. 80 And ‘grieve 
not the Holy Spirit of God, "whereby ye are 
sealed unto the day of yredemption. 38 » Let 
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and ¢lam- 


σ Ov, holiness of t:uth.—hA Zech. §. 16: verse 15; Col. 3. 9, 
τα ὁ Rom, 12. 5.— & Psa. 4. 4: 37, 8. 22 Cor, 2.16, 11: Jam, 
4.7; 1 Peter 5, 9. m Acts 30, 39; 1 Thess. 4. 11; 2 Thess. 3. 8, 
Be 15. n Or, to distribute.—o Luke 3. 11. 


7 Matt. 12. 86: chap. 5. 43.Col. 3. 8.—q Col. 4. 6: 1 Thess, 
5. 11.—r Or, to edify profitahly,——s Col. 3. 16.——tIsa. 7. 
13; 63. 10; Ezek, 16. 43; 1 Thess. 5. 19.—2 Chap. 1. 13.— 
Ὁ Luke 21. 28; Rom. 8. 23; chap. 1. 14.—vw Col. 3. ἃ, 19. 


25. Wherefore putting away lying — All 
falsity, all prevarication, because this is opposite to 
the “truth” as it is in Jesus, (verse 21,) and to the 
holiness of truth. (Verse 24.) Speak every man 
truth with his neighbour—Truth was but of 
small account among many of even the best 
heathens, for they taught that on many occasions a 
lie was to be preferred to the truth itself. Having 
been brought up in sucha loose system of morality, 
these converted Gentiles had need of these apos- 
tolie directions—Put away lying ; speak the truth ; 
let lying never come near you; let truth be ever 
present with you. We are members one of 
another — Uonsider yourselves as one body, of 
which Jesus Christ is the head; and as a man’s 
right hand would not deceive or wrong his left 
hand, so deal honestly with each other; for ye 
“are members one of another.” 

26. Be ye angry, and sin ποῖ-- Ὀργίζεσθε, 
here, is the same as εἰ μὲν ὀργίζεσθε, IF yE be 
angry, do not sin. If we consider anger as imply- 
ing displeasure simply, then there are multitudes 
of cases in which a man may be mnocently, yea 
laudably, angry. [Paul does not forbid 6p) ἔζεσθαι, 
to be angry, in itself, and could not, because there 
is a holy anger, which is calcor virtutis, (the sphere 
of virtue,) as there is also a divine anger. The im- 
perative may, however, be rendered conditionally, 
in accordance with Hebrew usage, Jf ye are angry 
do not sin.—Meyer.| Let not the sun go down 
upon your wrath—That is: If you do get angry 
with any one, see that the fire be cast with the ut- 
most speed out of your bosom. Anger, continued 
in, may produce malice and revenge. [That anger 
which is an infirmity, by being cherished may be- 
come a sin.—A/ford. 

27. Neither give place to the devil—Your 
adversary will try to influence your mind, and irri- 
tate your spirit; watch and pray that he may not 
get any place in you, or ascendency over you. [ Nor 
again give scope (opportunity of action, which you 
would do by continuing in a state of angry excite- 
ment) ‘to the devil,” (not to calumniators, ete., as 
some commentators would say,) for diabolos, as a 
substantive, a/ways has this personal meaning in 
the New Testament.—A/ford. | 

28. Let him that stole (ὁ κλέπτων, the steal- 
er) steal no more —[Let the stealer steal no 
more. As there were in the apostolic Church for- 
nicators, so were there also stealers, . Paul's 
design was not to give any complete instruction on 
the point of stealing, but only to inculcate the pro- 
hibition of the same, and the obligation of the 
opposite, which also, supposes restitution.— Meyer. | 
[This is a warning against the pilfering usual 
among slaves ; converts from this class might not 
yet have unlearned all their old habits.— Speaker's 
Com. | Stealing, overreaching, defrauding, pur- 
loining, ete., are consistent with no kind of religion 


that acknowledges the true God. If Christianity 
does not make men honest, it does nothing for 
them. Those who are not saved from dishonesty 
fear not God, though they may dread man. 

29. Let no corrupt communication — Idec 
λόγος σαπρὸς, [literally, bad, putrid ; tropically, and 
in a moral sense, fou/, impure.| But that which 
is good to the use of edifying—[Ei τίς ἀγαθὸς, 
K.T.A., but if there is any (discourse) good for edifi- 
cation, sc., let it proceed, etc.] To be “good” for 
a thing is a Grecism, as well as an Anglicism, for, to 
be fit, proper, suitable. That it may minister 
grace—Iva δῷ χάριν, Let your conversation be 
pure, wise, and holy, that it may be the means of 
conveying grace, or divine influences, to them that 
hear, and also be grateful or acceptable to the 
hearers. Never wound modesty, truth, or religion 
with your words; endeavour to edify those with 
whom you converse; and, if possible, speak so as 
to please them. 

30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God— 
Even those who have already a measure of the 
light and life of God, which are brought in by the 
Holy Spirit, and maintained by his constant in- 
dwelling, may give way to sin, and so grieve this 
Holy Spirit that it shall withdraw both its light and 
presence ; and, in proportion as it withdraws, then 
hardness and darkness take place. Whereby ye 
are sealed—The witness of the Holy Spirit in the 
soul of a believer is God’s seal, set on his heart to 
testify that he is God’s property, and that he 
should be wholly employed in God’s service. 

31. Let all bitterness—Ildca πικρία. All who 
are censorious, who are unmerciful to the failings 
of others, who have fixed a certain standard by 
which they measure all persons in all circumstances, 
and unchristian every one that does not come up to 
this standard, these have the “ bitterness” against 
Which the apostle speaks. In the last century 
there was a compound medicine, made up from a 
variety of drastic acrid drugs and ardent spirits, 
which was called Hiera Piera, ἱερὰ πίκρα, the holy 
bitter; this medicine was administered in a wulti- 
tude of cases where it did immense evil, and per- 
haps in seareely any case did it do good. It has 
ever appeared to me to furnish a proper epithet for 
the disposition mentioned above, the holy bitter ; 
for the religiously censorious act under the pre- 
tence of superior sanetily. Such persons do much 
evil in a Christian society, but:very seldom any 
good. And wrath — Θυμὸς, is more properly 
anger, Which may be considered the commencement 
of the passion. Anger —’0p)7) is more properly 


| wrath—the passion carried to its highest pitch, ac- 


companied with injurious words and outrageous 
acts, some of which are immediately specified. 
And clamour—Kpav}7. Loud and obstreperous 
speaking, brawling, railing, boisterous talk, often 
the offspring of wrath ; all of which are higlily 
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EPHESIANS. 


Christians should ὃ 6 imitators 
of God, and walk in love. 


our, and ‘evil speaking, be put away from you, 
‘with all malice: 82 And “be ye kind one to 
another, tenderhearted, ἡ forgiving one another, 
even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. 


CHAPTER V. 
Bess aye therefore followers of God, as dear 


children; 2 And "walk in love, “845 Christ 
also hath loved us, and hath given him- 
self for us an offering and a sacritice to God 
‘for asweetsmelling savour. % But efornica- 
tion, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, ‘let 
it not be once named among you, as becometh 
saints; 4 ὁ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talk- 


1 Peter 2. 1.— Titus 8. 3. — 
22 Cor. Ps ois: 13, 13,-—» Matt. 6. 14; Mark 11. 25 
a Matt, 5. 45, 48: Luke 6. 36; chap. 4. 32.—b John 13. 343 15. 
15: 1 Thess, 4. 9; 1 Jobin 3. 11; 23% 4-21. 


Seu 3. 25 James 4, 11; 


eGal. 1. 4; a 20: Heb. 7. 27; 9.1 Sree 10. 10,12; 1 John 3. 18. 
i ; Lev. 1. 9: or “Ὁ Rom. 6. 13; 1 Cor. 
6.18; 2 Cor, ΤΣ OL: chap. 4. 19, 20; Csi. 3.5; 1 Thess, 4. 3, etc. 
5. 1.—g Matt, 12. 33; chap. 4, 29. 


tok 


unbecoming the meek, loving, quiet, sedate mind 
of Christ and his followers. And evil speaking 
-;-μλασφημία, blasphemy ; that is, injurious speak- 
ing—words which tend to hurt those of whom or 
against whom they are spoken. With all malice 
—Kakia ; all malignity ; as anger produces wrath, 
and wrath clamour, so all together produce “ mal- 
106: that is, settled, sullen, fell wrath—which is 
always looking out for opportunities of revenge. 
[Πιρρία, fretting, spitefulness ; θυμὸς, passion ; ὀργῇ, 
rage ; (these two words are nearly synonymous ;) 
κραυγῇ, outcry, clamour ; βλασφημία, reviling ; πᾶσα 
κακία, all badness, ill-will, malignity, uncharitable- 
ness. Such admonitions indicate the low moral con- 
dition of these new converts from heathenism ; and 
yet they are not without their adaptation to very 
many Christian societies of our own times. | 

32. Be ye kind to one another —Ivecte .. . 


χρηστοί ; be kind and obliging to each other; study 
ood breeding and gentleness of manners. A 


Christian cannot be a savage and he need not be 
a boor. Neyer. put any person to needless pain. 
Tenderhearted — HiorAayyvor, compassionate; 
commiserating the wretched and distressed. For- 
giving one another—Should you receive any in- 
jury from a brother, or from any man, be as ready 
to forgive him as you desire that God for Christ’s 
sake will forgive you. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. Be ye therefore followers of God—The 
beginning of this chapter is properly a continuation 
of the preceding, which should have ended with the 
second verse of this. Μιμηταὶ, imitators: the word 
signifies such as personate others, assuming their 
gait, mode of speech, accent, carriage, ete. Imitate 
your Lord in all ee actions, words, spirit, and 
inclinations; imitate him as loving children do their 
parents, and remember that you stand in the rela- 
tion of beloved children to him. [As God (the Fa- 
ther) dealt kindly (ἐχαρίσατο, chap. iv, 32) toward 
you in Christ, so do you dmitate him in your benig- 
nity toward each other, forgiving as he forgave 
yee 1 

And walk in love—Let every act of life be 
dictated by love to God and man. As Christ... 
hath loved us—Laying down your lives for your 
brethren, if necessary ; counting nothing too difficult 
to be done in order to promote their eternal salva- 
tion. Hath given himself for us—Christ hath 
died in our stead, and become thereby a sacrifice for 
our sins. An offering—lIIpoo@opa, an oblation, a 
eucharistic offering. It means, any offering by 
which gratitude was expressed for temporal bless- 
ings received from the bounty of God. A sacrifice 
ΞΘ σία: a sin-offering, a victim for sin ; the same 
as ΓΔ], (zebach,) whica almost universally means 
that sacrificial act in which the blood of an animal 
was poured out as an atonement for sin. These 


terms may be justly considered as including every | Mwpodoyia, 


260 


kind of sacrifice, offering, and oblation made to 
God on any account; and both these terms are 
with propriety used here because the apostle’s de- 
sign was to represent the sufficiency of the offering 
made by Christ for the sin of the world. And the 
passage strongly intimates, that as man is bound to 
be grateful to God for the good things of this life, 
so he should testify that gratitude by suitable offer- 
ings; but having sinned against God, he has for- 
feited all earthly blessings as well as those that 
come from heaven ; and that Jesus Christ gave 
himself ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, in our stead and on our account, 
as the gratitude-offering, Mpoogopa, which we owed 
to our Maker, and without which a continuance of 
temporal blessings could not be expected ; and also, 
as a sacrifice for sin, θυσία, without which we could 
never approach God, and without which we must 
be punished with an everlasting destruction from 
the presence of God and the glory of his power. 
Thus we find that even our temporal blessings come 
from and by Jesus Christ, as well as all ourspir- 
itual and eternal mercies. F'or a sweetsmelling 
savour—Eic ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας. The “ sweet-smelling 
savour ” refers to the burnt-offerings, the fumes of 
which ascended from the fire in the act of burning; 
and as such odors are grateful to man, God repre- 
sents himself as pleased with them when offered 
by an upright worshipper according to his own 
appointment. 
2. But fornication—It is probable that the 
three terms used here by the apostle refer to dif- 
ferent species of the same thing. The word “ for- 
nication,” πορνεία, may imply not only fornication, 
but adultery also, as it frequently does. Un- 
cleanness—’Axadapcia may refer to all abomina- 
ble and unnatural lusts — sodomy, bestiality, ete. 
Covetousness — Πλεονεξία, to excessive indul- 
gence in that which, moderately used, is lawful. 
If, however, simple ‘‘ cov etousness ’—that is, the 
love of gain—be here intended, it shows from the 
connexion in which it stands, (for it is linked with 
“fornication? and ‘all uncleanness,”) how de- 
erading it is to the soul of man, and how abomina- 
ble it is in the eye of God. In other places it is 
ranked with ¢dolatry, for the man who has an inor- 
dinate love of gain makes money his god. [Π|λεὸ- 
νεξία is here simply avarice; and the conjunction 7 
isa negative disjunction, (707,) separating another 
vice from those before named, having neither un- 
derstood before them. See Meyer.] Let it not 
be once named — Let no such thing ever exist 


among you, for ye are called to be saints. [Not 
only should all such sins be avoided in action, 


but the very thought of them, as in any possible 
case allowable, should not be entertained. Such 
vices should even be spoken of very carefully and 
sparingly. | 

4. Neither filthiness — Αἰσχρότης, anything 
base or vile in words or acts. Foolish talking— 
scurrility, bufYoonery, ridicule, or what 


Impore persons have no share 
in the kingdom of God. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. Μ. 4965. A. 1. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


ing, nor jesting, "which are not convenient: 
but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye 
know, that ‘no whoremonger, nor unclean 
person, nor covetous man, * who is an idolater, 
‘hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ 
and of God. 6 ™ Let no man deceive you with 
vain words: for because of these things "com- 
eth the wrath of God °upon the children of 
Pdisobedience. 7% Be not ye therefore par- 


h.Rom. 1. 28.— 71 Cor. 6. 9: Gal. 5. 19, 21.—Zs# Col. 3. 5; 
1 Tim. 6. 17.—/ fee 5. 21; Rev. 22. 15.—-m Jer. 29. 8: Mutt: 
24,4; Col. 2. 4,8, I<: 5 Thess. 2 1. 18.-—-o0 Chap. 
2. 2. -_—“p Or, ΡΝ .7, Col. 3. ἘΠ ἢ Isa. 9.23 Matt. 4. 16: Acts 
26. 18; Rom. 1. 21; chap. 2. 11,12; 4. 18; Tit. 3.3; 1 Pet. 2, 9, 


tukers with them. 8S %For ye were some- 
time darkness, but now ‘are ye light in the 
Lord: walk as ‘children of light; 9 (For 
‘the fruit of the Spirit zs in all goodness 
and righteousness and truth;) 10 "Proving 
what is acceptable unto the Lord. ΕἸ And 
‘have no fellowship with “the unfruitful 
works of darkness, but rather *reprove them. 
12 » For it is a shame ¢ even to spe: ak of those 


r John 8. 12; 12, 46; 2 Cor. 3, 18; 4. 63 1 Thess, 6.165 isc 
2. 9. —s Luke 16. 8; John 2.36. Bi 68 5. 22.—vu Rom. 12, 2: 
Phil. 1. 10; 1 Thess. 5. 21; Tim. 9, ὃ. Ὁ1 Cor. ὅ. 8. 11 10. 20; 
2 Cor. 6. 14; 2 Thess. ὅ. 6, 14.—vw Rom. 6, 21; 15, 12; Gal. 6. 8. 
—a Lev. 19. 17; 1 Tim. 5. 20.— vy Rom. 1. 24, 26; verse 3, 


tends to expose another to contempt. Nor je jesting 
--ΕΟὐτραπελία, artfully turned discourses of words ; 
words that can be easily turned to other meanings ; 
double-entendres , chaste words which, from their 
connexion and the manner in which they are used, 
convey an obscene or offensive meaning. It also 
means jests, puns, witty sayings, and mountebank 
repartees of all kinds. Which are not con- 
venient—Oi« ἀνήκοντα, [unbecoming,| not coming 
up to the proper standard; are utterly improper in 
themselves and highly unbecoming in those who 
profess Christianity. But rather giving of 
thanks — Εὐχαριστία, decent and edifying dis- 
course, ov thanksgiving to God. Prayer or praise 
is the most suitable language for man; and he 
who is of a trifling, light disposition is ill fitted for 
either. How can a man who has been talking 
foolishly or jestingly in company, go in private to 
magnify God for the gift of his tongue which he 
has abused, or his rational faculties which he has 
degraded ? 

5. For this ye know—Ye must be convinced 
of the dangerous and ruinous tendency of such a 
spirit and conduct, when ye know that persons of 
this character can never inherit the kingdom of 
God. [Indulgence in such practices implies the want 
of the life of the Spirit in the soul; and even the 
beginnings of it, in those who believe, indicate a 
falling away from that life. ] 

6. Let no man deceive you—Suffer no man 
to persuade you that any of these things are inno- 
cent, or that they are unavoidable frailties of hu- 
man nature; they are all sins and abominations in 
the sight of God: those who practice them are 
children of disobedience ; and on account of such 
practices the wrath of God — divine punishment, 
—must come upon them. Do not act as you see 
others do; nor suffer their philosophy, with vain 
words, κενοῖς λόγοις, with empty and illusive doc- 
trines, to lead you astray from the path of truth. 

7. Be not ye therefore partakers with them 
—That there was much need for such directions 
and ‘cautions to the people of Ephesus has been 
often remarked. It appears, from Athenzeus, that 
these people were largely addicted to luxury, ef- 
feminacy, ete. He tells us that the famous Aspa- 
sia, who was herself of the Socratic sect, brought 
a vast number of beautiful women into Greece, 
and by their means Jilled the country with pros- 
titutes, καὶ ἐπ πληθύνεν ἀπὸ τῶν ταῦτης ἑταιρίδων ἡ 
Ἔλλας, lib. xiii, cap. 25. Ibid, cap. 31, he also 
observes that the Ephesians had dedicated tem- 
ples éraipa ᾿Αφροδίτῃ, to the prostitute Venus. 
Through the whole of this 13th book of Athenzeus 
the reader will see the most melancholy proofs of 
the most abominable practices among the Greeks, 
and the high estimation in which public prosti- 


tutes were held; the greatest lawgivers and the 
wisest philosophers among the Greeks supported 
this system both by their authority and example. 
In reference to their teaching and laws the apos- 
tle says: “Let no man deceive you with vain 
words.” 

8. For ye were sometime (πότε, formerly) 
darkness—While ye lived in darkness, ye lived in 
these crimes. [An explanation, but not excuse. | 
But now are ye light in the Lord—When ye 
were in heathenish darkness ye served divers lusts 
and pleasures, but now ye have the light—the 
wisdom and teaching which come from God ; there- 
fore walk as children of light—Be not slaves 
to the flesh, but free, willing, rational servants of 
the Most High. 

9. For the fruit of the Spirit—Instead of 
Spirit, Πνεύματος, the best authorities of the Fa- 
thers read φωτός, light, which is unquestionably the 
true reading, because there is nomention made of 
the Spirit in any part of the context. [In Gala- 
tians, chap. v, 22, what is here termed the fruit 
of light, is called “the fruit of the Spirit ;” not 


as though φῶς (light) and πνεῦμα were the same 
thing, but the Spirit, through whom God and 


Christ dwell in the heart, produces /ight in the 
heart, so that the fruit of the Spirit is also the fruit 
of the light.—Jeyer. | 

10. Proving what is acceptable—[Aoxijacov- 
τες, demonstrating, hoth subjectively to yourselves 
and objectively to others. So shall ye yourselves 
know what is right and acceptable, and others also 
may learn of you. ] 

11. Have no fellowship—Have no connexion 
whatever with heathen practices or worship. Un- 
fruitful works of darkness—Perhaps alluding to 
the mysteries among the heathens, and the differ- 
ent lustrations and rites through which the 
tiated went. The apostle may also refer to magic 
and incantations, for to these the Ephesians 
were greatly addicted. Rather reprove them— 
[Both by your words and your examples. Both 


ini- 


subjective and objective proofs are expressed by the 


word éAéy xo, (show them up.)] 

12. For it is a shame even to speak—The 
Eleusinian and Bacchanalian mysteries were per- 
formed in the night and darkness, and were so im- 
pure and abominable, especially the latter, that the 
Roman senate banished them hoth from Rome and 
Italy. How the discovery of these depths of Satan 
was made, and the whole proceedings in that case, 
may be seen in Livy, Hist., lib. xxxix, cap. 8-19, 
where the reader will see the force of what the 
apostle says here: “It is a shame even to speak of 
those things which are done of them in secret ;” 
the abominations being of the most stupendous 
kind and of the deepest dye. 

261 


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Year of Rome, 814. 


EPHESIANS. 


Exhortation to walk circumspectly, 
and to redeem time 


things which are done of them in secret. 
13 But zall things that are *reproved are 
made manifest by the light: for whatsoever 
doth make manifest is light. U4 Where- 
fore "he saith, «Awake, thou that sleepest, 
and ‘arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light. 15 e¢See then that ye walk 
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 


Heb. 4, ΤΡ ee Or, discovered b Or. Gt. 
Kom. 13. 110 1 Cor, 15, ὃ 1 Thess. 5. 6.— 
Rom. 6. 4,55 ΠΕΣ 2ebie Gol, Ey 1.—e Col. 4. 5. 
Col. 4. d. g Eccles. 11. 2; 12.1; John 12. 355 


zJoln3 20, 21; 
—u Isa. 60. Hee 
d John 5. 25; 
Fav Gal. 6. 105 


13. But all things that are reproved—Dr. 
Macknight paraphrases this verse as follows: 
“ Now all these reprovable actions, ἔλεγ χόμενα, are 
made manifest as sinful by the Gospel; and, seeing 
everything which discovers the true nature of actions 
is light, the Gospel, which discovers the evil nature 
of the actions performed in these mysteries, is 
light.” 

14. Wherefore he saith 
doubt and controversy whence this saying is de- 
rived. Some think it taken from Isa. xxvi, 19: “Thy 
dead men shall live, . With my dead body shall 
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust,” 
ete. Others think that it is taken from Isa. Ix, 
1-3: ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come,” ete. 
But these passages neither give the words nor the 
meaning of the apostle. It seems more natural to 
understand the words “he saith,” as referring ‘to 
the “light ;” that is, the Gospel, mentioned verse 13. 
And the διὸ λέγει. should be translated, Wherefore 
it saith, Awake thou, ete., that is: This is the gen- 
eral, the strong commanding voice of the Gospel 
in every part. "Receive instruction; leave thy sins, 
which are leading thee to perdition ; believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and he will enlighten and save 
thee. [Since to address an exhortation to those 
who have the power neither tohear nor to act would 
be absurd; there is in this a clear indication that 
the quickening power of the Spirit accompanies 
the word of God in men’s hearts to render it capa- 
ble of becoming effective. 

15. Walk circumspectly— --ἰ Βλέπετε οὖν ἀκρι- 
Bag πῶς περιπατεῖτε, look therefore how carefully 
you walk.| Be every way watehful, wary, and cau- 
tious, in order to avoid danger and discern enemies 
before they come too nigh. But the original word, 
ἀκριβῶς, signifies correctly, accurately, consistently, 
or perfectly. Be ye, who have received the truth, 
careful of your conduct; walk by the rule which 
God has given you; exemplify your principles, 
which are holy and good, by a corresponding con- 
duct; do not only profess, but dive, the Gospel. 
Not as fools, but as wise—M? ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ᾽ ὡς 
σοφοί, The heathens affected to be called σοφοί, or 
wise men. Pythagoras was perhaps the first who 
corrected this vanity, by assuming the title of 
φ'λόσοφος, a lover of wisdom; hence our term phi- 
losopher, used now in a much prouder sense than 
that in which the great Pythagoras wished it to be 
applied. The apostle here takes the term σοφός and 
applies it to the Christian ; and instead of it, gives 
the empty Gentile philosopher the title of ἄσοφος, 
without wisdom, fool. 

16. Redeeming the time— πξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν 
καιρόν. Buying up those moments which others 
Seem to cast away; steadily improving every pres- 
ent moment, that ye may, in some measure, regain 
the time ye have lost. Let time be your chief 
commodity ; deal in that alone; buy it all up, and 

262 


It is a matter of 


16 ‘Redeeming the time, ¢ because the days 
are evil. ΕΑ "Wherefore be ye not unwise, 
but ‘understanding * what the will of the Lord 
is. 2S And!be not drunk with wine, where- 
in is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 
19 Speaking to yourselves "in psalms and 
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making 
melody in your heart to the Lord; 20° Giv- - 
. 4. 5. 5 UP BE Δ. Thess, 4. 8: 
ὅ. 18, 2 Prov. 2. 1; 23. 20, 30; Isa. 5. 11, 22; Luke 21. 


m Acts 16. 25; 1 Cor. 14. 96: Col. 3. 16; J: mes 5. 13.— Ἂν Psa. 
34. 1; Isa. 63: 73 Col. 3.17; 1 Thess. 5. 18; 2 Thess:*1..3. 


chap. 6. 18.— A’ 


use every portion of it yourselves. Time is that 
on which eternity depends; in time ye are to make 
preparation for the kingdom of God; if you do 
not this in time, your ruin is inevitable; therefore, 
buy up the time. [Aescwe your time from the 
many causes that would divert it to other occupa- 
tions.| No doubt the apostle means, in general, 
embrace every opportunity to glorify God, save 
your own souls, and do good to men. Because 
the days are evil—The present times are dan- 
gerous; they are full of trouble and temptations, 
[as are indeed all times ;] and only the watchful 
and diligent have any reason to expect that they 
shall keep their garments unspotted. 

17. Wherefore be ye not unwise— Μὴ γίνεσθε 
ἄφρονες, do not become madmen. Here is a most 
evident allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, in which 
his votaries acted like madmen, [a warning against 
“the deceivableness of unrighteousness s.”] Eut 
understanding what the will of the Lord is— 
It is the will of God that ye should be sober, chaste, 
holy, and pure. Geta thorough understanding of 
this ; acquaint yourselves with God’s will, that ye 
may know how to glorify him. 

18. Be not drunk with wine, wherein is ex- 
cess—This is a further allusion to the mysterics of 
Bacchus; in them his votaries got drunk, and ran 
into all manner of excesses. Plato, though he for- 
bade drunkenness in general, yet allowed that the 
people should get drunk in the solemnities of that 
god who invented wine. The word ἀσωτία, cxcess, 
means profligacy and debauchery of every kind; 
such as are the concomitants of drunkcnness, and 
especially were so among the votaries of Bacchus in 
Greece and Italy. [It is to be feared that the ris- 
ing from the specific to the general renders too 
indefinite the very important preceyyt of the ay ostle. 
We may well hold fast to the plain, literal meening: 
‘Do not be made drunk with wine:”’ this is an in- 
junction deserving all the prominence it reccives, 
even if no general sense is appended.— Riddle | But 
be filled with the Spirit — The heatlen priests 
pretended to be filled with the influence of the god 
they worshipped ; and it was in these conditions that 
they gave out their oracles. The apostle exhorts 
the Ephesians not to resemble these, but to be filled 
with the Spirit of God; in consequence of which, 
instead of those discoveries of the will of their 
god to which, in their drunken worship, the vota- 
ries of Bacchus pretended, they should be wise in- 
deed, and should understand what the will of the 
Lord is. 

19, Speaking to yourselves in psalms—We 
can scarcely say what is the exact difference be- 
tween these three expressions. “ Psalms,” ψαλμοί, 
may probably mean those of David. Hymns— 
"Yuvoic; extemporaneous effusions in praise of 
God, uttered under the influence of the divine 
Spirit, ora sense of his especial goodness. Songs 


Husbands should love their wives 
as Christ loved the Church. 


ing thanks always for all things unto God and 


the Father °in the name of our Lord Jesus 


Christ; 2. PSubmitting yourselves one to 
another in the fear of God. 22 4 Wives, 
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, 
ras unto the Lord. 28 For ‘the husband 
is the head of the wife, even as ‘Christ is 
the head of the Church: and he is the Sav- 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 514. 


iour of “the body. 24 Therefore as the 
church is subject unto Christ, so det the wives 
be to their own husbands ‘in every thing. 
25 ~ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
also loved the church, * and gave himself for 
it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it 
Yywith the washing of water «by the word, 
27 «That he might present it to himself a 


2.3; 1 Peter 5, 5. 
Titus 2. 5; 1 Peter 3. 1. 
22; 4. 13; Col. 


olleb, 13. 15; 1 Peter 2 4. 11.—p Phil. 
—q Gen. 3. 16; 1 Cor. 4 Bhs Col. 3. 18: 
—r Chip. ὃ. 5.—~s 1 Cor. 1. 3.—2Chap. 1. 
1. 18.—w Chap. 1. 23. 


—'Qdaic, odes; premeditated and regular poetic 
compositions ; but, in whatever form they were 
composed, we learn that they were all πνευματικά, 
spiritual—tending to magnify God and edify men. 
Singing and making melody in your heart— 
The “heart” always going with the lips. It is a 
shocking profanation of divine worship to draw 
nigh to God with the lips while the heart is far 
from him, It is too often the case, that in public 
worship men are carried off from the sense of the 
words by the sounds that are put to them. And how 
few choirs of singers are there in the universe 
whose hearts ever accompany them in what they 
call singing the praises of God ! 

20. Giving thanks always —God is continually 
loading you with his benefits ; you deserve nothing 
of his kindness; therefore give him thanks for his 
unmerited’ bounties. God and the Father— 
That is, God, who is your Father, and the Father 
of mercies. In the name of our Lord Jesus— 
He is the only mediator; and through him alone 
can ye approach to God; and it is for his sake 
only that God will hear your prayers or receive 
your praises. 

21. Submitting . . . one to another—Let no 
man be so tenacious of his own will, or of his opinion 
in matters indifferent, as to disturb the peace of the 
Chureh ; in all such matters give way to each other, 
and let love rule. In the fear of God—|A de- 
vout reference to God’s will is the most effectual 
incentive to Christian forbearance and brotherly 
love. | 

22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your 
own husbands—As the “Lord,” namely, Christ, 
is the head or governor of the Church and the head of 
the man, so is the man the head or governor of the 
woman. This is God’s ordinance, and should not 
be transgressed. The husband should not be a 
tyrant, and the wife should not be the governor. 
[The idea of subjection, though not expressed in 
the original is certainly implied. ‘‘ Your own,” ἰδίοις, 
“husbands,” used emphatically by suggesting the in- 
timacy of their relation, indicating also the resultant 
duty. As unto the Lord—[In “obeying your hus- 
bands obey the Lord, not merely as in all things 
we are to have regard to him, but because the hus- 
band stands peculiarly in Christ’s place.— Ellicott. ] 

23. For the husband is the head of the wife 
—This is the reason which the apostle gives for 
his injunctions. He is the Saviour of the body 
—As Christ exercises authority over the Church, so 
as to save and protect it, so let the husband exer- 

cise authority over his wife by protecting, comfort- 
ing, and providing for her. 

24. In every thing—[A general subordination 
in respect to authority between the two.] In 
every lawful thing; for it is not intimated that 
wives should obey ‘their husbands in anything crim- 
inal, or in anything detrimental to the interests of 


i Osl 3, 20, 2 22; Titus 2 2. 9.—to Col. 3. 19: 1 Peter 3. 
w Acts 20, 28; Gal. 1. 4: ἃ, 20; verse 9 Ἐν John 8: δ. "Titus 
8. 53 Heb. 10.” ; 1 John ὃ ὃ. ‘6.——2 John 15. 33 17. 17.—a 2 Cor. 


11. 2; Col. 1. ΠῚ 


their souls. The husband may be profligate, and 
may wish his wife to become such also; he may be 
an enemy to true religion, and use his authority to 
prevent his wife from those means of grace which 
she finds salutary to her soul; in none of these 
things should she obey him. 

25. Husbands, love your wives—Here is a 
grand rule, according to which every husband is 
called to act: Love your wife as Christ loved the 
Church. But how did Christ love the Chureh ? 
He gave himself for it—he laid down his life for 
it. So, then, husbands should make an offering 
of their lives for their wives; and there is more 
implied in the words than mere protection and sup- 
port; for as Christ gave himself for the Church to 
save it, so husbands should, by all means in their 
power, labour to promote the salvation of their 
wives, and their constant edification in righteous- 
ness. Thus we find that the authority of the man 
over the woman is founded on his love to her, and 
this love must be such as to lead him to devote his 
life for her. As the care of the family devolves 
on the wife, and the children must owe the chicf 
direction of their minds and formation of their 
manners to the mother, she has need of all the 
assistance and support which her husband can 
give her; and, if she performs her duty well, she 
deserves the utmost of his love and approbation. 

26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it— 
—The Church is represented as the spouse of 
Christ, as the woman is the spouse of the man; 
and, to prepare this Church for himself, he washes, 
cleanses, and sanctifies it. There is certainly an 
allusion here to the ancient method of purifying 
women who were appointed to be consorts to 
kings; twelve months, it appears, were in some 
instances spent in this purification: Six months 
with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, 
and with other things, for the purifying of women. 
(See Esther, chapter ii, 12; Psa. xlv, 13, 14; Ezek. 
xvi, 7-14.) With the washing of water—|[To 
λουτρῷ, with the laver of water, (not “ washing,” 
a meaning the word never has,) clearly a reference 
to the purifying bath of the bride previous to 
marriage.—A/ford.| [There is only a supposed 
and far- fetched reference to baptism, in these 
words.]| By the word—The doctrine of Christ 
crucified, through which the soul is purified from 
all unrighteousness, the death of Christ (through 
the Holy Spirit) giving efficacy to all. 

27. That he might present it to himself— 
It was usual to bring the royal bride to the a in 
the most sumptuous apparel. (See Psa. xlv, 13, 14: 
“The king’s daughter (Pharaoh’s) is all cele 
within, her clothing is of wrought gold: she shall 
be brought unto the king (Solomon) in raiment of 
needlework.”) The presentation here spoken of by 
the apostle will take place on the last day. A 
glorious church—Every way splendid and hon- 

263 


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glorious church, ’not having spot, or wrinkle, 
or any such thing; ¢but that it should be holy 
and without blemish. 28% So ought men to 
love their wives as their own bodies. He that 
loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no 
man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nour- 
isheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the 
church: 8@® For 4we are members of his 
body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 8 ¢For 
this cause shall a mun leave his father and 
mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and 
they ‘two shall be one flesh. 82 This is a 


EPHESIANS. 


ri an emblem of the union 
of the Church with Christ. 


great nystery: but I speak concerning Christ 
and the church. 88% Nevertheless, ¢let every 
one of you in particular so love his wife even 
as himself; and the wife see that she * reverence 
her husband, 
CHAPTER VI. . 

HILDREN, ¢ obey your parents in the Lord: 

for this is right. 2 *Honour thy father 
and mother; which is the first commandment 
with promise; &% That it may be well with 
thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 
4 And,¢ye fathers, provoke not your children 


6 Cant. 4. 7-——c Chap. 1. 4. d Gen. 2. 23: Rom. 12. 6; 1 Cor. 
6. 15: 12. 27.—eGen. 2. 24; Matt. 19. 5; Mark 10. 7, 8.— 
J 1 Cor. 6. 16. g Verse 25; Gol. ὃ. 19. 


hi Pet. 8. 6.—a Prov. 23. 22; Col. 3. 20.—b Exod. 20. 12; 
Deut. 5. 16; 27. 16; Jer. (3d. 18; Ezek. 22. 7; Mal. 1. 6; Matt, 
5. 4; Mark 7. sol. 3. 2 


i 


ourable, because pure and holy. Not having 
spot—XziAov, no blemish on the face: no spots 
upon the garment; the heart and life both holy. 
Wrinkle—‘Purida. The word is commonly ap- 
plied to wrinkles on the face, indicative of sickness 
or decay. EXoly and without blemish—In every 
sense holy, pure, and perfect. Now it was for this 
purpose that Christ gave himself for the Church; 
and for this purpose he continues the different or- 
dinances which he has appointed; and particularly 
the preaching of the word—the doctrine of 1econ- 
ciliation through faith in his blood. And it is in 
this life that this purification is to take place; for 
none shall be presented at the day of judgment to 
Him who has not here been sanctified, cleansed, 
washed, and made glorious, having neither - spot, 
wrinkle, blemish, nor any such thing.” How vain 
is the pretension of multitudes to be members of 
the true Church while full of moral blemishes; 
fondly supposing that their holiness is in their 
Surety, because not in themselves. 

28. As their own bodies—|[The marriage rela- 
tion is a mystical (not physical) union of the par- 
ties, united by God himself, and therefore it cannot 
be dissolved except according to God’s law; and 
it implies the mutual affection and the common 
interest of the parties.] The apostle, in all these 
verses, refers to the creation and original state of 
the first human pair. 

29. No man ever yet hated his own flesh— 
And this is a natural reason why he should love his 
wife, and nourish and cherish her. 

30. We are members of his body—He has 
partaken of our nature, as we have partaken of 
the nature of Adam. And as he is the head of the 
Church and the Saviour of this body, so we, being 
members of the Church, are members of his mystical 
body. That is, we are united to him by one Spirit 
in the closest intimacy, even similar to that which 
the members have with the body. [The idea of the 
mystical and purely spiritual union of believers 
with Christ, which is presented in the earlier part 
of this epistle, is evidently here present to the mind 
of the apostle. | 

31. Shall be joined unto his wife lipoma): 
ληθήσεται, he shall be closely joined to her; so 
death alone can part the husband and wife; and 
nothing but death should dissolve their affection. 

32. This is a great mystery—T0 μυστήριον 
τοῦτο μέγα. ἐστίν, this mystery is great. By this 
“mystery”? we may understand, 1) “the union of 
the husband and wife in marriage; and 2) (and 
eminently) the union of Christ with his Chureh. 
The creation and union of Adam and Eve were 
intended, in the design of God, to point out the 

264 


fore; 


union of Christ and the Church; a union the most 
important that can be conceived ; and therefore the 
apostle calls it a great ‘‘ mystery,” (or design.) 

33. Nevertheless—I1/71, moreover, or there- 
on the consideration of God’s design in the 
institution of marriage, let every one of. you love 
his wife as himself, because she is both naturally 
and by a divine ordinance a part of himself. That 
she reverence her husband—Let the wife ever 
consider the husband as her head; and this he is, 
not only by nature, but also by the ordinance of 
God. These are very important matters, and on 
them the apostle lays great stress. [The Church 
should never demean itself as merely parallel to 
other circles of fellowship, for she is called to be- 
come the inmost of all. From out of the family, 
the concentrated life of the household, where a 
filial spirit is born of wedded love and household 
dependents regulate themselves accordingly, the 
moral life of a nation also grows. The emancipa- 
tion of the strong-minded woman, that most repul- 
sive miscreation of natural corporealness, destroys 
not only what is Christian, but what is germane. 
Love is the only right dominion; there is then in 
every house a church in parvo. The mystery of 
marriage is a portico to the mystery of the sanctu- 
ary: from the latter, too, a light streams into the 
former.— Steir. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 
Children, obey your parents—This is a 
duty with which God will never dispense ; he com- 
mands it, and gratitude, from a sense of the high- 
est obligations, most strongly enforces the com- 
mand. In the Lord— Ev κυρίῳ. [This character- 
izes the obedience as Christian, the activity of 
which moves in Christ, with whom the Christian 
stands in communion of life. Δίκαιον, according 
to the law of God.— Weyer. | 
2. Honour thy father—[Tiwa (honowr) includes 
more than obedience. Altogether without respect 
to any other relations than that of parents and 
children, the duty of the latter not only to be just 
and kind to the former, but to render to them a 
special reverence, is the purport of the command- 
ment, from whose obligation nothing can in any 
case discharge them. | 
3. That it may be well, etc.—[This is the first 
commandment to which God has annexed a prom- 
ise, and therefore we may learn, in some measure, 
how important the duty is in the sight of God. In 
Deut. v, 16, it is said, ‘And that it may yo well with 
thee; we may ther efore conclude that it will go ill 
with the disobedient. ] 
4. Fathers, provoke not your ghildrer to 


Servants should be faithful 
and obedient, 


CHAPTER VI. _ 


A. M. 4065. A, Ὁ. 61. 
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to wrath: but ¢bring them up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord. 5 *Servants, be 
obedient to them that are your masters accord- 
ing to the flesh, ‘with fear and trembling, in 
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 
6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but 
as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God 
from the heart; % With good will doing 
service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 


7,20; 11. 19; Psa. 78.4; Prov. 19. 
18; 29. 6: 29. 17. ὃ Col. 3. 23; 1 Tim. 6. 1; Tit. 2.9: 1 Pet. 2. 18. 
—/2 Cor. 7. 15; Phil. 2. 12. gi Chron, 29. 17; Col. 3. 22. 
ACol. 3. 22, 2. 4 Romans 2. 6; 2 Cor. 5. 10; Col. 3. 24.— 
ζ Gal. 3. 28; Col. 3.11. 


d Gen. 18.19; Deut. 4. 9; 6. 


wrath—Avoid all severity; this will hurt your own 
souls, and do your children no good; rather, if 
punished with severity or cruelty, they will be 
only hardened and made desperate in their sins. 
Cruel parents generally have bad children. He who 
corrects his children according to God and reason 
will feel every blow on his own heart more sensibly 
than his child feels it on his body. Parents are 
called to correct, not to punish, their children. 
Those who punish them do it from a principle of 
revenge; those who correct them do it from a prin- 
ciple of affectionate concern. Bring them up— 
᾿Εκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου, liter- 
ally, nourish them in the discipline and instruction 
of the Lord. ἸΙαιδεία, discipline, may refer to all 
that knowledge which is proper for children, in- 
eluding elementary principles and rules for be- 
haviour, ete. Νουθεσία, instruction, may imply 
whatever is necessary to form the mind; to touch, 
regulate, and purify the passions; and necessarily 
includes the whole of religion. Both these should 
be administered in the Lord—all the important 
lessons and doctrines being derived from his reve- 
lation, (and taught in his Spirit,) therefore they are 
called the discipline and instruction of the Lord. 

5. Servants, be obedient—Though δοῦλος fre- 
quently signifies a slave or bondman, yet it often 
implies a servant in general, or any one bound to 
another, either for a limited time or for life. 
Even a slave, if a Christian, was bound to serve him 
faithfully by whose money he was bought, howso- 
ever illegal the traffic might be considered. In 
heathen countries slavery was in some sort excus- 
able; among Christians it is an enormity and a 
crime for which perdition has scarcely an adequate 
state of punishment. According to the flesh— 

~Your masters in secular things ; for they have no 
authority over your religion nor over your souls. 
With fear and trembling—Because the law gives 
them a power to punish you for every act of diso- 
bedience. [And because of your duty to God.] 
[This does not refer to anger and rebuke and punish- 
ment, nor is it to be weakened into tender, anxious 
conscientiousness. — Braune.] In singleness of 
your heart—Not merely through fear of punish- 
ment, but from a principle of uprightness, serving 
them as you would serve Christ. : 

6. Not with eyeservice—Not merely in their 
presence, when their eye is upon you, as unfaith- 
ful and hypocritical servants do, without consult- 
ing conscience in any part of their work. Doing 
the will of God—Seeing that you are in the state 
of servitude, it is the will of God that you should 
act conscientiously in it. 

7. With good will—Mer’ εὐνοίας, with’ cheer- 
Sulness; do not take up your service as a cross, or 
bear it as a burden; but take it as coming in the 


§ ‘Knowing that whatsoever good thing any 
man doeth, the same shall he receive of the 
Lord, * whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye 
' masters, do the same things unto them, ™* for- 
bearing threatening: knowing that °P your Mas- 
ter also is in heaven; d4neither is there respect 
of persons with him. 10 Finally, my breth- 
ren, be strong in the Lord, and ‘in the power 
of his might. 11 *Put onthe whole armour 


7Col. 4. 1.—m Leviticus 25. 43.—n Or, moderating. 
oSome read, both your and their Master.—p Jolin 13. 135 
1 Cor. 7. 22. 4 Romans 2, 11: Col. 3. 25 —rChap. 1. 193 
3. 16; 11. —s Romans 13. 12; 2 Cor. 6. 7; verse 13; 


Col. 1. 
1 Thess. 5. 8. 


order of God’s providence, and a thing that is 
pleasing to him. [The servants of Christ naturally 
do the will of God, (John x, 80,) and that, too, 
“from the heart,” without discontent with their 
service, or murmuring in their service.—Braune. | 

8. Whatsoever good thing any man doeth— 
Though your masters should fail to give you the due 
reward of your fidelity and labour, yet as ye have 
done your work as unto the Lord, he will take care 
to give you the proper recompense. Whether he 
be bond—A s/ave, bought with money. Or free— 
A person who has hired himself of his own free 
accord. 

9. Ye masters, do the same thing unto them 
—Act in the same affectionate, conscientious man- 
ner toward your slaves as they (ought to) do to- 
ward you. Forbearing threatening — If they 
should transgress at any time, lean more to the side 
of mercy than justice ; and when ye are obliged to 
punish, let it be as lightly and moderately as possi- 
ble; and let revenge have no part in the chastise- 
ment, for that is of the devil, and not of God. ‘The 
words forbearing threatening, ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπει- 
λήν, signify to mitigate, relax, or not exact threat- 
ening; that is, the threatened punishment. The 
sense is given above. In Shemoth Robba, section 
21, folio 120, there is a good saying concerning re- 
spect of persons: “If a poor man come to a rich 
man to converse with him, he will not regard him ; 
but if a rich man come he will hear and rehear 
him. The holy and blessed God acts not thus ; for 
all are alike before him—women, slaves, the poor 
and the rich.’ Knowing that your Master 
also is in heaven— κε are ἐλεεῖν masters, Gop is 
yours. As you deal with them, so Gop will deal 
with you; for do not suppose, because their con- 
dition on earth is inferior to yours, that God con- 
siders them to be less worthy of his regard than 
you are; this is not so, for there is no respect of 
persons with him. [The purport of the apostle’s 
instructions respecting the duty cf masters and 
servants or slaves toward each other seems to be, 
that since their relations are fixed by the laws and 
social usages over which neither party had any 
control, it was incumbent on both parties, as 
Christians, to discharge the duties that belonged to 
their positions. Nothing is intimated respecting the 
right or wrong of slavery, nor of the duty of the mas- 
ter in respect to emancipation, wherever possible. ] 

10. Finally— Having laid before you your great 
and high ealling, and all the doctrines and precepts 
of the Gospel, it is necessary that 1 should show you 
the enemies that will oppose you, and the strength 
which is requisite to enable you to repel them. 
[Ἐνδυναμοῦσθε, passive not middle, be strengthened ; 
that is, in the Lord (Christ.)—A//ord. ] 

11. Put on the whole armour of God— 

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of God, that ye may be able to stand against 
the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not 
against '«flesh and blood, but against ἡ princi- 
palities, against powers, against ἡ the rulers of 
the darkness of this world, against * spiritual 
wickedness in ¥ high places. 13 τ Wherefore 


EPHESIANS. 


Believers to array themselves 
with the armour of Ged. 


take unto you the whole armour of God, that 
ye may be able to withstand “in the evil day, 
and *having done all, to stand. 24 Stand 
therefore, «having your loins girt about with 
truth, and ἃ having on the breastplate of right- 
eousness; 38 ¢And your feet shod with the 


(τ. blood and flesh. —-u Matt. 16. 17; 1 Cor. 15. 50. — 
@ Rom, 8, 38; chap. 1. 21; Col. 2. 15. —- 20 Luke 22. 53; John 
2. 31: 14. 30; chap. 2. 2; Col. 1. 13.—a Or, wicked spirits. 
y Or, heavenly, as chap. 1. 3. 


22 Cor, 10, 4; verse 11.—a Chap. δ. 16.—0 Or, having 
overcome all, cIssiah 11. 5; Luke 12. 35; 1 Peter 1. 13. 
@Isaiah 59. 17; 2 Cor. 6. 7; 1 Thess. 5. 8.—elIsuiah d2. 73 
Rom. 10. 15. 


᾿Ενδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. The apostle 
considers that every Christian has a warfare to 
maintain against a powerful and subtle foe, and 
that therefore he would need much strength, much 
courage, complete armour, and skill to use it. The 
panoply which is mentioned here refers to the ar- 
mour of the heavy troops among the Greeks; those 
who were to sustain the rudest attacks, who were 
to sap the foundations of walls, storm cities, ete. 
Their ordinary armour was the shield, the helmet, 
the sword, and the greaves or brazen boots. To all 
these the apostle refers below. (See on verse 13.) 
The wiles of the devil—Tac μεθυδίας τοῦ δια- 
βόλου, the methods of the devil ; the different means, 
plans, schemes, and machinations which he uses to 
deceive, entrap, enslave, and ruin the souls of men. 
A mans method of sinning is Satan’s method of 
ruining his soul. 

12. For we wrestle not against flesh and 
blood—Ovx« ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα Kai σάρκα, 
our wrestling or contention is not with men like our- 
selves: “flesh and blood” is a Hebraism for men, 
or human beings. The word πάλῃ implies the ath- 
letic exercises in the Olympic and other national 
games, [and especially the Christian’s hand-to-hand 
fight with the adversary.] Here it signifies war- 
fare in general. Against principalities— Ap ydc, 
chief rulers. Powers—E&ovoiac, authorities, de- 
rived from and constituted by the above. The 
rulers of the darkness of this world — Τοὺς 
κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, the rulers of the 
world ; the emperors of the darkness of this state 
of things. [That is, the militant age of the 
Church.| Spiritual wickedness — Τὰ πνευμα- 
τικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, the spiritual things of wicked- 
ness ; ov the spiritualitics of wickedness ; highly re- 
fined and sublimed evil; falsehood disguised in the 
garb of truth; antinomianism in the guise of re- 
ligion; [sacerdotalism and formalism] In high 
places — Ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, in the most sub- 


lime stations, [in Church, State, and society, in’ 


customs and usages, in literature and public opin- 
ion, for these are the rulers of the (spiritual) dark- 
ness of the age. The array of the powers of the 
Evil One, as they subsist and operate in the world, 
in its institutions and affairs, is presented in the 
form of the powers of kingdoms and orders of this 
world; though evidently all that is here said is to 
be taken as a general presentation of the activities 
of Satan, and the hold that he has obtained, through 
the agencies of man’s fallen nature, of the various 
elements of moral influence in the world. Probably 
there is no reference to any other persons than the 
chief combatants, Christ and Satan, and, after them 
men who are at once active auxiliaries on either 
side, and, also the prize contended for.] [The 
contest in its essence is a single-handed struggle in 
wrestling, in which each for himself is attacked. 
The danger lies in the power and character of the 
enemy and of his wiles, in which he does not himself 
openly appear. ... The means for assault and con- 
266 


flict are afforded to the Evil One by the world, which 
is at his disposal, and by “flesh and blood” which 
war against the soul, and become allies in the 
service of Satan. ... What is natural and created 
is not the precise antagonist against whom we must 
contend.—Lraune. | 

3. Wherefore—Because ye have such enemies 
to contend with. Take unto you—Assume, as 
provided and prepared for you, the whole armour 
of God; which “armour” if you put on and use, you 
shall be both invulnerable and immortal. That ye 
may be able to withstand—That ye may not 
only stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath 
made you free, but also discomfit all your spiritual 
foes; and, continuing in your ranks. maintain your 
ground against them, never putting off your armour, 
but standing always ready prepared to repel any 
new attack. [The Christian warfare is chiefly, but 
not entirely, defensive.] By evil day we may un- 
derstand any time of trouble, affliction, and sore 
temptation. And having done all, to stand— 
Kai ἅπαντα κατεργασάμενοι στῆναι, rather, and hav- 
ing conquered ail, stand; this is a military phrase, 
and is repeatedly used in this sense by the best 
Greek writers. 

14. Stand therefore—Prepare yourselves for 
combat. Having your loins girt about with 
truth— The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the “ truth” 
of God; unless this be known and conscientiously 
believed no man can enter the spiritual warfare 
with any advantage or prospect of success. The 
breastplate of righteousness—The word “ right- 
eousness,” δικαιοσύνη, is of very extensive import. 
Here it may imply assurance of justification through 
the blood of the cross; the principle of righteous- 
ness or true holiness implanted in the heart; and 
a holy life, a life regulated according to ihe testi- 
monies of God. As the “breastplate ” defends the 
heart and lungs, and all those vital organs that 
are contained in what is called the region of the 
thorax, so this “righteousness ”.—this life of God 
in the soul of man—defends every thing on which 
the spiritual existence depends. 

15. Your feet shod—The κνημίδες, or greaves, 
were deemed of essential importance in the ancient 
armour; if the feet or legs are materially wounded 
a man can neither stand to resist his foe, pursue 
him if vanquished, nor flee from him should he 
have the worst of the fight. The Israelites were 
commanded to eat the passover with their feet 
shod, to show that they were ready for their jour- 
ney. And our Lord commands his disciples to be 
shod with sandals, that they might be ready to go 
and publish the Gospel, as the Israelites were to 
go to possess the promised land. Every Christian 
should consider himself on his journey from a 
strange land to his own country, and not only stand 
every moment prepared to proceed, but be every 
moment in actual progress toward his home. The 
preparation of the gospel—'‘Eroipacia, habitual 
readiness, firmness. [lt is the readiness, the ready 


Parts of the armour and 
their use described. ‘ 


preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above 


ali, taking {the shield of faith, wherewith ye| the word of God: 


shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of 
the wicked. 17 Andétake the helmet of sal- 


ΖῚ John 5, 4. —g Isaiah 59, 17: 1' Thess. 5. 8 —AHeb. 4. 12: 
Rev. 1. 16; 2.165 19. 13. 


mind, the promptitude for the conflict in question 
which the Gospel bestows, and which is produced 
by means of it—JJeyer.] Should we take the word 
preparation in its common acceptation, it may im- 
ply, that by a conscientious belief of the Gospel, 
receiving the salvation provided by its author, 
and waiking in the way of obedience which is 
pointed out by it, the soul is prepared for the king- 
dom of heaven. 

16. Above all, (ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, outside of all the rest 
of the armour,) taking the shield of faith—As 
“faith” is the grace by which all others are pre- 
served and rendered active, so it is properly repre 
sented here under the notion of a “shield,” Faith, 
in this place, must mean that evidence of things 
unseen which every genuine believer has that God, 
for Christ’s sake, has blotted out his sins, and by 
which he is enabled to call God his Father, and feel 
him to be his portion. Only this appropriating 
faith can quench any dart of the “wicked one.” 
The fiery darts of the wicked—Béoc, a dart, 
signifies any kind of missile weapon ; every thing 
that is projected to a distance by the hand, as a 
javelin, or short spear; or by a bow, as an arrow; 
or a stone by a sling. “The fiery darts "—ra βέλη 
τὰ πεπυρωμένα, [ fire-bearing arrows or javelins de- 
signed to set on fire that into which they were 
thrown ; or poisoned arrows, so-called for their de- 
Structiveness.] ΤῸ quench or extinguish such fiery 
darts the shields were ordinarily covered with metal 
on the outside, and thus the fire was prevented 
from kindling upon the shield. When they stuck 
on a shield of another kind and set it on fire, the 
soldier was obliged to cast it away, and thus be- 
came defenceless. The “fiery darts” of the 
“wicked,” τοῦ πονηροῦ, the devil, are evil thoughts 
and strong injections, as they are termed, which in 
the unregenerate inflame the passions and excite 
the soul to sin. While the faith is strong in Christ 
it acts as a shield to quench these, 

17. Take the helmet of salvation—Or, as it 
is expressed in 1 Thess. v, 8, “and for a helmet, the 
hope of salvation.” The hope of conquering every 
adversary and surmounting every difficulty through 
the blood of the Lamb, is as a helmet that protects 
the head, so that the blow of the battleaxe can- 
not cleave it. The hope of continual safety and 
protection, built on the promises of God, to which 
the upright follower of Christ feels he has a divine 
right, protects the understanding from being dark- 
ened, and the judgment from being confused by 
any temptations of Satan or subtle arguments of 
the sophistical ungodly. He who carries Christ in 
his heart cannot be cheated out of the hope of his 
heaven. The sword of the Spirit—The “sword ” 
of which St. Paul speaks is, as he explains it, the 
word of God ; that is, the revelation which God 
has given of himself, or what we call the Holy 
Scriptures. This is called “the sword of. the 
Spirit” because it comes trom the Holy Spirit, and 
becomes effective in the soul through the oper- 
ation of the Holy Spirit. An ability to recall and 
appropriate the word of God in times of tempta- 
tion and trial has a wonderful tendency to cut in 
Pieces the snares of the adversary. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A.M. 4065. A. D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


Spirit, which is 
IS ‘Praying always with 
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, aud 
«watching thereunto with all perseverance and 


vation, and "the sword of the 


1 Thess, 5. 17.—k Matt. 


3. 33. 


iLuke 13.1; Rom. 12. 12; Col. 4. 2: 
26. 41; Mark 13. 


word a genuine Christian may have unlimited con- 
fidence, and to every purpose to which it is appli- 
cable it may be brought with the greatest effect. 
[The μάχαιρα τοῦ Πνεύματος is the sword which 
the Holy Spirit furnishes, and the sword is the word 
of God—the Gospel—the contents of which the 
Spirit brings vividly to the consciousness of the 
Christian, in order that he may defend himself by 
the divine power of the Gospel against the assaulis 
of the diabolical powers, and may vanquish them, 
as the warrior wards off and vanquishes the enemy 
with the sword.—Meyer.] [10 is much less special 
passages of Scripture, than its general and compre- 
hensive doctrines and spirit that constitute “the 
sword of the Spirit.” It is possible to so misquote 
single texts as to wholly pervert them from their 
true spirit, and legitimate design. } 

18. Praying always—The apostle does not put 
praying among the armour; had he done so he 
would have referred it, as he has done all the 
rest, to some of the Grecian armour; but as he 
does not do this, therefore we conclude that his ac- 
count of the armour is ended, and that now, having 
equipped his spiritual soldier, he shows him the ne- 
cessity of praying that he may successfully resist 
those principalities, powers, the rulers of the dark- 
ness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness in 
heavenly places, with whom he has to contend. 
When the apostle exhorts Christians to pray with 
all prayer, we may at once see that he neither 
means spiritual nor formal prayer, in exclusion of 
the other. “ Praying” (προσευχόμενοι) refers to the 
state of the spirit as well as to the act. With all 
prayer—[With prayer and entreaty of every kind, 
praying at each moment in virtue of the Spirit.— 
Meyer.| This refers to the various kinds of prayer 
that is performed in public, in the family, in the 
closet, in business. on the Way, in the heart with- 
out a voice, and with the voice from the heart. 
All these are necessary to the genuine Cliistian ; 
and he whose heart is right with God will be fre- 
quent in the whole. [Some there are, who use 
only mental prayer or ejaculations, and think they 
are in a state of grace, and use a way of worship 
far superior to any other; but such only fancy 
themselves to be above what is really above them ; 
it requiring far more grace to be enabled to pour 
out a fervent and continued prayer, than to offer 
up mental aspirations.— Wesley.] And supplica- 
ἰλοη---Δεήσεως. Supplication seems to mean prayer 
continued in, strong and incessant pleadings tiil the 
evil is averted or the good communicated. Prayer 
should he ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, in every time, season, or 
opportunity ; and ἐν πνεύματι, in or through the 
Spiviui—that the heart should be engaged in it, and 
that its infirmities should be helped by the Holy 
Ghost. Watching thereunto—Being always on 
your guard lest your enemies should surprise you. 
Watch, not only against evil, but also for oppor- 
tunities to do and to receive good. Without watch- 
fulness, prayer and all the spiritual armour will be 
ineffectual. With all perseverance—Being al- 
ways intent on your object, and never losing sight 
of your danger or of your interest. The word im- 


In God’s| plies stretching out the neck, and looking about, in 


267 


A. M. 4965, A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814, 


‘supplication for all saints; 19 ™And for 
me, that utterance may be given unto me, 
that I may open my mouth "boldly, to make 
known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For 
which 51 am an ambassador Pain bonds; that 
‘therein 51 may speak boldly, as 1 ought to 
speak. 28 But ‘that ye also may know 
my affairs, and how I do, "Tychicus, ἃ be- 
loved brother and faithful minister in the 


EPHESIANS. 


Paul sends Tychiens to Ephesus to 
inform the Church of his state. 


Lord, shall make known to you all things: 
22 *Whom I have sent unto you for the 
same purpose, that ye might know our af- 
fairs, and that he might comfort your liearts. 
23 “Peace be to the brethren, and love 
with faith, from God the Father and the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all them that 
love our Lord Jesus Christ *yin sincerity. 
Amen. 


UChap. 1. 16: Philippians ἩΞ τς 1 Timothy 2 2. 1.—n Acts 4. 
29; Colossians 4, 3; 2 nese n2 Corinthians 
3. 12.—o2 Corinthians 5. 20. 7 Or, in a Chau: — gq Acts 
26. 29; 28. 20: chap. 3. ie ΕΠ τας 1. 7, 18, 14; 2 Timothy 1. 


r Or, thereof. 8. Acts 98, 31; Phil. 
uw Acts 20. 43 


wi Peter 


16; 2. 9; Philemon 10. 
1. 20; 1 Thessalonians 2. 2. t Colossians 4, 7. 
2 Timothy 4, 12; Titus 3. 12. » Colossians 4. &. 
5. 14.—a@ Titus 2. 7.—y Or, with incorruption. 


order to discern an enemy at a distance.  [‘‘ Per- 
severance’ and “supplication” here amount to 
persevering supplication.—Riddle.| For all saints 
—For all Christians ; for this was the character by 
which they were generally distinguished. [In pray- 
ing for themselves they were uniformly to biend 
petitions for all the saints.— adie. | 

19. And for me, that utterance may be 
given unto me—"Iva μοι δοθῇ λόγος. Kypke has 
proved by many examples that λόγον didovar signi- 
fies permission and power to defend one’s self in a 
court of justice; and this sense of the phrase is 
perfectly applicable to the case of St. Paul, who 
was an ambassador in bonds, (verse 20,) and ex- 
pected to be called to a public hearing, in which he 
was not only to defend himself, but to prove the 
truth and excellency of the Christian religion. And 
we learn (from Phil. i, 12-14) that he had his de- 
sire in this respect ; for the things which happened 
to him fell out to the furtherance of the Gospel, so 
that his bonds in Christ were manifest in all the 
palace, and in all other places. Thus God had en- 
abled him to make a most noble defence, by which 
the Gospel acquired great credit. The mystery 
of the gospel—The whole doctrine of Christ, not 
fully revealed previously to that time. 

20. An ambassador in bonds—An ambassador 
being the representative of his king, his person was, 
in all civilized countries, held sacred. Contrary to 
the rights of nations, this ambassador of the King 
of heaven was put in chains! He had, however, 
the opportunity of defending himself, and vindica- 
ting the honour of his Master. As I ought to 
speak—As becomes the dignity and the importance 
of the subject. 

21. That ye also—As well as other Churches 
to whom I have communicated the dealings both of 
God and man to me. May know my affairs— 
May be acquainted with my situation and circum- 
stances. And how I do—HowI employ my time, 
and what fruit there is of my apostolical labours. 
Tychicus, a beloved brother—We learn (from 
Acts xx, 4) that Tychicus was of Asia, and that he 
was a useful companion of St. Paul. See the note 
on the above place. This same person, and with 
the same character and commendation, is mentioned 
in the epistle to the Colossians, chapter iv, 7. He 
is mentioned also in Titus iii, 12 and in 2 Tim. iv, 12; 
from all these places it is evident that he was a 
person in whom the apostle had the highest confi- 
dence, and that he was a very eminent minister of 
Christ. 

22. Whom I have sent 
268 


... for the same 


purpose—Namely, that the Ephesians might know 
his affairs and those of the Church at Rome; mes- 
sengers of this kind frequently passed between the 
Churches in those ancient times. Comfort your 
hearts—By showing you how powerfully he was 
upheld in all his tribulations, and how God turned 
his bonds to the furtherance of the Gospel. This 
must have been great consolation to all the follow- 
ers of God, and particularly to those in Ephesus 
or Laodicea, or to whomsoever the epistle was 
directed. 

23. Peace be to the brethren—If the epistle 
were really sent to the Ephesians, a people with 
whom the apostle was so intimately acquainted, it 
is strange that he mentions no person by name. 
This objection, on which Dr. Paley lays great stress, 
has not been successfully answered. Peace—aAll 
prosperity, and continual union with God and 
among yourselves; and love to God and man, the 
principle of all obedience and union; with faith, 
continually increasing, and growing ‘stronger and 
stronger, from God ‘the Father, as the fountain 
of all our mercies, and the Lord Jesus Christ, 
through whose sacrifice and mediation they all 
come. 

24. Grace be with all them—May the divine 
favour and all the benedictions flowing from it, be 
with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ. 
In sincerity—’Ev ἀφθαρσίᾳ, in incorruptibility. 
Those who show the genuineness of their love by 
walking before him in holiness of life. Many pro- 
fess to love our Lord Jesus but are not sincere; 
on these the “grace” or favour of God cannot 
rest; they profess to know him, but in works deny 
him. Such can neither expect favour here nor 
hereafter. [Insincerity is often of'the heart alone, 
while the understanding is not aware of its exist- 
ence. So there may be an émsincerity in one’s love 
of Christ, of which he may not be conscious on ac- 
count of the “ deceivableness of unrighteousness.” | 
Amen—This is wanting in many MSS. [Ὁ is, how- 
ever, more likely to be a genuine subscription here 
than most others of its kind. The apostle might 
have sealed his most earnest wish by this word ; 
which means not so much, so be it! or may it be so, 
as it implies the faithfulness of Him who had given 
the promises, and whose prerogative it was to give 
effect to the prayers which his own Spirit had in- 
spired. 

The subscriptions to this epistle are [various, but 
of very little authority. They generally favour the 
notion that the epistle was really written to the 
Ephesians. } 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE 


TO 


Petit ΡΈΕΙ Ὁ. 


AUTHORSHIP. 


Τ' has been almost universally believed that this epistle was written by its 

reputed author, St. Paul. The traditions of the Church are unanimous in 
this decision, and as there appears no assignable reason. for any falsification in 
the matter, the style and spirit of the composition, which are eminently Pauline, 
would seem to sufficiently attest its genuineness. The suggestions of a few 
(German) critics, that the whole of chapter iii, and the first nine verses of 
chapter iv, constitute an interpolation, rests on an altogether too feeble reason to 
entitle it to any serious consideration. The external testimonies in favour of its 
Pauline authorship, derived from the unbroken consensus of the Fathers of the 
early Church, are rich and abundant. 


THE PLACE AND PEOPLE. 


The city of Philippi was a town of Macedonia, in the territory of the Edones, 
in Thrace, near the northern extremity of the Aigean Sea, built by Philip, the 
father of Alexander the Great. Near to it occurred the famous battle of 
Antony and Octavius against Brutus and Cassius, which sealed the fate of the 
Roman republic.. It is now an insignificant place called Felibejik. 

The introduction of the Gospel into this city was in response to acall received 
by Paul in a vision of the night, during his second missionary journey. There was 
aman of Macedonia beseeching him, and saying, “ Come over into Macedonia, 
and help us,” (Acts xvi, 9.) Paul, with Silas and Timotheus, soon afterward passed 
over into that city, and began their evangelistic labour, which was the beginning 
of a work which became a rich and prolific seed of future fruit. Paul probably 
visited this place once, perhaps twice, subsequently. His persecutors were not 
Jews; but certain pretenders whose trade Paul had spoiled by casting out the 
demon from the girl by whom they had their gain. Pauland Silas were cast into 
prison, but were delivered by a miracle which resulted in the conversion of the 
jailer and his family, and Paul soon after left the city. Of his later visits to 
this city no definite account is given. 


OCCASION. 


The relations of the apostle to the Philippian Church appear to have been 
mutually agreeable and endearing. They alone of all the Churches sent subsi- 
dies to relieve his personal necessities, which they did on two several occasions 


soon after his departure from them, and also during his imprisonment at Rome. 
269 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. 


In the absence of Jewish disturbers the Gospel was preached and received in its: 
simplicity; but at length the Judaizers came here also, but seein to have been 
less successful in alienating the believers than in many other places. 

The general state of the Church may be gathered from several hints in the 
epistle and elsewhere. They were poor, but liberal, (2 Cor. viii, 1, 2,) and in 
trouble, probably from persecution, (chapter 1, 28-30;) in danger of, if not already 
in, quarrel and dissension, (chapter 11, 1-4,) and apparently inclined to spiritual 
pride and jealousies. 

The epistle itself seems to be simply a message of Christian salutations, 
elicited probably by the bounty shown to the writer, accompanied with kindly 
cautions and reproofs. Epaphroditus had brought to the apostle the contribution 
from his beloved Philippians; and on his return the apostle availed himself of 
the opportunity to forward to them this epistle, and thus to pour out to them the 
fulness of his heart in thanksgivings and in prayers and exhortations for their 
spiritual welfare; and thus he was led on by the inspiration of the indwelling 
Spirit to set forth truths and to dilate upon motives which are alike precious for 
all ages and for every Church in the whole earth. 


TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING. 

Respecting the place and time of the writing of this epistle there seems to be 
very little room to doubt that it was written from Rome, during the apostle’s 
imprisonment, probably near the end of the “two years” referred to at the end 
of the Acts. There have been some faint attempts to fix the place at Corinth and 
at Cesarea, but neither of these places will suit the indications of the epistle itself. 
The tone of the epistle, and also certain references to facts, seem to imply that 
the partial freedom accorded to Paul during the earlier part of his imprisonment 
had been somewhat abridged, and that he was expecting a speedy decision of his 
case. There is a spirit of sadness and anxiety about the epistle, quite unlike any- 
thing seen in others of his letters, which seems to indicate some unfavourable 
change of his circumstances. This is accounted for by suspecting that at this 
time the policy of Nero had become more cruel, and that the apostle was already 
suffering from its rigours, as well as anticipating still greater severities. This 
would fix its date after the two years of Acts xxviil. 


STYLE AND SPIRIT. : 

The language of this epistle is thoroughly Pauline. Its style, like all Paul’s 
epistles when he writes with fervour, is abrupt, often passing from one theme to 
another; full of earnest exhortations, affectionate warnings, deep and wonderful 
settings forth of his individual spiritual condition and feelings, of the state of 
Christians and of the world, of the loving counsels of the Father respecting us, 
and the self-sacrifice and triumph of the Redeemer. This epistle is especially 
warm in its expressions of affection. The writer’s whole soul seems to have been 
penetrated to its depth by the love of the Spirit; his feeble frame, crushed to the 
very verge of death, shaken with fightings and fears, burning at every man’s 
offence and weak with every man’s infirmity, had yet its sweet refreshments and 


calm restingplaces of affection.—A/ford. 
270 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


Oa Sas EP Pa: 


CHAPTER I. 
AUL and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus 
Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus 
which are at Philippi, with the bishops and 
deacons: 2 Grace be unto you, and peace, 
from God our Father and from the Lord Je- 


dremembrance of you, 4 Always in every 
prayer of mine for,you all making, request with 
joy, ὦ ¢For your fellowship in the gospel 
from the first day until now; 6 Being conti- 
dent of this very thing, that he which hath 
begun fa good work in you δ will perform 7¢ 


sus Christ. % 91 thank my God upon every huntil the d: ay of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it 
~ al Cor. 1. i 9 Ξε Rom. 17 3.2 Cor. 1. 2; 1 Pet. 1.2.—c Rom. d Or, mention.—e Rom. 12. 13; 15. 26; 2 Cor. & 1; chap. 
r eB i Gor. 1. 4: Eph. Ll. 1d, δὲ oak 1. 3:1 Thess, 1. 2; | 4. 14, 16.—/ John 6, 29; 1 Thess. ee —g Or, will finish it. 


2 Thess. 1. 3. 


—/Verse 16, 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Paul and Timotheus—That Timothy was at 
this time with the apostle in Rome we learn from 
chapter ii, 19, and also that he was very high in 
the apostle’s estimation. He had also accompanied 
Paul on his two voyages to Philippi, (see Acts xvi 
and xx,) and was therefore deservedly dear to the 
Church in that city. It was on these accounts that 
St. Paul joined his name to his own, not because he 
was in any part the author of this epistle, but he 
might have been the apostle’s amanuensis, though 
the subscription to the epistle gives this office to 
Epaphroditus. Neither in this epistle, nor in those 
to the Thessalonians and to Philemon, does St. Paul 
call himself an apostle; the reason of which ap- 
pears to be, that in none of these places was his 
apostolical authority called in question. Saints— 
“Ἅγιοι. This term, used as here, absolutely as ὁ 
common designation of all Christians, appears in 
the opening salutation of nearly all of St. Paul’s 
epistles to the churches. Bishops— Επισκόποις, the 
overseers of the Church of Gud And deacons— 
[Kai διακόνοις. (See Acts vi, 1,2; 1 Tim. iii, 8.) Re- 
specting these two classes of persons Bengel aptly 
remarks: ‘‘ The former cared especially for the in- 
ternal, and the latter for the external, affairs; yet 
not so but that the latter cared also for the inter- 
nal, and the former for the external, affairs.” | 

2. Grace be unto you—“ee on Rom. i, 7. 

3. Upon every remembrance—As often as 
you recur to my mind, so often do I thank God for 
the great work wrought among you. Some think 
that the words should be translated, Jor all your 

kind remembrance ; referring to their kind atten- 
tion to the apostle in supplying his wants, ete. 

4. Always in every prayer—lI pray often for 
you, and have great pleasure in doing it, seeing 
what God has already wrought among you. 

5. For your fellowship i in the gospel—Kow- 
via, spiritual “fellowship ” or communion; not only 
their attention to the Gospel, their readiness to 
continue in it, and perseverance in it, but also their 


unity and affection among themselves. [ On account 
of your fellowship in respect of the Gospel ; the 
common brotherly coherence which united the 
Philippians together for the Gospel; the end at 
which, in their mutual coherence, they aimed.— 
Meyer. | 

6. Being confident—There shall be nothing 
lacking on God’s part to support you; and to make 
you wise, holy, and happy; and bring you at last to 
his kingdom and glory. [That which he has hegun 
he will complete, by the further operations of his 
grace. The idea of resistance to this ἀν ον as ἃ 
human possibility, is not thereby excluded ; but Paul 
had not this to fear on the part of his Philippian 
converts, as he formerly had in the case of the Ga- 
latians. — Meyer.| Until the day of Jesus 
Christ—[On this clause Alford quotes Calvin, (and 
characterizes the remark as “very beautiful,”) that 
“although they who are freed from the mortal 
body have no longer to war against the lusts of the 
flesh, and are beyond the stroke of the dart, (of 
the adversary,) yet it would not be absurd if they 
were said to be (only) in an advanced stage, (in 
projectu,) because they have not yet reached that 
to which they aspire, have not become possessed of 
the felicity and glory which they hope for. The 
day has not yet risen (¢#/uxit) which shall reveal 
the treasures now conceded in hope, and therefore 
when this hope is spoken of our eyes are turned, 
as to its final object, to the happy resurrection.” 
On this Alford further remarks, ‘‘ Doubtless this is 
our lesson, and must be our application of such 


passages; but this surely was: not the sense in 
which the apostle wrote them.” Respecting the 


theory of the second coming of Christ, to which 
this passage is supposed to refer, it has been perti- 
nently asked: “Ought not the commentary of his- 
tory, the inexorable logic of events, to shed some 
light upon this theory, and to lead us to re-examine 
our principles of exegesis ? This hope, which if it has 
been cherished for eighteen hundred years or fifty 
years, has been cherished only to be disappointed. Ἂἢ 
271 


A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62. 
Year of Rome, 815, 


PHILIPPIANS. 


Paul's persecution contributed 
to the si:ccess of the Gos, el. 


is meet for me to think this of you all, because 
1 have you ‘in my heart; inasmuch as both 
in !my bonds, and in the defence and confir- 
mation of the gospel, "ye all are °partakers of 
my grace. 8 For PGod is my record, ahow 
ereatly I long after you all in the bowels of 
Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, ‘that your 
love may abound yet more and more in knowl- 
edge and in all ‘judgment; 40 That tye 
may “approve things that ‘are excellent; 


ZOr, ye have me in your heart. ——k2 Cor, 3.2; 7. 3. 
—Z1Eph. 3. 1; 6. 20; Col. 4. 3, 18; 2 Tim. 1. 8.—72 Verse 17. 
—n Chap. 4. 14. ὁ Or, partik er 5 with me of grace. 
p Rom. 1. 9; 9. 1; Gal. 1, 20; 1 Thess. 2. 5.—gq@ Chap. 2. 26; 
4 —— Fe 1 Thess, 3. 3s “Phiiem. 6. 


wthat ye may be sincere and without offence 
till the day of Christ; I Being filled with 
the fruits of righteousness, ἡ which are by Je- 
sus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 
12 But 1 would ye should understand, breth- 
ren, that the things which happened unto me 
have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of 
the gospel; 18 So that my bonds *in Christ 
are manifest >in all «the palace, and 4in all 
other places; 44 And many of the brethren 


8 Or, sense.—t Rom. 2. 18; 12. 2: Eph. 5. 10.——w Or, try. 
—~» Or, differ.—w Acts 4. 16; 1 Thess. 3. 133.5. 23.-—a1 Cor. 
1, 8.—yJobn 15. 4, 5; Eph. 2.10; Col. 1. 6.——z John 15. 8; 
Eph. 1. 12, 14. —a@ Or, ‘for Christ. — ὦ Chap. 4. 22.—e Or, 
Cesir's court.—d On to all others. 


7, It is meet for me to think this—Eorw δί- 
kalov ; it is gust that I should think so, because 
1 have you in my heart—you live in my warmest 
love and most affectionate remembrance. Inas- 
much as both in my bonds—Because you have 
set your hearts upon me in my bonds, sending 
Epaphroditus to minister to me in my necessities, 
(chapter ii, 25,) and contributing of your own sub- 
stance to me, (chapter iv, 14,) sending once and 
again to me while I was in bonds for the defence 
of the faith, (verses 15, 16,) those things con- 
firm my hope concerning you; especially when I 
find you yet standing firm under the like afflictions, 
“having the same conflict which ye saw in me” 
when I was among you, (Acts xvi, 12, ete,) “ and 
now hear to be in me.’ (Chapter i, 30.) 

8. For God is my record—Mépruc, witness. 
T call God to witness that I have the strongest af- 
fection for you, and that I love you with that same 
kind of tender concern with which Christ loved the 
world when he gave himself for it; for I am even 
ready “to be offered on the sacrifice and service of 
your faith.” (Chapter ii, 17.) [In the bowels 
(σπλάγχνα, yearning affection) of Jesus Christ, so 
that this longing of mine is not my own individual 
emotion, but a longing which I feel in virtue of the 
dwelling and working of Christ in me.—Meyer.] 

9. This I pray—This is the substance of all 
my prayers for you. That your love—To God, 
to one another, and to all mankind. May abound 
yet more and more—Er1 μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον 
περισσεύῃ, [this rendering is literal and correct. ] 
In knowledge—[’ Eriyve wowc, accurate knowledge 
of moral and practical truth, (Alford,) which is im- 
parted by the indwelling Spirit. 1 And in all judg- 
ment—Kai πάσῃ αἰσθήσει, in all spiritual or moral 
feeling ; [perceptivity,] that your feelings may be- 
come more exercised in divine things, so that they 
may be increasingly sensible and refined. 

10. That ye may approve things that are 
excellent— Hic τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τὰ διαφέροντα, to 
the end that ye may put to proof the things that dif- 
Jer, ov the things that are more profitable. By the 
pure and abundant love which they received from 
God they would be able to try whatever differed 
from the teaching they had received, and from the 
experience they had in spiritual things. That ye 
may be sincere—'Iva ére εἰλικρινεῖς, (pure, unsul- 
lied,) {without guile, or any insincerity of spirit. | 
Sincerity, taken in its full meaning, is a word of 
the most extensive import; and, when applied in 
reference to the state of the soul, is as strong as 
the word perfection itself. Without offence— 
᾿Απρόσκοποι, neither offending God nor your neigh- 
bour; neither being stumbled yourselves, nor the 
cause of stumbling to others. Till the day of 

272 


Christ—| Εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ. Until, marks a con- 
tinuation, whose terminus is to be the “day of 
Christ,” whatever that may be.] Till he comes to 
judge the world, or, till the day in which you are 
called into the eternal world. 

11. Being filled with the fruits of righteous- 
ness—By “righteousness” we may understand, 
here, the whole work of the Spirit of God in the 
soul of a believer; and by the “fruits” of right- 
eousness, all holy ‘tempers, holy words, and right 
actions. And with these they are to be ‘‘filled,” 
πεπληρωμένοι, filled up, filled full; the whole soul 
and life occupied with and ruled by them, ever do- 
ing something by which glory is brought to God, 
or good done to man. By Jesus Christ—That is, 
according to his doctrine, through the power of his 
grace, and by the agency of his Spirit. [All these 
things are the fruits of the indwelling Christ.] 
Unto the glory and praise of God—God being 
honoured when the work of his grace thus appears 
to men in the fruits of righteousness ; and God is 
praised by all the faithful when his work thus ap- 
pears. Every genuine follower of God has his glory 
in view by all that he does, says, or intends. He 
loves to glorify God, and he glorifies him by show- 
ing forth in his conversation the glorious workings 
of the glorious power of the Lord. 

12. That the things which happened unto 
me—[Ta kar’ ἐμέ, the things concerning me, my af- 
fairs. His imprisonment at Rome, and what had 
grown out of it. These, which seemed at first to 
be unfavourable to the spread of the Gospel, had 
tended “rather” (instead) to its furtherance. ] 

13. My bonds in Christ are manifest in all 
the palace—[They became known, not as a matter 
simply of notoriety, but notoriety in Christ, that is, 
in connexion with Christ’s cause, as endured for 
Christ’s sake. — Alford.] The pretorinm, (mpat- 
Ta@ptov,) which we here translate palace, signifies the 
court where causes were heard and judged by the 
pretor or civil magistrate; it sometimes signifies 
the general’s tent, and at others the emperor’s pal- 
ace. It is supposed that it is used in this latter 
sense here. There w ere, no doubt, persons be- 
longing to the emperor’s household who would 
bring the news of so remarkable a case to the pal- 
ace; for we find that there were Christians even in 
Cesar’s household. (Chapter iv, 22.) [The reading 
of the Revised Version, ‘the preetorian guard,” is 
agreeable to the consent of a large share of modern 
criticism, though some prefer to understand the word 
πραιτωρίῳ in a larger sense, so as to include all the 
persons about the preetorium, or palace, perhaps even 
the great fortified camp of the pratorian cohorts, 
outside of the walls. It is evident that a wide- 
spread interest in the Gospel had been awakened 


Paul's rejoicing in the increased 
preaching of the Gospel. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4066. A.D. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, 
are much more bold to speak the word with- 
out fear. 25 Some indeed preach Christ even 
of envy and ¢strife; and some also of good 
will: 16 The one preach Christ of conten- 
tion, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction 
to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, 
knowing that I am set for ‘the defence of the 
gospel. 185. What then? notwithstanding, 
every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, 
Christ is preached; and I therein do re- 
joice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know 


that this shall turn to my salvation £ through 
your prayer, and the supply of "the Spirit of 
Jesus Christ, 20 According to my ‘earnest 
expectation and my hope, that «in nothing I 
shall be ashamed, but that ! with all boldness, 
as always, so now also Christ shall be magni- 
fied in my body, whether it be by hfe, or by 
death. 21 For to me to live és Christ, and to 
die is gain. 22 But if 1 live in the flesh, this 
is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall 
choose 1 wot not. 28 For ™I am in a strait 
betwixt two, having a desire to "depart. and 


eChap. 2. 3.—Verse 7. —qg2 Corinthians 1. 11, — ἃ Ro- 
mans & 9. i Romans &. 19. 


about the imperial centre through Paul’s presence 
and teachings. | 

14. Waxing confident—Finding the effect pro- 
duced by the teaching of the apostle, converts were 
greatly encouraged, and the more boldly and openly 
proclaimed the doctrine of Christ crucified. The 
word—The doctrine of Christ: several excellent 
MSS. and Versions add Kipsov—the word of the 
Tord. This reading is probably genuine. [See 
Revised Version. ] 

15. Some . . . preach Christ even of envy 
and strife—[The conflict about circumcision, and 
other Jewish rites, then filled all places whither 
the Gospel had come, and the antagonists of Panl 
and his doctrine now confronted him in Rome; 
but even these Judaizers preached Christ after 
their fashion, and so Christ and his doctrines be- 
came known.| The word “preach” is not to be 
taken here as implying that the different persons 
mentioned were what we call preachers of the Gos- 
pel ; all that we can understand from St. Paul’s use 
of the word is, that they proclaimed Christ as the 
promised Messiah, espoused the Christian cause, 
and contended, whether in public or private, that 
this Jesus was the Christ ; but nothing of this kind 
appears to have been intended in reference to the 
conversion of sinners. Some also of good will— 
Some, through benevolence to the apostle, both 
espoused his doctrine and vindicated his cause. 

16. Preach Christ of contention— The Ju- 
daizing teachers also preach Christ; they ac- 
knowledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah, 
and preach him as such. Not sincerely—0iy 
ἁγνῶς, not with pure intention, garbling the Gospel ; 
not speaking the whole truth, but just what served 
their purpose ; and at the same time they denounced 
the apostle as an enemy to the divine institutions 
because he spoke against circumcision. 

17. The other of love—Through a sincere de- 
sire not only to make known the way of salvation 
to the people, but also to vindicate and help the 
apostle, because they considered him as appointed 
by God to preach and defend the Gospel. 

18. What then—It is a matter of rejoicing to 
me that Christ is preached, though imperfectly. 
I rejoice that anything is known of him; and am 
truly glad that the Gospel is even made partially 
known, for this will lead to further inquiries, and 
in the end be of service to the truth. 

19. This shall turn to my salvation—That is, 
it will be the means of my temporal safefy—of my 
deliverance ; for so the word σωτηρία is here to be 
understood (?). The Jews had denounced the apostle 
as an enemy of Cesav; but he knew that when the 
nature of the Gospel should be fully known, the 
Romans would see that he could be no enemy to 

Vo. I.—17. 


ἃ Romans 5. 5. —/ Ephesians 6. 19, 20.—m2 Corinthians 
5 3. —n2 Timothy 4. 6. 


Cesar who simply proclaimed a prince whose king- 
dom was not of this world; and who had taught 
in the most unequivocal manner that all Christians 
were to give tribute to whom tribute was due, and, 
while they feared God, to honour also the king. 
Through your prayer — Knowing them to be 
cenuine followers of Christ, he was satisfied that 
their prayers would be very available in his behalf ; 
and under God he places much dependence upon 
them. The supply of the Spirit of Jesus 
Christ—The word ἐπεχορηγία, which we translate 
“ supply,” signifies furnishing whatever is necessary. 
The Spirit of God Paul expected to help all his in- 
firmities, and to furnish him with all the wisdom, 
prudence, strength of reason, and argument which 
might be necessary for him in the different trials 
he had to pass through with his persecutors, and 
the civil powers at whose judgment seat he stood. 

20. Harnest expectation — He had the most 
confident expectation that God would stand by 
him, so that he should be enabled, with the ufmost 
liberty of speech, ἐν πάσῃ παρρησίᾳ, to testify the 
Gospel of the grace of God; and, should he have 
the liberty of doing so, he was comparatively re- 
gardless what the issue might be relative to him- 
self. Whether life or death was to him perfectly 
equal and perfectly indifferent, providing Christ 
were magnified—his person, nature, doctrine, ete., 
shown to be, what they really are, most noble, 
most excellent, most necessary, and most glorious. 

21. For tome to liveis Christ— Whether 1 live 
or die, Christ is gain to me. While I live I am 
Christ’s property and servant, and Christ is my 
portion ; if I die—if I be called to witness the truth 
at the expense of my life—this will be gain; I shall 
be saved from the troubles and difficulties in life, 
and be put immediately in possession of my heav- 
enly inheritance. As, therefore, it respects myself, 
it is a matter of perfect indifference to me whether 
I be taken off by a violent death, or whether I be 
permitted to continue here longer; in either case I 
can lose nothing. 

22. But if I live in the flesh—Should I be 
spared longer, I shall labour for Christ as I have 
done; and this is the fruit of my labour, that 
Christ shall be magnified by my longer life. 
(Verse 20.) Yet what I shall choose I wot 
not—Had I the two conditions left to my own 
choice, whether to die now ard go to glory, or 
whether to live longer in persecutions and _ afflic- 
tions, (glorifying Christ by spreading the Gospel, ) 
I could not tell which to prefer. 

23. For I am in a strait betwixt two— 
Namely, the dying now, and being immediately 
with God; or living longer to preach and spread 
the Gospel, and thus glorify Christ among men. 

273 


A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


PHILIPPIANS. 


The apostle expresses his 
strong confidence in God. 


to be with Christ; which is far better: 
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh 7s more 
needful for you. 25 And °having this conti- 
dence, 1 know that I shall abide and continue 
with you all for your furtherance and joy of 
faith; 26 That Pr your rejoicing nay be more 
abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming 
to you again. 27 Only “Ἰοὺ your conversa- 
tion be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: 
that whether I come and see you, or else be 
absent, | may hear of your affairs, "that ye 


ing together for the faith of the gospel; 
28 And in nothing terrified by your adver- 
saries: "which is to them an evident token of 
perdition, ἡ but to you of salvation, and that of 
God. 29 For unto you “it is given in the be- 
half of Christ, »not only to believe on him, 
but also to suffer for his sake; 30 ¥ Having 
the same conflict which ye saw in me, and 
now hear to be in me. 


| CHAPTER II. 
F there be therefore any consolation in Christ, 


oChap. 2. 
10; 1 Thess, 
t Jude 3. 


u 2 Thess. 1. 5.—v Rom. 8. 17; 2 Tim. 2. 11.—-~o Acts 5. 41; 
Rom, ὃ. 3.—a Eph. 2. 8.—~y Col. 2. 1.—z2 Acts 16. 19, etc. ; 
1 Thess, 2. 2, 


Having a desire to depart, and to be with 
Christ—Tiv ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι, [to 
loosen.| It appears to be a metaphor taken from 
the commander of a vessel in a foreign port, who 
feels a strong desire (ἀναλῦσαι) to set sail and get 
to his own country and family; but this desire is 
counterbalanced by a conviction that the general 
interests of the voyage may be best answered by 
his longer stay in the port where his vessel now 
rides. Such was the condition of the apostle ; he 
was not at home, but although he was abroad it 
was on his employer’s business; he wishes to re- 
turn, but he has not received his last orders from 
his owner, and, whatever desire he may feel to be at 
home, he will faithfully wait till his final orders ar- 
rive. Which is far better—Hlo/ji@ ... μᾶλλον 
κρεῖσσον, multo magis melior, (VULGATE;) much 
more better. The reader will at once see that the 
words are very emphatic—T[a triple comparative. ] 

24. To abide in the flesh—It would certainly 
be gain to myself to die, but it will be gain to you 
if I live. If I die I shall go immediately to glory ; 
if I live I shall continue to minister to you, and 
strengthen you in the faith. 

25. Having this confidence, I know that I 
shall abide—Convinced that it is necessary that I 
should live longer for the spreading and defence of 
the Gospel, I am persuaded that I shall now be 
liberated. This was in fact the case, for, after 
having been two years in bonds at Rome, he was 
released. For your furtherance—In the way of 
righteousness. And joy of faith—And happiness 
in that way. The further a man proceeds in the 
way of truth, the stronger his faith will be; and 
the stronger his faith, the greater his joy and hap- 
piness. 

26. That your rejoicing may be more abun- 
dant—Men rejoice more in recovering a thing that 
was lost, than they do in a continual possession of 
what is of much greater value. 

27. Let your conversation be as it becometh 
the gospei—The apostle considers the Church at 
Philippi as a free or imperial city, which possesses 
great honours, dignities, and privileges; and he 
exhorts them to act, ἀξίως, worthy of or suitably to 
those honours and privileges. This is the idea that 
is expressed by the word πολιτεύεσθε, act according 
to the nature of your political situation, the citizen- 
ship and privileges which you possess in conse- 
quence of your being free inhabitants of Christ’s 
imperial city, the Church. The apostle resumes 
the same metaphor in chapter iii, 20: ἡμῶν... τὸ 
πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, for our citizenship 
is in heaven ; but in this last verse he puts heaven 
in the place of the Church, and this is all right ;_ 

274 


for he who is not a member of the Church of 
Christ on earth can have no right to the kingdom 
of heaven; and he who does not walk worthy of the 
Gospel of Christ cannot be counted worthy to en- 
ter through the gates into the city of the eternal 
King. Whether I come and see you—Leaving 
the matter still in doubt as to them, whether he 
should again visit them. In one spirit—Being all 
of one mind under the influence of the Holy Ghost. 
Striving together — Συναθλοῦντες, wrestling to- 
gether, not in contention with each other, but in 
union against the enemies of the Gospel faith—the 
doctrine of Christ crucified, and freedom from all 
Mosaie rites and ceremonies, as well as from sin 
and perdition, through his passion and sacrifice. 

28. In nothing terrified by your adversaries 
—So it appears that the Church at Philippi was 
then under persecution. Which is to them— 
Ἥτις ἐστιν αὐτοῖς. Some very judicious critics con- 
sider ἥτις as referring to πίστις, the faith of the 
Gospel, which they, the heathen, considered to be 
a token of perdition to all them who embraced it ; 
but, as the apostle says, it was to them, the Phi- 
lippians, on the contrary the most evident token of 
salvation ; for, having embraced the faith of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, they were incontestably in the 
way of eternal blessedness. 

29. Unto you it is given in the behalf of 
Christ—'Ypiv ἐχαρίσθη, to you it is graciously 
given ; it is no small privilege that God has so far 
honoured you as to permit you to suffer on Christ’s 
account. Be not therefore terrified by your ene- 
mies; they can do nothing to you which God will 
not turn to your eternal advantage. We learn 
from this that it is as great a privilege to suffer for 
Christ as to be/ieve on him; and the former in cer- 
tain eases (as well as the latter in all cases) be- 
comes the means of salvation to them who are 
thus exercised. 

30. Having the same conflict—When Paul 
preached the Gospel at Philippi he was grievously 
persecuted, (as we learn from Acts xvi, 19-40,) be- 
ing stripped, scourged, thrown into prison, even 
into the dungeon, and his feet made fast in the 
stocks. This was the conflict they had seen in 
him; and now ¢hey heard that he had been sent 
prisoner to Rome as an evil-doer, and that he was 
at present in bonds, and shortly to be tried for his 
life before the Roman emperor, to whom he had 
been obliged to appeal. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 
1. If there he therefore any consolation— 
The ei, if, does not express any doubt here, but on 
the contrary is to be considered as a strong affirma- 


Lowliness of mind enforced 
by the exumple of Christ. 


CHAPTER IL 


A. M. 4066. A. D. 62. 
Year of Rome, 815. 


if any comfort of love, *if any fellowship 
of the Spirit, if any *bowels and mercies, 
2 “ΕἸΠΗ͂Ι ye my joy, ¢that ye be likeminded, 
having the same love, being of one accord, of 
one mind. 8% ¢Zet nothing be done through 
strife or vainglory; but ‘in lowliness of mind 
a2Cor. 13. 14.—b Col. 3, 12.—e John 3, 29.—d Rom. 12. 16; 


15.5; 1.Cor, 1. 10; 2 Cor, 13.11; chap. 1. 27; 3.16; 4.2; 1 Pet.3 8, 
— éeGal. d. 26; chap. 1. 15, 16; James 3. 14. ——7 Rom, 12. 10; 


tion; as there is consolation (παράκλησις, encour- 
agement) in Christ—since there is, ete. If any 
comfort of love—Ilapapitiov, consolation ; if the 

followers of Christ, by giving proofs of their ar- 
- dent love to each other in cases of distress, alleviate 
the sufferings of the persecuted. If any fellow- 
ship of the Spirit—lIf there be an intimate rela- 
tion established among all Christians, by their 
being made mutual partakers of the Holy Ghost. 
If any bowels and mercies—If you, as persons 
whom 1 have brought to God at the hazard of my 
life, feel sympathetic tenderness for me now, in a 
further state of suffering. [It must be noticed 
that these elements fall into two parallel sections, 
in each of which the first element (the first and 
third) refers to the objective principle of the Christ- 
ian life, (in Christ and in the Spirit.) and the sec- 
ond (the second and fourth) to the subjective prin- 
ciple, to the specific disvosition of the Christian ; 
(love... bowels, [yearning emotions,] and mer- 
cies.)— Meyer. | 

2, Fulfil ye my joy—[In view of all these, 
the reality of which is assumed, the further entreaty 
is urged that they will fulfil (πληρώσατέ, make full) 
his joy in them by being likeminded, (τὸ αὐτὸ 
φρονῆτε, thinking the same thing,) having the same 
love... of one accord, (civyuyou,) united in senti- 
ment and in thoughts, (views and estimates.) That 
which he had spoken of before (chapter i, 27) as 
an object of earnest desire, he now presents in 
the form of an exhortation, seeing that its com- 
pletion requires their willing concurrence and co- 
operation. | 

3. Let nothing be done through strife— 
Never be opposed to each other; never act from 
separate interests ; ye are all brethren, and of one 
body. But in lowliness of mind—Have always 
an humbling view of yourselves, and this will lead 
you to prefer others to yourselves; for as you 


let each esteem other better than themselves, 
4 ¢Look not every man on his own things, 
but every man also on the things of others. 
δ᾽ "Let this mind be in you, which was also in 
Christ Jesus: 6 Who, ‘being in the form of 
God, «thought it not robbery to be equal with 


Eph. 5.21: 1 Pet. od. ὃ. a1 Cor, 10. 24, 33; 13. 5. —h Matt, 
11. 29; John 13. 1d; 1 Pet. 9.21: J John 2. 6. —zJolin 1. 1, 2; 
17. 5; 2 Cor, 4. 4; Col. 1. 15; Heb. 1.3.—A John 5. 15; 10. 33. 


Christian devotion and labours are to be stimulated 
and directed. ] 

6. Who, being in the form of God — This 
verse has been the subject of much criticism 
and some controversy. [‘ Who, being” (‘Yxdp- 
χωνῚ implies prior being, and is equivalent to “to 
be in the beginning.” (John i, 1.) Its tense (im- 
perfect) points to indefinite continuance of being— 
subsisting.— Gwynn.| [Less cannot be implied in 
this word than eternal pre-existence —A/ford.] “As 
the apostle is speaking of what Christ was before 
he took the form of a servant, the ‘form of God,’ 
of which he divested himself when he became man, 
cannot be any thing which he possessed during his 
incarnation, or in his divested state; consequently 
neither the opinion of Erasmus, that the ‘form 
of God’ consisted in those sparks of divinity by 
which Christ, during his incarnation, manifested 
his Godhead, nor the opinion of the Socinians, that 
it consisted in the power of working miracles, is 
well founded; for Christ did not divest himself 
either of one or the other, but possessed both all 
the time of his public ministry. In like manner, 
the opinion of those who, by the ‘form of God’ 
understand the divine nature and the government 
of the world, cannot be admitted; since Christ, 
when he became man, could not divest himself of 
the nature of God; and with respect to the govern- 
ment of the world, we are led, by what the apostle 
tells, (Heb. i, 3, to believe that he did not part 
with even that; but, in his divested state, still con- 
tinued to uphold all things bythe word of his power.” 
—Macknight. |Christ Jesus is the one subject 
of every predicate in that paragraph, (Phil. ii, 6-8.) 
where the whole career of the Redeemer is con- 
densed into one sublime example of condescension. 
As to his divinity he was, or rather is, ‘in the form 
of God ;” ὑπάρχων, (subsisting,) establishes the con- 
substantial Deity, and μορφῇ Θεοῦ ( form of God) tle 


know your own secret defects, and as charity will | personal subsistence in Trinity. As to his manhood, 


lead you to look favourably upon your brethren, 
thinking no evil, [so you will come naturally to 
think of them more favourably than you can of 
yourselves, | and they will think the same of you, their 
secret defects also being known only to themselves. 
4. Look not every man on his own things— 
Do nothing through self-interest in the things of 
God; nor arrogate to yourselves gifts, graces, and 
fruits which belong to others: ye are all called to 
promote God’s glory and the salvation of men. 
[The negative is a qualified one, not absolute, as 
that would be impossible; and the second clause, 
by the use of the word also, (xai,) implies that the 
τὰ ἑαυτῶν, their own things, were also to be looked 
to. See Alford.] 
. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also 
in Christ Jesus—See that ye have the same dis- 
‘position that was in Jesus. He was ever humble, 
loving, patient, and laborious; his meat and drink 
was to do the will of his Father, and to finish his 
work. [Christ’s example, even in the highest acts 
of his mediatorial work, is that by which our own 


he is in fashion as a man rather than as man in the 
likeness of men.—VPope.] [Of one and the same sub- 
ject or person, it is here taught, that he existed 
in the ‘form of God.” The form of a thing is the 
mode in which it reveals itself ; and that*is deter- 
mined by its nature. It is not necessary to assume 
that μορφῇ has here, as it appears to have in some 
other cases, the sense of φύσιες, (vature,) the latter 
is implied in the former. No one can appear, or 
exist in view of others, in the “form of God,” that 
is, manifesting all divine perfections, who is not 
God.—Hodge.| Thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God—lIf we take these words as they 
stand here, their meaning is, that as he was from 
the beginning in the same intinite glory with the 
Father, to appear in time—during his humiliation— 
as God and equal with the Father was no encroach- 
ment on the divine prerogative; for, as he had an 
equality of nature, he had an equality of rights. 
But the word ἁρπαγμὸν, which we translate “ rob- 
bery,” has been supposed to imply a thing eagerly to 
be seized, coveted, or desired; and on this interpre- 
275 


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PHILIPPIANS. 


The humiliation and exaltation 
of Jesus Christ, 


God: % ! But made himself of no reputation, 
and took upon him the form ™of a servant, 
and "was made in the °likeness of men: 
Ὁ And being found in fashion as a man, he 
humbled himself, and Pp became obedient unto 
death, even the death of the cross. 9 Where- 
fore God also “hath highly exalted him, and 

ὦ Psa. 22. 6; Isa. 53. 3; Dan. 9. 26: Mark 9, 12; Rom. 15. 3.— 
om Isa. 42. 1; 49, 3, ὃς 52. 13; 53. 11; Ezek. 34, 23, 24; Zech. ὃ, 8: 


Matt. 20. 28; Luke 22. 27 —-nJohn 1. 14: Rom. 1.3 Sols Gal. 
4.4; Heb. 2. 14, 17. “00r; habit.—p Matt. 26. ad 42; John 


tation the passage has been translated, who, being 
in the form of God, did not think it a matter to 
be earnestly desired to appear equal to God; but 
made himself of no reputation, ete. However the 
word be translated, it does not affect the eternal 
deity of our Lord. Though he was from eternity 
in the form of God—possessed of the same glory— 
yet he thought it right to vei/ this glory, and not 
to appear with it among the children of men; and 
therefore he was made in the likeness of men, and 
took upon him the form or appearance of a servant. 
I prefer this sense of the word ἁρπαγμὸν to that 
given in our text, which does not agree so well 
with the other expressions in the context. [The 
emphasis is placed on ἁρπαγμὸν, (“robbery,”) and 
therefore τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ (to be equal with God) 
cannot be something essentially different from ἐν 
μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, (to be in the form of God,) 
but must in substance denote the same thing, 
namely, the divine habitus of Christ, which is ex- 
pressed, as to its form of appearance, by ἐν μορφῇ 
Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, and, as to its internal nature, by 
τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεοῦ: ἁρπαγμὸν does not mean preda, 
(prey,) or that which is seized on; but, actively, 
robbing, making booty... It is accordingly to be 
explained, Wot as robbing (as an act of “robbery) 
did he consider the being equal with God.— Meyer. | 

7. But made himself of no reputation— 
“Ἑαυτὸν éxévooev; but himself he enptied—did not 
appear in his glory, for he assumed the form of 
a servant, being made in the likeness of man. 
And his being made in the likeness of man, and 
assuming the form of a servant, implied that he 
had emptied himself—laid aside the effulgence of 
his glory. 

8. And being found in fashion as a man— 
Καὶ σχήματι ebpebeig ὡς ἄνθρωπος. This clause 
should be joined to the preceding, and thus trans- 
lated, being made in the likeness of man, and was 
found in fashion as aman. He humbled him- 
self—Laid himself in a lowly position among men : 
1) In emptying himself—laying aside the effulgence 
of his glory. 2) In being incarnate—taking \ upon 
him the human form. 3) In becoming a se rvant— 
assuming the lowest innocent character, that of 
being the servant of all. 4) In submitting to the 
power of death. 5) In condescending, not only to 
death, but to the /owest and most ignominious kind 
of death, the death of the cross. What must sin 
be in the sight of God, seeing that it required so 
deep abasement in Jesus Christ to make atonement 
for it! 

9. Wherefore God also hath highly ex- 
alted him—lIf by his humiliation he has merited 
pardon and final salvation for the whole world, is 
it to be wondered that the human nature, in which 
this fulness of the Godhead dwelt, and in which 
the punishment due to our sins was borne upon 
the tree, should be exalted above all human and 
all created beings? And this is the fact; for he 

276 


‘given him a name which is above every name: 
10 *That at the name of Jesus every knee 
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in 
earth, and things under the earth; BE And 
‘that every tongue should confess that Jesus 
Christ 7s Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 
12 Wherefore, my beloved, “as ye have always 


10, 18; Heb. 5. 85 12. pore Tes 17. 1,2, 5; Acts 2. 33;>Heb. 
pa » Eph. " ἐν 21; Heb. 1. 4.—-sIsa. 45. 23; Matt. ‘8, 18: 
πε 14. ΠῚ Rev. 5. 13.—t John 13. 13; Acts 2. 36; Rom, 14.95 
1 Cor. 8. 6; 12. 3.—w Chap. 1. 5. 


hath given him a name (τὸ ὄνομα, the name) 
which is above every name. According to 
Eph. i, 20, 21, the man Christ Jesus ‘is exalted 
to the right hand of God, far above all prin- 
cipality, and power, and might, and dominion, 
and every name that is named, not only in 
this world, but also in that which is to come.” 
From which it appears that no creature of God is 
so far exalted and so glorious as the man Christ 
Jesus, human nature being in him dignified ‘infi- 
nitely beyond the angelic nature. 

10. That at the name of Jesus every knee 
should bow—That all human beings should con- 
sider themselves redeemed unto God by his blood, 
and look for an application of this redemption 
price ; and that all who are saved from their sin 
should acknowledge him the Author of their salva- 
tion. [Ev τῷ ὀνόματι ᾿Ιησοῦ, not “at the name of 
Jesus,” as if the worship were to be offered to him ; 
but im or through that name who is the only way 
to the Father. (John xiv, 6.)] Of things in 
heaven, .. . in earth, .. . under the earth—In 
a word, that πᾶν ἐπουρανίων, all the spirits of just 
men made perfect, now in a state of blessedness; 
καὶ ἐπιγείων, all human beings still in their state of 
probation on earth ; Kai καταχθονίων, and all that 
are in the shades below, who have, through their 
own fault, died without having received his salva- 
tion — should acknowledge him. [The glorified 
Church,—the living militant Church,—and the un- 
saved departed, —a comprehensive designation of 
all men. Perhaps no order of time is intended, 
nor distinction of conditions as saved or unsaved. ] 
Perhaps the three expressions are designed to com- 
prehend all beings of all kinds, all creatures ; as it 
is usual with the Hebrews, and indeed with all 
ancient nations, to express, by things in heaven, 
things on earth, and things under the earth, all 
beings of all kinds; univ ersal nature. But intelli- 
gent “beings seem to be those which are chiefly 
intended by the words of the apostle; for it 
appears that nothing less than absolute rule over 
angels, men, and devils can be designed in these 
extraordinary words; and by confessing him to be 
Lord, we may understand that worship which all 
intelligent creatures are called to pay to God mani- 
fested in the flesh ; for all should “honour the Son 
even as they honour the Father.” And the wor- 
ship thus offered is to the glory of God. 

11. And that every tongue should confess— 
That all those before mentioned should acknowl- 
edge that Jesus Christ is Lord, or absolute governor, 
and thus glorify God the Father, who has exalted 
his incarnate Son to this state of ineffable glory, 
in virtue of his passion, death, resurrection, and 
the atonement which he has made, by which the 
divine nature has become gloriously illustrated, the 
divine law magnified and made. honourable, and 
eternal glory provided for man. 

12. As ye have always obeyed—'Yryxotcare, 


Steady and cheerful obedience 
required of all Christians, 


obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 


much more in my absence, work out your own 
salvation with ‘fear an] trembling: 13 For 
“it is God which worketh in you both to will 
and to do of Ais good pleasure. #4 Do all 
things * without murmurings and ¥ disputings: 
15 That ye may be blameless and ὁ harmless, 


Ὁ Eph. 6, 5.2 Cor. 3. 5; Heb. 13. 21.—a1 Cor. 10. 10; 
1 Pet. 4. 9.—-y Rom. 14. 1.—z Or, sincere.—a Matt. δ. 45; 
Eph. δ. 1.——? I Pet. ἃ 12. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4°66. A. 1D. 62, 
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‘the sons of God, without rebuke, "in the midst 
of “ἃ crooked and perverse nation, among 
whom ¢¢ye shine as lights in the world; 
16 Holding forth the w rord of life; that ‘] 
may rejoice in the day of Christ, that ΕἸ have 
not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 
17 Yea, and if "I be ‘offered upon the sacri- 


pinen Le 


ὁ Deut. 32. 5.——d Or, shine ye.—e Matt. ὍΝ ΝΣ 
ῃ . ὃ.-ττ 


ΠΣ ΤΟΣ 1. 14: 1 Thess, 2, 19.—g Gal. 2. 2; 
h2 ‘tim, 4. 6.—7 Gr, poured forth, 


have given heed, that is, to God, as Christ hath done ; 
not, as ordinarily, “to me,” or “my Gospel.”— 
Alford.| Work out your own salvation—Go 
on, walking by the same rule, and minding the 
same thing, till your salvation be completed. [Work 
out,—Kar. ἐργάζεσθε, peragite usque at metam, carry 
through to the end.— CGrotius.| [The summons 
claims the exercise of the new moral power be- 
stowed on the regenerate man, without the exer- 
cise of which he would fall away again from the 
state of grace to which he had attained by faith.— 
Meyer.) [Ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν, the salvation of your- 
selves, which began with justification by faith, but 
must be carried out, brought to an issue, by sancti- 
fication of the Spirit, a life of holy obedience, and 
advance to Christian perfection. Alford.| With 
fear and trembling—Considering [the inestima- 
ble greatness of the issue,| the difficulty of the 
work, and the possibility of miscarriage. There- 
fore, watch, pray, and continually depend on God 
lest your enemies surprise you, and your light and 
life become extinct. 

13. For it is God which worketh in you— 
Every holy purpose, pious resolution, good word 
and good work, must come from him; ye must be 
workers together with him, that ye receive not his 
grace in vain; because he worketh in you, therefore 
work with him, and work out your own salvation. 
To will and to do—Toé θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν. 
The power to “ will” and the power to “do” must 
necessarily come from God; but the act of volition 
and the act of working is of man. God gives 
power to will, man wills through that power ; “God 
gives power to act, and man acts through that 
power. Without the (divinely given) power to will, 
man can will nothing good; without the power to 
work, man can do nothing toward effectuating his 
own salvation. God neither wills for man, nor 
works in man’s stead, but he furnishes him with 
power to do both; he is therefore accountable to 
God for these powers. Because God works in 
them the power to will and the power to do, there- 
fore the apostle exhorts them “to work out” their 
“own salvation ;” most manifestly showing that the 
use of the powers of volition and action belongs to 
themselves. They cannot do God’s work, ‘they 
cannot produce in themselves a power “to will and 
to do;” and God does not do their work, he does 
not work out ἐλεεῖν" salvation “ with fear and trem- 
bling,” (but enables them to do so.) Though men 
have grievously puzzled themselves with questions 
relative to the τοῦδ and power of the human being ; 
yet no case can be plainer than that which the 
apostle lays down here: the power to “will” and 
“do” comes from Gop by the inworking of the 
Holy Ghost; the use of that power belongs to 
man. He that has not this power can neither will 
nor work; he that has this power can do both. 
But it does not necessarily follow that he to whom 
these powers are given will use them; the posses- 
sion of the powers does not necessarily imply their 


for nothing, 
Live so to glorify God and dg good to men that it 


use, because a man may have them and not use 
them ; ; therefore the apostle exhorts: ‘‘ Work out 
your own salvation.” [We have no power to do 
good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, with- 
out the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that 
we may have a good will, and working with us 
when we have that good will. — Articles of Relig- 
ion.| Of his good ‘pleasure—[In order that he 
may carry out that good counsel of his will which 
he hath purposed toward you. —Alford.] Every 
good is freely given of God; giving to some more, 
to others less, ‘Dut to all w hat is sufficient for their 
salvation. 

14. Do all things without murmurings— 
Τογγυσμῶν καὶ διαλογισμῶν, without grumblings and 
altercations. Be patient in and contented with 
your work ; and see that ye “fall not out by the 
way.” [Τογγυσμός, in every other place in the New 
Testament, and also in the Septuagint, signifies 
murmuring against men, and not against God; and 
the context here makes it best to keep to the same 
sense.— Alford. } 

15. That ye may be blameless—In younr- 
selves, and harmless to others. The sons |réxva, 
childr en of God—Showing by your holy conduct 
that ye are partakers of the divine nature. With- 
out rebuke—Persons against whom no charge of 
transgression can justly be laid. A crooked and 
perverse nation—Probably referring to the Jews, 
who were the chief opponents and the most viru- 
lent enemies which the Christian Church had. 
Among whom ye shine—|[ Not do ye shine, (imp.,) 
but ye do shine, (ind.,) for this is the mission of 
Christians in the world. (Matt. v, 14.) See Al- 
ford. ] 

16. Holding forth the word of life—[’Ezéyor- 
tec, holding up to view.] An allusion, some think, 
to lighthouses at the entrance of harbours. Genuine 
Christians, by their holy lives and conversation, are 
the means of directing others not only how to es- 
cape those dangers to which they are exposed on the 
tempestuous ocean of human life, but also of lead- 
ing them into the haven of eternal safety and rest. 
In the day of Christ—[ /n respect to (ic) a present 
rejoicing in assured hope of a future blessing. ‘Day 
of Christ ’—see chapter i, 6.)] That I have not 
run in vain — [Did not run, (imp.,) the past 
tense from a point of view of “that day,” εἰς κενὸν, 
‘on a fooi’s errand. my, — Alfor d.] 


᾽ 


shall appear that Ihave not'run and laboured in 
vain for your salvation. 

17. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacri- 
fice and service—[And even if I am offered, 
(σπένδομαι, pres.)\—am being poured forth —be- 

cause the danger was besetting him now, and waxing 

onward to its accomplishment. He uses the word 

literally, (but also with a figurative allusion,) with 

reference to the (possible) shedding of his blood.— 

Alford.| Parkhurst observes that the apostle com- 

pares the faith of the Philippians to the sacrificial 
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PHILIPPIANS. 


Paul’s commendation of Timothy 
as a faitaful minister. 


fice and service of your faith, !I joy, and re- | also myself shall come shortly. 25 Yet I sup- 


joice with youall. 18 For the same cause also 
do yejoy, and rejoice with me. 19 ™ But I trust 
in the Lord Jesus to send * Timotheus shortly 
unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, 
when I know your state. 20 For I have no 
man °Plikeminded, who will naturally care for 
your state. 2 For all4seek their own, not 
the things which are Jesus Christ’s. 22 But 
ye know the proof of him, τ that, as a son with 
the father, he hath served with me in the gos- 
pel. 23 Him therefore I hope to send pres- 
ently, so soon as I shall see how it will go 
with me. 24 Βυῦ 51 trust in the Lord that I 


pose it necessary to send to you t Epaphrodi- 
tus, my brother, and companion in labour, and 
"fellow soldier, ἡ but your messenger, and * he 
that ministered to my wants. 26 *For he 
longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, 
because that ye had heard that he had been 
sick. 2% For indeed he was sick nigh unto 
death: but God had merey on him; and not 
on him only, but on me also, lest I should 
have sorrow upon sorrow. 28% I sent him 
therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see 
him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be 
the less sorrowful. 29 Receive him therefore 


k Rom. 15. 16. 72 Cor. 7. 4; Col. 1. 24.——m Or, Moreover. 
nm Kom. 16. 21; 1 Thess. 3. 2.—o0 Or, so dear unto me.— 
p Psa. aa. 13. q1Cor. 10. 24. 33; 13.5; 2 Tim, 4. 10, 16. 


71Cor. 4.17; 1 Tim. 1. 2; 2 Tim. 1. 2,—~s Chap. 1. 25: Philem. 
22, ——@ Chap. 4 18: w Philem. 2. ——v 2 Cor. 8, 28. 
w2 Cor. 11. 9; chap. 4. 18. x Chap. 1. 8. 


victim, and his own blood shed in martyrdom to the 
libation, that is, the wine poured out on occasion of 
the sacrifice. The apostle had guided them safely 
thus far; their faith in the atoning death of Christ 
was their sacrifice; and he was willing [if such 
were God’s will] that his blood should be poured 
out in martyrdom as a libation on that sacrificial 
offering. 

18. For the same cause also do ye joy— 
Should I be thus offered, as I shall rejoice in it do 
ye also rejoice that I am counted worthy of this 
high honour, [Zvvyaiperé μοι, share my joy. | 

19. But I trust [ἐλπίζω, 7 hope] in the Lord 
Jesus—The governor and disposer of all events; 
and I humbly confide in his power and goodness 
that I shall be able to send Timothy shortly to you. 
That I also may be of good comfort—[Eiyuya 
γνοὺς, may be cheered in mind.| When I know 
your state — By the direct information which I 
shall receive from Timothy [on his return, which 
information, Paul fully believed, would be of an 
encouraging character. } 

20. For Ihave no man likeminded—None of 
all my fellow helpers in the Gospel have the same 
zeal and affectionate concern for your prosperity in 
every respect as he has. He is ἰσόψυχον, of the 
same soul ; aman after my own heart. [Paulus 
alter Timothews.—Bengel. } 

21. For all seek their own—This must relate 
to the persons who “‘ preached Christ even of envy 
and strife; ” (chapter i, 15;) and even those who 
preached the Gospel “ out of goodwill ” might not 
be fit for such an embassy as this, which required 
many sacrifices, and consequently much love and 
zeal to be able to make them. 

22. Ye know the proof of him, that, as ason 
with the father, he hath served with me— 
The Philippians had full proof of the affectionate 
attachment of Timothy to Paul, for he had laboured 
with him there, (as we learn from Acts xvi, 1-3 ; 
xvii, 14 ;) not as a servant ¢o the apostle, but that 
he had served with Paul. 
gether in the word and doctrine. 

23. I hope to send—I supposed it necessary. 
[Δναγκαῖον δὲ ἡγησάμην, necessity (or convenience) 
was that I should send. The state of affairs seemed to 
require it.]| How it will go with me—The apos- 
tle was now in captivity; his trial appears to have 
been approaching, and of its issue he was doubtful ; 
though he seems to have had a general persuasion 
that he should be set free. (See verses 19, 24.) 

25, Epaphroditus, my brother, ete.—[Epaph- 
roditus is not mentioned elsewhere. We must not 

278 


They both laboured to- 


attempt to give a strict official meaning to each of 
the words predicated of him. He was Paul's 
“brother,” thatis, in Christ; his ‘fellow labourer” 
in the Gospel; his ‘‘ fellow soldier ” in the conflicts 
of the Christian life and ministry, especially in 
those times of bloody persecutions ; but to them he 
was “ messenger,” (ἀπόστολον, in the lower or gen- 
eral sense, probably in former services,) and the 
“reliever ” of his (Paul’s) necessities. See Alford. ] 

26. He longed after you all—| Rather, for you 
all ; (the imperfect tense is used for the present, as 
was usual at that time, speaking from the posi- 
tion, not of the writer, but of the receiver of the 
letter.) Whether there was any special reason, 
more than affection, we cannot say.— A/lford.| Ye 
had heard that he had been sick—‘ In this 
passage,” says Dr. Paley, “πὸ intimation is given 
that the recovery of Epaphroditus was miraculous; 
it is plainly spoken of as a natural event. This in- 
stance, together with that in the second epistle to 
Timothy, ‘“ Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick,” 
affords a proof that the power of performing cures, 
and, by parity of reason, of working other miracles, 
was a power which only visited the apostles occa- 
sionally, and did not at all depend upon their own 
will. Paul undoubtedly would have healed Epaph- 
roditus if he could; nor would he have left Tro- 
phimus at Miletum sick had the power of work- 
ing cures awaited his disposal. [Miracles were de- 
signed for attestations of divine power, and not 
simply for men’s temporal advantage. } ἢ 

27. Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow 
—The sorrow of his death, added to the sorrow 
endured on account of his sickness; or Paul may re- 
fer to his own state of affliction, being imprisoned 
and maltreated. [Λύπην ἐπὶ λύπην, sorrow coming 
wpon, or after, sorrow. The second λύπην refers to 
his own distress in his imprisonment, so often im- 
plied in this epistle—<A/ford. ] 

28. The more carefully— Σπουδαιοτέρως, with 
the more haste or despatch; because, having suffered 
so much on account of his apprehended death, they 
could not be too soon comforted by seeing him 
alive and restored. [If they rejoiced in seeing 
Epaphroditus, his own trouble would be thereby 
lessened.— A /ford. } 

29. Receive him therefore in the Lord—For 
the Lord’s sake receive him, and as the Lord’s ser- 
vant; and hold such zealous, disinterested, and 
holy preachers in reputation—honour those whom 
ye perceive God hath honoured. [There certainly 
seems to be something behind respecting him, of 
which we are not informed. If extreme affection 


The apostle warns the Philippians 
Glavin of false teachers. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4065, A. Ὁ. 62. 
Year of Rome, 815. 


in the Lord with all gladness; and *¥ hold such 
in reputation: 9. Because for the work of 
Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding 
lis life, to supply your lack of service toward 


me. 
CHAPTER III. 

INALLY, my brethren, *rejoice in the 

Lord. To write the same things to you, 
to me indeed és not grievous, but for you ἐέ és 
safe. 2 *Beware of dogs, beware of ‘evil 
workers, 4 beware of the concision. % For we 
are ¢the circumcision, ‘which worship God in 
the spirit, and frejoice in Christ Jesus, and 


2 Or, honour such.—y1 Cor, 16. 18; 1 Thess. 5. 12; 1 Tim. 
5. 17. 21 Cor. 16. 17; chap. 4. 10. «2 Cor. 13. 11; chap. 
4. 4; 1 Thess. 5. 16 ——? Isa. 56. 10; Gal. 5. 15. —e2 Cor. 11. 15, 
—d Rom. 2. 28: Gal. 5. 2.—e Deut. 10. 16; 30.6; Jer, 4. 4; 
Rom. 2. 29; 4. 11, 12; Col. 2. 11.—/John 4. 23, 24; Rom. 


had been the sole ground of his “ being dejected,” 
no such exhortation as this would have been needed. 
—Alford.)} 

30. For the work of Christ—Preaching the 
Gospel, and ministering to the distressed. He was 
nigh unto death— Having laboured far beyond his 
strength. Not regarding his life —Ilapa3oAevoa- 
μενος τῇ ψυχῇ, risking his life. His frequent and 
intense preaching, and labouring to supply the 
apostle’s wants, appear to have brought him nigh 
to the gates of death. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Finally—[T0 λοιπόν. The apostle appears 
to have been closing the epistle, but to have again 
gone off, on the vehement mention of the Judaizers, 
into an explanation of his streng term, κατατομῆ, 
concision.—Alford.| Rejoice in the Lord—Be 
always happy; but let that happiness be such as 
you derive from “the Lord.” To write the same 
things—Those which he had formerly preached to 
them or to other Churches. [Meyer thinks there is 
here areference to an earlier epistle from Paul to 
the Philippians, now lost, in which the cautions 
found in the second and third verses were given 
more at large.] For you it is safe—It is [not 
irksome to me thus to warn you, and your safety 
requires it.] 

2. Beware of dogs—[Toic κύνας, profane, im- 
pure persons; the appellation occurs in various 
references ; but in the Jewish usage of it wnelean- 
mess was the prominent idea.—A/ford.] Evil 
workers—Judaizing teachers, who endeavoured 
to pervert the Gospel. [This seems to point out 
persons who actually wrought, and professedly for 
the Gospel, but who were evil workmen, not merely 
evil doers.—Alford.| The concision—Kararouyy, 
the eutting off or excision; not περιτομῆν, the cir- 
cumcision; the word is used by the apostle to de- 
grade the pretensions which the Jews made to 
sanctity by the cutting in their flesh. Cireumcision 
was (in its day) an honourable thing, for it was a 
sign of the covenant; but under the new covenant, 
their outward circumcision was rendered uncircum- 
cision, and is termed a eutting off, by way of degra- 
dation. [A bitter paranomasia, (playing upon a 
word,) because these men were circumcised merely 
as regards the body, and placed their confidence in 
this fleshly circumcision, but were wanting in the 
tnner, spiritual circumcision which that of the 
body typified. —Meyer.] 

3. We are the circumcision—WkE, who have 
embraced the faith of Christ crucified, are now en- 


have no confidence in the flesh. 4 Though ΒΓ 
might also have confidence in the flesh. If 
any other man thinketh that he hath whereof 
he might trust in the flesh, I more: 6 'Cir- 
cuncised the eighth day. * of the stock of Is- 
rael,!of the tribe of Benjamin, " a Hebrew of 
the Hebrews; as touching the law, °a Phari- 
see; 6 °Concerning zeal, Ppersecuting the 
church; 4touching the righteousness which is 
in the law, "blameless. % But ‘what things 
were gain to me, those I counted loss for 
Christ. $ Yea doubtless, and I count all things 
but loss tfor the excellency of the knowledge 


7. 6.—g Gal. 6. 14.—A2 Cor, 11. 18, 21.—iGen, 17. 12.— 
Κῶ Cor. 11, 22.—l Rom. 11. 1.—m2 Cor. 1]. 22, n Acts 
23. 6; 26. 4, 5.—o Acts 22.3: Gal. 1.13, 14.— yp Acts &. 3; 9.1. 

4 Kom, 10. 5.—v Luke 1. 6.—s Matt. 13. 44.—TIsa. a3. 
11; Jer. 9, 23,24; John 17. 3; 1 Cor. 2.2: Col. 2. 2. 


tered into the new covenant, and according to that 
new covenant worship [λατρείοντες, are serving] 
God inthe Spirit, exulting, καυχώμενοι, making 
our boast of Christ Jesus, as our only Saviour, hav- 
ing no confidence in the flesh—in any outward 
rite or ceremony prescribed by Jewish institutions. 

4. Though I might also have confidence— 
[“1,” emphatical, applied by Paul to himself in con- 
trast with the Philippian Christians.] If any have 
cause to boast in outward rites and privileges I 
have as much, yea, more than many. 

5. Circumcised the eighth day—This was the 
time that the law required the males to be cireum- 
cised. (See Gen. xvii, 12.) Of the stock of 
Israel—Regularly descended from the patriarch 
Jacob. Of the tribe of Benjamin—A favourite 
son of that patriarch; and a tribe that did not re- 
volt with Jeroboam, (1 Kings xii, 21,) nor pollute 
the worship of God by idolatry. A Hebrew of 
the Hebrews—Though born in a heathen country, 
Tarsus, yet both my parents were Hebrews; nor 
has there ever been any strange blood mixed with 
that of our family. Touching the law, a Phar- 
isee—Belonged to that sect which, of all others, 
was most scrupulously attached to the law. 

6. Concerning zeal—I gave the fullest proof 
of my zeal by persecuting the Church of Christ; 
and this is known to all my countrymen. Touch- 
ing the righteousness—And as to the justification, 
which the Jews say is to be obtained by an obser- 
vance of the law, I have done everything so con- 
scientiously from my youth up, that in this respect 
I am blameless; and may, therefore, have more 
confidence than most of them. [He compares him- 
self with them in three particulars: 1) from Jew- 
ish extraction; 2) legal exactitude and _ position ; 
3) legal zeal.—A/ford. | 

7. But what things were gain—The credit 
and respect which I had from that source. I 
counted loss for Christ—I saw that this could 
stand me in no stead; and that Christ crucified 
could alone profit me. [These things formerly (ἦν 
μοι κέρδη) were actually gains, (plural;) not might 
seem to be, but emphatically were. } 

8. I count all things but loss—[Zyyiar, a 
damage, as interfering with his simple faith and 
undivided dependence on Christ crucified. The 
contrast is of the present, “1 count,” (ἡγοῦμαι,) to 
the past, (ἤγημαι,) I counted, verse 7, “1 also con- 
tinue to count them all to be [a] loss, [a wine! 
on account of the supereminence,” ete.— Alford. 
The excellence of the knowledge of Christ 
—Justification through his blood, sanctification by 

279 


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PHILIPPIANS. 


Paul longs after conformity to 
Christ in his death. 


of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have 
suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And 
be found in him, not having “mine own right- 
eousness, which is of the law, but ἡ that which 
is through the faith of Christ, the righteous- 
ness which is of God by faith: 4&0 That I 
may know him, and the power of his resurrec- 
tion, and “ the fellowship of his sufferings, be- 


“ὦ Rom. 10. 3,5.—v Rom. 1. 17: 3. 21, 225 9. 80; 10. 3, 6; Gal. 
2. 16.—vw Rom. 6. 3, 4, ὃ; 8. 17; 2 Cor. 4. 10, 11: 2 Tim. 2. 11, 


ing made conformable unto his death; I If 
by any means I might * attain unto the resur- 
rection of the dead. 22 Not as though I had 
already Yattained, either were already #per- 
fect: but I follow after, if that I may appre- 
hend that for which also I am apprehended 
of Christ Jesus. 18 Brethren, I count not 
myself to have apprehended: but this one 
thing 7 do, forgetting those things which are 


2; 1 Peter 4. 13.—~2 Acts 26. 7. y 1 Tim. 6. 12.—z¢ Heb. 
2. 23.—a Psalm 45, 10; Luke 9. 62; 2 Cor. 5. 16. 


his Spirit, and eternal glory through his merits and 
intercession. [This saving knowledge is the neces- 
sary intelligence of faith, and grows with the experi- 
ence of faith.— Meyer.] I have suffered the loss 
of all things—Some translate 0” ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώ- 
θην, for whom (Christ) [have thrown away all things. 
I have made a voluntary choice of Christ, his cross, 
his poverty, and his reproach; and for these I have 
freely sacrificed all I had from the world, and all I 
could expect from it. And do count them but 
dung—The word σκύβαλα means the vilest dross 
or refuse of anything ; the worst excrement. The 
word shows how utterly insignificant and una- 
vailing, in point of salvation, [and how pernicious 
when accepted or held to as at all able to save,]| the 
apostle esteemed every thing but the Gospel of Je- 
sus. Of the utter unavailableness of anything but 
Christ to save the soul the Apostle Paul stands as 
an incontrovertible proof. By Josing all that the 
world calls excellent, he gained Christ, and endless 
salvation through him. Of these glorious influ- 
ences of the Gospel he is an unimpeachable witness. 

9. And be found in him—[’Ev αὐτῷ, 1x him, 
not simply saved by his grace, but eminently, mys- 
tically, ingrafted into him by spiritual regenera- 
tion. They who are saved through Christ are also 
“found i Christ,” abiding in him. (See John 
xvi, 4—7.)]_ [The apostle desires to be found in 
Christ, as the element of his life, the whole per- 
ceptible manifestation of his Christian being and 
nature.—JMeyer.| But that which is through 
the faith of Christ—That justification which is 
received by faith through the atonement made by 
Christ. The righteousness which is of God— 
God’s method of justifying sinners through faith 
in his Son. (See Rom. iii, 21, 23, 25.) [Not the 
righteousness (essential holiness) of which God is 
the subject, but the estate of a sinner saved by 
_ grace, according to the divine purpose in Christ, 
which is attained to and maintained by faiti.] 

10. That I may know him—By my own con- 
scious experience of all that salvation which he 
has bought by his blood. The power of his 
resurrection—[Not the power by which he was 
raised, but the power which his resurrection ezer- 
cises on believers in (effecting and also) assuring 
them of their justification, (Rom. iv, 25; 1 Cor. 
xv, 17.)—Alford.| [The δύναμιν, k.7.2., is not the 
power by which he has been raised, but the power 
which the resurrection of Christ has; its vis et 
ejjicia in respect to believers.—Meyer.] [A resur- 
rection which is Christ’s, as to its effectuating 
power, but of which man’s spiritual nature is the 
subject.] And the fellowship of his suffer- 
ings—Christ died, not only as a victim for sin, but 
asamartyrtothetruth, No creature can have “ fel- 
lowship ” with him in his vicarious sufferings ; but 
as a martyr to the truth, St. Paul wished to imitate 
him. Not only in the apostle, but in the primitive 

280 


Christians generally, there seems to have been a 
strong desire after martyrdom. [This “fellow- 
ship” consists, not merely in the fact of suffering 
as he did, but in a spirit drawn nearer to him by 
sufferings borne in his strength.’—Gwynn.] Be- 
ing made conformable unto his death—[This 
conformity with Christ’s death was to take place 
by means of that perfect self-abjuration which he 
here asserts of himself.— A/ford. } 

11. The resurrection of the dead—Eic τὴν 
ἐξανάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν, to that resurrection 
which is of the dead. |The phrase from deads, ἐκ 
vikp@v, may be a resurrection from their own dead 
selves, (Luke xx, 85, 1 Cor. xv, 12,) that is, a res- 
urrection from being (spiritually) dead.— W hedon.] 
[Resurrection from the dead,” ἐκ νεκρῶν, from 
among the dead, or from the state in which the dead 
are. By most commentators this is understood to 
refer to the general resurrection at the last day; 
some, however, find in it only an ethical sense, as if 
Paul was looking forward to a still more complete 
spiritual renewal in Christ. (See next clause.)| 

12. Not as though I had already attained— 
Οὐχ ὅτε ἠδη ἔλαβον, for I have not yet received the 
prize; I am not glorified, for I have not finished 
my course; and 1 have a conflict still to maintain, 
and the issue will prove whether I should he 
crowned. Hither were already perfect— Ἢ 767 
τετελείωμαι, nor am I yet perfected ; I am not yet 
crowned in consequence of having suffered mar- 
tyrdom. [I am not yet through. (See John xix, 
28, 80.)] With Paul the τελείωσις, or perfection of 
his whole career, was to be his martyrdom. In his 
view every thing was imperfect or unfinished till 
this had taken place. [The meaning here is, “I 
do not pretend to have attained to what I wish or 
hope to be.” He had been conwerted; he had 
been raised up from the death of sin; he had been 
imbued with spiritual life and peace; but there 
was a glorious object before him which he had not 
yet received. There was a kind of resurrection 
which he had not arrived at.—Barnes.| [The ob- 
ject of this ἔλαβον (attained, taken hold of) is not 
the βραβεῖον (the prize) supplied from verse 14; it 
is rather to be supplied from what goes before, 
namely, that moral perfection which is indicated in 
the γνῶναι, (to know,) verse 10.—Olshausen.] But 
I follow after — Διώκω δὲ, but 7 pursue, [that 
glorious completeness.| That I may apprehend— 
That I may receive those blessings to which I am 
called by Christ Jesus, [and attain to all spiritual 
fulness, and my eternal recompense. ] 

13. I count not myself to have appre- 
hended—Whatever gifts, graces, or honours I 
may have received from Jesus Christ, I consider 
every thing as incomplete till I have finished my 
course and got this crown. This one thing I 
do—This is the concern, as it is the sole business, 
of my life. [Ἔν dé—but one only.] Forgetting 


Paul presses on to the attain- 
ment of his high calling. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4066, A. Ὁ. 62. 
Year of Rome, 815, 


behind, and 'reaching forth unto those things 
which are before, 14 91 press toward the 
mark for the prize of 4 the high calling of God 
in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many 
as be ¢perfect, ‘be thus minded: and if in 
any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall 
reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, 
whereto we have already attained, ¢ let us walk 
bby the same rule, ‘let us mind the same thing. 


61 Cor, 9. 24, 96: Heb. 6. 1.—c2 Tim. 4, 7, 8: Heb. 12. 1. 
—d Heb. 5. 1. 61 Cor, 2. 6; 14. 20. —S Gal. 5. 10.—-g Rom. 
12. 16; 15. 5.-—/ Gal. 6. 16.—7 Chap. 2. 2.— 41 Cor. 4. 16; 
ll. 1; chap. 4. 9; 1 Thess. 1. 6. 
those things which are behind.—([He did 
not stop to think of the difficulties that he had 
overcome, or the troubles that he had met, but he 
thought of what was yet to be accomplished. . 
Let us not spend our time either in pondering the 
gloomy past and our own unfaithfulness, nor in 
(vainly) thinking of what we have done; but let us 
keep the eye steadily on the prize, and run the 
race (to the end) as though we had just commenced 
it.—Barnes.| Reaching forth—The Greek word 
ἐπεκτεινόμενος points out the strong exertions 
made in the struggle, [the earnestness with which 
faith seeks to appropriate its object, the things 
before, that is, the perfection not yet reached.— 
Aljord. | 

14. I press toward the mark—Kara σκοπὸν 
διώκω, I pursue along the line. [Σκοπός, “an ob- 
ject set up in the distance, at which one looks and 
aims.”—See Robinson’s Lexicon.] For the prize 
of the high calling of God—The reward which 
God from above calls me, by Christ Jesus, to re- 
ceive. [17΄1λ6 calling from above, τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως, 
is that ‘“heavenward calling” whereby every 
Christian is called to enter on the race for the 
prize. —Gwynn.| [The prize, τὸ βραβεῖον, pres- 
ent grace, and eternal glory; τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ 
᾿Ιησοῦ, God in Christ, is he who calls, and also who 
gives the prize; himself having watched the whole 
race. | 

15. As many as be perfect —Thoroughly 
iustructed in divine things. The word τέλειοι, per- 
fect, is taken here in the same sense in which it is 
taken 1 Cor. xiv, 20: “Be not children in under- 
standing . . . but in understanding be men, (τέλειοι 
γίνεσθε.) be ye perfect — thoroughly instructed, 
deeply experienced.” 1 Cor. ii, 6: “We speak 
wisdom among them that are perfect,’ ἐν τοῖς 
τελείοις, among those who are fully instructed, 
adults in Christian knowledge. Eph. iv, 13: ‘ Till 
we all come . . . unto a perfect man,” εἰς avdpa 
τέλειον, to the state of adults in Christianity. ‘‘ Let 
us therefore,” says the apostle, ‘as many as be per- 
fect,”—as have entered fully into the spirit and 
design of the Gospel— be thus minded,” namely, 
Forget the things which are behind, and stretch 
forward along the mark for the prize. If in any 
thing ye be otherwise minded—If any have not 
yet entered into the full spirit and design of this 
Gospel, God shall reveal even this unto you; 
for while you are sincere and upright, God will take 
care that ye shall have full instruction in these 
divine things. 

16. Whereto we have already attained — 
Let us not lose that part of the race which we have 
already run. Let us walk by the same rule— 
Let us keep our calling continually in view. Let 
us mind the same thing—Always considering 
the glorious prize which is held out by God through 


ΕἼ Brethren, «be followers together of me, 
and mark them which walk so as ' ye have us 
for an ensample. ΕΘ (For many walk, of 
whom 1 have told you often, and now tell you 
even weeping, that they are ™the enemies of 
the cross of Christ: 19 "Whose end is 
destruction, °whose God is their belly, and 
Pwhose glory is in their shame, 4 who mind 
earthly things.) 2@ For ' our conversation is in 


1 Peter 5. 3.—m Gal. 1. 7; 2. 21; 6, 12: chap. 1. 15, 16.— 

m2 Cor, 11. 15; 2 Peter 2. 1.—o Rom. 16, 18; 1 Tim. ὃ, δ: Tit. 
1. 11.—~ Hos, 4. 7; 2 Cor. 11. 12; Gal. 6. 13. —g Rom. 8. 4. 
—-r Eph. 2. 6, 19; Col. 3. 1, 8. 
Christ Jesus to animate and encourage us. [As 
far as we have attained towards Chuistian perfec- 
tion, including both knowledge and practice, (of 
both of which he had spoken in his own case.) 
‘“‘ Let,” is to continue in the same earnest devotion. 
See Alford.] [‘‘Let us mind the same thing:” 
τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν. This clause is wanting in nearly 
all the best MSS., and is omitted by common con- 
sent from all the latest critical editions. ] 

17. Brethren, be followers ... of me—In 
the things of Christ let me be your exemplar ; and 
my writing, preaching, and conduct your ru/e. And 
mark them—‘kxozeite ; keep your eye steadily fixed 
on those who walk—live—as ye have us—my- 
self, Timothy, and Epaphroditus—for an ensample 
(or pattern.) 

18. For many walk, etc.—The Judaizing 
teachers, who wish to incorporate circumcision and 
other ordinances of the law with the Gospel, continue 
to preach. —[Perhaps also disorderly persons are 
referred to.] They are the enemies of the cross 
of Christ—They rather attribute justification to 
the Levitical sacrifices than to the sacrificial death 
of Christ; and thus they are enemies to that cross, 
and of course do not suffer persecution for its sake. 
They please the world, and are in no danger of re- 
proach. 

19. Whose end is destruction—This is the 
issue of their doctrine and of their conduct. Whose 
God is their belly — They live only to eat, 
drink, and be merry. Whose glory is in their 
shame—tThey rejoice that they can fare sumptu- 
ously every day, in consequence of preaching a 
doctrine which flatters the passions of their hear- 
ers. Who mind earthly things—Their whole 
study and attention are taken up with earthly mat- 
ters ; they have no spirituality. Despicable as these 
men were, the apostle’s heart was deeply pained on 
their account, because they held and taught a false 
creed, perverted many by that teaching, and were 
themselves perishing through it. 

20, Our conversation is in heaven—Huav 
τὸ πολίτευμα, our citizenship. The word properly 
signifies the administration, government, or form 
of a republic or state. It signifies also a republic, 
a city, or the inhabitants of any city or place; ora 
society of persons living in the same place, and 
under the same rules and laws. [Christians, be- 
cause they are born of the Spirit, and adopted into 
the family of God, (Rom. viii, 17,) have their citi- 
zenship in “the kingdom of God,” now the king- 
dom of grace, but destined to become the kingdom 
of glory. ’E& ov, of which πολέτευμα, citizenship, or 
by virtue of it, (see Bengel and others,) we ardently 
wait for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. There 
does not appear to be in all this any reference to 
Christ’s coming to raise the dead and judge the 
world, but rather that, by virtue of our heavenly 

281 


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Year of Rome, 815. 


PHILIPPIANS. 


The Philippians exhorted to 
stand fast in the Lord. 


heaven; *from whence also we ‘look for the 
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 28 "Who 
shall change our vile body, that it may be fash- 
ioned like unto his glorious bedy, ’ according 
to the working whereby he is able κ᾿ even to 
subdue all things unto himself. 


CHAPTER IV. 
HEREFORE, my brethren dearly beloved 
and *longed for, *my joy and crown, so 
«stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 
2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, 


4that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 
3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, 
help those women which ‘laboured with me 
in the gospel, with Clement also, and with 
other my fellow labourers, whose names are 
in ‘the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord 
always: and again I say, Rejoice. 4 Let your 
moderation be known unto all men. ©The 
Lord is at hand. 6 ‘Be careful for nothing ; 
but in every thing by prayer and supplication 
with thanksgiving let your requests be made 
known unto God. 7 And * the peace of God, 


8 Acts 1, 11.—71 Cor. 1. 7; 1 Thess. 1. 10; Titus 2. 13,— 
wi Cor, 15. 43, 48, 49; Col. 3. 4; | John 3. 2.—v Eph. 1. 19.— 
wi Cor, 15. 26, 27. a Chap. 1. 8.—62 Cor. 1. 14; chap. 2. 
16; 1 Thess. 2. 19, 20.—ce Chap. 1. 27.—d Chap. 2. 2; 3. 16. 
—e Rom. 16. 3; chap. 1. 27,—/Exod. 32. 32; Psa. 69. 28; 


citizenship, we may expect all the saving offices of 
Christ to be wrought in us; and that our present 
citizenship in Christ’s kingdom will be perpetuated, 
with infinitely exalted privileges in the future life. ] 

21. Who shall change our vile body—'0c 
μετασχηματίσει TO σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν, Who 
will refushion, or alter the fashion and condition of, 
the body of our humiliation ; this body that is dead 
because of sin. [This is the method in which this 
Saviour will save us,—a way utterly precluding 
our making a god of our body. (Verse 19.)— 
Alford.| That it may be fashioned like unto 
his glorious body—Hic¢ τὸ γένεσθαι. αὐτὸ σύμμορ- 
gov τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ. [| That it may be- 
come something summorphous (ciupopgoc) (like in 
form) to the body of his glory.) [The change from 
the dust of death, in the resurrection, however we 
may accommodate the expression to it, was not 
originally contemplated by it, (the word μετασχήημα- 
τίσει.) (Rom. vi, 12; viii, 11.)—Alford.] Ac- 
cording to the working—Kara τὴν ἐνέργειαν, 
according to that energy by which he can bring all 
things under subjection to himself. The thought of 
this glorious consummation was a subject of the 
highest joy and confidence among the primitive 
Christians. This earth was not their home; and 
they were careful to pass through things temporal 
so as not to lose those which were eternal. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Therefore, my . . . beloved—Because ye 
have this armour, and those enemies, and [such a 
glorious inheritance with] God for your support, 
see that ye stand fast in him. This verse most 
unquestionably belongs to the preceding chapter. 

2. Euodias and Syntyche — These are sup- 
posed to have been two pious women, perhaps dea- 
conesses in the Church at Philippi, who in some 
points of doctrine and discipline had disagreed. 
Paul exhorts them to be of the same mind, that is, 
to compose their differences; and, if they could 
not perfectly agree, to avoid all public opposition, 
as their dissensions would strengthen the hands of 
the common enemy, and stumble those believers 
who were weak. 

3. True yokefellow—intvye. [Who this re- 
fers to it is not easy to determine; and because of 
this difficulty conjectures on the subject have been 
almost innumerable — probably some one who 
would be readily recognised at Philippi.} Help 
those women which laboured with me—Both 
in the Grecian and Asiatic countries women were 
kept much secluded, and it was not likely that even 
the apostles had much opportunity of conversing 

282 


Dan. 12. 1; Luke 10. 20; Rev. 3. 5; 18. 8: 20. 12; 21. 27,—— 
g Rom, 12.12; chap. 3.1; 1 Thess..4. 16; 1 Pet. 4 15.—/ Heb. 
10. 25: James 5. 8, 9; 1 Pet. 4. 7; 2 Pet. 3. 8, ὁ: see 2 Thess, 
2. 2.—7 Psa. 55. 22; Prov. 16. 3; Matt. 6. 25: Luke 12, 22. 
1 Pet: 5. 7. k John 14, 27; Rom. 5.1; Col. 3. 13. 


with them; it was therefore necessary that they 
should have some experienced Christian women 
with them who could have access to families, and 
preach Jesus to the female part of them. The 
apostle tells us that certain women “laboured 
with” him in the gospel, and were assistants to 
others also who had assisted him. Some think 
the women here were Euodias and Syntyche; but 
as there is nothing certain known on the subject, 
it is useless to conjecture. With Clement also— 
Supposed (but without any sufficient authority) to 
be the same who was afterward bishop of Rome, 
and who wrote an epistle to the Corinthians which 
is still extant. Whose names are in the book 
of life—Who are genuine Christians; who are en- 
listed or enrolled in the armies of the Lord, and have 
received a title to eternal glory. (See Luke x, 20.) 

4. Rejoice in the Lord always—Be contin- 
ually happy; but this happiness you can find only 
“in the Lord.” The apostle repeats the exhorta- 
tion, to show not only his own earnestness, but also 
that it was God’s will that it should be so, and 
that it was their duty and privilege to rejoice. 

5. Let your moderation be known—The 
word ἐπιεικὲς is of very extensive signification ; 
but “moderation ” is expressive enough as ἃ gen- 
eral term. ‘‘ Moderation,” says Dr. Macknight, 
“means meekness under provocation, readiness to 
forgive injuries, equity in the management of bus- 
iness, candour in judging of the characters and ac- 
tions of others, sweetness of disposition, and the 
entire government of the passions.’ [S/ow to speak, 
slow to wrath. James i, 19.| The Lord is at 
hand—[’Eyyic, near, as to either time or place, or 
both. To help in every necessity; or to note all 
unfaithfulness. | 

6. Be careful for nothing—Mydév μεριμνᾶτε, 
be not anxiously solicitous ; do not give place to 
carking care, let what will occur; for anxiety can- 
not change the state or condition of anything from 
bad to good, but will infallibly injure your own 
souls. By prayer and supplication — God 
alone ean help you; he is disposed to do it, 
but you must ask by prayer and supplication ; 
without this he has not promised to’help you. 
“ By prayer”—solemn application to God from a 
sense of want. ‘Supplication’—continuance in 
earnest prayers. With thanksgiving — For in- 
numerable favours already received, and for dan- 
gers, evils, and deaths turned aside. And let your 
souls be found in such a disposition that this exer- 
cise can be performed at all times, on all occa- 
sions, and in all places. 

7. And the peace of God—That harmonizing 


Paul commends the ere 
for their care of himself, 


which passeth all understanding, shall keep 


your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 


§ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are 
true, whatsoever things are 1 honest, whatso- 
ever things are just, whatsoever things are 
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, ™whatso- 
ever things are of good report ; if there be any 
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on 
9. © Those things, which ye have 


these things. 
both learned, and received, and heard, and 


Seen in me, do: and *the God of peace shall 


be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord 


greatly, that now at the last eyour care of me 
‘hath flourished again; wherein ye were also 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 69, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


Ξε Ἐξ ea eh 
careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 1 Not 
that I speak in respect of want: for I have 
learned, in whatsoever state I am, ' therewith 
to be content. 12 5] know both how to be 
abased, and I know how to abound: every 
where and in all things I am instructed both 
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound 
and to suffer need. ἘΦ I can do all things 
‘through Christ which strengtheneth me. 
14 Notwithstanding, ye have well done, 
that "ye did communicate with my affliction. 
15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the 
beginning of the gospel, when I departed from 
Macedonia, ἡ no church communicated with me 


ὦ Οὐ. venerith/e, —m1 Thess, 5. Prd 
o Romans 15. 33; 16. 20; 1 Cor. 11, 33; 2 Cor. 13. 11; 1 Thess, 
5.23; Heb. 13. 20, 


nm Chap. 3. 17.— 


p 2 Cor. 11. 9.—q Or, és revived.—r1 Tim. 6. 6, 8.----- 
81 Cor. 4. 11; 2 Cor. 6. 10; 11. 27. —2z John 15. 3; 2Cor, 12, 9: — 
w Chap. 1. 7. —v2 Cor. 11. 8, 9. 


of all passions and appetites which is produced by 
the Holy Spirit, and arises from a sense of pardon 
and the favour of God. Shall keep your hearts 
and minds—poupjoer, shall keep them ina strong 
place or castle. “Your hearts”—the seat of all 
your affections and passions; “and minds ”—your 
understanding, judgment, and conscience. Through 
Christ Jesus—ZBy whom ye were brought into this 
State of favour, through whom ye are preserved 
in it, and in whom ye possess it. Christ keeps 
that heart in peace in which he dwells and rules. 
This peace Christ has purchased, and God dis- 
penses ; it is felt by all the truly godly, but can be 
explained by none; it is communion with the Fa- 
ther and his Son Jesus 
the Holy Ghost. 

8. Finally, brethren—The apostle (in again 
attempting to close his epistle) would recommend 
holiness and righteousness to them in every point 
of view; and would show that the Gospel of Christ 
requires them to have the mind that was in Christ, 
and to walk as he himself also walked. Whatso- 
ever things are true—'0ca . . ἀληθῆ, all that is 
agreeable to unchangeable and eternal truth. 
[True subjectively, in an ethical rather than in a 
merely logical sense.] Whatsoever things are 
honest— ‘Oca σεμνά. whatever is grave, decent, and 
venerable. [It is difficult to give it (the true sense 
of σεμνά) in any one English word ; “honest” and 
honourable, are too weak : reverend and venerable 
or grave are seldom applied to things.—A/ford.] 
Whatsoever things are just—'0oa δίκαια, what- 
Soever is agreeable to justice and righteousness. 
All that ye owe to God, to your neighbour, and to 
yourselves. Whatsoever things are pure— 
Ὅσα ἁγνά, whatsoever is chaste, [indicating the 
quality of purity of life and character.] Whatso- 
ever things are lovely—‘Oca προσφιλῆ, whatso- 
ever is amiable on its own account and on account 
of its usefulness to others, whether in your con- 
duct or conversation ; [full of the soul of charity. ] 
Whatsoever things are of good report—'0ca 
εὔφημα, whatsoever things good people agree to ac- 
cept as useful and profitable to men. If there be 
any virtue—[’Aper#, virtue, in its most general 
ethical sense.—A/lford.] If there be any praise 
—[Any thing worthy of praise, or commendation. | 
Think on these things — [Λογίζεσθε, have in 
mind — things which by virtue of their obviously 
beneficial character and influence commend them- 
selves to the approval of men generally.] Esteem 
them highly, recommend them heartily, and practise 
them fervently, 


faith and practice. 


Christ, by the indwelling of 


9. Those things, which ye... . learned (not 
have learned)—From my preaching, conversation, 
and writing. And received—By faith, (through 
ethical culture.] And heard—From me, in my 
private communications with you ; and heard of me 
from other Churches. And seen in me—While 
living and labouring among you. Do—[IIpaccere, 
reduce to practice.| Take them for the rule of your 
[The word expresses an action 
or course of acting, as continued or not yet com- 
pleted; as what one does repeatedly, continually, 
habitually.] And the God of peace shall be 
with you—S‘ee verse 7.) 

10, But I rejoiced in the Lord — The apostle 
thanks God for the kindness of the Philippians to- 
ward him; for it was God that gave them the 
power, and directed their hearts to use it. Hath 
flourished again—They had helped him before, 
(chapter ii, 25;) they had ceased for a time, and 
now they began again. For the time in which they 
were apparently remiss he makes a delicate apology : 
“Ye were careful, but ve lacked opportunity ;” or 
rather ἠκαιρεῖσθε, ye had not ability, ye wanted the 
means, as the word sometimes implies, 

11. Not that I speak in respect of want— 
I am quite unconcerned in this respect ; leaving the 
whole of my support, while bound for the testimony 
of Jesus, to the providence of God. For I have 
learned—Whatever the goodness of God deter. 
mines, is the best, and I am perfectly contented 
that he should order my affairs in that way which 
seems to him good. 

12. How to be abased . . . to abound—I have 
passed through all these states; I know how to 
conduct myself in each, and how to extract good 
from all. He was thoroughly instructed : fully in- 
itiated into all the mysteries of poverty and want, 
and of the supporting hand of God in the whole. 

13. I can do all things—It was not a habit 
which he had aequired by frequent exercise, but a 
disposition gained by grace; and he was enabled 
to do all by the power of the indwelling Christ. In 
some of the best MSS., Versions, and Fathers the 
word Χριστῷ, Christ, is omitted. 

14. Ye have well done — Though I have 
learned all these important lessons, and am never 
miserable in want, yet ve have done well in sending 
me relief in the time of affliction. 

15. In the beginning of the gospel—W hen, 
after the Gospel had been preached to you, I went 
forth into Macedonia, I received help from none 
of the Churches which I had founded but from you 
alone. 

283 


A.M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


PHILIPPIANS. 


Benevolence of the Church at 
Philippi toward Paul, 


as concerning giving and receiving, but ye 
only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent 
once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not 
because I desire a gift: but I desire » fruit that 
may abound to your account. 18 But «1 have 
all, and abound: I ain full, having received 
yof Epaphroditus the things which were sent 
from you, an odour of a sweet smell, ἃ ἃ sac- 
rifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. 19 But 


av Rom, 15. 28: Titus 3. 14.—a Or, 7 have received all. 
y Chap. 2. 25 z Heb. 18. 16. 2 Cor. 9, 12.—b Psa. 28. 1; 


my God "shall supply all your need © according 
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 4Now 
unto God and our Father be glory for ever and 
ever. Amen. 218 Salute every saint in Christ 
Jesus. The brethren ὁ which are with me greet 
you. 22 All the saints salute you, ‘ chiefly 
they that are of Cesar’s household. 23 ¢The 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 
Amen. 


2 Cor, 9. 8—c Eph. 1. 7; ὃ. 16.—d Rom. 16. 27; Gal. 1. δ. 
—e Gal. 1. 2.——f' Chap. 1. 13.—g Rom. 16. 24. 


16. For even in Thessalonica—While labour- 
ing to plant the Church there, he was supported 
partly by working with his hands, (1 Thess. ii, 9, 
2 Thess. iii, 7-9,) and partly by the contributions 
sent him from Philippi. Even the Thessalonians 
had contributed little to his maintenance. 

17. Not because I desire a gift—I do not 
speak thus to incite you to send me a further gift ; 
I speak this on the general subjeet, because I wish 
you to bear such fruit as shall abound to your 
account. 

18. I have all—Ye have now sent me so much 
by Epaphroditus, that I abound in all the neces- 
saries of life. Having received... the things 
—Probably a supply of clothes and such like nec- 
essaries, as well as of money. An odour of a 
sweet smell—Alluding to the thank-offerings un- 
der the law. With what ye have done to me, his 
servant, God is well pleased. (See Eph. ν, 2.) 

19. My God shall supply all your need— 
As you have given to me in my distress, God will 
never suffer you to want without raising up help to 
you, as he raised you up for help to me. Accord- 
ing to his riches-—His fulness is infinite; and 
through Christ, whose followers we are, he will 
dispense every requisite blessing of providence, 
grace, and glory to you. 

20. Now unto God and our F'ather—[ Our 
God and Father.|_ God, our Father, is infinite in 
the riches of his grace and glory, and out of his 
abundance we have all received, and grace for 
grace. Therefore, to God our Hather, be glory for 
ever and ever. 

284 


21. Salute every saint-—-Remember to present 
my affectionate wishes to every Christian at Phi- 
lippi. The brethren which are with me— 
Those who were fellow labourers with him, generally 
supposed to be Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, 
Luke, and Demas. See the end of the epistles to 
the Colossians and to Philemon. 

22. All the saints—-All the Christians now at 
Rome. They that are of Cesar’s household— 
Nero was at this time emperor of Rome; yet in 
his family there were Christians ; but whether this 
relates to the members of the imperial family, or to 
guards, or courtiers, or to servants, we cannot tell. 
If even some of his slaves were converted to Chris- 
tianity, it would be sufficiently marvellous. Con- 
verts to Christianity in this family there certainly 
were; and this shows how powerfully the divine 
word had been preached and spread. That the 
Empress Poppewia may have been favourably in- 
clined to Christianity is possible, for Josephus says, 
(Ant. lib. xx, cap. 7,) “She was a worshipper of 
the true God.” St. Jerome states that St. Paul had 
converted many in Cesar’s family. Some imagine 
that Seneca, the preceptor of Nero, and the poet 
Lucan, were converted by St. Paul; and there are 
still extant letters which profess to have passed 
between Paul and Seneca; but they are not worthy 
of any credit. 

23. The grace of our Lord—The usual apos- 
tolical benediction, (See Rom. i, 7; Gal. vi, 18.) 
Be with you all—Instead of πάντων, all, μετὰ 
πνεύματος, be with your spirit, is the reading now 
generally accepted. 


Pie ΤῸ THE EPISTLE 


TO 


THE COLOSSIANS. 


THE PLACE. 


ce was a city of Phrygia Pacatiana, now a part of Natolia, in Asia Minor, 
seated on an eminence on the south side of the river Meander, (now Meinder,) 
near to the place where the river Lycas enters the earth, and begins to run under- 
ground, which course it continues for about three quarters of a mile before it 
emerges and falls into the Meander. Of this ancient city not much is known. 
It was situated about equidistant between Laodicea and Hierapolis. To this 
place Xerxes came in his expedition against Greece. 

The Macedonians transferred Colosse to the Persians; and it afterward passed 
under the government of the Seleucide. After the defeat of Antiochus IIL, at 
the battle of Magnesia, it became subject to Eumenes, king of Pergamos; and 
when Attalus, the last of his successors, bequeathed his dominions to the Romans, 
this city, with the whole of Phrygia, formed a part of the proconsular province 
of Asia. 

In the tenth year of the Emperor Nero, about a year after the writing of this 
epistle, Colosse (with Laodicea and Hierapolis) was destroyed by an earthquake; 
and the city which was raised in its place was called Chonos or Konos, which 
name it now bears. 

TIME OF WRITING. 

The epistle to this city appears to have been written about the same time 
with that to the Philippians, namely, toward the end of the year A. D. 62, and in 
the ninth of the Emperor Nero. 

That the two epistles were written about the same time is rendered probable 
by the following circumstance: In the epistle to the Philippians (chapter ii, 19) 
St. Paul purposes to send Timothy, who was then with him at Rome, to Philippi, 
that he might learn the state of the Church there. As Timothy joins with the 
apostle in the salutation at the beginning of ¢//s epistle, it is evident that he was 
still at Rome, and had not yet been sent to Philippi; and as St. Paul wrote the 
former epistle nearly at the close of his first imprisonment at Rome, the two 
epistles must have been written within a short time of each other. See the 
preface to the epistle to the Philippians. 


WHO FOUNDED THAT CHURCH. 


When or by whom Christianity was first preached at Colosse, and a Church 


founded there, is not known; it is most likely, however, that it was by St. Paul 
285 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 


himself, during the three years in which he dwelt at Ephesus. (Acts xix, 10.) 
That Paul preached in Phrygia we learn from Acts xvi, 6. 

On the other hand, it is argued that as Paul did not preach in Laodicea, and 
as Colosse was an unimportant place, only twelve miles distant, it 15 not prob- 
able that he preached there; and therefore the reference in chapter i, 4, 8, 9, 
should be understood as implying that Paul was personally unknown to them. 

Some think that Epaphras, who is called their apostle, (chapter i, 7,) was the 
first who planted Christianity among the Colossians. 


AUTHORSHIP. 


That this epistle is correctly ascribed to St. Paul scarcely admits of a 
moment’s doubt. Its personal allusions are sufficient of themselves to show its 
Pauline origin. It appears from chapter iv, 12, that Epaphras was with Paul, and 
we find Epaphras also with him when he writes to Philemon. (Verse 23.) Onesimus 
is mentioned in chapter iv, 9, as a faithful and beloved brother, and one of the 
Colossians. Archippus is exhorted to take heed to the ministry which he has 
received of the Lord. (Chapter iv,17.) This shows that Archippus was of Colosse. 
Accordingly, when the apostle writes to Philemon and Archippus, we clearly see 
that the former was also of Colosse, to which city Onesimus also belonged. In 
chapter iv, 10, we find Aristarchus with Paul; and he is with him also in Philemon, 
verse 24. And it appears from Acts xxvii, 2, that Aristarchus went with Paul to 
Rome, where he appears in this epistle. Luke and Demas appear with Paul, 
both in Colossians iv, 14, and in Philemon 24. The epistle to Philemon, which 
is universally acknowledged to be Paul’s, is so interwoven with that to the Colos- 
sians, as to show that it must be a genuine apostolical production, the coincidences 
evidently being undesigned. 


STYLE AND SPIRIT. 


The language of this epistle is bold and energetic, the sentiments are grand, 
and the conceptions vigorous and majestic. The phraseology is in many places 
Jewish, the reason for which is obvious: the apostle had to explain subjects which 
never had a name in any other language. The mythology of the Gentiles could 
not furnish terms to explain the theology of the Jews; much less the more refined 
and spiritual system of Christianity. 

286 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


ΠΕΡΙ QOLOSSLANS. 


5 i ah 


CHAPTER I. 

AUL, *an apostle of Jesus Christ by the 

will of God, and Timotheus ow7 brother, 
2 To the saints "and faithful brethren in Christ 
which are at Colosse: © Grace de unto you, and 
peace, from God our Father and the Lord Je- 
sus Christ. ὦ 4 We give thanks to God and 
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying 
always for you, 4 ¢Since we heard of your 
faith in Christ Jesus, and of ‘the love which 
ye have to all the saints, 5 For the hope 


¢ which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof 
ye heard before in the word of the truth of 
the gospel; © Which is come unto you, "as 
it is in all the world; and 'bringeth forth 
fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye 
heard of it, and knew *the grace of God in 
truth: % As ye also learned of 'Epaphras 
our dear fellow servant, who is for you "a 
faithful minister of Christ; S$ Who also de- 
clared unto us your "love in the Spirit. 
9 °For this cause we also, since the day we 


@FEph, 1. 1.— 61 Cor. 4. 17; Eph. 6. 21. —ce Gal. 1. 3.— 
ΑἹ Cor. 1. 4: Eph, 1. 16; Phil. 1. 3: 4. 6.—e Eph. 1. 15; verse 
9; Philem. 5.-—/ Heb. 6. 10..—g2 Tim. 4. §: 1 Peter 1. 4.-- 
h Matt, 24. 14; Mark 16. 15: Rom. 10. 18; verse 23. 


i Mark 4. 8: John 15. 16; Phil. 1. 11.—*2Cor, 6 1: Eph. 
ὃ. 2; Titus'2. 11; 1 Peter d. 12. UChap, 4.12; Philem. 283,—— 


15, 16; verse 3, 4. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER 1. 

1. Paul, an apostle... by the will of God 
—See on 1 Cor. i, 1. And Timotheus—Though 
Timothy is here joined in the salutation, yet he 
was probably only the amanuensis or scribe of the 
apostle. 

2. To the saints—Those who professed Chris- 
tianity. See on Eph. i, 1. Which are at Co- 
losse—See Introduction. Grace be unto you— 
See on Rom. i, 7. And the Lord Jesus Christ — 
This clause should be omitted. 

3. We give thanks to God—Whao is the au- 
thor of all good. The Father of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ—From whom the grace which has pro- 
duced your conversion has sprung. [The adverb, 
always, belongs to “give thanks,” rather than 
“praying.” See Alford.] (See Eph. i, 15, 16.) 

4. Since we heard of your faith—This is very 
similar to Eph. i, 15, and it is certain that the 
apostle seems to have considered the Church at 
Ephesus and that at Colosse to have been nearly 
in the same state, as the two epistles are very sim- 
ilar in their doctrine and phraseology. 

5. For the hope which is laid up for you 
in heaven—That eternal life which the apostle 
mentions Titus i, 2: Jn hope of eternal life, which 
God promised before the world began. The “ hope” 
is here used for the object of hope. In the word 
of the truth of the gospel—In the doctrine of 
that Gospel of your salvation which is the “ truth ” 
of God. Of this doctrine they had heard before by 
persons who had preached to them, and from whom 
they received the Gospel. 

_ 6. Which is come unto you—[Toi παρόντος 
εἰς ὑμᾶς, coming to you, signifying both the coming 
and abiding—which has come to abide with you. 
See Alford.] As it is in all the world—[Though 
not yet announced to all nations, it is coming 


(παρών to all the world,—the whole world being the 
area in which it is proclaimed and working.—</- 
ον And bringeth forth fruit—Wbherever the 
pure Gospel of Christ is preached, it is the seed of 
the kingdom, and must be fruitful in all those who 
receive it by faith in simplicity of heart. After 
καρποφορούμενον, bringing forth fruit, add καὶ 
αὐξανόμενον, and inereaseth. It had not only 
brought forth fruit, but was multiplying its own 
kind. [lt is fruitbearing and growing, by which 
is indicated the fact that the Gospel, wherever it is 
present, is also in course of living dynamical devel- 
opment.—/eyer.| The grace of God in truth— 
Ye were fruitful, and went on increasing in the 
salvation of God from the time that ye heard and 
acknowledged this doctrine to be of God’s grace, 
and received it in truth, sincerely and uprightly. 

7. As yealso learned of Epaphras . . . who 
is for you—Who this Epaphras was we cannot 
tell; only it is likely that he was a Colossian, and 
became, by the call and grace of Christ, a deacon 
of this Church, faithfully labouring with the apostle 
to promote its best interests. That he was a Colos- 
sian is evident from chapter iv, 12: ‘ Epaphras, 
who is one of you,” ὁ ἐξ ὑμῶν, He was raised up 
among themselves to be their minister in the ab- 
sence of the apostle, and he showed himself to be 
worthy of this calling bya faithful discharge of his 
ministry, and by labouring fervently for them all, 
and pressing them forward, that they might stand 
perfect and complete in all the will of God. 

8. Your love in the Spirit—Of this love of 
theirs in the Spirit, and particularly toward the 
apostle, Epaphras gave full proof, not only by de- 
scribing to the apostle the affection they felt for 
him, but in presenting to him those szpplies which 
their love to him caused them to furnish. 

9. For this cause—See on Eph. i, 15, 16, where 

287 


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Year of Rome, 515. 


COLOSSIANS. 


Paul’s prayer that the Colossians 
may walk worthily. 


heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to 
desire P that ye might be filled with 4 the 
knowledge of his will tin all wisdom and 
spiritual “understanding ; 10 That ye might 
walk worthy of the Lord tunto all pleasing, 

«being fruitful in every good work, and increas- 
ing in the knowledge of God; ul νυ Strength- 
ened with all might, according to his glorious 
power, “unto all patience and longsuffering 


xwith joyfulness; 12 y»Giving thanks unto 
the Father, which hath made us meet to be 
partakers of #the inheritance of the saints in 
light: 18 Who hath delivered us from «the 
power of darkness, 'and hath translated us 
into the kingdom of chis dear Son: 44 4In 
whom we have redemption through his blood, 
even the forgiveness of sins: 14 Who is ¢the 
image of the invisible God, ‘the firstborn of 


15, 2: Eph. 5. 10), 17. --- Eph: 1. 8, 


—s Eph. 4.1; Phil. 1 27; 1 Thess. 2. 12.- ithessseegle - 
uJohn 15. 16; 2 Cor. 9.8: Phil. 1. 11; Titus 3. 1; Heb. 13. 21. 
—~Eph. 8. 16; 6. 10.2 Eph. 4. 2.—a Acts 4, 41; Rom. 


the same sentiment occurs. That ye might be 
filled with the knowledge of his will—[Not 
the product of mere human mental activity, but 
an objective divine endowment by the Holy Spirit, 
which must be brought about in spiritual wisdom 
and insight, by the communication of all spiritual 
gifts.— Meyer. ] 

10. That ye might walk worthy of the 
Lord—Suitably to your Christian profession, ex- 
emplifying its holy doctrines by a holy and useful 
life. [’ASiw¢ tov Kvupiov, worthy of the Lord, 
(Christ,) that is, of your Christian profession, εἰς 
πᾶσαν ἀρεσκίαν, in order to all pleasing, so that in 
every way you may be pleasing to God.—A/ford. | 
[A parallel to the preceding clause.] (Hph. iv, 1; 
Phil. i, 27.) Being fruitful in every good 
work—See verse 6. St. Paul exhorts the Christ- 
jans at Colosse, 1) To wa/k—to continue in their 
Christian calling. 2) To walk worthily—suitably 
to the dignity of that calling, and to the purity of 
him (Christ) who had called them into this state 
of salvation. 38) To do every thing unto all pleas- 
ing ; that God might be pleased with the manner, 
the time, the motive, disposition, design, and object 
of every act. 4) That they should be fruitful ; 
mere harmlessness would not be sufficient ; as God 
had sown good seed, he had a right to look for 
good fruit. 5) That every work should be good ; 
they must not be fruitful in some works and fruit- 
less in others. 6) That they should increase in 
relizious knowledge as time rolled on, knowing, by 
genuine Christian experience, more of God, of his 
love, and of his peace, day by day. 

11. Strengthened with all might—[’Ev πάσῃ 
δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι, in all strength strengthened, 
in all departments and of every kind.] That they 
might be able to walk worthy of the Lord, bring 
forth fruit, ete. (See Eph. iii, 13, ete.) Accord- 
ing to (im pursuance of) his glorious power— 
[According to the power of his glory;| that sufli- 
ciency of strength which may be expected from 
Him who has all power both in the heavens and in 
the earth. Unto all patience—|Not only in trib- 
ulations, but generally in the life of the Spirit. 
Endurance is the result of the union of inward and 
outward strength.— A/ford.| And longsuffer- 
ing—Not only ‘toward your enemies or persecutors, 
but also in the conflict with error—which is more 
in question in this epistle—A/ford.] With joy- 
fulness—Feeling the continual testimony that ye 
please God, which will be a spring of perpetual 
comfort. (See Eph. iv, 2.) 

12. Giving thanks ‘unto the Father—[Of our 
Lord Jesus Christ.] Knowing that ye have nothing 
but what ye have received from his mere mercy, 
and that in point of merit ye can never claim any 
thing from him. Which hath made us meet— 
“κανώσαντι, capable, (not worthy.) Who has qual- 

288 


ΦῚ Cor. 1. 5. q Rom. 


ἢ: 3.7 Eph. a, 20 
a Eph. 6. 13; 
2P 


1, 6.——d@ Eph. 1. 7. 


; chap. 3. 15.—<¢ Acts 26. 18; Eph. 1. 11. 
Heb. 2. 14; 1 Pet. Thess. a1 
. the Son oe his foves Matt. poh ane ΒΝ fj 
eé2.Cor. 4. 4; Heb, 1. 3.—/ Rev. 3. 14. 


ified us to be partakers, ete. Of the inheri- 
tance—Ei¢ τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου; [rendering us 
worthy of (fit for εἰς signifying paipose) the lot 
of the inheritance of the saints. “Ev τῷ φωτί, in 
the light, indicates the condition of that lot or in- 
heritance. See <Alford.] The κλῆρος was the lot 
or inheritance belonging to the tribe; the μερίς was 
the portion in that lot which belonged to each fam- 
ily of that tribe. This was a type of the kingdom 
of God, in which portions in eternal blessedness 
are dispensed to the genuine Israelites. Of the 
saints in light—“ Light” expresses knowledge, 
felicity, purity; here it is put to point out the state 
of glory at the right hand of God. 

13. Delivered us from the power of dark- 
ness—“ Darkness ” is here personified, and is repre- 
sented as having ἐξουσία, power, authority, and 
sway ; all men who are not saved by the Gospel 
are under this authority and power; and nothing 
less than the power of God can redeem any man 
from this darkness, or prince of darkness, who by 
means of sin and unbelief keeps men in ignorance, 
vice, and misery. Translated us into the king- 
dom, ete.—[A manifest reference to the rescue of 
a captive: we were the bond slaves of sin (and 
Satan ;) were in its dominion, ἐξουσία ; but Christ 
has, by the power of the Holy Spirit, delivered, 
μετέστησεν, tr ansfer? red us into the kingdom of the 
Son of the Father's love. | 

14. In whom we have redemption—[’E» ©, 
that is, in Christ, not simply by or through him, but 
specifically and peculiarly 7 him,] who has paid 
down the redemption price, even his own blood, 
that our sins might be cancelled, and we made fit 
to be partakers of the inheritance among the saints 
in light. The clause, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος" αὐτοῦ, 
through his blood, is omitted by most authorities. 
The same phrase is used Eph. i, 7, where there is 
no various reading in any of the MSS., Versions, or 
Fathers. The forgiveness of sins—'Ageow τῶν 
ἁμαρτιῶν, the taking away of sins. [The idea of 
rescue (redemption by power) is foremost, but that 
of the remission of sin through the merits of 
Christ’s sacrifice is all the time a felt presence. 
The work here indicated is concisely stated in the 
line, ‘‘ He breaks the power of cancelled sin.” | 

15. Who is the image of the invisible God— 
The counterpart of God Almighty; and if the “im- 
age” of the “invisible God,” consequently noth- 
ing that appeared in him could be that amage ; for 
if it could be visible in the Son, it could also be 
visible in the Father; but if the Father be ‘invis- 
ible,” consequently his ‘image’ in the Son must 
be “invisible” also. This is that form of God of 
which he divested himself; the ineffable glory in 
which he not only did not appear, as to its splen- 
dour and accompaniments, but concealed also its 
essential nature ; that inaccessible light which no 


Jesus Christ declared to be the 
Creator of all things. 


M. 4086, A.D. 62, 


CHAPTER. i i eee of Kone, 815. 


every creature: 4&6 For sby him were all 
things created, that are in heaven, and that are 
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be 
thrones, or 'dominions, or principalities, or 
powers: all things were created ‘by him, and 


forhim: 8% * And he is before all things, and 
by him all things consist: ES And ‘he is the 
head of the body, the church: who is the 
beginning, ™the firstborn from the dead; that 
"in all things he might have the preeminence. 


1 Cor. 
ἯΙ: ee 


; Eph. 3. 9; Heb. 1. 2. ——A Rom. 


g John 1 - 
δ 15; 1 Peter ὃ. 22.——7 Rom. 1]. 


8. 28: Epi ἢ 
36; Heb, 5.1 


k Jobkn 1. 1,3; 


223 4. 15; 5. 2. 


ans 


n Or, among all. 


17. δὲ 1 Cor. 8. 6. 71 Cor. 11.3: Eph. He 10, 
26. 23; 1 Cor. 15. 20, 93; Rev. 1 


man, no created being, can possibly see. This was 
that divine nature, the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily, which dwelt in him. The firstborn of 
every creature—As in Phil. ii, 9: “God hath 
given him a name which is above every name ;” he 
is at the head of all the creation of God; not a 
creature, for he himself created all things, and ex- 
isted before any thing was made. (Johni, 3.) If 
it be said that God created him first, and that he, 
by a delegated power from God created all things, 
it is plain that the apostle’s reasoning in the six- 
teenth or seventeenth verses teaches quite the 
contrary. [The phrase firstborn of every creature, 
may imply that Christ was not only firstborn of his 
mother in this world, but firstbegotten of his Father 
before the worlds, and that he holds the rank, as 
compared with every created thing, of firstborn in 
dignity.—A/ford.] (See on verse 18.) 

16, 17. For by him were all things created, 
etc. — Four things are here asserted: 1) That 
Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe; of all 
things visible and invisible; of all things that had 
a beginning, whether they exist in time or in eter- 
nity. 
For himself ; that he was the sole end of his own 
work. 8) That he was prior to all creation, to all 
beings, whether in the visible or invisible world. 
4) That he is the preserver and governor of all 
things ; for by him all things consist. 

Creation is the proper work of an infinite and 
unoriginated Being; possessed of all perfections ; 
for as, previously to creation, there was no being, 
consequently he could not be actuated by any 
motive, reason, or impulse without himself. Crea- 
tion, therefore, is the work of Him who is unorig- 
inated and infinite. Christ is the Creator of all 
things ; therefore he must be, according to the plain 
construction of the apostle’s words, truly and prop- 
erly Gop. 

As, previously to creation, there was no being 
but God, consequently the great First Cause must, 
in the exertion of his creative energy, have respect 
to himself alone; the Creator, therefore, must 
make every thing ror himself. 

As creation implies absolute and unlimited 
power, there can be but one Creator; since there 
cannot be two or more Omnipotents, Infinites, or 
Eternals. It is, then, evident that creation cannot 
be effected by delezation, for this would imply a 
Being conferring the office, and delegating such 
power; and that the Being to whom it was dele- 
gated was a dependent Being, consequently not 
unoriginated and eternal; but this the nature of 
creation proves to be absurd. It is impossible, be- 
cause, if omnipotence be delegated, he to whom it 
is delegated had it not before, and he who dele- 
gates it ceases to have it, and consequently ceases 
to be God. On this supposition God ceases to 
exist, though infinite and eternal, and another, not 
naturally infinite and eternal, becomes such: and 
thus an infinite and eternal Being ceases to exist, 
and another infinite and eternal Being i is produced 
in time, and has a beginning. Again, if he had 

Vou. 11.---19 


2) That whatsoever was created was created | 


created by delegation or officially, it would have 
been for that Being who gave him that office, and 
delegated to him the requisite power ; but the text 
says that all things were made By him and ror 
him. 

As all creation necessarily exists in time, and 
had a commencement, whatever was before or 
prior to that must be no part of creation; and the 
Being who existed prior to creation, and before all 
things, must be the unoriginated and eternal God: 
but St. Paul says ‘the Son” was before all things. 

As every effect depends upon its cause, and can- 
not exist without it ; so creation, which is an effect 
of the power and skill of the Creator, can only 
exist and be preserved by a continuance of that 
energy that first gave it being. Hence God, as 
the Preserver, is as necessary to the continuance 
of all things as God the Creator was to their orig- 
inal production. But this preserving or continuing 
power is here ascribed to Christ, for the apostle 

says, And “ by him do all things consist ; ” for as all 

being was derived from him as its cause, so all 
being must subsist by him, as the effect subsists by 
and through its cause. 

Taking, therefore, the apostle as an uninspired 
man, giving his own view of the Author of the 
Christian religion, it appears beyond all contro- 
versy that himself believed Christ Jesus to be 
God; but, considering him as writing under the 
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, then we have, from 
the plain grammatical meaning of the words which 
he has used, the fullest demonstration (for the 
Spirit of God cannot lie) that he who died for our 
sins and rose again for our justification, and in 
whose blood we have redemption, was Gop over all. 
And as God alone can give salvation to men, and 
God only can remit sin, we are with the strictest 
propriety commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus, 
with the assurance that we shall be saved. 

18. He is the head of the body—What the 
apostle has said in the two preceding verses refers 
to the divine nature of Jesus Christ ; he now pro- 
ceeds to speak of his Awman nature, and to show 
how highly that is exalted beyond all created things, 
and how in that he is Head of the Church—the 
author and dispenser of light, life, and salvation 
to the Christian world; or, in other words, that 
from him, as the man in whom the fulness of the 
Godhead bodily dwelt, all the mercy and salvation 
of the Gospel system is to be received. ‘Of the 
body” — [Of the Church, indicative of Christ’s 
official relation to his people contemplated as an 
aggregated unity.| The beginning, the first- 
born from the dead—lIn 1 Corinthians xv, 20, 
Christ is called “ the firstfruits of them that slept ;’ 
and here, the chief and “ firstborn from the dead ; 
he being the first that ever resumed life never 
more to enter the empire of death after having 
died a natural death, and in such circumstances as 
precluded the possibility of deception. The ἀρχή, 
chief, head, ov first, answers in this verse to the 
ἀπαρχή, or firstfruits, of 1 Cor. xv, 20. Jesus 
Christ is not only the first who rose from the dead 

289 


A. M. 4066. A. D, 62. 
Year of Rome, 815. 


COLOSSIANS. 


Reconciliation to God and holiness 
obtained for men by Christ. 


19 For it pleased the Father that °in him 
should all fulness dwell; 20 And, P4 having 
made peace through the blood of his cross, " by 
him to reconcile ‘all things unto himself; by 
him, 7, say, whether they be things in earth, or 
things in heaven. 28 And you, ‘that were 
sometime alienated and enemies "in your mind 


*by wicked works, yet now hath he recon- 
ciled 22 ~In the body of his flesh through 
death, *to present you holy and unblamable 
and unreprovable in his sight: 28 If ye con- 
tinue in the faith y grounded and settled, and 
be «not moved away from the hope of the 
gospel, which ye have heard, *and which was 


o John 1. 16; 3. 34: chap. 2.9; 3. 11. p Or, making pedce. 
ip hie: 11. 10, 10 --- 7}. Oor 5. 18. 8 Enh, 1. 10.-— 
tEph. 2. 1, 2, 12, 19; 4, 18.—w Or, by your mind in wicked 


works. —» Titus 1, 15, 16.2 Eph, 2. 15, 16, —@ Luke 
1.75; Eph. 1. 4; 5.27: 1 Thess. 4. 7; Titus 2. 14; Jude 24,—— 
y Eph. 3. 17; chap. 2. 7. 2 John 15. 6.—da Rom. 10). 18 


to die no more, but he is the firstfruits of human 
beings; for as surely as the firstfruits were an in- 
dication and pledge of the harvest, so surely was 
the resurrection of Christ the proof that all man- 
kind should have a resurrection from the dead. 
[ILowrdroxoc, firstborn, as applied to the risen 
Christ, implies that his self-deliverance frome death 
(his coming away from hades) was of the nature of 
a birth, not a new life, but one before existing, yet 
in widely different conditions. And in the word 
Jirstborn there is a prophecy and a promise of 
others to follow.] That in all... he might 
have the preeminence—That he might be con- 
sidered, in consequence of his mediatorial office, as 
possessing the first place in and being chief over 
all the creation of God; for is it to be wondered at 
that the human nature, with which the great 
Creator condescended to unite himself, should be 
set over all the works of his hands ? 

19. For it pleased the Father that in him 
should all fulness dwell—That the majesty, 
power, and goodness of God should be manifested 
in and by Carist Jesus. The πλήρωμα, or fulness, 
must refer here to the divine nature dwelling in 
the man Christ Jesus. [Ὅτε ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν 
Tw τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι, that in him it seemed 
good all the fulness should dwell, repeating in another 
form, and with a heightened view of Christ’s essen- 
tial glory, what is said in the preceding sentence. | 

20. And, having made peace through the 
blood of his cross—|The order of the first and 
second clauses of verse twentieth should be ex- 
changed, so as to read, (as in Revised Version,) and 
through him (Christ) to reconcile all things to him- 
self, (the Father,) having made peace by the blood of 
his cross. God the Father has made peace—brought 
about a scheme of reconciliation—through the nter- 
mediary of the sacrifice of Christ, of which the blood 
of his eross is the sensible manifestation.] ΤῸ rec- 
oncile all things unto himself—The enmity was 
on the part of the creature; though God is angry with 
the wicked every day, yet he is never unwilling to be 
reconciled. But man, whose carnal mind is enmity 
toward God, is averse from this reconciliation ; it re- 
quires, therefore, the ‘‘ blood of the cross” to atone 
for the sin, and the influence of the Spirit to recon- 
cile the transgressor to Him against whom he has 
offended. (See 2 Cor. v, 19, etc.) Things in earth, 
or things in heaven—This seems to be a kind of 
collective phrase to signify all the world, or all man- 
kind. Some think possibly the reference is to the 
Jews and the Gentiles; the state of the former being 
always considered a sort of divine or celestial state, 
while that of the latter was reputed to be merely 
earthly, without any mixture of spiritual or heavenly 
good. [Alford’s solution, though somewhat fanci- 
ful, is ingenious, and not unworthy of thought: 
“All creation subsisted in Christ; all creation is 
therefore affected by his act of propitiation ; sinful 
creation is, in the strictest sense, reconciled from 
being at enmity; sinless creation, even at a distance 

290 


from his unapproachable purity, is lifted into nearer 
participation and higher ‘glorification of him, and 
is thus reconciled, though not in the strictest sense, 
yet in a very intelligible and allowable one.’’] 

21. And you, that were sometime alienated 
—All men are “alienated” from God, and all are 
enemies in their minds to him, and show it by their 
wicked works; but this is spoken particularly of 
the Gentiles. While the Jews were, at least for- 
mally, dedicated to God, the Gentiles were given up 
to others; they worshipped not the true God, but 
had gods many and lords many, to whom they 
dedicated themselves, their religious service, and 
their property. The verb ἀλλοτριόω, to alienate, 
signifies to abalienate, to estrange utterly, to he 
wholly the property of another. Thus the Gentiles 
had alienated themselves from God, and were alien- 
ated or rejected by him, because of their wicked- 
ness and idolatry. [The objective state of enmity 
is grounded in its subjective causes, and the intel- 
ligent responsible being is contemplated in the 
whole sentence. . . . Our passive enmity subsists, 
not on account of any subjective actuality in us, 
(sins committed,) but on account of the pollution 
of our parent stock in Adam.—A/ford.] Enemies 
in your mind—They had the carnal mind, which 
is enmity against God; and this was expressed in 
their outward conduct of wicked works. (See Rom. 
v, 17.) The “mind” is taken here for all the soul, 
heart, affections, passions, etc. 

22. In the body of his flesh—[His incarnate 
personality.] By Christ’s assumption of humanity 
and dying for man he has made an atonement for 
sin, through which men become reconciled to God 
and to each other. [By the blood of Christ God 
is provisionally reconciled to men, and that fact 
is proclaimed in the preaching of the Gospel to per- 
suade men to be reconciled to God.] To present 
you holy—[‘Ayiove, in the moxal holiness which, 
after the justification attained by means of faith, 
is wrought by the Holy Spirit, (Rom. vii, 6; 
viii, 2, 9;) and which, on the part of man, is 
preserved and maintained by continuance in the 
faith. (Verse 23.) — Meyer.| Unblamable and 
unreprovable — [᾿Αμώμους, uncensurable ; avey- 
κλήτους, not agreeable; (the two words are very 
nearly synonymous,) presenting negatively what 
ἁγίους presents positively.] In his sight—At the 
day of judgment. [Christ, at his judicial appear- 
ance, including also his perpetually exercised fo- 
rensic discrimination of men’s characters. | 

23. If ye continue in the faith—This will be 
the ease if you, who have already believed in Christ 
Jesus, continue in that faith, grounded in the 
knowledge and love of God, and settled, made firm 
and perseveringly steadfast, in that state of salva- 
tion. And be not moved away—Not permit- 
ting yourselves to be seduced by false teachers. 
Hope of the gospel—[That is, the hope of eter- 
nal life in the Messianic kingdom, which has been 
imparted to the believer in the Gospel.—Meyer.] 


The design of the apostles 


in teaching every man. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 40966. A. Ὁ. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


preached »to every creature which is under 
heaven; * whereof [ Paui am made a minister ; 
24 ὙΠῸ now rejoice in my sufferings ¢for 
you, and fill up ‘that which is behind of the 
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for & his body’s 
sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am 
made a minister, according to "the dispensation 
of God which is given to me for you, ‘to fulfil 
the word of God; 26 ven *the mystery 
which hath been hid from ages and from gener- 


ἢ Verse 6.—c Acts 1. 17; 2 Cor. 3. 6; 4. 1; 5. 18; Eph. 3. 7; 
verse 25; 1 Tim. 2. Rom. 5. 3: 2 Cor. 7. 4.—e Eph. 3. 
1, 13.-—/2 Cor. 1. 5, 6; Phil. 3. 10; 2 Tim, 1. 8; 2. 10.—g Eph. 
1. 923.—A | Cor. 9. 17: Gal. 2. 7:_Eph. 3. 2; verse 23.—7 Or, 


Sully to preach the word of God, Kom. 15. 19. 


Leet 


To every creature which is under heaven 
—A Hebraism signifying the whole human race, 
and particularly referring to the two grand divis- 
ions of mankind, the Jews and Gentiles ; to both 
of these the Gospel had been preached, and to each 
salvation by Christ had been equally offered. And 
as none had been excluded from the offers of 
mercy, and Jesus Christ had tasted death for every 
man, and the Jews and Gentiles, in their great cor- 
porate capacity, had all been invited to believe the 
Gospel; therefore, the apostle concludes that the 
Gospel was preached to [as being designed for] 
every creature under heaven, and offered without 
restrictions or limitations to the whole human race. 
Am madea minister—[Constituted a ministering 
servitor of God, in respect to authority and benefi- 
cence; of man, as those upon whom the benefits 
of his services were designed to come. ] 

24. Rejoice in my sufferings for you—St. 
Paul always considers his persecutions, as far as the 
Jews were concerned in them, as arising from this 
simple circumstance—his asserting that God had 
chosen the Gentiles and called them to enjoy the 
very same privileges with the Jews, and to consti- 
tute one Church with them. The consequences of 
so preaching the Gospel he was now suffering in 
his imprisonment in Rome. See on chapter iv, 2. 
That which is behind of the afflictions of 
Christ—I have still some afflictions to pass through 
before my race of glory will be finished; afflictions 
which fall on me on account of the Gospel; such 
as Christ bore from the same persecuting people. 
It is worthy of remark that the apostle does not say 
παθήματα, the passion of Christ, but simply θλίψεις, 
the afflictions; such as are common to all good men 
who bear a testimony against the ways and fashions 
of a wicked world. In these the apostle had his 
share ; in the passion of Christ he could have none. 
He trod the winepress ‘a/one; of the people there 
were none with him. His body’s sake—Believers, 
both of Jews and Gentiles, who now form that one 
body, the Church, of which Christ is the head. 

25. Whereof I am made a minister—[ Avdx- 
ovoc, deacon, steward, dispenser.| Having received 
especial commission from God to preach salvation 
to the Gentiles. According to the dispensation 
—Kara τὴν οἰκονομίαν, according to the Gospel 
economy or institution; the scheme or plan of salva- 
tion by Christ crucified. To fulfil the word of 
God—The Greek πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ may 
be translated, fully to preach the doctrine of God. 
(See Rom. xv, 19, and the note there.) Were we 
to take the word in its common meaning it might 
signify to accomplish the purpose of God, as pre- 
dicted by the prophets. 

26. The mystery which hath been hid—The 


ations, ' but now is made manifest to his saints: 
27 "To whom God would make known what 
is "the riches of the glory of this: mystery 
among the Gentiles; which is Christ °in you, 
Pthe hope of glory: 2% Whom we preach, 
4warning every man, and teaching every ian 
in all wisdom; ‘that we may present every 
man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 * Whereunto 
I also labour, ‘ striving according to his work- 
ing, which worketh in me mightily. 


k Rom. 16. 25; 1 Cor. 2. 7; Eph. 3. 9.—/ Matt. 13. 11; 2 Tim. 
1. 10.—2 Cor. 2. 14.—n Rom. 9. 23; Eph. 1. 7: 3. 
o Or, among you.—p 1 Tim, 1. 1.—g Acts 20. 2h), 27, 31. 
72 Cor. 11. 2; Eph. 5. 27; verse 22.——s1 Cor. 15. 10. —— 
ἐ Chap. 2. 1.—wvz Eph. 1. 19; 3. 7, 20. 


&,— 


’ 


“mystery” is this: that God had designed to grant 
the Gentiles the same privileges with the Jews, and 
make them his people who were not his people. 
(That this is what St. Paul means by the “ mystery,” 
see Eph. iii, 3, etc.) Made manifest (by the 
Holy Spirit, Acts x, 34) to his saints — All 
who have embraced the doctrine of Christ cruci- 
fied ; to all Christians. 

27. The riches of the glory—God manifests 
to these how abundantly glorious this Gospel is 
among the Gentiles; and how effectual is this doc- 
trine of Christ crucified to the salvation of multi- 
tudes. Which is Christ in you, the hope of 
glory—[Xproroc ἐν ὑμῖν, Christ among you, (Gen- 
tiles,) giving to you this hope. See Alford.] 

28. Whom we preach— He proclaimed this 
Christ as being iz them. For the design of the 
Gospel is to put men in possession of the Spirit 
and power of Christ, to make them partakers of the 
divine nature, and thus prepare them for an eter- 
nal union with himself. Should it be said that the 
preposition ἐν should be translated among, it 
amounts to the same; for Christ was among them, 
to enlighten, quicken, purify, and refine them. He 
preached this present and indwelling Christ as the 
“hope of glory.” Warning every man—They 
proved that both Jews and Gentiles were under sin ; 
and that the wrath of God was revealed against all 
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ; that time 
and life were uncertain ; and that now was the day 
of salvation. Teaching every man in all wis- 
dom — They considered the world, that is, every 
man, as being through sin ignorant of himself and 
of God. They, therefore, instructed men in all wis- 
dom; for the knowledge of a man’s self and his 
God constitutes all that is essentially necessary to 
be known for present and eternal happiness. [The 
specification of the mode of announcement, adiion- 
ishing, νουθετοῦντες, and teaching, διδάσκοντες, corre- 
sponds to the two main elements of the evangelical 
preaching, repentance and faith. (Acts xx, 21, δέ 
al.) — Meyer.| That we may present every 
man perfect in Christ Jesus—The words τέλειον 
ἐν Χριστῷ, perfect in or through Christ, signify that 
they should be thoroughly instructed in the doctrines 
of Christianity, so that they should know the truth 
as it is in Jesus, and that they should be made par- 
takers of the grace οἵ the Gospel, so that they might 
be saved from all their sins, and be filled with his 
fulness. [The words ἐν Χριστῷ contain the distin- 
guishing specialty of the τελειότης, perfection, as 
Christian, which is not based on any other element 
than just on him. The thrice-repeated “every 
man’ has a supreme force as to its opposition to the 
Judaizing tendency of the false teachers.—Meyer.] 

29, Whereunto I also labour—In order to 

291 


A, 1. 4966. A.D. 62. 
Year of Rome, $15. 


CHAPTER II. 

| ae I would that ye knew what great 
«bconflict | have for you, and jor them at 
Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my 
face inthe flesh; 2% ¢ That their hearts might 
be comforted, being knit together in love, 
and unto all riches of the full assurance of un- 
derstanding, ὁ to the acknowledgment of the 
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of 
a Or, fear, or, care.—b Phil. 1. 30; chap. 1. 29; 1 Thess. 


——¢2 Cor. 1. #.— dC hap. “ 14.—e Phil. 3. 8; chap. 1. 9. 
FOr, Wherein. —g1 Cor. 1. 24; 2. 6,7; Eph. 1. 8; chap. 


COLOSSIANS. 


Paul declares his great care and 
concern for the churches. 


Christ; 8 §¢In whom are hid all the treas- 
ures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 And this I 
say, "lest any man should beguile you with 
enticing words. 5 For ‘though I be absent in 
the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joy- 
ing and beholding * your order, and the ! stead- 
fastness of your faith in Christ. 6 ™As ye 
have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, 
so walk yein him: % "Rooted and built up 

h Rom. 16, 18; 2 Cor, 11. 13; Eph. 4. 14; 5. 6; verses 8, 18. 


—1 Cor. 5. 3; 1 Thess, 2. 17.—/1 Cor, 14. 40.—Z/1 Peter 
“i a 1 Thess. 4. 1; Jude 3.—wv Eph. 2.21, 22; 3.17; chap. 


accomplish this end, I labour with the utmost zeal 
and earnestness. Whoever considers the original 
words, ἀγωνιζόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν 
ἐνεργουμένην. . .. ἐν δυνάμει, will find that no verbal 
translation can convey their sense. God worked 
energetically in St. Paul, and he wrought energeti- 
cal’y with God; and all this was in reference to the 
salvation of mankind. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. What great conflict—The word ἀγῶνα, which 
we here render ὁ conflict,” is to be understood as 
implying earnest care and solicitude. The ἀγωνι- 
ζόμενος of the preceding verse gave the apostle 
occasion to use the word ἀγών here. He agonized 
with God, and his agony was for them. Laodicea 
—A city of Asia Minor, on the borders of Caria, 
Phrygia, and Lydia. It was originally called Dios- 
polis, or the city of Jupiter, and afterwards Rhoas ; 
but obtained the name of Laodicea from Laodice, 
the wife of Antiochus. It is nowealled Ladik. It 
was formerly celebrated for its commerce and the 
fine black wool of its sheep. Colosse, or the city 
of the Colossians, lay between it and Hier rapolis. 
This Hierapolis was also a town of Phrygia, famous 
for its hot baths: it is now called Bambukholasi. 
As many as have not seen my face in the 
flesh—lIt is most likely that we should under- 
stand the apostle as speaking collectively; that 
he had the most earnest concern, not only for the 
welfare of those Churches with which he was ac- 
quainted, such as Colosse and Laodicea, but also 
for those to whom he was not personally known. 
ἐπ has been much disputed whether or not the 

Colossians and Laodiceans are to be understood as 
among those whom the apostle had not seen, as the 
language will permit of either construction. Dr. 
Clarke seems to favour the negative side. ] 

2. That their hearts might be comforted— 
That they might have continual happiness. in God, 
shaving constant affiance in him. Being knit to- 
gether in love—The word συν βθιβασθέντες signifies 
being united, as the beams or the timbers of a build- 
ing by mortices and pins. The Church of Christ ean- 
not be in union with God unless it have unity in it- 
self, and without “love” this unity is impossible. 
Unto all riches of the full assurance of under- 
standing—I[ Zhe full certainty of Christian insight 
is the lofty blessing, the whole riches of which, that 
is, its blissful possession as a whole, they are to at- 
tain.—Meyer.| This is the grand mystery of God, 
which was now laid open by the preaching of the 
Gospel. And of the Father, and of Christ 
—These words are variously written in different 
MSS. and Versions. The great variety of versions 
leaves the strongest presumption that the words in 
question are glosses which have crept into the text, 
and are of no authority. Griesbach has left them 

292 


out of the text. [The latest authorities are about 
equally divided between omitting and retaining the 
word Χριστοῦ; and some of the best render the 
text τοῦ Θεοῦ Kai πατρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, (of God and 
the Father of Christ.) The Revised Version retains 
Χριστοῦ, (of Christ,) as if in apposition with Θεοῦ, 
(God.)| 

3. In whom are hid—Or, rather, in which ; re- 
ferring to the mystery mentioned above. In this 
glorious scheme of Christianity all the treasures—the 
abundance and excellency of wisdom and knowledge 
—are contained. No scheme of salvation or divine 
knowledge ever equalled the Gospel plan in its depth 
and excellency. A scheme which the wisdom of 
God alone could devise, and which his power and 
infinite mercy alone could accomplish. 

4, Lest any man should beguile you—The 
word παραλογίζηται means to deceive by sophistry 
or subtle reasoning, in which all the conclusions 
appear to be fairly drawn from the premises, but 
the premises are either assumed without evidence 
or false in themselves; but this not being easily 
discovered, the unthinking or unwary are carried 
away by the conclusions which are drawn from 
these premises. And this result is clearly intimated 
by the term πιθανολογία, enticing words, plausible 
conclusions or deductions from this mode of reason- 
ing. The apostle seems to allude to the Grecian phi- 
losophers, who were notorious for this kind of argu- 
mentation. Plato and Socrates are not free from it. 

5. For though I be absent in the flesh—It is 
hardly possible that such words as these in this 
verse could have been used to perfect strangers ; 
they argue a knowledge of the people founded on 
personal acquaintance. The whole verse shows 
that this Church was sound in doctrine and strict 
in discipline. They had steadfast faith in Christ, 
and regular order or discipline among themselves. 

6. As (since) ye have therefore received 
Christ Jesus—Seeing ye have embraced the doc- 
trine of Christ, continue to hold it fast, and not per- 
mit yourselves to be turned aside by sophistic: ul or 
Judaizing teachers. [Their walk in Christ is to be 
in harmony with the instruction by means of which 
they have “received” Christ... . Christ was com- 
ἢ ΤῊ to them as the element of life.-— Meyer. ] 

. Rooted and built up in him—It is not 
fa with the apostle to employ this double met- 
aphor, taken partly from the growth of a tree and 
the increase of a building. [A third figure is also 
seen in the word “ w alk’ * in the previous verse. ] 
They are to be “‘rooted;” as the good seed had 
been alre: idy sown, it is to take root, and the roots 
are to spread far, wide, and deep. They are to be 
grounded, as the foundation has already been laid, 
they are to build thereon. In the one case, they 
are to bear much fruit; in the other, they are to 
grow up to be a habitation of God through the 


Exhortation to beware of 
seducing teachers. 


CHAPTER II 


A. M. 4066. A. D. 62. 
Year of Rome, 815. 


in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have| 10 ' And ye are complete in him," which is the 


been taught, abounding therein with thanks- 
giving. S$ °Beware lest any man spoil you 
through philosophy and vain deceit, after Pp the 
tradition of men, after the 4* rudiments of the 
world, and not after Christ. 9 For ‘in him 
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 


o Jer. 29.8; Rom, 16. 17; Eph. 5. 6; verse 18; Heb. 13. 9.— 
p Matt. 15. 2; Gal. 1. 14; verse 22. Or, elements.—-,r Gal. 
4. 3,9; verse 20.—s John 1. 14; chap. 1. 19.—¢John 1. 16. 
Spirit. (See Eph. ii, 21, 22; iii, 17.) Abound- 
ing therein with thanksgiving—No limitation is 
ever set to the operations of God in the soul, or to 
the growth of the soul in the knowledge, love, and 
image of God. Those who are brought into such a 
state of salvation should abound in gratitude and 
loving obedience as they grow in grace. 

8. Beware lest any man spoil you — Lv/c- 
γωγῶν, robbing, as if by violence or rapine. Their 
goods were the salvation they had received from 
Christ; and both the Gentile and Jewish teachers 
endeavoured to deprive them of these by per- 
verting their minds, and leading them off from the 
truths of Christianity. Philosophy and vain 
deceit—Or, ‘he vain or empty deceit of philosophy. 
As the term “ philosophy” stood in high repute 
among the Gentiles, the Jews of this time affected 
it; and both Philo and Josephus use the word to 
express the whole of the Mosaic institutions. The 
Jewish philosophy, such as is found in the Cabala, 
Midrashim, and other works, deserves the character 
of “vain deceit” in the fullest sense and meaning 
of the words. The inspired writers excepted, the 
Jews have ever been the most puerile, absurd, and 
ridiculous reasoners in the world. Even Rabbi 
Maymon, (or Maimonides,) the most intelligent of 
them all, is often most deplorably empty and vain, 
[Διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας (through the philosophy)—the 
current popular philosophy of the day.—E//icott. } 
{The character of the philosophy here meant, as 
gathered from the descriptions which follow, was 
that mixture of Jewish and Oriental which after- 
ward expanded into Agnosticism.—Alford.] After 
the rudiments of the world—According to the 
doctrine of the Jewish teachers; or, according to 
the Mosaic institutions as explained and glossed by 
the scribes, Pharisees, and rabbins in general; what 
the apostle calls the tradition of men are what 
men, unauthorized by God, have taught as doctrines 
received from him. Our Lord frequently refers to 
and condemns these traditions. |It is merely a 
traditional philosophy, and therefore of precarious 
truth. It is human, and therefore deficient in au- 
thority. It is elementary, belonging to the outworn 
creed, to the rudiments of religion, and therefore 
unfitted for Christian manhood. It is material, not 
connected with the soul’s true home and centre, 
but with the palpable and external, (τοῦ Kéouov,) and 
is therefore deficient in spirituality. And being 
this, assuredly and as matter of fact, it is not after 
Christ.—Sp. Commentary. | 

8. For in him dwelleth all the fulness— 
There is a “ fulness ” in Christ suited to the empty, 
destitute state of the human soul, but in the phi- 
losophy of the Jews and Gentiles nothing like this 
was found; nor indeed in the more refined and 
correct philosophy of the present day. No substi- 
tute has ever been found for the grace of the Lord 
Jesus, and those who have sought for one have dis- 
quieted themselves in vain. {The essence of God, 
undivided and in its whole fulness, dwells in Christ, 


head of all principality and power: ΕἸ In 
whom also ye are ’ circumcised with the cir- 
cumeision made without hands, in * putting off 
the body of the sins of the flesh by the circum- 
cision of Christ: 12 » Buried with him in 
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him 

wu Eph. 1. 20,21; 1 Peter 3. 22.—v Chap. 1. 16.—v7e Deut. 10. 


16; 30. 6; Jer. 4. 4; Rom. 2. 29; Phil. 8, 3.—da Rom. 6. 6; 
Eph. 4. 22; chap. 3. 8, ¥—y Rom. 6. 4.——e Chap. 3. 1. 


oo 


. .. So that he is the essential and adequate image 
of God, which he could not be if he were not pos- 
sessor of the divine essence—Meyer.| Bodily— 
Σωματικῶς, truly, really. In the body of Curist the 
Deity, with all its plentitude of attributes, dwelt 
really and substantially : for so the word σωματικῶς 
means ; [ personaliter. | 

10. And ye are complete in him—Kai ἐστὲ 
ἐν ἀυτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, and ye are filled with him. 
The philosophy of the world was empty, κενή, but 
there was a πλήρωμα, or fulness, in Christ; the 
Colossians were empty—spoiled and deprived of 
every good—while following the empty philosophy 
and groundless traditions of Jewish and Gentile 
teachers ; but since they had received Christ Jesus 
they were πεπληρωμένοι, filled with him. The 
head of all principality—Scee the notes on chap. 
i, 16, 17. [The Christian’s completeness in Christ 
is not bound up with other dignities as objects of 
adoration, for he is the Head of all such. See ΑἹ- 
ford.| [The being filled depends on him, (it is in 
him,) on nothing and no one but on him, and every- 
thing else which men may teach you, and with 
which they may wish to seize you and conduct you 
in leadingstrings, is “not after Christ.” (Verse 8.) 
— Meyer.| 

11. In whom also ye are circumcised—All 
that was designed by circumcision, literally per- 
formed, is accomplished in them that believe 
through the Spirit and power of Christ. But, by 
the circumcision of Christ, the operation of his 
grace and Spirit is evidently intended; the Law re- 
quired the circumcision of the flesh ; the Gospel of 
Christ required the circumcision of the heart. The 
words τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, of the sins, must be omitted. 
Putting off the body of the sins of the flesh 
—[Ev τῇ απεκόδΐσει τοῦ σώματος τῆς σαρκός. Paul 
here conceives the old sinful nature as a body 
which, in regeneration, the Christian puts off, and 
that σάρξ is to be understood only of the earthly 
human life, (that is, of nothing properly material ) 
—Julius Muller.| 

12. Buried ... in octane che ot Sal ἃ 
sign of the new birth in Christ, in which (“ baptism,” 
not “ Christ”) ye are buried, and rise again, not liter- 
ally but spiritually.] [Zn 7¢(“ baptism ”’) we both die 
and rise again, both unclothe and are clothed : ye are 
also risen with him—not your material, but your 
spiritual, resurrection is in the foreground, . . . διὰ 
τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐνεργείας του Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν 
ἐκ νεκρῶν, through (your) faith in the operation of 
God, (in Christ, that mighty power by which the 
Father raised him,) who raised him from the dead. 
There is much more asserted than the mere προσ- 
μένειν τὴν ἀνάστασιν, (continuing life from the grave;) 
the power of God in raising the dead to life is one 
and the same in our Lord and in us; the physical 
power exerted in him is ... a condition and assur- 
ance of a spiritual power exerted in us, whereby 
we are in spirit risen with Christ.—A/ford.] [To 
maintain from such a circumstance (as the use of 

293 


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Year of Rome, 815. 


COLOSSIANS. 


Paul warns the Colossians against 
the teachings of Judaizers. 


through «the faith of the operation of God, 
who hath raised him from the dead. 13 © And 
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircum- 
cision of your flesh, hath he quickened to- 
gether with him, having forgiven you all tres- 
passes; 14 ‘Blotting out the handwriting 
of ordinances that was against us, which was 
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, 


a Eph. 1. 19; 3. 7.6 Acts 2, 24.—c Eph. 2. 1, 4, 6, 11. 
d@ Eph, 2. 15, 16. eGen. 3. 15; Psalm 68. 18; Isaiah 53. 12; 
ee 12, Be Luke 10. 18; 11. 22; John 12.31; 16.11; Eph. 4. 8; 
eb, 2 


nailing it to his cross; 48 And ehaving 
spoiled ‘ principalities and powers, he made a 
show of them openly, triumphing over them = in 
it. 16 Let no man therefore "judge you '*in 
meat, or in drink, or !in respect "of a holy- 


day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath 
days: ἈΠ »Which are a shadow of things to 
come; but the body és of Christ. 88 oLet no 


JF Eph. 6. 12.—g Or, in himself—h Rom. 14. 3, 10, 13 — 
i Or, for eating and dr inking.—k Rom. 14. 2,17; 1 Cor. 8, 8. 
r, in part.—wm Rom. 14, 5; Gal. 4. 10.— vn Heb. 8. ὃ: 
9,9; 10. 1.—oVerse 4. 


these aa) that immersion is necessary in bap- 
tism is surely the merest trifling, and a resuscitation 
of the very ceremonial spirit which the apostle is 
here arguing against.. As reasonably might it be 

argued, “from the ἀπέκδυσις, (wnelothing,) here, that 

nakedness was an essential in that sacrament. 
The things represented by both figures belong to 
the essentials of the Christian life: the minor 
details of the sacrament whick correspond to them 
may, in different ages and climates, be varied; but 
the spiritual figures remain.—A/ford.] [It is by 
no means certain, nor indeed probable, that there 
is in this passage any reference at all to the out- 
ward form of administering baptism ; its whole sense 
is entirely spiritual. (See Gal. ii, 20.)] The faith 
of the operation of God—They were quickened, 
changed, and saved, by means of faith in Christ 
Jesus ; which faith was produced by the operation 
or energy of God. Believing is the act of the soul. 

13. And you, being dead in your sins—See 
the notes on Eph. ii, 1, ete. The uncircum- 
cision of your flesh—Referring to them as con- 
verts from heathenism. 

14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordi- 
nances—[ Xe/poypadov, the document of debt, or of 
our indebtedness; not that we have written the docu- 
ment, but that it authenticates us as arrested for 
debt, and is consequently against us. Τοῖς δόγμασιν, 
(‘Sof [in} ordinances,”) the precepts of the moral 
law, with their proper penalties, προσηλώσας αὐτὸ TO 
σταυρῷ, nailing it (the handwriting, the condem- 
ning record) to the cross. Since the law which 
condemned man lost its punitive force through the 
death of Christ on the cross, inasmuch as Christ 
through this death suffered the curse of the law 
for men, (Gal. iii, 13,) and became the end of the 
law, (Rom. x, 4,) at the same time that Christ was 
nailed as a propitiation {λοοτήρ οι) to the cross the 
ve was nailed to it also. See Meyer. ] 

15. And having spoiled principalities and 
powers — [’Arexdvoduevoc, huving stripped, put 
off.| Here is an allusion to the treatment of 
enemies when conquered: they are spoiled of their 
armour, (so much the word azexdveiv implies,) and 
they are exhibited with contumely and reproach to 
the. populace, especially when the victor has the 
honour of a triumph. [In the doing away of the 
law was involved the victory and triumph of God 
over the devilish powers, since the strength of the 
latter, antagonistic to God, is in sin, and the strength 
of sin is in the law, (1 Cor. xv, 56;) with the 
law, therefore, the power of the devil stands or 
falls.—Meyer.| A somewhat strange, but not im- 
probable, rendering is given to this passage in the 
following extract: [Having divested himself of, (not 
“spoiled,” which is foreign to the sense of the orig- 
inal word,) τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, the things of 
which he divested himself, which, in verse 10, and 
chapter i, 16, 17, indicate not evil but good things. 

294 


The law (by which we were condemned) was dza- 
ταγεὶς δ ἀγγέλων, things disposed by angels, (Gal. 
ae lye Acts vii, 53;) they were the promulgat- 
ors of the adverse handwriting. That writing, that 
investiture, (in which God was presented in the 
law,) was rendered worthless, abrogated, by the οἵ. 
fering of Christ... . Thus God divested himself of, 
put off from himself, that ‘dispensation of the 
angels,” manifesting himself henceforward in the 
exalted person of Jesus.... In his sacrifice the 
“principalities and powers” (by which the law was 
given) were all subjected to Christ, were declared 
to be powerless as regards his work and his peo- 
ple, and triumphed over by him. Phil. ii, 8, 9; 
Eph. i, 20-21.—Alford.] [In it—’Ev aire, that 
is, the cross, in and by which the work is effected. ] 

16. Let no man... judge you in meat, or in 
drink—The apostle speaks here in reference to 
the “ handwriting of ordinances,” which had been 
“taken away,” namely, the distinction of meats 
and drinks, what was clean and what unclean, ac- 
cording to the law; and the necessity of observing 
certain holydays or festivals, such as the new moons 
and particular sabbaths, or those which should be 
observed with more than ordinary solemnity; all 
these had been taken out of the way and nailed to 
the cross, and were no longer of moral obligation. 
[It is an exhortation to the assertion of their Christ- 
ian liberty, which must be maintained, and even 
things indifferent in themselves must be disallowed 
when they become badges of superstition, or stand 
instead of Christ.] There is no intimation here 
that the sabbath was done away, or that its moral 
use was superseded, by the introduction of Chris- 
tianity. ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it 
holy,” is a command of perpetual obligation, and can 
never be superseded but by the final termination of 
time. ΑΒ it is a type of that rest which remains 
for the people of God—of an eternity of bliss—it 
must continue in full force till that eternity arrives; 
for no type ever ceases till the antitype has come. 
Besides, it is not clear that the apostle refers at all 
to the sabbath in this place, whether Jewish or 
Christian; his σαββάτων, of sabbaths or weeks, most 
probably refers to their feasts of weeks, of which 
much has been said in the notes on the Pentateuch. 

17. Which are a shadow—[2x:a and σῶμα are 
placed in opposition; one is shadow, the other sub- 
stance.|] All these things were types, and were to 
be continued in force till the Christ whom they 
represented came; who, together with his Messianic 
works, is the body—the substance or design of 
them. The [ceremonial] law was but the “shad- 
ow” or representation of good things to come: none 
should rest in it; all that it pointed out is to be 
sought and obtained in Christ. 

18. Let no man beguile (defraud) γου--- Μηδεὶς 
ὑμᾶς κατα βραβευέτω, let no man take the prize from 
you which is the rightful award of your faith in 


Superstitions and carnal 
notions to be avoided, 


CHAPTER IL. 


A. M. 4066. A.D, 62, 
Year of Rome, 815, 


man ™beguile you of your reward "in a vol- 
untary humility and worshipping of angels, 
intruding into those things °which he hath 
not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 
19 And not holding rthe Head, from which 
all the body by joints and bands having 
nourisliment ministered, and knit together, in- 
creaseth with the increase of God. 20 Where- 
fore if ye be 41dead with Christ from ‘the 
‘rudiments of the world, ‘why, as though 
living in the world, are ye subject to ordi- 


nances, 2H (“Touch not; taste not; handle 
not; 22 Which all are to perish with the 
using;) ‘after the commandments and doc- 
trines of men? 28% " Which things have in- 
deed a show of wisdom in * will-worship, and 
humility, and y neglecting of the body; not in 
any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. 


CHAPTER III. 
F ve then *be risen with Christ, seek those 
things which are above, where "Christ sit- 


m Or, judge against you.—-n Gr, being a voluntary in 
humility, verse 23.—o Ezek. 13.3; 1 Tim. 1. 7.-—-p Eph. 4. 
15, 16.— q Kom. 6.3, 5; 7. 4, 6; Gal. 2. 19; Eph. 2. 15, — 
7 Verse 8.—-s Or, elements. 


68]. 4. 3, 9.—wu1 Tim, 4. 3.—-~ Isaiah 29. 13: Matt. 15. 9; 
Titus 1. 14.—2o 1 Tim. 4. 8. Verse 18.—y Or, punishing, 
or, not sparing.—a Rom, ὃ. 5; Eph. 2. 6; chap. 3. 12,— 
ᾧ Rom, 8, 34; Eph. 1, 20, 


Christ. This language is borrowed from the rules 
and practices of the Olympic or Isthmian games. 
The Colossians had fought and conquered under the 


this contest, had assigned to them the prize; the 
false teachers, affecting great modesty, humility, 
and sanctity, endeavoured to turn them aside from 
the Gospel, and to induce them to end in the flesh 
who had begun in the Spirit. Against these the 
apostle warns them. In a voluntary humility 
and worshipping of angels—This is a difficult 
passage, and in order to explain it I shall examine 
the meaning of some of the principal terms of 
the original. The word θέλειν, to will, signifies also 
to delight ; and ταπεινοφρυσύνη signifies not only 
lowliness or humility of mind, but also affliction of 


mind ; and ταπείνουν τὴν ψύχην, (Lev. xvi, 29, 31,) 
᾿ and in many other places, signifies to afflict the soul 
by fasting and self-abnegation ; and θρησκείᾳ signi- 
fies reverence and modesty. Hence the whole pas- 
sage has been paraphrased thus: Let no man who 
delights in mortifying his body, and walking with 
the apparent modesty of an angel, affecting superior 
sanctity in order to gain disciples, spoil you of the 
prize adjudged to you, intruding vito things which 
he has not seen ; for, notwithstanding his apparent 
humility, his mind is carnal, and he is puffed up 
with a sense of his superior knowledge and piety. 
[Μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς καταβραβευέτο θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφρο- 
oivy,—let no man, though he wishes it, (Conybeare 
and Howson,)—(#éAwv, of purpose, or so wishing) 
defraud you, etc. The rendering “voluntary hu- 
mility,” of the Authorized Version and the Revised 
Version, is manifestly wrong, and an evident sole- 
cism. Persons with evil intent were seeking to 
rob the Colossian believers of their rightful prize 
through a false humility—eivoopociva—and by hold- 
ing them back from Christ, and trusting in lower 
orders of intermediary agents, θρησκείᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων, 
an ungel cultus.| [The Colossians are warned that 
there is no right in any man to trouble the peace of 
Christians by declaring that an austerely regulated 
life of ostentatious humility and reverence for 
Spiritual beings is necessary to salvation—no right 
to pronounce those who will not accept such teach- 
Ing unworthy of the heavenly prizes. He who did 
So was self-assuming and self-authorized, however 
plausibly he might pretend to abject humility and 
a worship of affected lowliness paid to angels. . . . 
It is quite worthy of note that in the very district 
where the first readers of this epistle lived the 
cultus of angels prevailed among nominal Catholic 
Christians in the fourth century. — Sp. Commen- 
tary.| Many have understood the passage as re- 
ferring to the adoration of angels, which seems 
to have been practised among the Jews, who ap- 


pear (from Tobit xii, 15; Philo, in lib. de Somn. ; 
Josephus, War, lib. ii, cap. 8, sec. 7) to have con- 


| sidered them as a sort of mediators between God 
direction of Christ, and he, as the sole judge in | 


and man ; presenting the prayers of men before the 
throne; and being, as Philo says, μεγαλοῦ Βασιλεῶς 
ὀφθαλμοὶ Kai ὦτα, the eyes and ears of the yreat King. 

19. And not holding the Head—Not acknowl- 
edging Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of man- 
kind and the only “Head” or chief of the Christ- 
ian Church, on whom every member of it depends, 
and from whom each derives both light and life. 
(For a further explanation of these words see the 
notes on Eph. iv, 16, where the figures and phrase- 
ology are the same.) 

20. If ye be dead with Christ—tce the notes 
on Rom. vi, 3, 5. From the rudiments of the 
world—[Tév στοιχείων τοῦ κόσμου, the first lessons 
of the present world or life. [Whay, if ye are dead 
to the world, and so set free from its power and 
laws, are you still subjecting yourselves to it?] 

21. Touch not; taste not; handle not—Such 
forms of expression were very frequent among the 
Jews. [Avoid it: hands off !] 

22. Which all are to perish with the using 
—These are not matters of eternal moment; the 
different kinds of meats were made for the body, 
and go with it into corruption: in like manner all 
the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish religion now 
perish, having accomplished the end of their insti- 
tution. After the commandments and doc- 
trines of men — These words should follow the 
20th verse, of which they form a part. 

23. Which things have indeed a show of 
wisdom—All these prescriptions and rites have 
indeed the appearance of wisdom, and are recom- 
mended by plausible reasons; but they form a wor- 
ship which God has not commanded, and enjoin 
macerations of the body, accompanied with a hu- 
miliation of spirit, that are neither profitable to the 
soul nor of any advantage to the body; so that the 
whole of their religion is nothing worth. [Ταπει- 
νοφροσύνη (see verse 18) is here joined with ἀφειδία 
σώματος, (austerity of—toward—the body,) whence 
it seems to mean an exaggerated self-humiliation, 
like that which has often been joined with ascetic 
practices, and has shown itself by the devotee 
wearing rags, exposing himself to insult, living 
by beggary, ete—Conybeare and Howson.j [The 
whole theory of the meritoriousness of vows, fasts, 
or austerities, is.here discountenanced and stigma- 
tized as evidences of pride and egotism. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IIL. 

1. If ye then—Ei οὖν, seeing then that ye are 
risen with Christ, [were raised up with, or by, 
Christ.| This refers to what he had said, chapter 

295 


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COLOSSIANS. 


Christians exhorted not to set their 
affections on earthly things. 


sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your 
‘affection on things above, not on things on 
the earth. 3 aor ye are dead, eand your life 
is hid with Christ in God. 4 t When Christ, 
who is €our life, shall appear, then shall ye 
also appear with him "in glory. ὦ 'Mortify 
therefore * your members which are upon the 
earth ; | fornic: ation, uncleanness, inordinate 
affection, ™ evil concupiscence, and covetous- 
ness, " W hich 1 is idolatry : 6 ° For which things’ 


sake the wrath of God cometh on Pthe chil- 
dren of disobedience; Ὁ 4In the which ye 
also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. 
5 ‘But now ye also put off all these; anger, 
wrath, malice, blasphemy, § filthy communica- 
tion out of your mouth. § t Lie not one to 
another, "seeing that ye have put off the old 
man with his deeds; 40 And have put on 
the new man, which vis renewed in knowl- 
edge “after the image of him that * created 


ad /Romans6. Ze Galatians 2, 20's chap. 2. 20. 
62 Cor. 5. 75 chap. 1. -~1 John 3. 2 ._—g John 11 25: 
11.0.----ἡὄ 1 Cor, 15. 43; Phi, 3.21. ὦ Romans 8. 13; Galatians 
δ. 2f.-—-& Romans 6. 13.—2 Ephesians 5, 3.—m 1 Thess. 4. 5. 
——n Ephesians 5. 5. ‘phesians, 5.6; Reve- 


War hed 


ii, 12: “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also 
ye are risen with him.” [By virtue of Christ’s 
power in them they had been raised to newness of 
life in him ; and now they are exhorted to zealously 
pursue the things that pertain to their resurrection 
state.] [Ta ἄνω (the things above) stands in opposi- 
tion to Ta ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, the things on the earth— 
— Meyer (things heavenly instead of earthy ‘y, not in 
reference to place but kind.)] 

2. Set your affection on things above—Ta 
avo φρονεῖτε: love heavenly things ; study them; 
let your hearts be entirely engrossed by them. [A 
purposed zeal and devotion to spiritual things is a 
condition essential to the maintenance and growth 
of the spiritual life. | 

3. For ye are dead—Arefavere. [This being 
dead has dissolved in the consciousness of the 
Christian the ties that hitherto bound him to earth- 
ly things. He finds himself still in the realm of 
the earthly, but he no longer /ives therein. (See 
chapter ii, 21; also Phil. iii, 20; Gal. ii, 20.) SH ζωὴ 
ὑμῶν, (your life,) must be the life which has followed 
the being dead, ...a treasure in heaven, actually 
possessed but still not fully revealed. It is in fellow- 
ship with Christ in God, where Christ abides in the 
bosom of the Father. (John i, 18.) See Meyer | 
Your life is hid with Christ in God—Christ 
lives in the bosom of the Father; as your heart is 
in him, ye also sit in heavenly piaces with Christ 
Jesus. Christ is the fe of your souls; and as he 
is hidden in the bosom of the Father, so are ye, 
who live through and in him. [The Christian life 
is spoken of as hidden, because it is essentially 
spiritual, and not of this world.]} 

4. When Christ, who is our life — When 
Christ comes in the glory of his kingdom (revealing 
himself in you) ye shall appear with him in his 
glory, and in an eternal state of blessedness. 
{When Christ reveals his glory in the hearts of his 
people, they also have part in that glory. | 

5. Mortify therefore your members — Νεκ- 
ρώσατε, put todeath. Use no member of your body 
to sin against God; keep all under dominion; and 
never permit the mere animal to run away with the 
rational man. To gratify any sensual appetite is to 
give it the very power by which it tends to domi- 
nate the whole soul, and nourishment by which it 
lives, thrives, and is active. (See the notes on 

tom. vi, 11, ete.) Inordinate affection— Πάθος ; 
unnatural and degrading passion; bestial lusts. 
(See Rom. i, 26, 27, and the notes there.) Evil 
concupiscence —’EziJuuiav κακῆν. As ἐπιθυμία 
signifies strong and vehement desire of any kind, 

is here joined with κακῇ, evil, to show the sense 
more particularly in which the apostle uses it. 
Covetousness, which is idolatry — [(Greedi- 

296 


lation 22. 15.—p Ephesians 2, 2,——q Romans 6. 19, 20: 7. 
5:1 Cor. 6.11; Ephesians 2. 2; Titus 3. 3.—v7 Epliesians 4. pues 
Heb. 12.1; James 1. 21; 1 Peter 2, 1.——s Ephesians 4, 29; ὅ. 4. 
— Lev. 19. 11; Ephesisns 4, 25.—- u Ephesians 4, 22, 24. 
» Romans 12, 2.—vw Ephesians 4. 23, 24.—a: Ephesians 2. 10. 


ness.) ἹἸΠλεονεξία is a low form of worldliness, and 
yet, more than almost any other, it engrosses the 
whole soul, and drives out every Ὁ other affection ; 
and because it makes this world’s wealth its su- 
preme God it is specifically ¢dolatrous. 

6. For which things’ sake—[A? a, (the best 
authorities have 6, (singular,) but the sense is but 
little affected by the change.) Ow account of this 
immorality, (not properly for the sake of.)| [It is 
not the menbers (μέλη) themselves, but their life- 
activities, that call forth the wrath of God.— 
Meyer.| The wrath of God cometh—God is 
angry with such persons, and he inflicts on them the 
punishment which they deserve. (See Eph. νυ, 5.) 

7. In the which ye also walked sometime— 
Walked—lived continuously. When ye were in 
your unconverted state, ye served divers lusts and 
ple asures. (See Rom. vii, 5; Eph. ii, 2. 

8. But now ye also put off all these—Xee on 
Eph. iv, 22. [To this τὰ πάντα (“811 these”) the 
apostle then annexes directly and in rapid asyndetie 
continuation yet other sin which were to be left 
off.—Meyer.| Anger, wrath, etc.—They had not 
only lived in the evils mentioned verse 5, but also 
in those enumerated here; and they had not only 
laid aside the former, but they had laid aside the 
latter also. Blasphemy—The word seems here 
to mean any injurious and calumnious speaking. 

9. Lie not one to another—Do not deceive 
each other ; speak the truth in all your dealings ; 
{a general exhortation to truthfulness, not only in 
words, but also in all the expressions of the life.] 
Ye have put off the old man—See the notes on 
Rom. vi, 6; and particularly on Rom. xiii, 11-14. 
Ye have received a religion widely different from 
that ye had before; act according to its principles. 

10, And have put on the new man—See on 
Rom. xii, 1, 2. Is renewed in knowledge—j /s 
continually being renewed. — Alford.| IGNORANCE 
(of spiritual things) was the grand characteristic of 
the heathen state; KNOWLEDGE is of the Christian. 
The utmost to which heathenism could pretend was 
a certain knowledge of nature. [The new man is 
not anything ready at once and complete, (it is 
something real but imperfect,) but ever in a state of 
development, by which a new state and nature is 
brought about in it, specifically different from that 
of the old man.—Veyer.] After the image of 
him that created him—Scee on Gen. i, 26; Eph. 
v, 28, 24. As the divine nature cannot exist in 
forms or fashions, moral qualities alone are those 
which must be produced. Hence the apostle, in- 
terpreting the words of Moses, says that the image 
in which man was made, and in which he must be 
remade, (ἀνακαινούμενον, made anew,) consists in 
knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. 


The Colossians exhorted to be merciful, 
meek, patient, loving. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62. 


Year of Rome, #15. 


him: ΑἹ Where there is neither » Greek nor 
Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barba- 
rian, Scythian, bond nor free: * but Christ is 
all, and in all. #2 *Put on therefore, *as the 
elect of God, holy and beloved, *bowels of 
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meek- 
ness, longsuffering; ΚΕ} ¢Forbearing one an- 
other, and forgiving one another, if any man 
have a °quarrel against any: even as Christ 
forgave you, so also do ye. 84 ‘And above 


all these things & put on charity, which is the 
"bond of perfectness. 14 And let ‘the peace 
of God rule in your hearts, «to the which also 
ye are called !in one body ; ™and be ye thank- 
ful. 46 Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonish- 
ing one another "in psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs, singing ὁ with grace in your 
hearts to the Lord. 1% And Pp whatsoever ye 
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the 


Μ Romans 10. 12; 1 Corinthians 12. 13; Galatians 3. 298; 5. 6; 
Ephesians 6. &. 2 Ephesians 1, 23.—a Ephesians 4. 24.—— 
41 Thessalonians 1, 4: 1 Peter 1, 2; 2 Peter 1. 10.—c Galatians 
5, 22; Ephesians 4, 2, 32; Philippians 2, 1.—d Mark 11. 25; 
Ephesians 4. 2, 32. éOr, complaint.—S1 Peter 4. 8.— 


α΄ John 13. 34: Romans 13. 8; 1 Corinthians 13. 1-13: Ephesians 
d.2; chap. 2. 2; 1 Thessalonians 4. 9;1 Timothy 1.5; 1 John 3. 
23: 4. 21. A Ephesians 4. 3.—7 Romans 14. 17; Phil. 4. 7.—— 
k1 Cor 7, 15. “Eph. 2. 16,17; 4. 4.—2 Chap. 2.7; verse 17. 
— | Cor. 14. 26; Eph. δ. 19.——o Chup. 4. 6. pi Cor, 10. 31. 


11. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew 
—(Since this new creation is essentially spiritual, 
and of heavenly origin, it is wholly independent of 
the conditions and accidents of the present life. | 
Bat Christ is all, and in all—’A2Aa πάντα καὶ ἐν 
πᾶσιν Χριστός. Christ is the all-abounding and all- 
pervading substance of this new life. | 

12. Put on therefore, as the elect of God— 
[Therefore, οὖν, for these virtues are in keeping with 
the new man. “ Put on,” ἐνδύσασθε . although the 
putting on of the new man has already taken place 
through the conversion to Christ,... yet it has 
also its continued acts, which are to take place by 
appropriation of the virtues which the new man, as 
such, must have. Elect of God— Εκλεκτοί, chosen 
by God from profane humanity for eternal Messi- 
anie salvation, who, as such, are holy, and beloved 
of God. Bowels of mercies—Be merciful, not 
in act merely, but in spirit and affection. The 
apostle would have them to feel the slizhtest 
touch of another’s misery: and, as their clothes 
are put over their body, so their tenderest feelings 
should be always within the reach of the miser- 
able. Let your feelings be at hand, and feel 
and commiserate as soon as touched. (See on Eph. 
iv, 2.) [The order of the words (in verse 12) an- 
swers with exquisite fitness to the order of the 
things. Eternal (not unconditional) election pre- 
cedes sanctification; the sanctified first know the 
love (of God) and then they imitate him.—Bengel. | 

13. Forbearing one another—Avoid all occa- 
sions of irritating or provoking each other. For- 
giving one another—If ye receive offence, be in- 
stantly ready to forgive on the first acknowledg- 
ment of the fault. Hwen as Christ forgave you 
—Forgive, says the apostle, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστός, 
“even as Christ forgave you;” show the same dis- 
position and the same readiness to forgive your 
offending brethren as Christ showed toward you. 

14. And above all these things—'Exi πᾶσι δὲ 
τούτοις, upon all, over all; as the outer garment 
envelops all the clothing, so let charity or love 
invest and encompass all the rest. Let this, there- 
fore, be as the upper garment, that invests the 
whole man. Which is the bond of perfectness 
—Tye τελειότητος, of completeness. Love to God 
and man is not only to cover all, but also to unite 
and consolidate the whole. To love God with all 
the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and one’s neigh- 
bour as one’s self, is the perfection which the new 
covenant requires, and which the grace and Spirit 
of Christ work in every sincerely obedient, humble 
believer; and that very love, which is the fulfilling 
of the law and the perfection itself which the Gos- 
pel requires, is also the bond of that perfection. 

15. And let the peace of God—Instead of 


Θεοῦ, God, Χριστοῦ, Christ, is the now generally 
accepted reading. Rule in your hearts-—Bpa- 
βευέτω, Judge, decide, govern in your hearts. No 
heart is right with God where the peace of Christ does 
not rule ; and the continual prevalence of the peace 
of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart és right 
with God. [The conception involves the syperin- 
tending, arranging, and administering activity, and 
that in supreme deciding competence by the peace 
of Christ in the heart.—JMeyer.] In one body— 
[Ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι, as the result of your common eall- 
ing in Christ.] | As “one body” continue in con- 
nexion and dependence on Him who is your only 
head ; to this ye are called; it is a glorious state 
of salvation, and ye should be for ever thankful 
that ye are thus privileged. 

16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
richly—[After enumerating so many privileges 
and duties of believers, certain special Christian 
means of grace are here enjoined—the understanding 
of the word, doctrine of Christ, mutual instructions, 
and united acts of worship, not only in form, 
but eminently in spirit, “to the Lord.”] The 
singing Which is here recommended is widely 
different from what is commonly used in most 
Christian congregations; a congeries of unmean- 
ing sounds, associated to bundles of nonsensical, 
and often ridiculous, repetitions, which at once 
both deprave and disgrace the Church of Christ. 
Melody, which is allowed to be the most proper for 
devotional music, is now sacrificed to an exuberant 
harmony, which requires not only many different 
kinds of voices, but different musical instruments, to 
support it. And by these preposterous means the 
simplicity of the Christian worship is destroyed, 
und all edification totally prevented. And this 
kind of singing is amply proved to be very injurious 
to the personal piety of those employed in it: even 
of those who enter with a considerable share of 
humility and Christian meekness, but few con- 
tinue to sing with Grace in their hearts to the Lord. 
{The more than fifty years since the above was 
written have only emphasized its truth. ] 

17. Whatsoever ye do in word or deed— 
Let your words be right, and your actions upright. 
Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus—Begin 
with him and end with him; invoke his name and 
pray for his direction and support in all that ye do; 
and thus every work will be crowned with all requi- 
sitesuccess. Doing every thing in the name of God, 
and referring every thing to his glory, is as rational 
as it ispious. [So that the name (of Christ) is the 
holy moral element in which the action proceeds, 
inasmuch as this name, as the sum of the faith 
which moulds the new life, fills the consciousness, 
and gives to the action its specific Christian quality 

297 


A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815, 


Lord Jesus, !giving thanks to God and the 
Father by him. 18 ™ Wives, submit your- 
selves unto your own husbands, "as it is fit in 
the Lord. 19 ° Husbands, love your wives, 
and be not Pbitter against them. 20 4 Chil- 
dren, obey your parents "in all things: for 
this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 24 " Fa- 
thers, provoke not your children to anger, lest 
they be discouraged. 22 ‘Servants, obey "in 
all things your masters ἡ according to the flesh; 
not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in 
singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 ν And 
whatsoever ye do, do ἐξ heartily, as to the 
Lord, and not unto men; 24 * Knowing that 


-COLOSSIANS, 


Directions to wives, husbands, children, 
servants, and inasters. 


of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the 
inheritance: yfor ye serve the Lord’ Christ. 
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for 
the wrong which he hath done: and “there is 
no respect of persons. 


CHAPTER IV. 

Ao ‘give unto your servants that 

which is just and equal; knowing that 
ye also have a Master in heaven. 2 »Con- 
tinue in prayer, and watch in the same ¢ with 
thanksgiving; % ¢ Withal praying also for us, 
that God would *open unto us a door of 
utterance, to speak ‘the mystery of Christ, 


2 Rom. 1. 8: Eph. 5. 20: chap. 1. 12; 2. 7; 1 Thess. 5. 18; Heb. 
45: 15: mv Epli. 5. 22; Titus 2. 5; 1 Peter 9. 1.—wn Eph. ὅ. 3. 
—o Eph. 5. 25, 28, 33; 1 Peter ὃ. 7.—p Eph. 4. 31.—gq Eph. 
θ. 1. r Eph. 5, 24: Titus 2. 9. 5 Eph. 6. 4. — ¢Eph. 6. 5, 
etc.; 1 Tim. 2. 9; 1 Peter 2. 18.—-~w Verse 20.—v Philem. 16. 
—w Eph. 6. 6, 7. 


x Eph. 6. 8.—vy1 Cor. 7. 22. z Rom. 2. 11: Eph. 6. 9; 
1 Peter 1. 17; see Deut. 10. 17. a Eph, 6. 9. } Luke 18. 15 
Rom. 12. 12; Eph. ὃ: 18: 1 Thess. d, 17, 13. e Chap. 2. 
Ὁ 15.—ad Eph. 6. 19; 2 Thess: 3.1. é1 Cor. 16. 9; 2 Cor. 
¢ ae Matt. 13. 11; 1 Cor. 4, 1; Eph. 6. 19; chap. 1. 26; 


ἢ. 
ay 


bopoye 


and consecration.—Meyer.] Giving thanks to 
God—Even praises, as well as prayers, must as- 
cend to God through this Mediator. We have no 
authority to say that God will accept even our 
thanksgiving, unless it ascend to him through 
Christ Jesus. 

18. Wives, submit yourselves—Having done 
with general directions, the apostle comes to par- 
ticular duties, which are commonly called relative; 
because they only belong to persons in certain 
situations, and are not incumbent on all. No 
woman has the duty of a wife to perform but she 
who is one, and no man has the duty of a husband 
to perform but he who is married. The directions 
here to wives, husbands, children, parents, ser- 
vants, and masters, are so exactly the same in sub- 
stance with those prescribed in Eph. v, 22-33, vi, 
1-9, that there is no need to repeat what has been 
said on those passages; and to the notes there the 
reader is requested to refer. As it is fit in the 
Lord—God commands it; and it is both proper 
and decent. 

19. Be not bitter against them—Wherever 
bitterness is, there /ove is wanting. And where 
love is wanting in the married life there is hell 
upon earth. [As the husband’s rightful authority 
is recognised it becomes necessary to caution him 
not to use that authority too sharply, πικραίνως, ex- 
actingly. | 

20. Children, obey . .. in all things—That 
is, in the Lord—in every thing that your parents 
command you which is not contrary to the will or 
word of God. 

21. Fathers, provoke not—See the notes on 
Eph. vi, 4. 

22. Servants, obey—See on Eph. vi, 5-8. 

24. The reward of the inheritance—Here, 
ye have neither lands nor property; ye are ser- 
vants or slaves; be'not discouraged, ye have an in- 
heritance in store; be faithful unto God and to 
your employers, and Christ will give you a heavenly 
inheritance. 

25. But he that doeth wrong—God sees and 
will punish every breach of honesty and trust. 
Wasting, or not taking proper care of the goods 
of one’s master, is such a “wrong” as God will 
resent. [The servants of the apostles’ times were 
principally slaves; but the same moral duties are 
required of the free man, or free woman, who occu- 
pies the position of a servant.] He that is un- 
faithful in that which is little will be unfaithful in 

298 


much, if he have opportunity; and God alone is 
the defence against an unfaithful servant. There 
is no respect—God neither esteems nor despises 
any man because of his outward condition and cir- 
cumstances. Every man is, in the eye of God, 
what he is in his soul; if holy, loved; if wicked, 
despised and rejected. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Masters, give unto your servants—This 
verse should have been added to the preceding, to 
which it properly belongs ; and this chapter should 
have begun with verse 2. That which is just 
and equal—The condition of s/aves among the 
Greeks and Romans was wretched in the extreme. 
The apostle, therefore, admonishes the masters 
that they should act toward them according to jus- 
tice and equity; for God, their Master, required 
this of them, and would at last call them to account 
for their conduct in this respect. 

2. Continue in prayer—This was the apostle’s 
general advice to all; without this, neither wives, 
husbands, children, parents, servants, nor masters 
could fulfil the duties which God, in their respective 
stations, required of them. Watch in the same 
—Be always on your guard; and when you have 
got the requisite grace by praying, take care of it, 
and bring it into its proper action by watchfulness. 
With thanksgiving—Being always grateful to 
God, who has called you into such a state of sal- 
vation, and affords you such abundant means and 
opportunities to glorify him. 

3. Praying also for us—Let the success and 
spread of the Gospel be ever dear to you; and ne- 
elect not to pray fervently to God that it may have 
free course, run, and be glorified. A door οὗ, 
utterance—Oiparv τοῦ λόγου. The word θύρα, a 
door, is often used metaphorically for an entrance 
to any business, occasion or opportunity to com- 
mence or perform any particular work. The apos- 
tle excites them to pray, not that a readiness and 
fluency of speech may be given to him and his 
fellow labourers, but that they may have an op- 
portunity of preaching the doctrine of Christ. [Per- 
haps the thought of liberation suggested to him- 
self the choice of the expression.—Jeyer.]| The 
mystery of Christ—The Gospel, which had been 
hidden from all former times, and which revealed 
that purpose long hidden in the divine counsels, 
that the Gentiles should be called to enjoy the 
same privileges with the Jews. For whichIam 


Commendation of Tychicus and of Ones- 
imus. Salutation of brethren. 


efor which I am also in bonds: 
may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 
6 *Walk in wisdom toward them that are 
without, ‘redeeming the time. 6 Let your 
speech fe always * with grace, '! seasoned with 
salt, "that ye may know how ye oughi to an- 
swer every man. 7% * All my state shall Tych- 
icus declare unto you, who is a beloved broth- 
er and a faithful minister and fellow servant 
in the Lord:. αὶ ° Whom I have sent unto you 
for the same purpose, that he might know 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4066. A.D. 62, 
Year of Rome, 815. 


4 That 1 your estate, and comfort your hearts; 9 With 


POnesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, 
who is one of you. They shat make known 
unto you al) things which are done here. 
10 1 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner saluteth 
you, and τ Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, 
(touching whom ye received commandments: 
if he come unto you, receive him;) ΑἹ And 
Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the 
circumcision. These only are my fellow work- 
ers unto the kingdom of God, which have 


g Eph. 6, 20; Phil, 1, 7,——”/. Eph 5 15: 1 Thess, 4. 12.——7 Eph. 
5. 16. ke: Eccles. 10. 12; chap. 3. 16. —d Mark 9. 50.—v7n | Pet. 


pPhilem. 10,—g Acts 


3. 15. n Eph. 6. 21.—o Eph. δ, 22. 
i r Acts 15, 37; 2 Tim. 4. 11. 


19. 29; 20. 4; 27. 2; Philem. 24. 


also in bonds—He was suffermg for preaching 
this very “mystery.” It was for asserting the fact 
of God’s impartial grace to Jews and Gentiles that 
Paul was so persecuted at Jerusalem, that to save 
his life he was obliged to appeal to Cesar; and, 
being taken to Rome, he was detained a prisoner 
till his case was fully heard. He was a prisoner 
at Rome on this very account when he wrote this 
epistle to the Colossians. (See chapter i, 24.) 

4. That I may make it manifest—It was a 
mystery, and he wished to make it “manifest ”—to 
lay it open and make all men see it. [This duty 
God had laid upon him.] 

5. Walk in wisdom --- [Ἐν σοφίᾳ. Practical 
Christian wisdom (not mere prudence) is to be the 
element in which their walk with the non- 
Christians moves. Redeeming the time—Make 
the right point of time your own... for all the 
activities in which that same wise demeanour in in- 
tercourse with the non-Christians finds expression. — 
Meyer.\| {Because of the rapid and irresistible es- 
cape of time it must be seized and put to use as it 
passes; and this use of it is here called “ redeem- 
ing” it.] 

6. Let your speech be always with grace, 
seasoned with salt—Let all your conversation be 
such as may tend to exemplify and recommend 
Christianity ; let it not only be holy, but wise, gra- 
cious, and intelligent. A harsh method of propos- 
ing ov defending the doctrines of Christianity often 
serves to repel men from those doctrines, and from 
the way of salvation. “Salt,” from its use in pre- 
serving food from corruption, and rendering it 
both savoury and wholesome, has always been 
made the emblem of wisdom. (See Matt. v, 13; 
Mark ix, 50.) How ye ought to answer every 
man—That your discourse may be so judiciously 
managed, that ye may discern how to treat the 
prejudices and meet the objections both of Jews 
and Gentiles. 

7. All my state shall Tychicus—See the 
note on Eph. vi, 21. Tychicus well knew the 
apostle’s zeal and perseverance in preaching the 
Gospel, his sufferings on that account, his sue- 
cess in converting both Jews and Gentiles, and the 
copverts which were made in Cesar’s household ; 
he could give these to the Colossians in ample de- 
tail, and some of them it would not have been 
prudent to commit to writing. 

8. That he might know your estate—Instead 
of wa γνῷ τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, that HE may know your 
affairs, read ἵνα γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν, that YE may 
know our affairs; which is the true reading. 
Tychicus was sent to them, not to know their affairs, 
but, with Onesimus, to carry this epistle and make 
the apostle’s state known to them, and comfort 
their hearts by the good news which he brought. 


9. With Onesimus . . . whois one of you— 
Onesimus was a native of some part of Phrygia, if 
not of Colosse itself ; and being lately converted to 
the Christian faith by the instrumentality of the 
apostle, he would be able, on this account, to give 
them satisfactory information concerning the apos- 
tle’s state. (See the epistle to Philemon.) All 
things which are done here—These brethren 
could give an account of the transactions at Rome 
relative to the apostle and Christianity, which it 
might not be prudent for him to commit to writ- 
ing. (See on verse 7.) The reign of Nero was 
not only cruel, but suspicious, jealous, and dan- 
gerous. 

10. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner—Con- 
cerning Aristarchus, see Acts xix, 29; xx, 4; 
xxvii, 2; and see the note on this latter place. 
Arvistarchus and Epaphras are mentioned as saluters 
in this epistle, and in that to Philemon, written at the 
same time ; but here he is said to be a “ prisoner,” 
and Epaphras not. In that to Philemon, Epaphras 
is called a prisoner, and Aristarchus not. Possibly 
both were prisoners at that time. As Aristarchus 
had been a zealous and affectionate adherent of St. 
Paul, and followed him in all his journeys, minis- 
tering to him in prison, and assisting him in 
preaching the Gospel in Rome, he might have 
been imprisoned on this account. We need not 
suppose that both he and Epaphras were impris- 
oned at the same time; about the same time 
they might be imprisoned, but it might be so 
ordered by the providence of God that when Aris- 
tarchus was imprisoned Epaphras was at liberty, 
and while Epaphras was in prison Aristarchus was 
at liberty. This is a very possible and easily to be 
conceived case. Marcus—See the account of this 
person Acts xv, 39. Though there had been some 
difference between the apostle and this Mark, yet 
from this and 2 Tim. iv, 11 we find that they were 
fully reconciled, and that Mark was very useful to 
St. Paul in the work of the ministry. Touching 
whom ye received commandments — What 
these were we cannot tell ; they were some private 
communications which had been previously sent to 
the Colossian Church. 

11. Jesus, which is called Justus—Jesus, 
Joshua, or Jehoshua, was his name among his 
countrymen, the Jews; “Justus” was the name 
which he bore among the Greeks and Romans. 
These only—Only Aristarchus, Marcus, and Jesus 
Justus, who were formerly Jews or proselytes, as 
οἱ ὄντες ἐκ περιτομῆς, they were of the cireumeision, 
shows, and who assisted the apostle in preaching 
the Gospel. It is evident that St. Peter was not 
now at Rome, else he certainly would have been 
mentioned in this list. Indeed, there is no certain 
evidence that St. Peter ever saw Rome. 

299 


A. M. 4066. A. D. 62. 
Yeur of Rome, 815, 


Been a comfort unto ine. 42 *Epaphras, 
who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth 
you, always ‘labouring fervently for you 
in prayers, that ye may stand ἡ perfect and 
~complete in all the will of God. 28 For 
I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal 
for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and 
them in Hierapolis. 14 * Luke, the beloved 
physician, and y Demas, greet you. 18 Salute 
the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nym- 


Foran. is τ: Philem. 23. Eee Or, striving.—uU Ron 15. 30. 
—-»r Matt. 5. 48; 1 Cor, 2.6; 14. 20; Phil. 3.15; Heb. 5, 14.— 
w Or, filled.—zw 2 Tim, τὰ 11. 


COLOSSIANS. 


Salutations of several brethren 
and of Paul. 


phas, and the church which is in lis house. 
416 And when «this epistle is read among you, 
‘sause that it be read also in the chureh of the 
Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the 
epistle from Laodicea. 17% And say to" Archip- 
pus, Take heed to ¢the ministry which thou 
hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. 
28 ‘The salutation by the hand of me Paul. 
eRemember my bonds. ‘Grace be with you. 
Amen 

y2 Tim. 4. 10; Philem. 24.—z Rom. 16.5; 1 Cor. 16. 19.— 


ali Thess. 5. 27.—b Philem, 2.—el1 Tim. 4. 6.—d1 Cor. 16, 
21; 2 Thess. 3. 17.—eé Heb. 13. 3.—/7 Heb. 13..23. 


12. Epaphras, who is one of you—A native 
of some part of Phrygia, and probably of Colosse 
itself. A servant of Christ—A minister of the 
Gospel. Labouring fervently for you—’Ayo- 
γνιζόμενος, agonizing ; very properly expressed by 
our translators, labouring ferventlu. That ye 
may stand perfect and complete—‘Iva σταθῆτε 
τέλειοι καὶ TEeTAHPOPopHuEevol; that ye may stand firm, 
perfectly instructed, and fully persuaded of the 
truth of those doctrines which have been taught 
you as the revealed will of God, [fully established 
in them by faith.] This is such a persuasion as the 
Spirit of God, by means of the Gospel, gives to 
every sincere and faithful man; and from which 
arises the solid happiness of the genuine Christian. 
They who argue against it prove, ‘at least, that they 
have not got it. 

13. He hath a great zeal— Rather, labour, 
πόνον. Labour and zeal are here nearly of the 
same meaning, though the latter appears to be the 
better and genuine reading. Laodicea, and... 
Hierapolis—These were both cities of Phrygia, 
between- which Colosse was situated. (See on 
chapter ii, 1.) The latter was called ““ Hierapolis,”’ 
or the holy city, from the multitude of its temples. 
Apollo, Diana, Aisculapius, and Hygeia, were all 
worshipped here, as appears by the coins of this 
city still extant. 

14. Luke, the beloved physician—This is 
generally supposed to be the same with Luke the 
evangelist. Some, however, suppose them to be 
different persons ; because, where it is evident that 
Luke the evangelist is meant, he never has more 
than his simple name Luke ; and because the apos- 
tle is supposed to intend a different person here, 
he adds ὁ ἰατρὸς ὁ ἀγαπητὺς, “the beloved physi- 
cian.” The word ἰατρός signifies a healer, and 
must not be restricted to “ physician” in the sense 
in which we use that word ; he was surgeon, physi- 
cian, and dispenser of medicines, ete., for all these 
were frequently combined in the same person. 
And Demas—No commendatory word is affixed 
to this name. Afterward he abandoned Paul, (see 
Tim. iv, 10;) possibly the apostle even then had 
doubts of him. See Meyer. } 

15. Salute .. . Nymphas, and the church 

. in his house—This person and his whole 
family, which probably was very numerous, appear 
to have received the Gospel; and it seems that, 
for their benefit and that of his neighbours, he had 
opened his house for the worship of God. In those 
primitive times there were no consecrated places, 
for the simple setting apart of places for the wor- 
ship of God was deemed a sufficient consecration. 

3800 


16. Cause that it be read also in the church 
of the Laodiceans—That is, let a copy be taken, 
and sent to them, that it may be read there also. 
This appears to have been a regular custom in the 
apostolic Church. That ye likewise read the 
epistle from Laodicea—Some suppose that this 
was an epistle sent from Laodicea to the apostle, 
which he now sent by Aristarchus to the Colos- 
sians, that they might peruse it ; that thereby they 
might see the propriety of sending a copy of his 
epistle to them to the Laodicean Church. Others 
think that the epistle to the Ephesians is the epis- 
tle in question, and that it was originally directed 
to them, and not to the Ephesians. (See the notes 
on Eph. i, 1, ete.) But others, equally learned, 
think that there was an epistle different from that 
to the Ephesians, sent by St. Paul to the Laodi- 
ceans, which is now lost. There was an epistle 
under this direction in the times of Theodoret and 
Jerome, for both of them mention it ; but the latter 
mentions it as apocryphal. The seventh Gcumenic 
Council, held in 787, states that the ancients allowed 
that there was an epistle with this direction, but 
that all the orthodox rejected it as supposititious. 

17. Say to Archippus—Who this person was 
we cannot tell. Whatever he was, it has been sup- 
posed that he had been remiss in discharging the 
duties of his office; but if the same person is 
meant as in the epistle to Philemon, (verse 2,) whom 
St. Paul ealls his “fellow labourer” and ‘ fellow 
soldier,” it cannot be supposed that any reproof is 
here intended. It is more likely that the words of 
the apostle convey no censure, but are rather 
intended to stir him up to further diligence, and to 
encourage him in the work, seeing he had so much 
false doctrine and so many falsé teachers to con- 
tend with. 

8. The salutation by the hand of me Paul— 
The preceding part of the epistle was written by a 
scribe, from the mouth of the apostle: this, and 
what follows, was written by the hand of St. Paul 
himself. A similar distinction we find in 1 Cor. 
xvi, 21, and in 2 Thess. iii, 17; and this, it seems, 
was the means by which the apostle authenticated 
every epistle which he sent to the different Churches, 
The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is 
the token in every epistle, so 1 write. Remember 
my bonds—See what proof ye have of the truth 
of the Gospel: I am in bonds on this account; I 
suffer patiently, yea, exult in the Lord Jesus, so 
perfectly am I upheld by the grace of the Gospel. 
Grace be with you—'H χάρις μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν. [This 
seems to be a form of valediction belonging to the 


later period of the epistles of St. Paul. — Alford. ] 


Peer ACh ΤΟ THE FIRST EPISTLE 


TO 


THE THESSALONIANS. 


HESSALONICA (the modern Salonica) is a seaport town situated on what 

was called the Thermaic Gulf, and was anciently the capital of Macedonia. It 
was embellished and enlarged by Philip, king of Macedon, father of Alexander 
the Great, who called it Thessalonica (Θεσσαλονίκα) on account of the victory 
he obtained there over the Thessalians; prior to which it was called Therme. 
Strabo and some others say that it obtained the name of Thessalonica from 
that of the wife of Cassander, and daughter of Philip. 

Thessalonica was first visited by St. Paul about A.D. 52. At that time it 
contained many Jews, who had a synagogue, in which Paul for three sabbaths 
preached Christ as the Messiah with partial success. But though the number of 
Jewish believers was not large, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and many 
noble women, believed. But the unbelieving Jews created a great disturbance 
in the city, and to avoid a tumult the brethren sent away Paul and Silas by night 
unto Berea. (Acts xvii, 1-10.) There they began anew their evangelical labours ; 
the Jews of Thessalonica, however, pursued them thither and raised a fresh 
tumult; so that St. Paul, being counselled by the brethren, made his escape to 
Athens. (Acts xvii, 11-15.) 

It does not appear that St. Paul stayed long at Athens; but while there he 
sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish the believers there, and comfort them 
concerning the faith. (1 Thess. 111, 2.) From Athens Paul went to Corinth, 
(Acts xviii, 1, etc.,) and while he abode there, Timothy and Silas came to him 
from Thessalonica, and hearing by them of the steadfastness of the Thessalonian 
converts in the faith of Christ, he wrote this epistle, and shortly after the second, 
to comfort and encourage them, and to give them further instructions in the 
doctrines and duties of Christianity. 

As the apostle, on account of the uproar in Thessalonica, had left the brethren 
very suddenly, and without imparting to them all the instruction desirable, and 
fearing that their trials might discourage them, he wrote to them this epistle soon 
after his arrival in Corinth. In the address to the Church, Silvanus (Silas) and 
Timothy are associated with the apostle, (chapter i, 1,) which fact shows that the 
epistle was written after Silas and Timothy had arrived at Corinth from Mace- 
donia. (Acts xviii, 5.) And yet the manner of discussion and the allusions in the 
epistle clearly indicate that it was written only a short time after Paul’s arrival 
at Corinth, about A.D. 52. 


The First Epistle to the Thessalonians is allowed on all hands to be the jirst 
901 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 


epistle that St. Paul wrote to any of the Churches of God; and from it two things 
may be particularly noted: 1) That the apostle was full of the spirit of love. ᾿ 
2) That the Church at Thessalonica was pure, upright, and faithful, as we scarcely 
find any reprehension in the whole epistle; the Thessalonian converts had Farrn 
that worked, a Love that laboured, and a nore which induced them to bear 
afflictions patiently and wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

[“‘ The historical attestation of this epistle,” says Meyer, “although there are 
no sure indications of it found in the apostolic Fathers, is yet so old, continuous, 
and universal that any justifiable reason for doubting its authenticity from exter- 
nal grounds is inconceivable.” Nor are the objections urged against its genuine- 
ness from internal grounds at all formidable. If it is granted that this epistle 
falls below some others of St. Paul’s in both force and elegance of expression, it 
may be simply an illustration of the fact that a writer is not always equal to his 
own best performances. The objections that the utterances of the epistles 
respecting the state of the Thessalonian Christians seem to imply, on their part, 
amore advanced stage of Christian knowledge and experience than they could 
have reached in so short a time, and that there appears to be references to 
later events, and that its teachings respecting the second coming of Christ 
(iv, 14-18) are not Pauline, (on the last compare 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52,) certainly rest 
upon no solid foundation. No other of the apostolic epistles is more clearly 


attested as to both its authenticity and its genuineness. | 
302 


THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


TE TanssA LONTANS. 


CHAPTER I. 
Pact and *Silvanus, and Timotheus, un- 
to the church of the Thessalonians which is 
in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus 
Christ: 'Grace be unto you, and peace, from 
God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
2 © We give thanks to God always for you all, 
making mention of you in our prayers; 3 4 Re- 
a2 Cor. 1,19; 2 Thess. 1. 1; 1 Peter 5. 12.—0d Ephesians 1. 2. 
—c Romans 1, 8: Ephesians 1. 16; Philem. 4.—d Chap. 2. 13. 


—e Juhn 6, 29; Galatians 5. 6; chap. 3. 6; 2 Thess. 1.3, 1]: 
Jumes 2. 17. 


membering without ceasing *your work of 
faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope 
in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God 
and our Father; 4 Knowing, brethren ¢ be- 
loved, "your election of God. & For ‘our 
gospel came not unto you in word only, but 
also in power, and Fin the Holy Ghost, ' and 
in much assurance; as ™ye know what man- 


Romans 16, 6: Heb. 6. 10. g Or, beloved of God, your 
election.—h Col. 3.12; 2 Thess. 2, 13.- i Mark 16. 26; 1 Cor, 
2. 4; 4. 20.—k 2 Cor. 6. 6.—2Col, 2.2; Heb, 2. 3.—n Chap. 
2.1, 5, 10, 11; 2 Thess, 3. 7. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus— 
Though St. Paul himself dictated this letter, yet he 
joins the names of Silas and Timothy because they 
had been with him at Thessalonica, and were well 
known there. (See Acts xvii, 4, 14.) [St. Paul 
does not name himself as an apostle, probably for 
the reason given by De Wette: ‘ Because his apos- 
tleship needs no substantiation to (among) the 
Thessalonians.” Jowett says, “ Probably the name 
apostle, which in its general sense was used of 
many, was gradually, and at no definite period, 
(first) applied to him with the same special mean- 
ing as to the apostles at Jerusalem.”—A/ford. | 
[The words following “ peace,” (εἰρήνη, in verse 1,) 
are not found in the best MSS., and have probably 
been brought hither from other and later epistles. 
(See 1 Cor. i, 3; 2 Cor. i, 2.)] And Silvanus— 
This was certainly the same as Silas, who was 
Paul’s companion in all his journeys through Asia 
Minor and Greece, (see Acts xv, 22; xvi, 19; xvii, 
4,10.) After Paul’s separation from Barnabas, the 
apostle took with him into Maeedonia Silas and 
Timothy, and they continued at Berea when the 
apostle went thence to Athens ; from this place Paul 
sent for them to come to him speedily, and, though 
it is not said that they came while he was at Athens, 
yet it is most probable that they did; after which, 
having sent them to Thessalonica, he proceeded to 
Corinth, where they afterward rejoined him, and 
from that place he wrote this epistle. 

2. We give thanks—See Phil. i, 3, 4; Col. i, 3. 

8. Your work of faith, and labour of love— 
This verse presents a very high character of the be- 
lievers at Thessalonica. They had “faith,” not sim- 
ply speculative and indolent, but a faith that worked. 
They had “love,” ποὺ that which simply became 
enamoured of the perfections of God, but a love that 
laboured with faith to fulfil the whole will of God. 
- They had “hope,” not a cold, heartless expectation 


of future good, but a hope that produced a satisfying 
assurance of future blessedness ; a hope, not hasty 
and impatient of the trials of life, but as willing to 
endure hardships as to enjoy glory itself. Farrn 
worked, Love laboured, and Hore endured patiently. 

4. Knowing... your election of God—Be- 
ing assured that he has chosen and called you 
Gentiles to the same privileges to which he chose 
and called the Jews. This is the “election” which 
the Thessalonians knew; and of which the apos- 
tle treats at large in his epistle to the Romans, and 
also in his epistles to the Galatians and Ephesians. 
That these blessings could be abused—become 
finally useless and forfeited—they had an ample 
proof in the case of the Jews, who, after having 
been so long the elect of God, were now reprobates. 
[It is evident that the apostle included in the mat- 
ter of his thanksgiving the gracious purpose of the 
Father in choosing them in Christ to be his; and 
also the personal and practical work of the divine 
Spirit in effectually calling them to the experience 
of that great salvation. (See 1 Peter i, 2.)] 

5. For our gospel—That is, the glad tidings 
of salvation by Jesus Christ, and of your being 
elected to enjoy all its gracious privileges. Came 
not unto you in word only—It was not by sim- 
ple teaching or mere reasoning that the doctrines 
which we preached recommended themselves to you. 
But also in power—’Ev δυνάμει. [Power of ut- 
terance and energy. — A/ford.] [Not miraculous 
powers, (else the word would be plural,) but the 
reality, energy, and effective earnestness with which 
the apostle and his fellows preached. — £ilicott.| 
And in the Holy Ghost—By his influence on 
your hearts, in changing and renewing them, and 
[by which the word was rendered effectual in 
bringing you to repentance, and] by the testi- 
mony which ye received from him, that you were 
accepted through the Beloved, and become the 
adopted children of God. And in much assur- 
7 909 


A. M. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52. 
Yeur οἱ Rome, 505. 


ner of men we were among you for your 
sake. 6 And "ye became followers of us, 
and of the Lord, having received the word 
in much affliction, °with joy of the Holy 
Ghost: % So that ye were ensamples to all 
that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. & For 
from you Psounded out the word of the Lord 
not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also 4 in 
every place your faith to Godward is spread 
abroad; so that we need not to speak any 
thing. 9 For they themselves show of us 
r what manner of entering in we had unto you, 
sand how ye turned to God from idols to serve 


I. THESSAL 


The good estate of the Church 
at Thessalonica, 


ONIANS. 


the living and true God; 1 And ‘to wait 
for his Son "from heaven, * whom he raised 
from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us 
~ from the wrath to come. 


CHAPTER II. 
OR ‘yourselves, brethren, know our en- 
trance in unto you, that it was not in 
vain: 2 But even after that we had suffered 
before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye 
know, at "Philippi, °we were bold in our God 
‘to speak unto you the gospel of God ¢ with 
much contention. 8 ‘For our exhortation 


m1 Cor. 4. 16; 11. 1; Phil. 3. 17: chap. 2. 11; 2 Thess. 3. 9. 
—o Acts 5. 41; Heb. 10. 34.—p Rom. 10. 18. ῳ Rom. 1. 8; 
2 Thess. 1. 4. 7 Ohap. 2. 1.—s 1 Cor. 12. 2: Gal. 4. 8,---Ἔ Harn. 


2.7; Phil. 3. 20; Titus 2. 13; 2 Peter 3. 13; Rev. ie 


24.—— 
b Acts 
Col. 2. 1. 


u Acts 1. wil : chap. 4. 16; 2 ese Hee ewe Eis 2. 
aw Matt. 3. Rom, 4. 9; chap. 5. 9. aChap, 1. 4, 9, 
16.722, Chap. ΠΡ Acts 17. 2.-—e Phil. rh 30; 
Se. 2 Cor. 1. as verse 5; 2 


2 Peter 1. 16. 


ance—’Ep πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ. [Indicating the ful- 
ness and certainty of conviction, that is, the in- 
ward confidence of faith with which Paul and his 
assistants preached at Thessalonica. — JJeyer. | 
What manner of men we were — How we 
preached and how we lived, our doctrines and our 
practices ever corresponding ; how for your sake 
[dv ὑμᾶς, on account of you] we sustained difficul- 
ties, endured hardships, and were incessant in our 
labours. 

6. Ye became followers of us—Ye became 
imitators (μιμηταῖί) of us—ye believed the same 
truths, walked in the same way, and minded the 
same things; having received the same Spirit. 
Having received the word in much affliction 
—That they received the doctrine of the Gospel in 
the midst of much persecution we may learn from 
the history in general, and from Acts xvii, 5, 6. 
With joy of the Holy Ghost—The consolations 
which they received, in consequence of believing in 
Christ, more than counterbalanced all the afflictions 
which they suffered from their persecutors. [Of 
this joy the Holy Ghost was not only the procuring 
cause, but it was also in him. See Ellicott.] 

7. Ye were ensamples—Tizov, (singular,) ye 
became a pattern; according to which all the 
Churches in Macedonia and Achaia formed both 
their creed and their conduct. 

8. From you sounded out—As Thessalonica 
was very conveniently situated for traffic, many mer- 


chants from thence traded through Macedonia, 
Achaia, and different parts of Greece. By these 


the fame of the Thessalonians having received the 
doctrine of the Gospel was doubtless carried far 
and wide. And it appears that they had walked 
so conscientiously before God and man, that their 
friends could speak of them without a blush, and 
their adversaries could say nothing to their dis- 
grace. [Your ready reception and faith, it 
were, sounded forth the word of the Lord, the Gos- 
pel message, loudly and clearly, through all parts. 
To Godward—lIlIpo¢ τὸν Θεὸν, your faith, which 
has God for its object, as contrasted with idols in 
He next verse. See Alford. ] 

. For they—That is, the people of Macedonia 
ae Achaia proclaim, ἀπαγγέλλουσιν, are perpetual 
witnesses respecting our manner of coming to you ; 
that is, of our words and works among you, in 
obedience to which you turned to God from 
idols to serve the living and true God. 
The “living God,” in opposition to the idols, which 
were either inanimate stocks or stones, or the rep- 
resentations of dead men. ‘The true God,” in 
opposition to the whole system of idolatry, which 

304 


as 


+ 


was false in the objects of its adoration, its preten- 
sions, its promises, and in all its prospects. 

10. And to wait for his Son from heaven— 
To expect a resurrection of the body and a future 
state of glory, according to the Gospel doctrine, after 
the example of Jesus Christ, who was raised from 
the dead and ascended unto heaven, ever to appear 
in the presence of God for us. Delivered us 
from the wrath to come—From all the punish- 
ment due to us for our sins, and from the destrue- 
tion which is about to come on the unbelieving and 
impenitent Jews. This was the news, the sounding 


out, that went abroad concerning the converted 
Thessalonians. Everywhere it was said: They 
have believed the Gospel; they have renounced 


idolatry ; they worship the living and true God ; 
they have received the gifts and graces of the 
Holy Spirit ; they are happy in their souls, un- 
spotted 1 in their lives, and full of joy; expecting an 
eternal glory through that Christ who had died for 
and purged away their sins, and who shall fashion 
their degraded bodies and make them like to his 
elorious body, and give them an eternal residence 
with himself ina state of blessedness. |The es- 
pecial aspect of the faith of the Thessalonians was 
hope: hope of the return of the Son of God from 
heaven; a hope, indeed, common to them, and to 
all Christians in all ages, but evidently entertained 
by them as pointing to an event more immediate 
than the Church has subsequently believed it to 
be—A/lford.| [On the subject of the “ coming of 
Christ,” see at the end of the second epistle. ] 
¢ 
NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. Our entrance in unto you—Paul’s first com- 
ing to preach the Gospel was particularly owned of 
the Lord, many of the Thessalonians being con- 
verted under his ministry. This consideration gave 
him a right to deliver all the following exhortaticns. 

2. Shamefully entreated ... at Philippi— 
There Paul and Silas had been beaten with many 
Αἰ ΒΡΩΝ shut up in the inner prison, and their feet 
made fast in the stocks. (See Acts xvi, 28, ete.) 
With much contention—The words ἐν πολλῷ 
ἀγῶνι not only signify with intense labour and ear- 
nestness, but may here mean, exposed to the greatest 
danger ; at the peril of our lives. The Greek 
phrase quoted by Rosenmiiller is to the point, ayav 
προφάσιν οὐκ ἀναμένει, in danger we must not ‘de. 
lay; activity and despatch are then indispensably 
necessary. 

3. Our exhortation was—Rather, 8. The word 
παράκλησις has a very extensive meaning ; it sig- 
nifies not only exhortation and teaching in zeneral, 


Paul declares the faithfulness 
and love of his service. 


was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in 
guile: 4 But as we were allowed of God 
bto be put in trust with the gospel, even so 
we speak; ‘not as pleasing men, but God, 
k which trieth our hearts. ὦ For 'neither at 
any time used we flattering words, as ye know, 
nor a cloak of covetousness ; ™God is witness: 
6 "Nor of men sought we glory, neither of 
you, nor yet of others, when °we might have 
Pbeen * burdensome, ‘as the apostles of Christ. 
7 But*we were gentle among you, even as a 


ΟἹ Cor, 7. 25; 1 Tim. 1. 11: 12.——A1 Cor. 9. 17; Gal. 2. 7; 
Titus 1. 3. ----ὐ Gal. 1. 10.—*# Prov. 17.3; Romans 8. 27.— 
ὁ Acts 20. 33; 2 Cor, 2. 17; 4. ὃ: 7. ὃ: 12. 17.—m Romans 1. 9. 
——n John d, 41, 44; 12. 43; 1 Tim. 5. 17.—o1 Cor. 9. 4, 6,12, 18; 
2 Cor. 10. 1, 2, 10, 11; 13. 10; 2 Thess. 3. 9; Philem. 8, 9.---: 0 1. 


but also encouragement, consolation, and the like. 
When the apostles exhorted or admonished men 
it was that they should turn from evil to good, from 
misery to happiness, from Satan to God, and from 
hell to heaven. Their exhortations having this ob- 
ject, every word was consolatory ; and as the truth 
which they delivered was unquestionable, therefore 
their ministry was a subject of the highest encour- 
agement and joy. Not of deceit—[I]/avyjc. The 
word may mean either imposture or error; prob- 
ably, here, the latter, (the former sense occurs in 
δόλῳ, guile.) —Alford.| We did not endeavour to 
allure you with false pretences ; we did not deceive 
you, nor were we deceived ourselves. Nor of un- 
cleanness —Our Gospel was pure; came from the 
pure and holy God; was accompanied with the 
influences of the Holy Spirit, and produced purity 
both in the hearts and lives of all that received it; 
[in all these things a contrast to the teaching of 
the Gentiles. Perhaps expressing their purity of 
purpose, the absence of all covetousness and self- 
seeking in all that they did.]| Nor in guile—We 
had no false pretences, and were influenced by no 
sinister motives. 

4. But as we were allowed of God—Kaflic 
δεδοκιμάσμεθα, as we were accounted worthy to be 
put in trust—as God put confidence in us, and sent 
us on his most especial message to mankind, even 
SO we speak, keeping the dignity of our high call- 
ing continually in view; and, acting as in the sight 
of God, we speak not to please or flatter men, 
though our doctrine is the most consolatory that 
can be conceived, but to please that God who 
searcheth the heart, and before whom all our mo- 
tives are constantly without a veil. 

5. Flattering words—Though we proclaimed 
the Gospel, or glad tidings, yet we diligently showed 
[the people their sins, and warned them] that with- 
out holiness none should see the Lord; while we 
preached the whole Gospel we gave no countenance 
to sin. Nor acloak of covetousness—We did 
not seek temporal emolument; nor did we preach 
the Gospel for a cloak to our covetousness ; God is 
witness that we did not ; we sought you, not yours. 
Hear this, ye that preach the Gospel! Can ye call 
God to witness that in preaching it ye have no end 
in view by your ministry but his glory in the salva- 
tion of souls? The faithful labourer is worthy of 
his hire; for the ox that treads out the corn should 
not be muzzled; and they that preach the Gospel 
should live by the Gospel. But woe to that man 
whoenters into the labour for the sake of the hire! 
he knows not Christ ; and how can he preach him? 

6. Nor of men sought we glory—aAs we 
preached not for worldly gain, so we preached not 

Vor. I1.—20. 


CHAPTER ILI 


A. M. 4056. A. Ὦ. 59. 
Yeur of Rome, 805. 


nurse cherisheth her children: ὦ So being 
affectionately desirceus of you, we were will- 
ing 'to have imparted unto you, not the gos- 
pel of God only, but also "our own souls, be- 
cause ye were dear unto us. 9 For ye re- 
member, brethren, our labour and travail: for 
‘labouring night and day, ἡ because we would 
not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached 
unto you the gospel of God. 89 * Ye are wit- 
nesses, and God also, yhow holily and justly 
and unblamably we behaved ourselves among 


used authority.—gq 2 Cor. 11. 9; 12. 13, 14; 2 Thess. 3, 8,-- 
71 Cor, 9, !, 2, 5—sl Cor. 2. 3; 9. 22; 2 Cor. 13. 4: 2 Tim. 
2. 24. — ¢# Romans 1. 11; 15, 29. ——w2 Cor, 12, 13. vr Acts 


20. 34; 1 Cor, 4. 12; 2 Cor. 1]. 9; 2 Thess. 3. 8. 
13, 14.—* Chap. 1, 5. ἢ Cor, 7. 2% 


oy 


w2 Cor, 12. 
2 Thess, 3. 7. 


for popular applause ; we had what we sought for— 
the approbation of God, and the testimony of a 
good conscience. When we might have been 
burdensome—They had a right to their mainte- 
nance while they devoted themselves wholly to the 
work of the Gospel for the sake of the people’s 
souls, Others understand the words ἐν βάρει εἶναι, 
to be honourable ; we sought no glory of you nor of 
others, though we were honourable as the apostles 
of Christ. - (See 2 Cor. iv, 17.) 

7. But we were gentle among you—Far 
from assuming the authority which we had, we 
acted toward you as a tender nurse or parent does 
to a delicate child. We fed, counselled, cherished, 
and bore with you; we taught you to walk, pre- 
served you from stumbling, and led you in a right 
path. 

8. Being affectionately desirous of you—We 
had such intense love for you that we were not 
only willing and forward to preach the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ to you, but also to give our 
own lives, τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς, for your sake, because 
ye were dear, διότε ἀγαπητοὶ ἡμῖν, because ye were 
beloved by us. [The comparison is exceedingly 
tender and beautiful. As the nursing mother, 
cherishing her children, joys to give not only her 
milk but her life for them,—so we, bringing up 
you as spiritual children, delighted in giving, not 
only the milk of the word, but even (and here it 
was matter of fact) our own lives for your nour- 
ishment in Christ.—A//ord. | 

9. Ye remember. . . our labour and travail 
—From this it appears that Paul spent much more 
time at Thessalonica than is generally supposed; 
for the expressions in this verse denote a long 
continuance of a constantly exercised ministry, 
interrupted only by manual labour for their own 
support; labouring [ἐργαζόμενοι, in its strict 
meaning of manual labour, A/ford,| “night and 
day, because we would not be chargeable unto you.” 
Probably Paul and his companions worked with 
their hands by day, and spent a considerable part 
of the night, or evening, in preaching Christ to 
the people. 

10. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how 
holily—'Ociwe, piously, toward Gop; how just/y, 
δικαίως, in reference to men; and wnblamably, 
ἀμέμπτως, in reference to our spirit and conduct, 
whether as men or as ministers of Christ, we 
behaved ourselves among you. What a con- 
sciousness of his own integrity must Paul have 
had to use the expressions that are here! No 
hypocrite, and none who did the work of the Lord 
carelessly, could make such an appeal both to God 
and man. 

805 


A. Μ. 4056. A. D. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805. 


you that believe: 41 As ye know how we 
exhorted and comforted and charged every one 
of you, as a father doth his children, 1:2 7 That 
ye would walk worthy of God, * who hath 
called you unto his kingdom and glory. 13 For 
this cause also thank we God * without ceas- 
ing, because, when ye received the word of 
God which ye heard of us, ye received ἐξ not 
as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the 
word of God, which effectually worketh also 
in you that believe. 44 For ye, brethren, 
became followers ‘of the churches of God 
which’ in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for *ye 


I. THESSALONIANS. 


Persecutions suffered by our Tord 
and the early Christians. 


also have suffered like things of your own 
countrymen, feven as they have of the Jews: 
15 ¢Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and 
htheir own prophets, and have ' persecuted us; 
and they please not God, * and are contrary to 
allmen: 4&6 !Forbidding us to speak to the 
Gentiles that they might be saved, "to fill up 
their sins always: "for the wrath is come up- 
on them to the uttermost. ΕΠ But we, breth- 
ren, being taken from you for a short time °in 
presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more 
abundantly Pto see your face with great de- 
sire. ES Wherefore we would have come 


zEph. 4.1: Phil. i 27: Col. ra 10; chap. 4. 1.—a1 Cor, 1. 9 
chap. 5. 24; 2 Thess, 2. 14; 2 Tim. 1. 9. ——h Chap. if pe 
GMatt. 10. 40: Gal. rn 14; 2 Peter 3. 2. --- Gal. 1. 22.—— 
6 ὁ. ὃν 17: 5, 18; J Heb. 10, 33, 31.—~g Acts Baa 3. 135 

Ὁ: 7. 52. 


ΠΤ]. How we exhorted—What pastoral care 
is marked here! They ‘“exhorted,”—were contin- 
ually teaching and instructing the objects of their 
charge ; this was their ceneral work. And com- 
forted—They found many under trials and tempta- 
tions, and those they encouraged. And charged 
—Maprupéuevor ; continued to witness to the peo- 
ple that God required faith, love, and obedience ; 
that he would not tolerate sin; that Jesus died to 
save them from their sins ; and that, without holi- 
ness, none should see God. The spirit in which 
they performed all these branches of the pastoral 
care was that which was most likely to insure suc- 
cess; as a father treats his children, so they 
treated every member of the Church. 

12. That ye would walk worthy of God— 
That they should, in every respect, act up to their 
high ealling, so that it would not be a reproach to 
the God of holiness to pees them as sons and 
daughters, (See Eph. iv, 1 > Phil. i τ Ὁ 7 ΟῚ Os) 
[Καὶ μαρτυρόμενοι, charging, conjuring, in respect 
to your walking worthily of, (in respect to, or 
as required by your relation to) God calling 
(present, indicating a perpetual calling) you into 
(or unto) his own kingdom and glory. Tis king- 
dom and glory—|[The βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ is the 
kingdom of his Son, that is, the kingdom of heaven, 
of which even while here the true Christian is a 
subject, but the full privileges and blessedness of 
which are only to be enjoyed hereafter. The glory. 
δόξα, to which he calls us in his own eternal glory, of 
which all the true members of the Messianic king- 
dom shall be partakers.— ZV/icott. 

13. Yereceived ... the word of God—Ye re- 
ceived the doctrine of God, not as any thing fabri- 
cated by man, but as coming immediately from 
God himself, we being only his messengers to de- 
clare what he had previously revealed to us. And 
ye have had the fullest proof that ye have not be- 
lieved in vain; for that doctrine, under the power 
and influence of the Holy Ghost, has worked most 
powerfully in you, filling you with light, life, and 
holiness. [Ἐν ὑμῖν τοῖς πιστείουσιν, in you the be- 
lieving, defines and limits the effectual working of 
this grace, agreeable to the uniform teachings of 
the New Testament, to them that believe. ] 

14. Ye... became followers of the churches 
of God—There is not a word here of the Church 
of Rome pene the model after which the other 
Churches were to be formed; it had no such pre- 
eminence: this honour belonged to the Churches of 
Judea; it was according to them, not the Chureh 
at Rome, that the Asiatic Churches were modelled. 

3806 


h Matt. 5. 12; 23. 34,387; Luke 13. 33, 34; Acts 7. 
chased us out. ke ἔβη, 3. 8. —/ Luke 11, 52; Acts 13.40: 
70 ΕΝ 17. 5,13; 18. 12: 19.93 22. 21, 22. mn Gen. 15. 16; Matt, 
nm Matt. 24. 6, 14. =o Cor. δ; 33 Col./2: 5; pChap. 


52. ae re 


The purest of all the apostolic Churches was that 
of the Thessalonians, and this was formed after the 
Christian Churches in Judea, [Μιμηταὶ, imitators, 
certainly not in intention or design, (that is not 
the point of likeness here spoken of,) but in 
actual fact and result—Meyer.| Ye also have 
suffered .. . of your own countrymen—It is 
worthy of remark, that in almost every case the 
Jews were the leaders of all persecutions against 
the apostles and the infant Church. And what 
they could not do themselves they instigated others 
to do; and, by gathering together lewd fellows of 
the baser sort from among the Gentiles, they made 
frequent uproars, especially at Thessalonica, where 
the opposition to the Gospel was very high and 
the persecution of the Christians very hot. 

15, 16. Who both killed the Lord Jesus, 
ete.— What a finished but just characterization is 
this of the Jews! 1) They slew the Lord Jesus. 
2) They killed their own prophets. (Matt. xxiii, 
37.) 3) They persecuted the apostles. 4) They did 
not please God, though they pretended that their 
opposition to the Gospel was through their zeal for 
God’s glory. 5) They were contrary to all men; 
their conduct and influence were against the best 
interests of the whole human race. 6) They for- 
bade the apostles to preach that truth to the Gen- 
tiles by which alone men could be saved. 7) They 
filled up their sins always; they had no mere out- 
lines of iniquity, all were filled up ; every evil pur- 
pose was followed, as far as possible, with a wicked 
act! Is it any wonder, therefore, that wrath 
should come upon them to the uttermost? It 
is to be reckoned among the highest mercies of 
God that the whole nation was not pursued by the 
divine justice to utter and final extinction. 

17. Being taken from you for a short time 
—Through the persecution raised by the Jews (see 
Acts xvii) Paul was obliged to leave Thessalonica, 
and yield to a storm that it would have been use- 
less for him to have withstood. Being taken 
from you... in presence, not in heart—The 
apostle had compared himself to a parent or nurse, 
(verses 7—9,) and the people he considered as his 
most beloved children; here he represents himself 
as feeling what an affectionate father must feel 
when torn from his children ; for this is the import of 
the word ἀπορφανισθέντες, bereft of children, which 
we tamely translate “being taken from you.’ 
Endeavoured the more abundantly—His sepa- 
ration from them did not weaken his parental feel- 
ing, while his being obliged to leave them increased 
his desire to visit them as soon as possible. 


Paul sends Timothy to establish 
the Thessalonians in the faith. 


unto you, even I Paul, once and again: but 
“Satan hindered us. 19 For 'what és our 
hope, or joy, or* crown of trejoicing? Are not 
even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ 
"at his coming? 20 For ye are our glory and 


Joy. 
CHAPTER III. 
NEREFORE, «when we could no longer 
forbear, "we thought it good to be left 


r2 Cor. 1. 14; Phil, 2 16: 4. 1.—— 
1d. 23; chap. 3, 


q Rom. 1. 13; 15. 22. 4 
& Prov, 16, 31. tOr, glorying 2—1z1 Cor. 
13; Rev. 1. 7; 22. 12.— a Verse 5, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. Μ. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805. 


at Athens alone; 2 And sent ¢ Timothens, 
our brother, and minister of God, and our fel- 
low labourer in the gospel of Christ, to estab- 
lish you, and to comfort you concerning your 
faith: Φ 4¢That no man should be moved by 
these afflictions : for yourselves know that Ὁ we 
are appointed thereunto. 4 ‘For verily, when 
we were with you, we told you before that we 
should suffer tribulation; even as it came to 


18. Even I Paul—He hadalready sent Timothy 
and Silas to them; but he himself was anxious to 
see them, and had purposed this once and again; 
but Satan hindered: that is, some adversary, as 
the word means, whether the devil himself or some 
of his children. There was, however, such a 
Storm of persecution raised up against him that 
his friends did not think it prudent to permit him 
to go till the storm had been somewhat allayed. 

19, For what is our hope—I can have no 
prospects from earth; I have forsaken all for the 
Gospel; and esteem every thing it can afford as 
dross and dung that I may gain Christ. Why, 
then, should I continually labour at the risk of my 
life, preaching the Gospel? Is it not that you may 
be saved, that ye may be my crown of rejoicing in 
the day of Christ? For this I labour; and, having 
planted the Gospel among you, I wish to take every 
opportunity of watering it, that it may grow up 
into eternal life. [Ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ, literally, 
in his presence; rendered also, his coming again. 
The sense given to it is usually determined by the 
reader's views respecting the * Second advent” of 
Christ. (See at the end of the second epistle.)] 

20. For ye are our glory and joy—yYe are 
the seal of our apostleship; your conversion and 
steadfastness are a full proof that God hath sent 
us. Converts to Christ are our ornaments ; per- 
severing believers our joy in the day of judgment. 


1. In the preceding chapter we have the charac- 
teristics of a genuine pastor laid down in such 
a manner as not to be misunderstood. Every man 
who preaches the Gospel should carefully read 
this*chapter and examine himsélf by it. He who 
expects nothing but the approbation of Christ will 
labour for Christ ; and he who has the glory of his 
Master only in view, will ever have his Master’s 
presence and blessing. 

2. God, for reasons best known to himself, often 
permits the most pious and benevolent purposes of 
his servants to be frustrated for a time. It is well 
that the good purpose was in the heart ; but God 
knows the fittest time and place to bring it into 
effect. Let the purpose be retained, and the best 
time and place will be duly provided. As Satan 
constantly endeavours to oppose every good work, 
no wonder he is found opposing a good purpose, 
even at the very time that God sees it improper to 
bring it to the intended effect. “Man proposes, 
but God disposes.” 

8. The apostle speaks of the “wrath” coming 
upon the Jews: it was about twenty years after 
this that their city was destroyed, their temple 
burnt, more than a million of them destroyed, their 
civil polity utterly subverted, and what remained of 
this wretched nation scattered to all the winds of 
heaven; and in this State, without a nation, with- 
out a temple, they continue to this day, a monu- 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Wherefore, when we could no longer, 
etc.— The apostle was anxious to hear of the state 
[of the Thessalonians,] and as he could obtain no 
information without Sending a messenger express, 
he therefore sent Timothy from Athens; choosing 
rather to be left alone than to continue any longer 
in uncertainty relative to their state. 

2. Timotheus, our brother—It appears that 
Timothy was but a youth when converted ; he had 
now, however, been some years in the work of God: 
Paul therefore calls him his “ brother,” being one 
of the same Christian family, a son of God by 
adoption ; elsewhere he calls him his own son, (1 Tim. 
i, 2,) and his dearly beloved son, (2° Tim, 4.2) be 
cause he was brought to the knowledge of the true 
God and to salvation by Christ through the apos- 
tle’s instrumentality. (See the preface to the first 
epistle to Timothy.) Minister of God— Employed 
by God to preach the Gospel; this was God's work, 
and he had appointed Timothy to do it, and to 
do it at this time in conjunction with Paul; and 
therefore he calls him his fellow labourer. 
There were no sinecures then; preaching the Gos- 
pel was God’s work, the primitive preachers were 
his workmen, and laboured in this calling. 

3. That no man should be moved—That is, 
caused to apostatize from Christianity. We [that 
is, Christians] are appointed thereunto — Εἰς 
τοῦτο Keisha, we are exposed to this, we lic open to 
such, they are unavoidable in the present state of 
things. [Keiuefa, we are appointed, refers not 
only to Paul, or to Paul and his companions, nor 
also to Paul and the Thessalonians, but to Christ- 
ians in general.— Meyer. | 

4. That we should suffer tribulation — I 
prepared you for it, because I knew that it was ac- 
cording to their nature for wicked men to persecute 
the followers of God. [Μέλλομεν, like κείμεθα, 
(verse 3,) is to be taken generally. But μέλλομεν 
θλίβεσθαι (we shall suffer tribulation) is distin- 
guished from the simple future, since it character- 
izes the sufferings as inevitable, and as predeter- 
mined (not produced or purposed,) in the counsels 
of God, οἴδατε, (ye know,) from your own expevi- 
ence.— Meyer. | 

307 


A. M. 4056. A, Ὁ. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


pass, and ye know. 6 For this cause, § when 
1 could no longer forbear, I sent to know your 
faith, lest by some means the tempter have 
tempted you, and ‘our labour be in vain. 
6 « But now when Timotheus came from you 
unto us, and brought us good tidings of your 
faith and charity, and that ye have good re- 
membrance of us always, desiring greatly to 
see us, !}as we also to see you: 7% Therefore, 
brethren, ™we were comforted over you in all 
our affliction and distress by your faith: $ For 
now we live, if ye "stand fast in the Lord. 
9 °For what thanks can we render to God 
again for you, for all the joy wherewith we 
joy for your sakes before our God; 10 P Night 


I, THESSALONIANS. 


Paul expresses to the Church his 
love, and desire to visit them. 


and day 4praying exceedingly "that we might 
see your face, sand might perfect that which 
is lacking in your faith? I Now God him- 
self and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, 
tudirect our way unto you. 12 And the Lord 
‘make you to increase and abound in love 
w one toward another, and toward all men, even 
as we do toward you: 18 To the end he may 
xstablish your hearts unblamable in holiness 
before God, even our Father, at the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ ¥ with all his saints. 


CHAPTER IV. 
URTHERMORE then we *beseech you,. 
brethren, and bexhort yow by the Lord 


g Verse 1.—/1 Cor. 7. 5; 2 Cor. 11. 3.—7Gal. 2. 2; 4. 11; 
Phil. 2. 16.— Acts 18.°1, 5. “Phil. 1, 8.—m 2 Cor. 1. 4; 
7. 6, 7, 13.—n Phil. 4. 1.—oChap. 1. 2.—vp Acts 26. 7; 
2 Tim 1. 3.—g Rom. 1. 10, 11; 15. 32.—*r Chap. 2. 17. 


82 Cor, 13. 9,11; Col. 4. 12. —7 Or, guwide.—vwu Mark 1. 3, 
@ Chap. 4. 10.—2 Chap. 4. 9: 5.15; 2 Pet. 1. 7.—1Cor. 1. 8; 
Phil. 1.10; chap. ὅ. 23; 2 Thess. 2.17; 1 John 8. 20, 21.—y Zech. 
14.5; Jude 14.—a Or, requwest.—b Or, beseech. 


5. For this cause—Knowing that, you would 
be persecuted, and fearing your possible apostasy. 
Isent to know your faith—Whether you con- 
tinued steadfast in the truth, lest you might have 
been tempted by Satan to abandon the Gospel for 
which you suffered persecution. 

6. When Timotheus came—We have already 
seen that he and Silas stayed behind at Thessalo- 
nica when Paul was obliged to leave it ; for the per- 
secution seems to have been principally directed 
against him. When Paul came to Athens, he sent 
pressingly to him and Silas to come to him with all 
speed to that city. Afterward Paul sent Timothy 
back to Thessalonica to comfort and build up these 
new converts. After the departure of Timothy, 
Paul went himself to Corinth, and there Timothy 
soon after met him, with the good news of the 
steadiness of the Thessalonian Church. Your 
faith and charity—The good tidings which 
Timothy brought from Thessalonica consisted of 
three particulars: 1) Their “faith:” they con- 
tinued steadfast in their belief of the Gospel. 
2) Their “‘charity:” they loved one another, and 
lived in unity and harmony. 3) They were affec- 
tionately attached to the apostle ; they had good 
remembrance of him, and desired earnestly to see 
him. [And yet these three things were so closely 
related, that they mutually implied each the others. | 

7. Therefore ... we were comforted—My 
afflictions and persecutions seemed trifles when I 
heard of your perseverance in the faith. 

8. For now we live—Your steadfastness in 
the faith gives me new life and comfort; I now 
feel that I live to some purpose, as my labour in 
the Lord is not in vain. 

9. What thanks can we render to God— 
The high satisfaction and uncommon joy which the 
apostle felt are strongly depicted in this language. 
How near his heart did the success of his ministry 
lie! It was not enough for him that he preached 
so often, laboured so hard, suffered so much ; what 
were all these if souls were not converted? And 
what were all conversions, if those who embraced 
the Gospel did not walk steadily in the way to 
heaven, and persevere? [It is always well, and 
quite allowable, for a minister of the Gospel to de- 
Sire success in his work; it is, however, a higher 
mark of faith when, in the absence of success, he 
still earnestly and faithfully perseveres in his 
work. | 

10. Night and day praying exceedingly— 
papoliceling God at all times; mingling this with 

3 


all my prayers; ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ δεόμενοι, (above 
measure, praying,) abounding and superabounding 
in my entreaties to God to permit me to revisit 
you. How strong was his affection for this Church ! 
Might perfect that which is lacking—That I 
might have the opportunity of giving you the full- 
est instructions in the doctrine of Christ, that ye 
might have every thing in the most ample detail; 
so that the great outlines of truth which you al- 
ready know may be filled up, that ye may be per- 
fectly fitted to every good word and work. 

11. Now God himself and our Father—That 
is: God who is our Father, who has adopted us 
into the heavenly family, and called us his sons 
and daughters. Direct our way—As Paul was 
employed in God’s work he dared not consult his 
own wishes; he looked for continual directions from 
God, where, when, and how to do his Master’s work. 

12. Make you to increase and abound in 
love—tThey had already love to each other, so as 
to unite them in one Christian body ; and he prays 
that they may have an increase and an abundance 
of it; that they might feel the same love to each 
other which he felt for them all. 

13. To the end he may stablish your 
hearts—Without love to God and man there can 
be no establishment in the religion of Christ. It is 
love that produces both solidity and continuance, 
And, as love is the fulfilling of the law, he who is 
filled with love is unblamable in holiness. And 
he who has the love of God in him is a partaker of 
the divine nature, for God is love. At the com- 
ing of our Lord—God is coming to judge the 
world; every hour that passes on in the gen- 
eral lapse of time is advancing his approach ; 
whatsoever he does is in reference to this great 
event; and whatsoever we do should be in refer- 
ence to the same. That person only whose heart 
is established in holiness before God3 shall be 
able to bear the eve and strict serutiny of his Judge. 
Reader, lay this to heart, for thou knowest not what 
a moment may bring forth. When thy soul departs 
from thy body it will be the coming of the Lord to 
thee. [Ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ, κιτ.}., the coming of the 
Lord, is the same phrase as is found in chapter 
ii, 19, and evidently its import is the same. (See 
at the end of the second epistle.) | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV 
1. We beseech you, brethren, and exhort— 
We give you proper instructions in heavenly things, 
and request you to attend to our advice. The 


The Thessalonians exhorted to 
chastity and holiness. 


Jesus, ‘that as ye have received of us “how ye 
ought to walk «and to please God, so ye would 
abound more and more. 2 For ye know what 
commandments we gave you by the Lord Je- 
sus. % For this is ‘the will of God, even € your 
sanctification, "that ye should abstain from 
fornication: 4 ‘That every one of you should 
know how to possess his vessel in sanctifica- 
tion and honour; 6 * Not in the lust of con- 


c Phil. 1. 27; Col. d Chap. 12.—e Col. 1. 10.-— 
Romans 12. "2; Boho igen ἜΣ ΔΩ; cages SO : oo 
1 Cor. 6. ace 18: Ephesians 5. 3; Col. 3.5.—d Romans 6. 19; 

1 Cor, 6. 15, 18.—s Romans 1. οἷ, 26; Col. 8. 5.—/ Ephesians 


h 17, 18.— 1 Cor. 15. 34; Galatians 4. 8; Ephesians 2, 12; 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4956. A. D. 59, 
Year of Rome, 805. 


cupiscence, ᾿ even as the Gentiles ™ which know 
not God: 6 "That no man go beyond and 
°defraud his brother Pin any matter: because 
that the Lord 47s the avenger of all such, as 
we also have forewarned you and testified. 
7 For God hath not called us unto unclean- 
ness, "but unto holiness. δ *He therefore 
that ‘despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, 
“who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. 


4. 18; 2 Thess. 1. 8.—n Leviticus 19. 11,13; 1 Cor. 6. 8.——o Or, 
oppr esa, or, overreach. pOr, in the matter. —-g2 Thess. 
1, 8. 7 Leviticus 11. 44: 19. 2; 1 Cor. 1. 2; Hebrews 12. 14: 
i Peter 1. 14, 15.—-x« Luke 10. 16. main Or, rejecteth.—-u1 Cor, 
2. 10; 7.40; 1 John 3, 2 


apostle used most pressing entreaties ; for he had a 
strong and affectionate desire that this Church 
should excel in all righteousness and true holiness. 
Please God ... more and more—God sets no 
bounds in the communications of his grace and 
Spirit to them that are faithful. And as there are 
no bounds to the graces, so there should be none 
to the exercise of those graces. No man can ever 
feel that he loves God too much, or that he loves 
man too much for God’s sake. [That in the way 
ye have walked, ye will continue to walk in the 
future. Continuance rather than increase is here 
the ruling idea: though continuance will certainly 
bring increase. | 

2. Ye know what commandments we gave 
you—tThis refers to Paul’s instructions while he 
was among them; and to instructions on particular 
subjects, which he does not recapitulate, but only 
hints at. 

3. This is the will of God, even your sanc- 
tification—God has called you to holiness; he re- 
quires that you should be holy; for without holi- 
ness none can see the Lord. This is the general 
calling, but in it many particulars are included. 
Some of these he proceeds to mention; and it is 
very likely that these had been points on which he 
gave them particular instructions while among 
them. That ye should abstain from fornica- 
tion—The word πορνεία, as we have seen in other 
places, includes al/ sorts of uncleanness. Direc- 
tions of this kind were peculiarly necessary among 
the Greeks, and indeed heathens in general, who 
were strongly addicted to such vices. “[Ὸ dy LOO LOC 
differs from ἁγιωσύνη, for while the latter expresses 
an abstract ethical property the former has an active 
sense, indicating a purposed self-consecration, in 
this case to be evinced by abstaining from actual 
sin. | 

4. How to possess his vessel—Let every man 
use his wife for the purpose alone for which God 
created her, and instituted marriage. The word 
oxévoc, though it signifies ‘“‘ vessel” in general, has 
several other meanings. And the rabbins fre- 
quently express wife ‘by it. St. Peter calls the 
wife the weaker vessel. (1 Pet. iii, 7.) Others 
think that the body is meant, which is the “ ves- 
sel” in which the soul dwells. In this sense Paul 
uses it, (2 Cor. iv, 7:) “We have this treasure in 
earthen vessels ;”” and in this sense it is used by 
both Greek and Roman authors. There is a third 
sense which interpreters have put on the word, 
which I forbear to name. The general sense is 
plain: purity and contineney are most obviously 
intended, whether the word be understood as refer- 
ring to the wife or the husband, as the following 
verse sufficiently proves. 

5. Not in the lusts of concupiscence—[Vot 


in the lustfulness of desire, that morbid and sinful 
state in which ἐπιθυμία becomes the ruling and 
prevailing principle. (See Col. iii, 5.)—Z//icott.] 
The Gentiles which know not God—These are 
the beasts ; their own brutes are rational creatures 
when compared with them. (See Rom. i and ii.) 
They who wish to see more may consult Juvenal, 
and particularly his sixth and ninth Satires; and 
indeed nearly all the writers on Greek and Roman 
morals. 

6. That no man go beyond and defraud his 
brother—That no man should by any means en- 
deavour to corrupt the wife of another, or to alien- 
ate her affections or fidelity from her husband; this 
is most likely the apostle’s meaning, though some 
understand it in a more general sense. The Lord 
is the avenger of all such—He takes up the 
cause of the injured husband wherever the case 
has not been detected by man, and all such vices 
he will signally punish. Every species of unclean- 
ness was practised among the heathens, nor were 
they reputed as vices. Their gods, their emperors, 
their philosophers, and their great men in general, 
gave them examples of every species of impurity; 
and they had no system of ethics which forbade 
these abominations. The Christian religion not 
only discountenances these things, but forbids them 
on the most awful penalties; therefore, wherever 
Christianity prevails, these vices, if practised at all, 
are obliged to seek the deepest gloom of midnight 
to cover them from the eyes of men. 

7. God hath not called us unto uncleanness 
—He is the creator of male and female, and the 
institutor of marriage, and he has called men and 
women to this state; but the end of this and all 
the other callings of God to man is holiness, not 
uncleanness. And they who use the marriage state 
as he directs will find it conducive to their holi- 
ness and perfection. 

8. He therefore that despiseth—He who will 
not receive these teachings, and is led either to 
undervalue or despise them, despises not us but 
God, from whom we have received our commission, 
and by whose Spirit we give these directions. 
(See on verse 15.) Hath also given unto us 
his Holy Spirit—Instead of εἰς ἡμᾶς, unto vs, εἰς 
ὑμᾶς, unto you, is the reading [now approved by 
the best authorities.] God has taught ws that we 
may teach you; and he has.also given you his 
Holy Spirit that ye might understand and be en- 
abled to practise these things. It is one thing to 
receive a revelation from the Spirit of God; it is 
another thing to receive that Spirit to enable a man 
to live according to that revelation. [Hence the 
sin (your sin) in setting at naught such limitations 
and rules is a fearful one, no less than setting at 
naught God, the giver of the Holy Spirit —A//ord.] 

909 


A. M. 4056, A, D. 52. 1 
Year of Rome, 805. 3 


Φ But as touching brotherly love ye need not 
that I write unto you: for “ye yourselves are 
taught of God * to love one another. 10 ¥ And 
indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which 
are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, 
brethren, *that ye increase more and more; 
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and «to do 
your own business, and *to work with your 
own hands, as we commanded you: 12¢That 


THESSALONIANS. 


The righteous dead to be brought 
again to life. 


ye may walk honestly toward them that are 
without, and that ye may have lack 4 of noth- 
ing. ἘΦ But I would not have you to be 
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are 
asleep, that ye sorrow not, ©even as others 
‘which have no hope. 14 For ¢if we believe 
that Jesus died and rose again, even so "them 
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
him. 415 For this we say unto you 'by the 


51. 84: John 6. 45; 14, 26 ; Heb, 8. pe 
; Juhn 13. 34; 15 12 ; Eph. 5 

y Chap. 1. 
15.—b Acts 90. 355 ip 


Ww hee 


1 John 3. ᾿ ΤΊ, δ τ 4, 21. 
1 Pet. 4 


v Chap. 5. 1. 
1 John 2 
28 ᾿ ΒΕ 831 
«2 Thess, 3. 11; 


4. 28; 2 Thess. 3. 7, 8, 12.—ec Rom. 13. 13;'2 Cor. 8. 21: Col. 
4.5; 1 Pet. 2. 12. d Or, of no pate Se See Lev. 19. 28; 
Deut. 14. 1. 2; 2Sam. 12. 20.—/Eph, 2 g ΤΙ Jo. 13: 


—/ 1 Cor. 15. 18, 23; chap. 3. 13. 3. 17, 18; 20. 35. 


[In a qualified, but fearfully important, sense it is 
sinning against the Holy Ghost. } 

9. Touching brotherly love—They were re- 
markable for this; and though the apostle appears 
to have had this as a topic on which he intended 
to write to them, yet, from the account which he re- 
ceived of their prosperous state by Timothy, he 
finds that it is unnecessary to spend any time in 
inculcating a doctrine which they fully understood 
and practised. (See chapter iii, 6.) 

10. Ye do it toward all the brethren—Ye 
not only love one another at Thessalonica, but ye love 
all the brethren in Macedonia; ye consider them 
allas children of the same Father; and that all 
the Churches which are in Christ make one great 
and glorious body, of which he is the Head. 

11. That ye study to be quiet—Though in 
general the Church at Thessalonica was pure and 
exemplary, yet there seem to have been some 7dlers 
among them, who disturbed the peace of others 
persons who gadded about from house to ΡΝ 
did not work, but medd/ed with other people’s bus- 
iness, making parties, and procuring their bread by 
religious gossipping. Respecting these the apostle 
gives directions that they should “study to be 
quiet,” ἡσυχάζειν, to hold their peace, as their relig- 
ious cant will never promote true religion; that 
they should do their own business, and let that 
of others alone; and that they should work with 
their own hands, and not be a burden to the 
Church of God. An idle person, though able to 
discourse like an angel or pray like an apostle, 
cannot be a Christian; all such are hypocrites and 
deceivers ; the true members of the Church of Christ 
walk, work, and labour. 

12. That ye may walk honestly—Eioyyydv ως 
Sather decently, vespectably; as is consistent 
with the purity, holiness, gravity, and usefulness of 
your Christian calling. Them that are without 
—The unconverted Gentiles and Jews. (See Col. 
iv, 5.) That ye may have lack of nothing— 
That ye may be able to get your bread by honest 
labour, which God will ever bless ; and be charge- 
able τὸ πὸ man. He that is dependent on another 
is necessarily in bondage; and he who is able to 
get his own bread by the sweat of his brow should 
not be under obligation even to a king. [Verses 
11 and 12 east much light on the social position 
and manners of the Thessalonian Christians, show- 
ing that they belonged chiefly to the working 
classes, and were especially exposed to the tempta- 
tions of such persons and of their associations. | 

18. I would not have (wish) you to be igno- 
rant—Instead of ἔχομεν, have, θέλομεν, wish, is 
doubtless the true reading. This was probably one 
of the points which were lacking in their faith, 
that he wished to go to Thessalonica to instruct 
them.in. Concerning them which are asleep 

310 


—That is, those who are dead. It is ane that 
the apostle had heard that the Thessalonians con- 
tinued to lament over their dead, as the heathens 
did in general who had xo hope of the resurrection, 
and that they had been puzzled concerning the 
doctrine of the resurrection. To set them right on 
this important subject he delivers three important 
truths: 1) He asserts, as he had done before, that 
they who died in the Lord should have, in virtue 
of Christ’s resurrection, a resurrection unto eternal 
life and blessedness. 2) He makes a new discov- 
ery, that the last eeneration should not die at all, 
but be in a moment changed to immortals. 8) He 
adds another new discovery, that, though the living 
should not die, but be transformed, yet the dead 
should first be raised, and so be made glorious 
and immortal; and thus, in some measure, have 
the preference and advantage of such as shall 
then be found alive. [Most modern interpreters 
seem rightly to coincide in the opinion that in 
the infant Church of Thessalonica there had pre- 
vailed, apparently from the very first, a feverish 
anxiety about the state of those who had departed, 
and about the time and circumstances of the Lord’s 
coming. They seem especially to have feared that 
those of their brethren who had fallen on sleep be- 
fore the expected advent of the Lord would not 
participate in its blessings and glories. (Verse 15.) 
Thus their apprehensions did not so much relate 
to the resurrection generally, as to the share which 
the departed were to have in the παρουσία τοῦ 
Kupiov.— Elllicott.]| (See end of second epistle.) 

14. For if we believe that Jesus died and 
rose again—KHi yap, seeing that we believe; know- 
ing that the resurrection of Christ is as fully au- 
thenticated as his death. Hven so them— It 
necessarily follows that them who sleep (die) in 
Jesus—in the faith of the Gospél—will God 
bring with him. He will raise them up as Je- 
sus was raised from the dead, that is, by his own 
eternal power and energy; and he will bring them 
“ with him ”"—with Christ—for he is the head of the 
Church, which is his body. [|Christ’s resurrection 
included in itself, provisionally and potentially, the 
resurrection of all that are ‘in him,” which is sure 
to Pe realized at the proper time. ] 

15. This we say unto you by the word of 
the Lord—This I have, by express revelation, 
from the Lord; what Paul now delivers he gives 
as coming immediately from the Spirit of God. 
In no place does the apostle speak more confidently 
and positively of his inspiration than here. [It is 
impossible to decide with certainty whether the 
words ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου, in, by, or through the word 
of the Lor d, indicates a reference to what had pre- 
viously been taught by Christ, (see Matt. xxiv, 5 
Mark xi, 27, John vi, 39,) or whether they indi- 
cate a special rev elation given at that time. ‘Either 


Believers to dwell forever 
with the Lord. 


word of the Lord, that *we which are alive 
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall 
not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For 
1the Lord himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with ™the trump of God: "and the dead in 
Christ shall rise first: 17 °Then we which 
are alive and remain shall be caught up to- 
gether with them Pin the clouds, to meet the 
Lord in the air: and so 4shall we ever be with 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4056. A, Ὁ. 59. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


the Lord. 18 "Wherefore ‘comfort one an- 
other with these words. 


CHAPTER V. 
UT of «the tiines and the seasons, brethren, 
'ye have no need that I write unto you. 
2 For yourselves know perfectly that ¢the 
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the 
night. & For when they shall say, Peace and 
safety; then 4sudden destruction cometh upon 


ἈΕῚ Cor, 15, 51.—/ Matt, 24. 30, 381; Acts 1. 11; 2 Thess. 1.7. 
—m 1 Cor. 15. 52.—wn 1 Cor, 15, 23, 52.—o1 Cor, 15. 51. 
Acts 1. 9; Rev. 11. 12.—— gq John 12. 26; 14.3; 17. 24. — 
7” Chap. ὅ. 11]. 


8 Or, exhort.—a Matt. 24. 3, 86: Acts 1. 7. Chap, 4. 9 
— ¢ Matt. 24. 48, 44; 25. 18; Luke 12. 39, 40; 2 Pet. 3. 10; Rev- 
3. 3; 16. 15.—dIsa. 13. 6, 8,9; Luke 17. 27, 28, 29; 21. 34, 33; 
2 Thess, 1. 9. 


interpretation is admissible, but the language rather 
favours the former.] We which are alive and 
remain—By the pronoun “we,” the apostle does 
not intend himself and the Thessalonians, to whom 
he was then writing; he is speaking of the genuine 
Christians which shall be found on earth when 
Christ comes to judgment. From not considering 
the manner in which the apostle uses this word, 
some have been led to suppose that he imagined 
that the day of judgment would take place in that 
generation, and while he and the then believers at 
Thessalonica were in life. But it is impossible 
that a man under so direct aninfluence of the Holy 
Spirit should be permitted to make such a mis- 
take; may, no man in the exercise of his sober 
reason could have formed such an opinion: there 
was nothing to warrant the supposition; no prem- 
ises from which it could be fairly deduced; nor 
indeed any thing in the cireumstances of the Church, 
nor in the constitution of the world, that could 
have suggested a hint of the kind. The apostle is 
speaking of the thing indefinitely as to the time 
when it shall happen, but positively as to the order 
that shall be then observed. [Whether or not 
the apostles, including Paul, expected the early 
“coming of Christ,” (~apovoia,) is a question that 
has been much disputed. The Germans usually 
take the affirmative, but the English, with some 
eminent exceptions, the negative.] Shall not pre- 
vent them which are asleep—[0i μὴ φθάσωμεν, 
shall not precede, not get ahead of.| Those who 
shall be found living in that day, though they shall 
not pass through death, but be suddenly changed, 
shall not go to glory before them that are dead, 
for the dead in Christ shall rise first—[IIpo- 
Tov, first, may here be used simply in respect to the 
order of the apostle’s statement, without any ref- 
erence to the succession or the time of the events 
named.] Those who shall be found alive on that 
day shall not anticipate glory before the dead in 
Christ. 

16. The Lord himself—That is, Jesus Christ. 
Shall descend from heaven—Shall descend in 
like manner as he was seen by his disciples to as- 
cend, that is, in his human form, but now infinitely 
more glorious; for thousands of thousands shall 
minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou- 
sand shall stand before him; for the Son of man 
shall come on the throne of his glory; but who may 
abide the day of his coming, or stand when he ap- 
peareth? With ashout—Or order, ἐν κελεύσματι. 
[A word of command, as given to a body of sol- 
diers ora gang of rowers; the resurrection call. To 
attempt to give the words of this command, or to in- 
quire by whom it was uttered, is worse than useless ] 

_17. Then we which are alive, ete.—[‘Hwei¢ οἱ 
ζῶντες , whether or not Paul included himself in the 


number of those who would be alive at the oceur- 
rence of the event he is describing will be answered 
yes or no according to other things that are ques- 
tioned in the subject. Strong critical forces ave 
arrayed on both sides. } 

18. Comfort one another with these words 
—Strange saying! comfort a man with the infor- 
mation that he is going to appear before the judg- 
ment seat of God! Who can feel comfort from 
these words ? That man alone with whose spirit the 
Spirit of God bears witness that his sins are blotted 
out, and the thoughts of whose heart are purified 
by the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, so that he 
can perfectly love him and worthily magnify his 
name. Reader, thou art not in a safe state un- 
less it be thus with thee, or thou art hungering and 
thirsting after righteousness. If so, thou shalt be 
filled; for it is impossible that thou shouldst be 
taken away in thy sins while mourning after the 
salvation of God. They that seek shadd find. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. But of the times and the seasons—It is 
natural to suppose, after what Paul had said in the 
conclusion of the preceding chapter concerning the 
coming of Christ, the raising of the dead, and ren- 
dering those immortal who should then be found 
alive without obliging them to pass through the 
empire of death, that the Thessalonians would feel 
an innocent curiosity to know when those things 
should take place. And it is remarkable that the 
apostle answers here to these anticipated ques- 
tions, as our Lord did (Matt. xxiv, 3) to the direct 
question of his disciples; and he seems to refer 
in these words, ‘‘ Of the times and the seasons 
ye have no need that I write unto you, for your- 
selves ... know that the day of the Lord so 
cometh as a thief in the night,” to what our Lord 
then said. (Matt. xxiv, 44; xxv, 13.) It is very 
likely, therefore, that the apostle, like our Lord, 
couples these two grand events—the destruction of 
Jerusalem and the final judgment. And it appears 
most probable that it is of the former event 
chiefly that he speaks here, as it was certainly of 
the latter that he treated in the conclusion of the 
preceding chapter. In the notes on Acts i, 6, 7, it 
has already been shown that the χρόνους ἢ καιροῦς, 
times or seasons, (the very same terms which are 
used here,) refer to the destruction of the Jewish 
commonwealth; and we may fairly presume that 
they have the same meaning in this place. 

2. For yourselves know perfectly — [Paul 
had already, by word of mouth, taught them as 
much as could be known.) As a thief— [It is 
both the suddenness and the terribleness of the 
day’s coming which is here dwelt upon.—A/ford.] 

3. For when they shall say, Peace and 

811 


A, M. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52, 
Year of Rome, 805. 


them, eas travail upon a woman with child; cen ! 


and they shall not escape. ‘ But ye, breth- 
ren, are not in darkness, that that day should 
overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all &the 
children of light, and the children of the day: 
we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 
6 "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; 
but ‘let us watch and be sober. 7% For * they 
that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be 


I. THESSALONIANS. 


Uncertainty of the time of 
Christ’s second coming. 


drunken 'are drunken in the night. 5 But 
let us, who are of the day, be sober, ™ putting 
on the breastplate of faith and love; and for 
a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For *God 
hath not appointed us to wrath, ὁ but to obtain 
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 ? Who 
died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, 
we should live together with him. ΕΠ 4 Where- 
fore "comfort yourselves together, and edify 


e Jer. 13, 21; Hos. 13. 13. Rom, 13.12, 13:1 John 2.8—-| 1 Acts 2. 15. τῶι Isaiah 59. 17: Eph. 6. HM, 16, 17. τ ἢ Rom. 
Fins 5. 8. ἡ Matt. 25. 5.—zé Matt. 24. p 3 Qo. 13: Rom: 13, | 9. 93: ehap: 10; 1 Pet. 2. 8; 2 Thess 2. 13, 14. 
11. 15.513: 1Pe 5 21. 34, 36; Rom, 18. 13; 1 Cor. 1ὅ. p Rom. ii. 8, 9; 2 2 Gor, 3. ih Onan 4. 18. 7 Or, 
81; Eph. ὅ , 14. exhort. 
safety —This points out, very particularly, the state | sin, so that they neither think nor feel; but live in 


of the Jewish people ‘when the Romans came 
against them; and so fully persuaded were they 
that God would not deliver the city and temple to 
their enemies, that they refused every overture that 
was made to them. Sudden destruction—In the 
storming of their city, and the burning of their 
temple, and the massacre of several hundreds of 
themselves; the rest being sold for slaves, and the 
whole of them dispersed over the face of the earth. 
As travail upon a woman—This figure is per- 
fectly consistent with what the apostle had said 
before, namely, that “the times and seasons” were 
not known; though the thing itself was expected, 
our Lord having predicted it in the most positive 
manner. All that was specifically known was this: 
their destruction was coming, and it should be sud- 
den, and they should not escape. 

4. But ye, brethren, are not in darlzness— 
Probably St. Paul refers to a notion that was very 
prevalent among the Jews, namely, that God would 
judge the Gentiles in the nighttime, when utterly 
secure and careless ; but he would judge the Jews 
in the daytime, when employed in reading and per- 
forming the words of the law. [Ἐν oxérec (in 
darkness) vefers to the ignorance and moral slum- 
ber of the world which knows not God, . ἵνα, 
in order that, giving the purpose of the divine ar- 
rangement ; for with God all results are purposed. 
— Alford. | 

5. We are all the children of light—Ye are 
children of God, and enjoy both his “light” and 
life. Yeare Christians—ye belong to Him who has 
brought life and immortality to light by His Gos- 
pel. This dispensation, under which ye are, has 
illustrated all the preceding dispensations ; in its 
“Jioht” all is become luminous; and ye, who 
walked formerly in heathen ignorance, or in the 
darkness of Jewish prejudices, are now light in the 
Lord, because ye have believed in him who is the 
light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory and 
splendour of his people Israel. We (all Christ- 
ians) are not of the night, nor of darkness—Our 
actions are such as we are not afraid to expose them 
to the fullest and clearest light. Sinners hate the 
light; they are enemies to “knowledge ; they love 
us darkness ;” they will not receive instruction ; and 
their deeds are such as cannot bear the light. [For 
Christians the day has already dawned inwardly, 
though it does not yet prevail without. As chil- 
dren of light they are now already doing that 
which shall be their everlasting employment in the 
day which will make all things manifest.—Lange. | 

6. Let us not sleep, as do others—Let “us” 
who are of the day—who believe the Gospel and 
belong to Christ—not give way to a careless, uncon- 
cerned state of mind, like to the Gentiles and sin- 
ners in general, who are stupified and blinded by 

312 


time as if there were no eternity, no future state of 
existence, rewards, or punishments. Let us 
watch—Be always on the alert. And be sober 
-—Making a moderate use of all things. 

7. For they that sleep—Sleepers and drunk- 
ards seek the night season; so the careless and the 
profligate persons indulge their evil propensities, 
and avoid all means of instruction; they prefer 
their ignorance to the word of God’s or ace, and to 
the light of life. It was accounted doubly scanda- 
lous, even among the heathen, to be drunk in the 
daytime. They who were drunken were drunken 
in the night. 

8. Putting on the breastplate—We are not 
only called to work, but we are called also to fight; 
and that we may not be surprised, we must watch; 
and that we may be in a condition to defend our- 
selves, we must be sober; and that we may be en- 
abled to conquer, we must be armed: and what the 
breastplate and helmet are to a soldier’s heart and 
head, such are faith, love, and hope to us. 
“ Faith” enables us to evdure, as seeing him who 
is invisible; ‘love ” excites us to diligence and ac- 
tivity, and makes us bear our troubles and difficul- 
ties pleasantly ; “hope” helps us to anticipate the 
ereat end, the glory that shall be revealed, and 
which we know we shall in due time obtain if we 
faint not. (See Eph. vi, 13-17.) 

9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath 
—|The divine purpose in the appointments of the 
Gospel is, that men should be delivered from wrath,. 
(opy7zv,) which purpose, however, is conditioned on 
the faith of those to whom it is offered, and on 
their diligence in “fighting the good fight of faith.” 
And to all such as so believe, the appointment is 
not to wrath, but to salvation, through what Christ 
has done and suffered for tleem. | 

10. Who died for us—His death was an aton- 
ing sacrifice for the Gentiles as well as for the 
Jews. Whether we wake or sleep—Whether 
we live or die, whether we are in this state or in 
the other world, we shall live together with him— 
shall enjoy his life, and the consolations of his 
Spirit, while here; and shall be glorified together 
with him in the eternal world. The words show 
that everywhere and in all circumstances genuine 
believers, who walk after God, have life and com- 
munion with him, and are continually happy, and 
constantly safe. 

11. Comfort ... one another—Rest assured 
that in all times and circumstances it shall be well 
with the righteous ; let every man lay this to heart; 
and with this consideration ‘ comfort ” and “ edify” 
each other in all trials and difficulties. [Here the 
work of God and man’s doing are intimately con- 
joined, the former with the latter. By God’s ap- 
pointment Christ died for us, that we might live 


The Church exhorted to esteem its 
ministers, and to dwell in peace. 


one another, even as also ye do. 12 And 
we beseech you, brethren, ‘to know them 
which labour among you, and are over you 
in the, Lord, and admonish you; 48 And 
to esteem them very highly in love for their 
work’s sake. * And be at peace among your- 
selves. 84 Now we “exhort you, brethren, 
vwarn them that are ~ unruly, *comfort the 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4056, A. Ὁ. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


tient toward all men. 45 *See that none 
render evil for evil unto any man; but ever 
‘follow that which is good, both among your- 
selves, and to all men. 16 © Rejoice ever- 


more. 17 ¢Pray without ceasing. IS ¢In 
every thing give thanks: for this is the 


will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 
19 ‘Quench not the Spirit. 20 ¢ Despise 


feebleminded, y support the weak, be pa- not prophesyi ings. 21 Prove all things ; ‘hold 

81 Cor. 16. 18: Phil. 1 Tim, 5. 17; Heb. 13. 7, 17.— | 6. 7: 1 Peter 3. 9.—— Gal. 6. 10; chap. 3. 12.—e 2 Cor. 6. 10: 
t Mark 9. 50.——zx Or, ἜΣ: ΣΙ, —v2 Thess, 3. 11, 12.—2 Or, | Phil. 4. 4.—d Luke 18. 1; 21. 36 Rom. 12. 12; Eph. 6.18: Col. 
disorderly. wtleb, 12. 12.—y Rom. 14. 1; 15.1; Gal. 6. 4. ὃ: τ τ: 4. é Eph. δ. 90: σὴ; 17.--- Eph. 4. 30; 
i. 2Gal. 5.22: Eph. 4. ὃ: Col. 3. 12; 3 Tim, 4 2.—a Lev. 1Tim. 4. 14: 2 Tim. 1. 1. 6; see 1 Cor. —g1 Cor, 14.1, 39. 
19. 18; Prov. 20. 22; 24. 29; Matt. ὅ. 39,44; Rom. 12. 17; 1 Cor. | ---λἀιῖ eye . 11, 15; 1 John 4, pia Phil, 4. 8. 


with him. Through Jesus Christ (by the imme- 
diate agency of the Holy Spirit) we may, and ought 
to, make salvation our own. He has (provisionally) 
accomplished it, and on this foundation alone can 
there be any mention of our obtaining it. We do 
not, however, realize its benefits as a matter of 
course—ex opere operato Jesu Christi, (by the work 
done by Jesus Christ,)—but only when we allow 
what he has done for us to work iz us. To this 
end is mutual exhortation directed.— Lange. ] 

12. Know them—Act kindly toward them; ac- 
knowledge them as the messengers of Christ; and 
treat them with tenderness and respect. This is a 
frequent meaning of the word γινώσκω. (See on 
John i, 10.) Them which labour among you 
—The word κοπιῶντας is the participle of the pres- 
ent tense, indicating the continuing of the work 
referred to. Both it and the word προϊσταμένους, 
the swperintendents, refer to persons then actually 
employed in the work of God. These were all ad- 
monishers, teachers, and instructors of the people, 
devoting their time and talents to this important 
work. 

13. Esteem them very highly in love— 
Christian ministers who preach the whole truth, 
and labour in the word and doctrine, are entitled 
to more than vespect ; the apostle commands them 
to be esteemed, ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, abundantly, and 
superabundantly; and this is to be done “in love;” 
and as men delight to serve those whom they love, 
it necessarily follows that they should provide for 
them, and see that they want neither the necessaries 
nor conveniences of life; food, raiment, and lodg- 
ing for themselves and their household. This they 
ought to have for their work’s sake; those who 
do not work should not eat. As ministers of Christ, 
such as labour not are unworthy either of respect 
or support. 

14. Warn them that are unruly—’Ardxzouc, 
those who are out of their ranks, and are neither in 
a disposition nor situation to perform their duty; 
those who will not do the work prescribed, and who 
will meddle with what is not commanded. Com- 
fort the feebleminded — Τοὺς dAryowiyouc, the 
fainthearted ; those who are dispirited because 
of the number of the enemy and their own feeble- 
ness. Let them know that the battle is not theirs, 
but the Lord’s; and that those who trust in him 
shall conquer. Support the weak—'Avréyeotle 
τῶν ἀσθενῶν, shore up, prop, them that are weak ; 
strengthen those wings and companies that, are 
likely to be most exposed, that they be not over- 
powered and broken in the day of battle. Be pa- 
tient toward 411- Μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας, the 
disorderly, the Seebleminded, and the weak, will ex- 
ercise your patience and try your temper. We have 
often seen that the Christian life is compared to a 


warfare, and that the directions given to soldiers 
are, allowing for the different systems, suitable to 
Christians. (See Eph. vi.) The ministers of Christ, 
being considered as officers, should acquaint them- 
selves with the officer’s duty. He who has the di- 
rection and management of a Church of God will 
need all the skill and prudence he can acquire. 

15. See that none render evil for evil— 
Every temper contrary to love is contrary to Chris- 
tianity. A peevish, fretful, vindictive man may be 
a child of Satan, he certainly is not a child of God. 
Follow that which is good—That by which ye 
may profit your brethren and your neighbours of 
every description, whether Jews or Gentiles. 

16. Rejoice evermore — Be always happy; the 
religion of Christ was intended to remove misery. 
He that has God for his portion may constantly 
exult. 

17. Pray without ceasing—Ye are dependent 
on God for every good; without him ye can do 
nothing ; feel that dependence at all times, and ye 
will always be in the spirit of prayer; and those 
who feel this spirit will, as frequently as possible, 
be found in the exercises of prayer. (See Eph. 
vi, 8; Col. iv, 2.) [Cherishing a spirit of prayer, 
and making devotion the real and true business of 
: 

. ΤῈ every thing give thanks — For this 
eae that all things work together for good to 
them that love God; therefore, every occurrence 
may be a subject of gratitude and thankfulness. 
While ye live to God, prosperity and adversity will 
be equally helpful to you. For this is the will 
of God—That ye should be always happy; that ye 
should ever be in the spirit of prayer; and that ye 
should profit by every occurrence in life, and be 
continually grateful and obedient; for gratitude 
and obedience are inseparably connected. 

19. Quench not the Spirit—The Holy Spirit is 
represented as a fire, because it is his province to 
enlighten and quicken the soul; and to purge, 
purify, and refine it. This Spirit’s fire is repre- 
sented as being guenched when any act is done, 
word spoken, or temper indulged, contrary to it. 
It is love; and therefore anger, malice, revenge, or 
any unkind or unholy temper will quench it and 
destroy its influences. It has been observed that 
fire may be quenched as well by heaping earth on it 
as by throwing water on it; and so the love of the 
world will as surely and effectually grieve and 
quench the Spirit as an overt act of transgression, 
It is not the miraculous gifts of the Spirit which 
the apostle means, for these were given to few, and 
not always; and the direction in the text is general, 
and refers to a gift of which they were generally 
partakers. 

20. Despise not prophesyings—Do not sup- 

313 


A. M. 4056, A. D. 52, 
Yeur of Rome, 805. 


I. THESSALONIANS. 


The apostle’s concluding charge 
and benediction, 


fast that which is good. 22 * Abstain from 
all appearance of evil. 28 And!the very God 
of peace “sanctify you wholly; and J pray 
God your whole spirit and soul and body "be 
preserved blameless unto the coming of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 24 °Faithful is he that 


calleth you, who also will do it. 25 Breth- 
ren, Ppray for us. 26 4 Greet all the brethren 
with a holy kiss. 27 I ‘charge you by the 
Lord, that *this epistle be read unto all the 
holy brethren. - 28 ‘The grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 


ae Gane 


a 


Gon 9; 10. 13; 2 Thess. 3. 3 ἘΞ Col. 


pose that ye have no need of continual instruction ; 
without it ye cannot preserve the Christian life nor 
go on to perfection. God will ever send a message 
of salvation by each of his ministers to every faith- 
ful, attentive hearer. They who slight or neglect 
the means of grace, and especially the preaching of 
God’s holy word, are generally vain, empty, self- 
conceited people, and exceedingly superficial both 
in knowledge and piety. 

21. Prove all things— Whatever ye hear in 
these ‘“ prophesyings ” or preachings, examine by 
the words of Christ and by the doctrines which 
from time to time we have delivered unto vou in 
our preaching and writings. Try the spirits—the 
different teachers—by the word of God. Hold fast 
that which is good—Whatever in these proph- 
esyings is found agreeable to the things you hav 
heard from us and has a tendency to increase 
your faith, love, holiness, and usefulness, that re- 
ceive and hold fast. There were prophets or teach- 
ers even at that time who professed to be of God 
and yet were not. 

22. Abstain from all appearance of evil—Sin 
not, and avoid even the “appearance” of 10. Do not 
drive your morality so near the bounds of evil as to 
lead even weak persons to believe that ye actually 
touch, taste, or handle it. Let not the form of it 
(cidove) appear with or among you, much less the 
substance. Ye are called to holiness; be ye holy, 

or God is holy. 

23. And the very God of peace—That same 
God who is the author of “peace,” the giver of 
“peace,” and who has sent, for the redemption of 
the world, the Prince of “ peace,” may that very 
God sanctify you wholly; leave no more eyil in 
your hearts than his precepts tolerate evil in your 
conduct. The word “wholly” (ὁλοτελεῖς) means 
precisely the same as our phrase ¢o all intents and 
purposes. May he sanctify you to the end and to 
the uttermost, that, “as sin hath reigned unto 
death, even so may grace reign through “righteous- 
ness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.” 
Your whole spirit and soul and body—Some 
think that the apostle alludes to the Pythagorean 
and Platonic doctrine, which was acknowledged 
among the Thessalonians. I should rather believ 
that he refers simply to the fact that the creatur 
called man is a compound being, consisting, 1) Of 
a body, (G@ua,) an organized system composed of 
bones, muscles, and nerves; of arteries, veins, and 
a variety of other vessels, in which the blood and 
other fluids circulate. 2) Of a soul, (ψυχῆ,) which 
is [the animal life-principle,| the seat of the affec- 
tions and passions and appetites. 9) Of spirit, 
(xvevua,) [the rational soul,] the immortal principle, 
which alone possesses the faculty of intelligence, 
understanding, thinking, ahd reasoning. The apos. 
tle prays s that this compound being, in all its parts, 
powers, and faculties, which he ‘terms ὁλόκληρον, 
their whole, comprehending all parts, every thing 
that constitutes man and manhood, may be sancti- 

314 


2 Thess. 3. 1 —g Rom. 16. 16. r Or, adjure.—s Col. 4. 163 
2 Thess. 3. 14.—7 Rom. 16. 20, 24; 2 Thess. 3. 18. 


jied and preserved blamcless till the coming of 
Christ. 

24, Faithful is he that calleth you—In a 
great variety of places in his word God has prom. 
ised to sanctify his followers, and his faithfulness 
assures us that he will fulfil his promises. He 
who believes will find this thing also possible to 
him. 

25. Pray for us—Even apostles, while acting 
under an extraordinary mission, and enjoying the 
inspirations of the Holy Ghost, felt the necessity of 
the prayers of the faithful. God requires that his 
people should pray for his ministers; and it is not 
to be wondered at if they who pray not for their 
preachers should receive no benefit from their 
teaching. How can they expect God to send a 
message by him for whom they, who are the most 
interested, have not prayed ? 

26. Greet all the brethren —sSee on Rom. 
a's Aa hoe 

27. I charge you by the Lord, that this 
epistle be read — This may refer to the small- 
er Churches contiguous to Thessalonica, or the 
Churches in Macedonia in general, whom he wished 
to hear it, as well as those to whom it was more 
immediately directed. There is no doubt that the 
apostles designed that their epistles should be 
copied, and sent to all the Churches in the vicinity 
of that to which they were directed. Had this not 
been the case, a great number of Churches would 
have known scarcely anything of the New Testament. 
As every Jewish synagogue had a copy of the law and 
the prophets, so every Christian church had a copy 
of the gospels and the epistles, which were daily, or at 
least every sabbath, read for the instruction of the 
people. This the apostle deemed so necessary, that 
he adjured them by the Lord to read this epistle to 
all the brethren; that is, to all the Christians in 
that district. Other Churches might get copies of 
it; and thus, no doubt, it soon became general. In 
this way other parts of the sacred writings were 
disseminated through all the Churches of the Gen- 
tiles; and the errors of the different scribes em- 
ployed to take copies, constituted what are now 

called the various readings. 

28. The grace of our Lord Jesus—As the 
epistle began so it ends; for the grace of Christ 
must be at the beginning ’and end of ev yery work, in 
order to complete it, and bring it to good effect. 
Amen—This is wanting in many MSS. It was 
probably not written by St. Paul. The subserip- 
tions are, as in other cases, various and contradictory, 
and of no value either doctrinally or historically. 
That the epistle was not sent by either Silvanus or 
Timothy is evident enough, for St. Paul associates 
these two with himself in directing it to the Thes- 
salonian Church. Others, however, say that it was 
sent by Tychicus and Onesimus, but this also is 
absurd. That it was written by St. Paul there is 
no doubt; and also that it was written at Corinth. 
(See Preface.) 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE 


TO 


ee: TASS ALONLANS., 


ITS HISTORY AND OCCASION. 


TIE time of writing this second epistle seems to have been less than a year 
after the date of the former one. It appears that the person who carried the 
first epistle returned speedily to Corinth, and gave the apostle a particular account 
of the state of the Thessalonian Church; and, among other things, informed him that 
many were in expectation of the speedy coming of the Lord; and that they inferred 
from his epistle already sent, (chapter iy, 15, 17, and v, 4, 6,) that it was to take 
place while the apostle and themselves should be yet alive. And it appears 
probable, from some parts of this epistle, that he was informed also that some, 
expecting this sudden appearance of the Lord Jesus, had given up all their secu- 
lar concerns as inconsistent with a due preparation for such an important and 
awful event. (See chap. iii, 6-13.) To correct such a misapprehension, and redeem 
them from an error which, if appearing to rest on the authority of an apostle, must 
in its issue be ruinous to the cause of Christianity, Paul would feel himself 
constrained to write immediately; and this is a sufticient reason why these two 
epistles should appear to have been written at so short a distance from each other. 
What rendered this speedy intervention of the apostle’s authority and direction 
the more necessary was, that there appear to have been some in that Church who 
professed to have a revelation concerning this thing, and to have endeavoured to 
confirm it by a pretended report from the apostle himself, and from the words 
already referred to in the former epistle. Hence he writes, “ We beseech you, 
brethren, be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirir, nor by 
WoRD, nor by LETTER as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” As the 
apostle, in this epistle, (chapter iii, 2,) entreats the Thessalonians to pray the Lord 
that he and his companions might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, 
Dr. Macknight supposes that the epistle was written soon after the insurrection 
of the Jews at Corinth, in which they dragged Paul before Gallio, the proconsul 
of Achaia, and accused him of persuading men to worship God contrary to the 
law. (Acts xviii, 13.) This argument places it also in the year 52, or 53, in the 
twelfth or thirteenth of Claudius, the successor of Caius. 


ITS GENUINENESS. 


With respect to the external attestation of Christian antiquity the authenticity 
of this epistle is completely unassailable. It is quoted or referred to by Polyearp, 


Justin Martyr, Irenus, Clement Alexandrinus, and Tertullian; is found in the 
815 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 


canon of Muratori, and the Peshito, and is accepted by Marcion. Doubt from 
internal grounds did not arise until the beginning of the nineteenth century. 
The first to object to this epistle was Christian Schmidt, (1801,) who calls in ques- 
tion the authenticity of the whole epistle, and considers it a later production. 
De Wette at first assented to Schmidt’s objections, but in the later editions of his 
Introduction to the New Testament he withdrew his assent. These objections 
were ably and successfully contested by Winer, Engelhardt, and others. In 
more recent times objections have also been suggested, among others, by Schrader 
and Baur and Kern, chiefly on internal evidence, and especially because this epis- 
tle appears to contradict Paul’s doctrine of the second coming of Christ, as found 
in the first epistle, and also as evidently referring to heresies that did not appear 
till the second century—objections that are very easily responded to by those 
who maintain the Pauline authorship of the second epistle. The minute differ- 
ences of style and of expressions between the two epistles are certainly not 
greater than between Ephesians and Colossians, or Romans and Galatians. After 
conceding the whole force of the objections offered, if brought together they 
mutually destroy each other, and many of them fall to pieces of their own weight, 
and the verdict of antiquity remains unchanged. See Lunremann. (See “ Addi- 
tional Note” at the end of the epistle.) 


ITS STYLE. 


[The style of this epistle, like that of the first, is eminently Pauline. Ina 
fresh and vigorous style there will ever be, so to speak, librations over any rigid 
limits of habitude which can be assigned; and such are to be judged of, not by 
their mere occurrence and number, but by their subjective character, being or 
not being in accordance with the writer’s well-known characteristics. Professor 
Jowett has treated, one by one, the supposed inconsistencies with Pauline usage, 
and shown that there is no real difficulty in supposing any of the expressions to 
have been used by St. Paul. He has also collected a very much larger number 
of resemblances in manner and phraseology to the apostle’s other writings. ‘The 
careful student will be able to mark all these for himself, and to convince him- 
self that the style of this epistle is so closely related to that of the rest (of the 
apostle’s writings) as to show that the same mind was employed in the choice of 
the words and the construction of the sentences. The prophetic section of the 
epistle, (chapter ii, 1-12,) as it is distinguished from the rest in subject, so differs 
in style, being, as is usual with the more solemn and declaratory paragraphs of 
St. Paul, loftier in diction and more abrupt and elliptical in constryction. The 
passage in question will, however, be found on comparison to bear, in style and 
flow of sentences, a close resemblance to the denunciatory and prophetic portions 


of the other epistless—<A//ord. | 
316 


THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


THE THESSALONTANS. 


CHAPTER I. 


4 So that ¢we ourselves glory in you in the 


AUL, *and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto! churches of God, for your patience and faith 


the church of the Thessalonians "in 
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 
2 «Grace unto you, and peace, from God our 
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. % 4 We 
are bound to thank God always for you, breth- 
ren, as it is meet, because that your faith 
groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every 
one of you all toward each other aboundeth; 


éin all your persecutions and tribulations that 
ye endure: ᾧ Which is "ἃ manifest token of 
the righteous judgment of God, that ye may 
be counted worthy of the kingdom οὐ God, 
‘for which ye also suffer: 6 *Sceing it is a 
righteous thing with God to recompense trib- 
ulation to them that trouble you; 7 And 
to you who are troubled ‘rest with us, when 


a@2 Cor, 1. 19.— 1 Thess. 1. 1.—c! Cor. 1. 3.—d 1 Thess. 
1. ἃ, 3; 3. 6, 9; chap. 2. 13.—e2 Cor. 7. 14; 9. 2; 1 Thess. 2, 
NOTES ON CHAPTER 1. 

1. Paul, and Silvanus, etc.—See the notes on 
1 Thess. i, 1. This epistle was written a short time 
after the former; and as Silas and Timothy were 
still at Corinth, the apostle joins their names with 
his own, as in the former case. 

2. Grace unto you, etc.—[The usual apostolic 


salutation. See 1 Cor. i, 3; 2 Cor. i, 2; Gal. i, 3; 
Eph. i, 2; Phil. i, 2; Col. i, 2; 1° Thess. i, 1; 


δύ το 1, 2. 

3. Your faith groweth exceedingly—The 
word ὑπεραυξάνει signifies grows luxuriantly, as a 
good and healthy tree planted in a good soil; and, 
if a fruit tree, bearing an abundance of fruit. 
Faith is one of the seeds of the kingdom; this the 
apostle had sowed and watered, and God gave an 
abundant increase. Their faith was multiplied, and 
their love abounded ; and this was not the case 
with some distinguished characters only, it was the 
case with every one of them. 

4. We ourselves glory in you in the 
churches of God—We hold you up as an ex- 
ample of what the grace of God can produce when 
communicated to honest and faithful hearts. For 
your patience and faith—From Acts xvii, 5, 13, 
and from 1 Thess. ii, 14, we learn that the people 
of Thessalonica had suffered much persecution, 
from both the Jews and their own countrymen ; 
but being thoroughly convinced of the truth of the 
Gospel, and feeling it to be the power of God unto 
salvation, no persecution could turn them aside 
from it. And having suffered for the truth, it 
Was precious to them. Persecution never essen- 
tially injured the genuine Church of God. 

5. A manifest token of the righteous judg- 
ment of God—They who enter into the kingdom 
of God go through great tribulation, (Rev. vii, 14 3) 
your going through that tribulation is a proof that 
ye are entering in; and God sees it right and just 


F1 Thess, 1. 3—g 1 Thess. 2. 14,——/ Phil. 1, 28, 
Ἢ Rev. 6. 10.—Z Rev. 14. 13, 


19, 20. 
21 Thess, 2. 14, 


that ye should be permitted to suffer hefore ye 
enjoy that endless felicity. (Rom. v, 3-5.) The 
words, however, may be understood in another 
sense, and will form this maxim: “ The sufferings 
of the just and the triumphs of the wicked in 
this life are a sure proof that there will be a 
future judgment, in which the wicked shall be 
punished and the righteous rewarded.” This 
maxim is not only true in itself, but it is most 
likely that this is the apostle’s meaning. ["Evderyua, 
a token. What they had suffered, and the spirit 
with which they accepted their lot, indicated their 
gracious relations to God in τῆς δικαίας Kpicewe—his 
righteous dispensations in ordering their affairs. 
To suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake is a 
sign of discipleship, and therefore a cause for re- 
joicing. (See Matt. v, 11, 12.)] That ye may 
be counted worthy —[Ei¢ τὸ καταξιωθῆναι, in 
order to the being accounted worthy, not as having 
merited “ the kingdom of God,” but being prepared 
to receive its glorious compensations.] (Col. i, 12 ; 
Rey. iii, 4.) Your patient endurance of these 
sufferings is a proof that ye are rendered meet for 
that glory on account of which ye suffer, and, in a 
true Gospel sense of the word, worthy of that 
glory ; for he who is a child of God, and a partaker 
of the divine nature, is worthy of God’s kingdom, 
because he bears the image of God ; and the image 
is that which indicates fitness. 

6. Seeing it is a righteous thing—[Literally, 
since God is just to return affliction to those who 
afflict you.] Though, as to the full and final com- 
pensation, God neither rewards nor punishes in 
this life, vet he often gives proofs of his displeas- 
ure, especially against those who persecute his fol- 
lowers. 

7. And to you who are troubled, rest with 
us—<And while they have fribulation, you shall 
have that eternal “rest” which remains for the 
317 


A. Μ. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52, 
Year of Rome, 505. 


™the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven 
with "his mighty angels, & °In flaming fire 
Ptaking vengeance on them 4that know not 
God, and © that obey not the gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ: 9 * Who shall be punished 
with everlasting destruction from the presence 
of the Lord, and ‘from the glory of his power; 
10" When he shall come to be glorified in his 
saints, Yand to be admired in all them that be- 


II. THESSALONIANS. 


Grand description of Christ’s 
second coming. 


lieve (because our testimony among you was 
believed) in that day. ΑἹ Wherefore also we 
pray always for you, that our God would 
~xecount you worthy of thés calling, and fulfil 
all the good pleasure of his goodness, and ¥ the 
work of faith with power: 4&2 7That the 
name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified 
in you, and ye in him, according to the grace 
of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


m1 Thess, 4. 16: Jude 14. n Gr. the angels of his power. 
SSG NMED Y/R IBY SIRO Bens 3.7; Rev. 21. 8. τ Or, yield- 


ang.—q Psa. 79. 6; 1 ‘Thess, 4 . ὃ.---- Rom. 2. &.—s Phil. 3. 


2 Peter 3. 7.—7 Deut. 33. 2: Isa. 2.19; chap. 2. 8.—1w Psa. 
a4 ἐπὶ ὃ Psa. 68. 35. —— τὸ ΩΣ vouchsuses awVerse ὃ. 
y 1 Thess. 1, 3.—z2z1 Peter 1. 4 


people of Goi. When the Lord Jesus shall be 
revealed—[’Ev τῇ ἀποκαλύψει, at the revelation, or 
manifestation. Not now, but at some future time, 
shall this rectification of affairs, and the dispensa- 
tion of righteous awards, be made.] With his 
mighty angels—The coming of the Lord Jesus to 
judge the world is often spoken of in the sacred 
writings without mentioning the holy angels who 
are to accompany him, and to form his court or 
retinue. (See Deut. xxxili, 2 2; Matt. xxv, 315; xvi, 
27; xxvi, 64; Mark viii, 38.) 

8. In flaming fire—’Ev πυρὶ φλογός, in fire of 
jflame. Taking vengeance—Inflicting just pun- 
ishment on them that know not God, (John 
xvii, 3,) will not acknowledge him, and on them 
that obey not the gospel, who reject the Gos- 
pel; all nominal Christians who, though they con 
fess the Gospel to be a revelation from God yet do 
not yield themselves to its power, nor “ obey ” it 
as a rule of life. 

9. Who shall be punished with everlasting 
destruction—What this consists in we cannot 
tell. It is not annihilation, for their being con- 
tinues ; and as the destruction is ‘ everlasting,” it 
is an eternal continuance and presence of substantial 
evil and absence of all good; for the most terri- 
ble part of this punishment consists in being ban- 
ished from the presence of the Lord—excluded 
from his approbation for ever ; so that the light of 
his countenance can be no more enjoyed, as there 
will be an eternal impossibility of ever being rec- 
onciled tohim. The glory of his power—Never 
to see the face of God throughout eternity is a 
heartrending, soul-appalling thought; and to be 
banished from the ‘glory of his power ’’—that 
power the glory of which is peculiarly manifested 
in saving the lost and glorifying the faithful—is 
what cannot be reflected on without confusion and 
dismay. But this must be the lot of all who ac- 
knowledge not God, “and obey not the Gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

10. When he shall come to be glorified in 
his saints—As the grace of God is glorified in 
saving sinners and making them into saints, this 
gracious power will be particularly manifested 
the great day, when countless millions will ap- 
pear before that throne who have come out of great 
tribulation, and have washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb. And to be 
admired—Oavuachjva, to be wondered at (with 
exultant praise) among and on the account of all 
them that believe. Much as true believers ad- 
mire the perfections of the Redeemer of mankind, 
and much as they wonder at his amazing conde- 
scension in becoming man and dying for the sins 
of the world, all their present amazement and 
wonder will be as nothing when compared with 
what they shall feel when they come to see him in 
all his glory—the glory that he had with the Father 

918 


before the world was. (John xvii, 24.) In refer- 
ence to this we may apply those words of St. John: 
“ Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth 
not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, 
when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we 
shall see him as he is.” (1 John ili, 2.) Because 
our testimony . was believed in that day 
—|This is added for the comfort of the Thessalo- 
nians, as it included them in the number of those 
who should admire their coming Lord. The phrase, 

“in that day,” ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, belongs to ὅταν 
ἔλθῃ, when he shall have come. See Meyer. | The 
Thessalonians had credited what the apostles had 
said and written, not only concerning Jesus Christ 
in general, but concerning the day of. his coming in 
particular. 

11. We pray . that our God would 
count you worthy—It is our earnest prayer that 
God would make you worthy, ἀξιώσῃ; afford those 
continual supplies of grace by his Holy Spirit, 
without which you cannot adorn your holy voca- 
tion ; and this being counted “ worthy ” implies that 
you should be holy, as He who has called you is 
holy. Fulfil all the good pleasure of his good- 
ness—1) The “goodness ” of God—his essential and 
eternal kindness, has led him to call you into this 
state of salvation, 2) It is the “pleasure ” of that 
“‘ voodness ἢ to save you unto eternal life. 3) It is 
the “good pleasure;”? nothing can please God 
more than your receiving and retaining his utmost 

salvation. 4) It is “all” the good pleasure of his 
goodness thus to save you; this he has amply 
proved by sending his Son to die for you, beyond 
which ¢g gift he has none greater. In this “all the 
good pleasure of his goodness ” (his beneficence and 
divine charity) is astonishingly manifested. 5) And 
if you be faithful to his grace, he will ‘“ fulfil ”— 
completely accomplish—all the good pleasure of his 
goodness in you; which coodness ἢ is to be appre- 
hended and is to work by faith, the power of which 
must come from him, though the act or exercise of 
that power must be of yourselves; but the very 
power to believe affords aettement to the exer- 
cise of faith. 

12. That the name of our Lord—This is the 
ereat end of your Christian calling, that Jesus who 
hath died for you may have his passion and death 
magnified in your life and happiness ; that ye may 
show forth the virtues of him who -alled you from 
darkness into his marvellous light. And ye in 
him—That his glorious excellence may be seen 
upon you; that ye may be adorned with the graces 
of his Spirit, as he is glorified by your salvation 
from all sin. According to the grace—That 
your salvation may be such as God requires, and 
such as is worthy of his grace to communicate. 
God saves as it becomes God to save; and thus the 
dignity of his nature is seen in the excellence and 
glory of his work. 


Christ’s second coming not 
immediate, 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4956. A. 1D. 59, 
Year of Rome, $05. 


CHAPTER II. 
OW we beseech you, brethren, *by the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, *and by 
our gathering together unto him, Φ ©That ve 
be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, 


a1Thess. 4. 16.—/ Matt. 24.31; Mark 13. 27; 1 Thess, 4. 17.— 
ὁ Matt. 24. 4; Eph. 5. 6; 1 John 4, 1. 


1. It is an awful consideration to the people of 
the world that persecutions and afflictions should 
be the lot of the true Church, and should be the 
proof of its being such; because this shows more 
than any thing else the desperate state of man- 
kind, their total enmity to God; they. persecute, 
not because the followers of God have done or can 
do them hurt, but they persecute because they 
have not the Spirit of Christ in them! Men may 
amuse themselves by arguing against the doctrine 
of original sin, ov the fotal depravity of the soul of 
man; but while there is religious persecution in 
the world, there is most absolute disproof of all 
their arguments. Nothing but a heart wholly 
alienated from God could ever devise the persecu- 
tion or maltreatment of a man for no other cause 
but that he has given himself up to glorify God 
with his body and spirit, which are his. 

2. The everlasting destruction of the ungodly is 
a subject that should be continually placed before 
the eyes of men by the preachers of the Gospel. 
How shall a man be induced to take measures to 
escape a danger of the existence of which he is not 
convinced? Show him the hell which the justice 
of God has lighted up for the devil and his angels, 
and in which all Satan’s children and followers 
must have their eternal portion. All the perfee- 
tions of God require that he should render to every 
man his due. And what is the dve of a sinner or 
a persecutor, of one who is a determined enemy to 
God, goodness, and good men? Why, everlasting 
destruction from the presence of the Lord and the 
glory of his power. And if God did not award 
this to such persons, he would not be just. 

8. The grand object of God in giving his Gospel 
to mankind is, fo save them from their sins, make 
them like himself, and take them to his eternal 
glory. He saves according to the measure of his 
eternal goodness ; the scanty salvation contended 
for and expected by the generality of Christians it 
would be dishonourable to God to administer. He 
saves according to his grace. His own eternal 
goodness and holiness is the measure of his salva- 
tion to man; not the creeds and expectations of 
any class of Christians. To be saved at all, we 
must not only be saved in God’s way, and upon his 
own terms, but also according to his own measure. 
He who is not filled with the fulness of God can- 
not expect the glory of God. 

4, Another proof of the fall and degeneracy of 
men is, their general enmity to the doctrine of 
holiness ; they cannot bear the thought of being 
sanctified throughout body, soul, and spirit, so as to 
perfect holiness in the fear of God. Accordingly, 
a spurious kind of Christianity largely prevails in 
the world. Weakness, doubtfulness, littleness of 
faith, confessed and tolerated inward corruptions, 
‘and sinful infirmities, are considered as compatible 
with a gracious state, rather than as evidences that 
the persons in question have received just light 
enough to show them their wretchedness and 
danger, but not sufficient to lead them to the heal- 
ing Virtue of the blood of Christ. 


neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as 
from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 
3 Τοῦ no man deceive you by any means: 
for that day shall not come, “except there 
come a falling away first, and ‘that man of sin 


d Matt. 24. 4; Eph. 5. 6.——e1 Tim. 4 1.—JDan. 7. 35; 
1 John 2. 18; Rev. 13. 11, ete. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. We beseech you... by the coming of 
our Lord—lIt is evident that the Thessalonians, 
incited by deceived or false teachers, had taken a 
wrong meaning out of the words of the first epis- 
tle (chapter iv, 15, ete.) concerning the day of 
judgment; and were led thence to conclude that 
that day was at hand ; and this had produced great 
confusion in the Church. To correct this mistake 
the apostle sent them this second letter, in which 
he shows that this day must be necessarily disfant, 
because a great work is to be done previously to 
its appearing. Of the day of the general judgment 
he had spoken before, and said that it should 
“come as a thief in the night,” that is, when not 
expected ; but he did not attempt to fix the time, 
nor did he insinuate that it was either near at hand 
or far off. Now, however, he shows that it must 
necessarily be far off, because of the great trans- 
actions which must take place before it can come. 

2. Be not soon shaken in mind—A7z0 τοῦ 
vooc, from the mind ; that is, that they should re- 
tain the persuasion they had of the truths which 
he had before delivered to them ; that they should 
still hold the same opinions, and hold fast the doe- 
trines which they had been taught. Neither by 
spirit—Any pretended revelation. Nor by word 
—Any thing which any person may profess to have 
heard the apostle speak. Nor by letter—Either 
the former one which he had sent, some passages 
of which had been misconceived and miscon- 
strued, or by any other letter, as from us—pre- 
tending to have been written by us, the apostles, 
containing predictions of this kind. There is a 
diversity of opinion among critics concerning this 
last clause, some supposing that it refers simply to 
the first epistle ; others supposing that a forged 
epistle is intended. I have joined the two senses. 
The word σαλευθῆναι, to be shaken, signifies to be 
agitated as a ship at sea in a storm, and strongly 
marks the confusion and distress which the Thes- 
salonians had felt in their false apprehension of 
this coming of Christ. As that the day of 
Christ is at hand—See the ‘“ Additional Note” 
at the end of this epistle for the meaning of the 
phrase the coming of Christ. Now the question 
is: Whether does the apostle mean, the coming of 
Christ to execute judgment upon the Jews, and de- 
stroy their polity, or his coming at the end of time 
to judge the world? There are certainly many ex- 
pressions in the following verses that may be ap- 
plied indifferently to either, and some seem to ap- 
ply to the one and not to the other; and yet the 
whole can scarcely be so interpreted as to suit any 
one of these comings exclusively. 

3. Except there come a falling away first— 
᾿Αποστασία, apostasy ; a dereliction of the essential 
principles of religious truth—either a total aban- 
donment of Christianity itself, or such a corruption 
of its doctrines as renders the whole system com- 
pletely inefficient to salvation. But what this 
apostasy means is a question which has not yet, 
and perhaps never will be, answered to general 

319 


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II. THESSALONIANS. 


Description of the man of sin 
and his doings, 


be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who 
opposeth and »exalteth himself 'above all that 
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that 
he as God sitteth in the temple of God, show- 
ing himself that he is God. 5 R emember ye 
not, that, when 1 was yet with you, I told you 
these things? 6 And now ye know what 
« withholdeth that he might be revealed in his 
time. Ὁ For 'the mystery of iniquity doth 
already work: only he who now letteth w7// 
let, until he be taken out of the way. 9. And 


then shall that Wicked be revealed, ™whom 
the Lord shall consume "with the spirit of his 
mouth, and shall destroy °with the bright- 
ness of his coming: 9 Lven him, whose com- 
ing is Pafter the working of Satan with all 
power and 4 signs and lying wonders, 10 And 
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in 
‘them that perish; because .they receive not 
the love of the truth, that they might be 
saved. BE And ‘for this cause God shall 
send them strong delusion, tthat they should 


g John 17. 12.—“ATsa. 14. 13; Ezek, 28. 2, 6,9; Dan. 7. 25; 
11. 86; Rev. 13. 6.—71 Cor. 8 5.—4 Or, ‘holdeth. —/1 John 
Pye fst 3} mm Tan. 7. 10, 11. —-n Job 4. 9; Isa, 11. 4; Hosea 
6. δ: Rev. De LOLOL elias, ἯΙ. 


SE 1. 8,9; Heb. 10. 27.—p John 8, 41; Eph. 2. 2; Rev. 
8. 23. q See Deut. 13: Ls “Matt. 24. 24; Rev. 13. 13; "79. 20, — 
Aa 2. ld; 4.3.——s Rom. 1. ae sia ᾿ see 1 Kings 29. 22°; Ezek. 


1 9,—# Matt. 94. 5,11; 1 Tim. 4. 


satisfaction. At present I shall content myself 
with making a few literal remarks on this obscure 
prophecy, and afterward give the opinions of 
learned men on its principal parts. That man 
of sin—'0 ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, the perverse, ob- 
stinate, and iniquitous man. It is worthy of re- 
mark, that among the rabbins Samael, or the devil, 
is called the man of Belial, and the man of iniq- 
uity ; and that these titles are given to Adam after 
his fall. The son of perdition—‘0 υἱὸς τῆς ἀπω- 
λείας, the son of destruction; the same epithet that 
is given to Judas Iscariot in John xvii, 12. “The 
son of perdition,” and the ‘man of sin,” or, as 
some excellent MSS. and Versions, with several of 
the Fathers, read, the lawless man, (see verse 8,) 
must mean the same person or thing. 

4. Who opposeth and exalteth—He stands 
against and exalts himself above all divine author- 
ity, and above every object of adoration, and every 
institution relative to divine worship, σέβασμα, 
himself, being the source whence must originate 
all the doctrines of religion, and all its rites and 
ceremonies ; so that sitting in the temple of God 
—having the highest place and authority in the 
Christian Church, he acts as God—taking upon 
himself God’s titles and attributes, and arrogat- 
ing to himself the authority that belongs to the 
Most High., [In the colours of his own time Paul 
depicts an act which, as a symbol of permanent 
spiritual significance, is confined to no locality, and 
means to say: He places himself in God’s room, 
and forces himself on mankind as a divine ruler.— 
Lange.| The words ὡς Θεὸν, as God, are wanting 
in nearly all the best MSS. 

5. I told you these things—{ Literally, Do ye 
not remember that, being yet with you, I told you 
these things 7] [Reminding them, with some de- 
gree of implied blame, of the definite oval commn- 
nications which had been made to them during the 
apostle’s first visit. Ellicott. | In several parts of 
this description of the “man of sin,” the apostle 
alludes to a conversation which had taken place 
between him and the members of this Church when 
he was at Thessalonica ; and this one circumstance 
will account for much of the obscurity that is in 
these verses. Besides, the apostle appears to speak 
with great caution, and does not at all wish to pub- 
lish what he had communicated to them; the hints 
which he drops were sufficient to call the whole to 
their remembrance. 

6. And now ye know what withholdeth— 
[Τὸ κατέχον, the hinderance; 1 told you this among 
other things ; I informed you what it was that pre- 
vented this man of sin, this son of perdition, from 
revealing himself fully. [It is difficult to decide 
whether this hinderance was against the “man of 

820 


sin,” or the apostle. Both views are held by 
learned and able authorities. } 

7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already 
work—There is a system of corrupt doctrine, 
which will lead to the general apostasy already in 
existence, but it is a ‘‘mystery;” it is as yet 
hidden ; it dare not show itself, because of that 
which hindercth or withholdeth. But when that 
which now vrestraineth shall be taken out of the 
way, then shall that wicked one be revealed—it 
will then be manifest who he is, and what. he is. 

8. Whom the Lord shall consume—He shall 
blast him so that he shall wither and die away ; 
and this shall be done by the spirit of his mouth 
—the words of eternal life, the true doctrine of the 
Gospel of Jesus. This shall be the instrument used 
to destroy this man of sin: therefore it is evident 
his death will not be a sudden but a gradual one ; 
because it is by the preaching of the truth that he 
is to be exposed, overthrown, and finally destroyed. 
The brightness of his coming—This may refer 
to that full manifestation of the truth which had 
been obscured and kept under by the exaltation of 
this man of sin. 

9. Whose coming is after the working of 
Satau—The operation of God’s Spirit sends his 
messengers ; the operation of Satan’s spirit sends 
his emissaries. The one comes κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ 
Θεοῦ, after or according to the energy or inward 
powerful working of God, the other comes κατ᾽ 
ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ, according to the energy or 
inward working of Satan. With all power— Ey 
πάσῃ δυνάμει ; : all kinds of miracles, like the Egyp- 
tian magicians. And signs and lying wonders— 
The word “lying” may “be applied to the whole of 
these; they were lying miracles, lying signs, and 
lying wonders ; only appearances ‘ofv what was real, 
and done to give credit to his presumption and im- 
posture. Whereas God sent his messengers with 
real miracles, real signs, and veal wonders; such 
Satan cannot ‘produce, 

10. And with all deceivableness of un- 
righteousness—With every art that cunning can 
invent and unrighteousness suggest, in order to de- 
lude and deceive. In them that perish—'Ev 
τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις - among them that are destroyed ; 
and they are destroyed and perish because they 
would not receive the love of the truth, that 
they might be saved. This has been true of all 
the Jews from the days of the apostles until now. 

11. God shall send them strong delusion— 
For this very cause, that they would not receive 
“the love of the truth, ” but had pleasure in un- 
righteousness, therefore God permits “strong delu- 
sion” to occupy their minds ; so that they believe a 
lie rather than the truth; prefer false apostles and 


Paul exhorts the Thessalonians 
to hold fast his teachings. 


believe a lie: 42 That they all might be 
damned who believed not the truth, but had 
pleasure in unrighteousness. 18 But * we are 
bound to give thanks always to God for you, 
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God 
whath *from the beginning chosen you to sal- 
vation ¥ through sanctification of the Spirit and 
belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called 
you by our gospel, to *the obtaining of the 


u Rom, 1. 32. —» Chap. 1. 3.—7w1 Thess. 1. 4. —@ Eph. 
1. 4.—~vy Luke 1. 75; | Pet. 1. 2.——zJohn 17. 22; 1 Thess. 2. 
12; 1 Pet. 5. 10. 


their erroneous doctrines to the pyre truths of the 
Gospel, brought to them by the well-accredited 
messengers of God ; being ever ready to receive any 
false Messiah, while they systematically and viru- 
lently reject the true one. 

12. That they all might be damned—'Iva 
κριθῶσι, so that they may all be condemned who be- 
lieved not the truth when it was proclaimed to 
them ; but took pleasure in unrighteousness, pre- 
ferring that to the way of holiness. Their con- 
demnation was the effect of their refusal to believe 
the truth ; and they refused to believe it because 
they loved their sins. (For a further and more 
pointed illustration of the preceding verses, see the 
conclusion of this chapter.) 

13, 14. God hath from the beginning chosen 
you to salvation, ete.—In your calling God has 
shown the purpose that he had formed from the 
beginning, to call the Gentiles to the same privi- 
leges with the Jews, not through cireumcision and 
the observance of the Mosaic law, but by faith in 
Christ Jesus ; but this simple way of salvation re- 
ferred to the same end—holiness, without which 
no man, whether Jew or Gentile, can see the Lord. 
Let us observe the order of divine grace in this 
business: 1) They were to hear the ¢rath—the doc- 
trines of the Gospel. 2) They were to believe this 
truth when they heard it preached. 8) They were 
_ to receive the Spirit of God in believing the truth. 
4) That Spirit was to sanctify their souls—produce 
an inward holiness, which was to lead to all out- 
ward conformity to God. 5) All this constituted 
their sa/vation—their being fitted for the inheri- 
tance among the saints in light. 6) They were to 
obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ—that 
state of felicity for which they were fitted, by being 
saved here from their sins, and by being sanctified 
by the Spirit of God. 

15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast — Their 
obtaining eternal glory depended on their faithful- 
ness to the grace of God; for this calling did not 
necessarily and irresistibly lead to faith; nor their 
faith to the sanctification of the Spirit; nor their 
Sanctification of the Spirit to the glory of our Lord 
Jesus. Had they not attended to the calling, they 
could not have believed ; had they not believed, they 
could not have been justified; had they not been 
justified, they could not have been glorified. ΑἸ] 
these things depended on each other; they were 
Stages of the great journey; and at any of these 
Stages they might have halted, and never finished 
their Christian race. Hold the traditions which 
ye have been taught—The word παραδόσις, which 
we render “traditions,” signifies any thing delivered 
in the way of teaching ; and here most obviously 
means the doctrines delivered by the apostle to the 
Thessalonians, whether in his preaching, private 
conversation, or by these epistles ; and particularly 

Vor. i1.—21. 


CHAPTER ITI. 


A. M. 4056. A. D. 59. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, 
brethren, *stand fast, and hold 'the traditions 
which ye have been taught, whether by word, 
or our epistle. 16 ©Now our Lord Jesus 
Christ himself, and God, even our Father, 
4 which hath loved us, and hath given ws ever- 
lasting consolation and ¢good hope through 
grace, 1% Comfort your hearts, ‘and stab- 
lish you in every good word and work. 


@1Cor. 16 13; Phil. 4. 1.—0b1 Cor. 11.2: chap. 3. 6.—eChap. 
1, 1,2.——d 1 John 4. 10; Rev. 1. 5.—e1 Pet. 1. 3.—/1 Cor. 1. 
8; 1 Thess. 3. 13; 1 Pet. 4. 10, 


the first epistle, as the apostle here states. What- 
ever these traditions were, as to their matter, they 
were a revelation from God: for they came by men 
who spake and acted under the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit. 

16. Now our Lord Jesus—As all your grace 
came from God through Christ, so the power that is 
necessary to strengthen and confirm you unto the 
end must come in the same way. Hverlasting 
consolation—lIlapak/jow αἰωνίαν, the glad tidings 
of the Gospel, and the comfort which ye have re- 
ceived through believing; a gift which God had in 
his original purpose in reference to the Gentiles; a 
purpose which has respected all times and places, 
and which shall continue to the conclusion of time ; 
for the Gospel is “everlasting,” and shall not be 
superseded by any other dispensation. It is the 
last and best which God has provided for man; 
and it is good tidings, “everlasting consolation ”— 
a complete system of complete peace and happi- 
ness. And good hope through grace — The 
hope of the Gospel was the resurrection of the dead, 
and their final glorification. This was the “ good 
hope ” which the Thessalonians had ; not a hope that 
they should be pardoned or sanctified, ete. Pardon 
and holiness they enjoyed, therefore they were not 
objects of ““hope;” but the future life and eternal 
glory were yet to be realized; these they had in 
expectation; these they hoped for; and, through 
the “ grace” which they had already received they 
had a ‘good hope ””—a well-grounded expectation 
—of this glorious state. 

17. Comfort your hearts— Keep your souls 
ever under the influence of his Holy Spirit. And 
stablish you—Confirm and strengthen you in your 
belief of every good word or doctrine which we 
have delivered unto you; and in the practice of 
every good work recommended and enjoined by the 
doctrines of the Gospel. It is not enough that we 
believe the truth; we must love the truth. The 
testimony borne by the Gospel is: Believe, love, obey; 
none of these can subsist without the other. The 
faith of a true believer worketh by love; and this 
faith and love have respect not to some one com- 
mandment, but to all; for God writes his whole 
law on the heart of every genuine Christian, and 
gives him that love which is the fulfilling of the 
law. 


The reader will have observed, that in going 
through this chapter while examining the import 
of every leading word, I have avoided fixing any 
specific meaning to terms: the apostasy or falling 
away; the man of sin; son of perdition; him who 
letteth ov withholdeth, ete. The reason is, I have 
found it extremely difficult to fix any sense to my 
own satisfaction; and it was natural for me to 
think that, if I could not satisfy myself, it was not 

321 


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ear of Rome, S05, 


CHAPTER III. 
INALLY, brethren, «pray for us, that the 
word of the Lord bmay have free course, 
and be glorified, even as i¢ 8 with you: 
2 And ethat we may be delivered from 4 un- 
reasonable and wicked men: &for all men have 
not faith. 3 But tthe Lord is faithful, who 


II. THESSALONIANS. 


/ Paul requests the prayers of the 
hessalonians, 


shall stablish you, and ¢keep you from evil. 
4 And 'we have confidence in the Lord touch- 
ing you, that ye both do and will do the 
things which we command you. 6 And ‘the 
Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, 
and into -the patient waiting for Christ. 
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the 


α νη. 6. 19; Col. 4, 3: 1 Thess. 
— Rom. lad. 31.—d Gr. 
10. 16. 


5. 25. —-b Gr. may run. 
absurd, ——e Acts 28, 24; Rom. 


71 Cor 1. 9; 1 Thess. 5. 
h2 Cor, 7.16; Gal. d. 10. 
tience ὁ oF Ὅλ" ist, 1 Thess. 1. : 


24.—g John 17. 15; 2 Peter 2, 9.---- 
εν Chron, 29. 18... ἢ Or, the pa- 


likely I could satisfy my readers. But, as some- 
thing should be said relative to the persons and 
things intended by the apostle, I choose to give 
rather what others have said, than attempt any 
new mode of interpretation. The great variety of 
explanations given by wise and learned men only 
prove the difficulty of the place. 

1) The general run of Protestant writers under- 
stand the whole as referring to the popes and 
Church of Rome, or the whole system of the pa- 
pacy. 2) Others think that the defection of the 
Jewish nation from their allegiance to the Roman 
emperor is what is to be understood by the apostasy 
or falling off; and that all the other terms refer to 
the destruction of Jerusalem. 38) The Fathers un- 
derstood the Antichrist to be intended, but of this 
person they seem to have formed no specific idea. 
4) Dr. Hammond refers the apostasy to the defec- 
tion of the primitive Christians to the Gnostic 
heresy; and supposes that by the ‘““man of sin” 
and “son of perdition” Simon Magus is meant. 
5) Grotius applies the whole to Caius Cesar. 
6) Wetstein applies the apostasy to the rebellion 
and slaughter of the three princes that were pro- 
claimed by the Roman armies previously to the 
reign of Vespasian; and supposes Titus and the 
Flavian family to be intended by the ‘man of sin” 
and “son of perdition.” 7) Schoettgen contends 
strongly that the whole refers to the case of the 
Jews, incited to rebellion by the scribes and Phari- 
sees, and to the utter and final destruction of the 
rabbinie and Pharisaic system; and thinks he finds 
something in their spirit and conduct, and in what 
has happened to them, to illustrate every word in 
this prophecy. Dr. Whitby is nearly of the same 
sentiments. 8) Calmet follows, in the main, the 
interpretation given by the ancient Fathers; and 
wonders at the want of candour in the Protestant 
writers, who have gleaned up every abusive tale 
against the bishops and Church of Rome; and asks 
them, would they be willing that the Catholics 
should credit all the aspersions cast on Protestant- 
ism by its enemies? 9) Bishop Newton has exam- 
ined the whole prophecy with his usual skill and 
judgment, and most modern commentators follow his 
steps. He applies the whole to the Romish Church ; 
the apostasy, its defection from the pure doctrines 
of Christianity; and the “man of sin,” ete., the 
general succession of the popes of Rome. 

The labours of all these learned men have cer- 
tainly narrowed the principal subjects of inquiry ; 
and we may now safely state, that in this very ob- 
scure prophecy the Spirit of God had in view either 
the Jewish or an apostate Christian Church, pos- 
sessing great spiritual and secular inflwence and 
jurisdiction, That the words appear to apply best 
to the conduct of many of the popes, and the cor- 
ruptions of the Romish Church, needs no proof; 
but to which of these Churches, or to what other 
Church or system, we should apply them, some men, 
as eminent for their piety as for their learning, 

322 


hesitate to declare; yet I must acknowledge that 
the most pointed part of the evidence here sige: 
tends to fix the whole on the Romish Church, an 
on none other, 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Finally, brethren—The words τὸ λοιπὸν do 
not mean finally, but furthermore—what remains is 
this. Pray for us—God, in the order of his grace 
and providence, has made even the success of his 
Gospel dependent, in a certain measure, on the pray- 
ers of his followers. It is therefore little less than 
criminal to neglect to make fervent supplications 
for the prosperity of the cause of God. May 
have free course—They were to pray that the 
doctrine of the Lord, ὁ λόγος Tov κυρίου, might run, 
τρέχῃ, [may run. A ee of quick and 
unimpeded advancing; δοξάζηται, may be glorified, 
being recognised as ‘the power of God unto salva- 
tion to every one that believes. (Rom. i, 16.)— 
Meyer. | 

2. Unreasonable and wicked men—The word 
ἀτόπων, which we translate “ unreasonable,” signi- 
fies rather disorderly, unmanageable; persons “out 
of their place ; under no discipline, regardless of 
law and restraint. For all men have not faith 
—|00 yap πάντων ἡ πίστις, for fidelity is not of (be- 
longs not to) all men.] The word πίστις is, without 
doubt, to be taken here for fidelity or trustworthi- 
ness and not for faith [in the usual evangelical 
sense,| and this is agreeable to the meaning given 
to it in the very next verse. 

3. But the Lord is faithful—lIloric δέ ἐστιν ὁ 
κύριος. There are many, even of those who have 
received a measure of the divine light, to whom 
we cannot trust either ourselves or any thing that 
concerns the cause of God. But the Lord is worthy 
of your whole confidence ; doubt him not; he will 
establish you, and keep you from any evil to which 
you may be exposed by these or such like per- 
sons. F'rom evil—’A7o τοῦ πονηροῦ; may be trans- 
lated from the evil one. They had‘disorderly men, 
wicked men, and the evil one, or the devil, to con- 
tend with; God alone could support and give them 
the victory; he had promised to doit, and he might 
ever be confided in as being invariably faithful. 

4. And we have confidence—We have no 
doubt of God’s kindness toward you; he loves you, 
and will support you; and we can confide in you, 
that ye are now acting as we have desired you, and 
will continue so to do. 

5. The Lord direct your hearts into the 
love of God—The love of God is the grand motive 
and principle of obedience; this must occupy your 
hearts; the heart is irregular in all its workings ; 
God alone, by his Spirit, can direct it into his love, 
and keep it right, (kateviivat,) give a proper direc- 
tion to all its passions, and keep them in order, 
regularity, and purity. The patient waiting for 
Christ—|' Ὑπομονὴν signifies, not waiting for, but 
simply endurance. The steadfastness of Christ is 


Pau) directs the Church how to treat 
idle aud disorderly persons. 


name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'that ye 
withdraw yourselves “from every brother 
that walketh "disorderly, and not after °the 
tradition which he received of us. 7 For 
yourselves know Phow ye ought to follow 
us: for 4% we behayed not ourselves disor- 
derly among you; S$ Neither did we eat 
any man’s bread for naught; but "wrought 
with labour and travail night and day, that 
we might not be chargeable to any of you: 
9 *Not because we have not power, but to 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4056. Α. 1). 59. 
Year of Rome, 805, 


make ‘ourselves an ensample unto you to 
follow us. 109 For even when we were 
with you, this we commanded you, “that if 
any would not work, neither should he eat. 
11 For we hear that there are some * which 
walk among you disorderly, * working not 
at all, but are busybodies. 12 *Now them 
that are such we cominand and exhort by 
our Lord Jesus Christ, *that with quiet- 
ness they work, and eat their own bread. 
13 But ye, brethren, **be not weary in 


ZRom. 16. 17; verse 14; 1 Tim. 6. 5: 2 John 10, -— m1 Cor. 
» 11, 13. — 1 Thess. 4. 11; 5. 14; verses 11, 12, 14.——o Chan, 
. 15. —p | Cor. 4. 16; 11. 1: 1 Thess 1. 6, 7. —q1 Thess. 2. 10. 
—-r Acts 18.3; 20. 34; 2 Cor. 11. 9; 1 Thess, 2. 9. 


τῶν 


meant, (not that of which he is the subject, but the 
author,) inasmuch as the endurance which the 
Christian manifests in tribulation for the sake of 
the Gospel, is in its nature nothing else than the 
steadfastness which was peculiar to Christ himself 
in his sufferings. See Meyer.] | 

6. That ye withdraw yourselves—Have no 
fellowship with those who will not submit to proper 
discipline ; who do not keep their place; a7dKrwe, 
such as are out of their rank, and act according to 
their own wills and caprices; and particularly such 
as are idle and busybodies. These he had ordered 
(1 Thess. iv, 11, 12) that they should study to be 

uiet, mind their own business, and work with their 
ee now he desires the Church to exclude such 
from their communion. [Στέλλεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ παν- 
_ τὸς, Co withdraw yourselves, the only excommunica- 
tion which the Church has the right to inflict on any 
offending member is to withdraw its (specifically 
Christian) fellowship from him, and that not as a 
punishment to the offender, but for the Church’s 
own purity and safety.] And not after the tra- 
dition — [Kara τὴν παράδοσιν, according to that 
delivered.| This evidently refers to the orders con- 
tained in the first epist/e ; and that first epistle 
(with other teachings of the apostle) was the tradi- 
tion which they had received from him. 

7. We behaved not ourselves disorderly—- 
Οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν, we did not go out of our rank; 
we kept our place, and discharged all its duties. 

8. Neither did we eat any man’s bread for 
naught—We paid for what we used, and worked 
with our hands that we might buy what was neces- 
sary. Labour and travail night and day—We 
were incessantly employed, either in preaching the 
Gospel, visiting from house to house, or working at 
our calling. As it is very evident that the Church 
at Thessalonica was very pious, and most affection- 
ately attached to the apostle, they must have been 
very poor, seeing he was obliged to work hard to 
gain for himself the necessaries of life. Had they 
been able to support him he would not have worked 
“with labour and travail night and day,” that he 
might not be burdensome to them. It is no won- 
der, therefore, that he is so severe against those 
who would not labour, but were a burden to the 
poor followers of Christ. 

9. Not because we have not power—[’E£ov- 
σίαν, the right and religious authorization ; this the 
apostle, while for special reasons he waived his 
rightful claim, was careful to assert.] We have 
the power, ἐξουσίαν, the right, to be maintained by 
those in whose behalf we labour, “The labourer 
is worthy of his hire,” is a maxim universally ac- 
knowledged and respected ; and “ they who preach 


81 Cor. 9. 6; 1 Thess. 2. 6. —?¢ Verse 7.— Gen. 3. 19: 
1 Thess. 4. 11. Ὁ Verse 6, —w1 Thess. 4. 11: 1 Tim. 5. 
13; 1 Peter 4. 15.—®a@1Thess. 4. 11.—y Eph. 4. 25. 2Gal. 
6. 9. — «a Or, faint not. 


the Gospel should live of the Gospel: ” the apostle 
did not claim his privilege, but laboured for his 
own support, that he might be an eramp/e to those 
whom he found otherwise disposed, and that he 
might spare the poor. (See 1 Cor. ix, 1, ete.) 

10. If any would not work, neither should 
he eat—This is a just maxim, and universal nature 
inculeates it to man. If man will work, he may 
eat; if he do not work, he neither can eat, nor 
should he eat. The maxim is founded on these 
words of the Lord: ‘In the sweat of thy face 
shalt thou eat bread.” Industry is crowned with 
God’s blessing; idleness is loaded with his curse. 
This maxim was a proverb among the Jews. Men 
who can work, and will rather support themselves 
by begging, should not get one morsel of bread. 
It is a sin to minister to necessities that are merely 
the fruits of indolence. 

11. For we hear that there are some — It 
is very likely that St. Paul kept up some sort of 
correspondence with the Thessalonian Chureh ; for 
he had heard every thing that concerned their state, 
and it was from this information that he wrote his 
second epistle. Disorderly —’Araktwc, out of 
their rank—not keeping their own place. Work- 
ing not at all—Hither lounging at home, or be- 
coming religious gossips: μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους, doing 
nothing. Busybodies — Ilepiepyatouévove, doing 
every thing they should not do; impertinent med- 
dlers with other people’s business; prying into 
other people’s circumstances and domestic affairs ; 
newsmongers and telltales; an abominable race, the 
curse of every neighbourhood where they live, and 
a pest to religious society. 

12. With quietness they work — Μετὰ ἡσυ- 
xiac, with silence; lJeaving their talebearing and 
officious intermeddling. Less noise and more work ! 
That. . they work, and eat their own bread 
—Their own bread, because earned by their own 
honest industry. What a degrading thing while a 
man is able to acquire his own livelihood! He 
who can submit to live on the bounty or mercy of 
another has lost the spirit of independence ; and 
has in him a beggar’s heart, and is capable of nothing 
but base and beggarly actions. Witness great 
masses of the people of England, who by their 
dependence on the poor rates are, from being labo- 
rious, independent, and respectable, become idle, 
profligate, and knavish ; the propagators and per- 
petrators of crime; a discredit to the nation and a 
curse to society. The apostle’s command is a cure 
for such; and the Church of God should discounte- 
nance such, and disown them. 

13. Be not weary in well-doing—{Ka/o7or- 
οὔντες, literally, doing handsomely; but ge used 

92: 


A. M. 4956. A. D. 52, 
Year of Rome, v5. 


1. THESSALONIANS. 


The erring to be a’monished, 
Apostolical benediction. 


well doing. 14 And if any man obey not 
our word ’by this epistle, note that man, and 
‘have no company with him, that he may 
be ashamed. 15 4 Yet count Aim not as an 
enemy, ®but adionish Aim as a_ brother. 
16 Now ‘the Lord of peace himself give 


you peace always by all means. The Lord be 
with you all. ΕἾ sThe salutation of Paul 
with mine own hand, which is the token 
in every epistle: so I write. IS The grace 
of our Lord Jesus Christ de with you all. 
Amen, 


1 Or, signify that man by an enpistle. c Matt. 18. 17; 
1 Cor. 5. 9, 11; verse 6. d Lev. 19. 17; 1 Thess, 8. 14.—e Tit, 


8. 10 ——fRom. 15. 33; 16. 
1 Thess. 5. 23.—g 1 Cor. 16. 21; Col. 4. 18. 


20; 1 Cor. 14. 33; 2 Cor. 13. 113 
h Rom, 16. 24. 


in the New Testament with special reference to 
works of beneficence.] While ye stretch out no 
hand of relief to the indolent and lazy, do not for- 
get the real poor—the genuine representatives of 
an impoverished Christ. 

14. If any man obey not—They had disobeyed 
his word in the first epistle, and the Church still 
continued to bear with them; now he tells the 
Church, if they still continue to disregard what is 
said to them, and particularly his word by this 
second epistle, they are to mark them as being 
totally incorrigible, and have no fellowship with 
them. Some construe the words διὰ τὴς ἐπιστολῆς 
with τοῦτον σημειοῦσθε, give me information of that 
man by a letter—let me hear of his continued ob- 
stinacy, and send me his name. The words of the 
original will bear either construction, that in the 
text, or that given above. 

15. Count him not as an enemy—Consider 
him still more an “enemy ” to himself than to you; 
and admonish him as a brother, though you 
have ceased to hold religious communion with him. 
His soul is still of infinite value; labour that it 
may be saved. 

16. The Lord of peace—Jesus Christ, who is 
called own peace, (Eph. ii, 14;) and the Prince of 
peace, (Isa. ix, 6.) May he give you peace, for he is 
the Fountain and Dispenser of it. Always—Both 
in your own consciences and among yourselves. By 
all means— Ep παντὶ τρόπῳ, by all means, meth- 
ods, occasions, instruments, and occurrences ; peace 
or prosperity in every form and shape. Instead of 
ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ, some read ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, in every 
place: May God grant you prosperity always, and 
everywhere. The Lord be with you all—This is 
agreeable to the promise of our Lord: “Lo, Iam 
with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” 
(Matt. xxviii, 20.) Christians are the temple of 
God, and the temple of God has the divine pres- 
ence in it. May you ever continue to be his Church, 
that the Lord God may dwell among you! 

17. The salutation of Paul with mine own 
hand—It is very likely that Paul employed an 
amanuensis generally, either to write what he dic- 
tated, or to make a fair copy of what he wrote. In 
either case the apostle always subscribed it, and 
wrote the salutation and benediction with his own 
hand; and this was what authenticated all his epis- 
tles. A measure of this kind would be very neces- 
sary if forged epistles were carried about in those 
times. (See 1 Cor. xvi, 21, and Col. iv, 18.) 

18. The grace—The favour, blessing, and in- 
fluence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with you 
all—Be your constant companion. May you ever 
feel his presence, and enjoy his benediction! 
Amen—So let it be! God grant it! This word in 
this place has more evidence in favour of its gen- 
uineness than it has in most other places: and was 
probably added here by the apostle himself, or by 
the Church of the Thessalonians. 

I have often had occasion to observe that the 
subseriptions at the end. of the sacred books are 

324 


not of divine origin: they are generally not trust- 
worthy ; and yet some have quoted them as making 
a part of the sacred text, and have adduced them 
in support of some favourite opinions. 


ADDITIONAL NOTE. 
ON THE COMING OF OUR LORD. 


[The words of St. Paul, in 1 Thess. iv, 18-18, and 
again in 2 Thess. ii, 1-5, as they seem to have per- 
plexed those to whom they were at first addressed, 
have continued to be scarcely less perplexing dur- 
ing all the subsequent ages of the Church. It is 
well known that the expectation of Christ’s coming 
again to reveal himself to his disciples, and either to 
dwell among them or to take them away with himself 
to heaven, was widely prevalent during the early 
Christian times. In the first of the passages cited 
above, and also in 1 Cor. xv, the apostle seems to 
be combatting a prevalent notion that to die before 
Christ’s second coming would be the greatest of 
calamities, since those so dying could have no part 
in the Messianic kingdom. To this false notion 
Paul opposes the doctrine of the resurrection—that 
is, of the future life—the abiding of all the saints, 
even though they die, with Christ in his eternal 
kingdom in heaven. The attendant circumstances 
of Christ’s coming to receive his own, as presented 
in 1 Thess. iv, 13-18, evidently served to confirm 
them in the expectation of his speedy coming, 
which was not, indeed, a very far-fetched inference ; 
and the partial correction of that impression, in the 
second epistle, still leaves the subject somewhat in 
doubt; and the Church has been perplexed with 
it from the apostolic age to our own times. The 
language of the apostles—both Paul and others— 
is strongly suggestive of the inference that they 
themselves lived in the constant expectation of 
the not distant outward revelation of Christ to set 
up his kingdom in the world, and the practical ex- 
hortations based on that expectation, assumed, not 
only that he would assuredly come, but also that 
the event would occur during the then present 
generation. That certainly is the first‘and natural 
implication of what is said in verse 17. And as 
that is the first written of Paul’s epistles, and as 
the speedy coming of Christ is not afterward so 
clearly assumed, and as the delay is accepted as a 
fact which called for the modification of the early 
too hasty expectation, (of which a marked example 
is seen in 2 Peter iv, 4, 5,) to a merely critical 
reader of the apostolic epistles the evidence that 
their writers were at first themselves expecting the 
speedy coming of Christ is pretty certain. But 
that that expectation was gradually moderated by 
the non-occurrence of the event as expected is 
clearly obvious. But some resist the force of this 
evidence, because, since, the event did not justify 
their expectation, and since eighteen hundred years 
have come and gone without its fulfilment, to 
grant that the apostles so believed is to concede 
that they were in error, which, it is assumed, is 


Remarks on the Lord’s 
second coming. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4056. A.D. 52. 
Year of Rome, 805. 


incompatible with their inspiration in the composi- 
tion of their epistles. Commentators are accordingly 
divided into two classes: one following the plain 
teaching of criticism, and conceding that the apos- 
tles were mistaken, and that some things that they 
wrote were the results of their misapprehensions, 
the other preferring to save the credit of the 
sacred writers, even at the sacrifice of the apparent 
meaning of their own words. 

[Among the former class, in the last century, were 
such eminent Christian scholars as Grotius and 
Locke, and others, who concluded that the apos- 
tles believed that the end of the world was to hap- 
pen in their time, and that they declared that be- 
lief in various passages in their epistles. Others, 
perhaps not their inferiors, among whom Dr. Mac- 
knight may be named, object to this opinion ; not, 
however, from critical, but from dogmatic, reasons ; 
for it is assumed that if the apostles erred in so 
important a matter, they may have been mistaken 
in other matters also, where their inspiration is not 
more strongly asserted by them than in this in- 
stance. He therefore concludes: “Seeing the 
apostles certainly knew that the coming of Christ 
to judgment was at a great distance, (as is shown 
in all their epistles,) every impartial person must 
be sensible that they have been placed in a false 
position, not only by the enemies of revelation, but 
by some of its friends, who have misunderstood 
some of their expressions. All these (misappre- 
hended) expressions may be applied to other events, 
and therefore they ought to be so applied; because 
andour requires that sense to be put upon an au- 
thor’s words which renders him most consistent 
with himself.’ This solution would be very ac- 
ceptable were it tenable; but the difficulty lies 
deeper, for not only is the statement that “ the 
Lord is at hand” so made as to seem to imply the 
immanence of his coming, but that fact is used as 
an argument in favour of regulating present and tem- 
porary relations and interests in view of that fact. 

[Among later scholars and critics, the former 
view has been pretty generally accepted by those 
of Germany —of both the Rationalistic and the 
Evangelistic schools—while both sides find support 
among English-speaking Christians. 

[Among these a foremost place must be conceded 
to Alford, who, in his commentary on the passage 
1 Thess. iv, 13-18, remarks: “It would certainly 
seem as if the preaching of the kingdom of Jesus 
at Thessalonica had been partially misunderstood, 
and been perverted into a cause why they should 
not quietly follow active life, and why they should 
be uneasy about those who fell asleep before that 
kingdom was brought in, imagining they would have 
no part in its glory.” Respecting the likeness, or 
identity, of Christ’s resurrection and that assured 
to “them that fall asleep,” that is, die, he says: 
“The two clauses (Christ rose and God will bring 
with him [Christ] them that are asleep in him) do 
not accurately correspond. Still, οὕτως καὶ (thus 
also) betokens identity of lot of the two parties 
concerned, namely, death and resurrection. In this 
they resemble, but in the expressed particulars here 
they differ: Christ was simply raised, theirs shall 
be a resurrection through him at his coming.” He 
further contends that the expression (ἄξει) means 
more than simply the accompanying of those 
spoken of with the risen Christ; but rather, that it 
implies that they shall be brought back to us “ that 
are alive,” so necessarily assuming that Christ’s 
coming is to occur while we, the people now living— 


as a whole, though not necessarily including every 
individual—are still alive. ‘‘ Beyond a question,” 
he continues, ‘he (Paul) himself expected to be 
alive, together with the majority of those to whom 
he was writing, at the Lord’s coming. For we can- 
not for a moment accept the evasion of Theodoret, 
and of many modern commentators, including Ben- 
gel, who, warped by their subjectivities, would 
make the “we who are alive ”’ include, not we owr- 
selves, but the men of that (undefined) time. Nor 
(can we accept) the ungrammatical rendering of 
Lucretius and Pelt, “we, if we live and remain; ” 
nor yet the idea, (that has been suggested,) that 
the living (we who are alive) are the sou/s whose 
bodies are “those that are asleep.” We must take 
the words in their only plain grammatical meaning: 
οἱ ζῶντες (the living) are a class distinguished 
from οἱ κοιμηθέντες, (those sleeping,) by being yet in 
the flesh when Christ comes, in which elass, by 
prefixing ἡμεῖς, (we,) he includes his readers and 
himself. That this was his expectation we know 
from other passages, especially 2 Cor. v, 10. It 
does not (however) seem to have been so strong to- 
ward the end of his course. (See Phil. i, 20-26 ) 
Nor need it surprise any Christian that the apostle 
should, in this matter of detail, have found his per- 
sonal expectations liable to disappointment respect- 
ing a day of which it is solemnly said that no man 
knoweth its appointed time—not the angels in 
heaven, nor the Son—but the Father only.” 

[In his further defence of his position, as already 
given, Dr. Macknight presents some valuable sug- 
gestions respecting several classes of passages of 
Scripture, all of which are commonly used as alike 
pointing to one and the same event—Christ’s second 
coming. The phrase ‘coming of Christ,” has sev- 
eral acceptations in the sacred writings, and there- 
fore it is necessary in each case to clearly determine 
the sense in which it is there used. There are more 
than a single “ coming of Christ” spoken of in the 
New Testament, and neither the phrase nor its 
equivalents can be safely assumed to uniformly re- 
fer to the same great event. 

[1. In the Old Testament any signal display of 
God’s power, whether for the salvation of his peo- 
ple or the overthrow of his enemies, is called the 
coming, or the appearance, or the presence, of the 
Lord. So the apostle would naturally designate 
any signal interposition of Christ in the Church 
or among men as his coming, or his day, the “ day 
of the Lord,” or the “day of the Son of man,” his 
TAapovela, appearing. 

[2. A special coming of the Lord, παρουσία, is 
spoken of in 2 Thess. ii, 8—his interposition, by his 
Spirit and providence, to resist and discomfit the 
great adversary in respect to his evil designs 
against the preaching of the Gospel. Such inter- 
positions in favour of the welfare of the Church 
and the honour of God are among the results of that 
perpetual presence of Christ, and his oversight of 
the affairs of the Church and the world, which 
his promises assure us that he exercises. When 
these become specially manifest they are termed 
the coming of the Lord. 

[3. It is quite certain that death, its time and the 
event, is sometimes designated the coming of the 
Lord. And although the release of Christ’s ser- 
vants from their present state of trial is not usually 
attended by any outward displays of God’s power, 
yet it may be fitly styled his coming or appearance, 
as then the emancipated spirit enters into Christ’s 
manifest presence. 

325 


A. M. 4056. A. Ὁ. 52. 
Yeur of Rone, 805. 


1. THESSALONIANS. 


Additional note on 
2 Thess. i, 9. 


{The term is also used to designate the end of the 
present dispensation of the Church, or the incom- 
ing of the millennium, or the day of judgment, 
events only dimly shadowed in the word of God, 
but which figure very largely in the legends and 
poetry of the Church. The “end of all things,” in 
respect to both its time and what shall then fol- 
low, appears to be purposely left in the deepest 
obscurity, lest men’s minds should be diverted, by 
contemplating it, from the practical duties of the 
present time. Christ comings, in the three several 
forms named above, are clearly within the range of 
our faith, and it is our duty and privilege to live 
constantly in view of these as great and certain 
verities ; and, having these, we may safely trust all 
else to Him who has reserved the subject of the 
final consummation within his own unsearchable- 
ness. (Matt. xxiv, 26; John xxi, 22; Acts i, 7.)] 


“ay 


ADDITIONAL NOTH, 2 Thess. i, 9. 


[Such as shall suffer as penalty everlasting destrue- 
tion (δίκην τίσουσιν ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον.) The first oc- 
currence chronologically of the word aiavio¢ in the 
Epistles of St. Paul appears to be the proper place 
for an examination of its meaning. 

[1) The etymology of the word αἰών perhaps throws 
some light upon the question. Aristotle saw that 
αἰών was in some way connected with de/, and sup- 
posed that the connexion was that of direct deriva- 
tion. That is, at least, an indication of the mean- 
ing which αἰών had for him, (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀεί εἰναι εἰλη- 
φὼς τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν. De Ceelo, i i, 9.) In Professor 
Max Miiller’s opinion, ““Aevwm is from the same 
root as αἰών and the Sanskrit ayus; the root is 7, 
and means ‘to go.’ ᾿Αεΐ, too, comes from the same 
source.” (Quoted by Rev. J. Riddell, Note A on 
Dr. Pusey’s sermon, Hverlasting Punishment, p. 32. 
The curiously analogous derivation of the Hebrew 
Sy will be seen below.) 2) The meaning of the 
word αἰών in classical Greek, especially as used by 
Aristotle, and in proportion as speculation advanced 
in definiteness, is unlimited prospective duration, 
eternity at least ὦ parte post. Aristotle’s language 
is very remarkable. ‘‘There is neither place, nor 
space, nor time, external to the heaven; whence 
the things there being unchangeable, and having 
the best and most self-sufficing existence without 
passion, fulfil in their course the whole eternity, 
(διατελεῖ τὸν ἅπαντα αἰώνα.) And in fact this name 
was divinely uttered by them of old time. For the 
sum total (τέλος) which comprises the time of the life 
of each, out of which nothing can be conceived ac- 
cording to the regular order of nature, is called the 
αἰών of each thing, And, analogously, the sum total 
also of the entire heaven, and the sum total com- 
prising all time and infinitude, is absolutely eternity, 
(aioy,) a name derived from ever-existing.” (De 


Colo, i, 9; see Mr. Riddell’s note ut supra, pp. 
82- 35, who also shows that in Plato, especially 


Legg 904 A, αἰώνιος is used “ unequivocally and 

intentionally of retrospective and prospective eter- 

nity.” A reference to Timeus (x, 37, e) will show 
326 


that he distinguishes αἰών as “ abiding,’ from 
χρόνος as its “ “mutable image,” very much in the 
spirit of St. Augustine. (Con/fess., xi, 11-13.) 3) For 
Hebrew and L.XX.—Man everywhere strugeles with 
insuperable difficulties in finding words to enunciate 
his conception of eternity. This is, indeed, from the 
necessary conditions of thought, an effort to express 
that which is inexpressible. Contradictory lines 
are thus inwoven into the very texture of language. 
So it was certainly with the Hebrews. Four words 
are chiefly employed in Hebrew for eternity. 
(a) Eternity is looked upon, in St. Augustine’s 
way, as ‘‘semper stans,” and therefore as some- 
thing in which we may ¢rust. The word ΓΝ), con- 
Jidence, also means eternity, as we may confide in 
those things which endure. (6) A second term 
(Op) denotes locally “what is before,” ‘“ the 
East ; ” hence temporally, ‘ ‘aforetime,” indefinite 
antiquity. In Micah v, 2, it answers in thought- 


rhyme to “the eternal days” (ody ney ἐξ ἡμερῶν 
αἰῶνος, LXX, and is rae ἥδ by az’ ἀρχῆς.) In 
* sa. lv, [liv,] 20, [19,] God’s eternity is spoken of 

sitt His being enthroned of old,” (D1p,) translated 
a τῶν αἰώνων by the LXX. (No ibs than twenty 
different Greek words are employed to render it by 
the LXX. See Fuerst. Concord., p. 972.) (ὦ The 
term most frequently used, however, to designate 
eternity is obiy. The word is derived from oby, to 
hide or veil, and denotes that whose extremes are 
unknown and undefinable as regards the past or 
future. (d) St. Augustine has analyzed the ideas 
of Time and Eternity with an acuteness and pro- 
fundity which anticipate Kant. He shows that 
“nothing, properly speaking, passes in eternity, but 
that it is present wholly; that God’s years neither 
come nor go, but all his years, as it were, stand 
simultaneously.” ‘‘ Anni tui omnes simul ree uy 
(Confess. lib. xi, 11-13; ef. De. Civ. D. x, 12.) 
But, do what we will, the idea of lapse and onan 
clings to our conception of eternity as time infi- 
nitely prolonged. This conception of eternity as 
time prolonged is represented by Jy, (from ΠΝ), to go 
forward.— Cresenius.) These four words—implying 
eternity as infinite prolongation, perfect stability, 
antiquity, and undefinability are alike rendered 
oceasionally by αἰών, αἰώνιος, κ. τ. 2., in the LXX. 
(ef. for the first word κατοικῶν τὸν. αἰώνα, Isaiah 
lvii, 15; for the second éw¢ αἰῶνος, Psa. xlix, 20, 
[xlviii, 18;] for the third, Psa. liv, [Iv,] 19 [20;] 
for the fourth, passtm—trequently of the Absolute 
Eternity of God, Psalm Ixxvii, [Ixxvi,] 5; xe, 
[Ixxxix,] 2.) One of the Hebrew words translated 
by αἰών, αἰώνιος (Dy) is, indeed, occdsionally used 
of temporary duration—yet even in this modifica- 
tion prospectively of an unbroken continuity, co- 
extensive with the existence of that of which it is 
spoken. So αἰώνιος is predicated of a “covenant ” 
or ‘‘ statute” conterminous with the existence of 
the dispensation to which it belonged, of a servi- 
tude final so far as the earthly life of the slave is 
concerned. (Gen. xvii, 7, 18; Exod. xii, 14, 17; 
Lev. xvi, 29. Dr. Pusey, Hverlasting Punishment, 
p. 22.) See Speaker’s Commentary. ] 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE 


TO 


ἘΠ sD I es 


TIMOTHY’S HISTORY AND HIS RELATIONS TO ST. PAUL. 


AUL and Barnabas, in the course of their first apostolic journey among the 
Gentiles, came to Lystra, a city of Lycaonia, where they preached the Gos- 
pel with considerable success. (See Acts xiv, 5, 6.) Here they found a Jewess 
named Lois, and also her daughter Eunice, both of whom became converted to 
the Christian faith. Eunice had married a Gentile, by whom she had Timothy, 
whose father was probably at this time dead, the grandmother, daughter, and son 
living together. (Compare Acts xvi, 1-3, with 2 Tim. i, 5.) Timothy, it appears, 
had been brought up in the fear of God, and carefully instructed in the Jewish 
religion by means of the Holy Scriptures. (Compare 2 Tim. i, 5, with 2 Tim. 
iii, 15.) This young man also became a thorough convert to the Christian faith, 
and a very tender intimacy grew up between him and St. Paul. 

When the apostle came the second time to Lystra from Antioch, in Syria, he 
found Timothy a member of the Church, and so highly reputed and warmly 
recommended by the Church in that place, that Paul took him to be his com- 
panion in his travels. (Acts xvi, 1-3.) It appears, also, that although Timo- 
thy had been educated in the Jewish faith he had not been circumcised, for 
his father was a Gentile. When the apostle had determined to take him with 
him, he found it necessary to have him circumcised, because the Jews would 
neither have heard him nor the apostle had not this been done. (Acts xvi, 3.) 

Timothy seems to have had a special call of God to the work of an evangelist, 
and to this the elders of the Church at Lystra solemnly set him apart by the 
imposition of hands, (1 Tim. iv, 14,) led also to this by certain prophetic dec- 
larations relative to him. (See 1 Tim. i, 18; iii, 14.) Some think, that after 
this appointment by the e/ders the apostle himself laid his hands on him, not for 
the purpose of his evangelical designation, but that he might receive those extraor- 
dinary gifts of the Holy Spirit so necessary in those primitive times to demon- 
strate the truth of the Gospel. (See 2 Tim. i, 6, 7.) Yet there is no satisfactory 
proof that Timothy had two ordinations—one by the elders of Lystra and another 
by the apostle; and it is most probable that Paul acted with the eldership. 
(1 Tim. iv, 14.) 

Timothy accompanied Paul and Silas when they visited the Churches of 
Phrygia, and delivered to them the decisions of the apostles and elders at Jeru- 
salem, freeing the Gentiles from the law of Moses as a term of salvation. Having 


gone through these countries they at length came to Troas, where Luke joined 
327 


.PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 


them. (Acts xvi, 10, 11, ete.) In Troas, Paul had a vision, directing them to go 
into Macedonia. Accordingly they all passed over to Neapolis; and thence they 
went to Philippi, where many were converted, and a Christian Church was planted. 
From Philippi they went to Thessalonica, probably leaving Luke at Philippi to 
care for the Church in that place. (Verse 40.) In Thessalonica they were opposed 
by the unbelieving Jews, and obliged to flee to Berea, whither the Jews from 
Thessalonica followed them. To elude their rage, Paul, who was most 
obnoxious to them, departed from Berea by night to go to Athens, leaving Silas 
and Timothy at Berea. At Athens, Timothy came to the apostle and gave him 
such an account of the afflicted state of the Thessalonian brethren, as induced 
him to send Timothy back to comfort them. After that Paul preached at Athens, 
but with so little success that he judged it proper to leave Athens and go forward 
to Corinth, where Silas and Timothy came to him, and assisted him in his work 
among the Corinthians. And when he left Corinth they accompanied him, first 
to Ephesus, then to Jerusalem, and after that to Antioch in Syria. Having spent 
some time in Antioch, Paul set out with Timothy on his third apostolical jour- 
ney; in which, after visiting all the Churches of Galatia and Phrygia, in the order 
in which they had been planted, they came to Ephesus the second time, and there 
abode for a considerable time. It thus appears that from the time Timothy first 
joined the apostle as his assistant, he never left him except when sent by him on 
some special errand. By his affection, fidelity, and zeal, he so recommended him- 
self to all the disciples, and acquired such authority over them, that Paul inserted 
his name in the inscription of several of the letters which he wrote to the Churches, 
Ilis esteem and affection for Timothy was expressed still more conspicuously, by 
writing to him those excellent letters in the canon which bear his name. 


TIME AND PLACE OF THE EPISTLE’S COMPOSITION. 


These can be ascertained only from the epistle itself and from some brief 
references in the Acts of the Apostles. According to chapter 1, 8, it appears to 
have been written soon after the apostle had departed from Ephesus, where he had 
left Timothy, and had gone into Macedonia, intending, however, soon to return 
again, (see chapter iii, 14,) though perhaps some delay might intervene. ΤῸ this 
stay at Ephesus there is probably no reference in the Acts. His first residence 
there was but for a short season, (Acts xviii, 19,) the second time extended to nearly 
three years. (Acts xx, 31.) It is very evident, however, that the journey from 
Ephesus to Macedonia (Acts xx, 1) is not the same with that of which the 
apostle speaks at the beginning of this epistle, (1 Tim. 1, 3;) for on the former 
occasion Timothy was not left behind as bishop of the Church at Ephesus, but he 
accompanied Paul for three months in Macedonia and Achaia. (Acts xx, 3.) 
Nor does it appear that, when entering upon that journey, it was the purpose 
to return so soon as he did; and when on his way to Jerusalem he expressed to 
the elders of the Ephesian Church his forebodings that he should never Visit 
them again. (Acts xx, 16,25.) It seems almost certain that Paul’s journey from 
Ephesus to Macedonia, referred to at the opening of this epistle, took place at a 
later period, and after his release from his first imprisonment at Rome, but how 
long after that event can be only approximately determined. Probably, very 
soon after his release, he hastened to Ephesus to confront and discomfit the false 
teachers in that his favourite Church, and from thence, leaving Timothy in charge, 
he journeyed to Macedonia and Greece. If, then, the (first) imprisonment at Rome 
was during the years 61-63, the date of this epistle should probably be near the 

828 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 


end of A.D. 63, or the beginning of 64. With this date the contents of the letter 
may be readily harmonized; but some eminent authorities would date it three or 
four years later—A.D. 66 or 67. 

Respecting the piace of its composition, only an approximate opinion can be 
formed. The subscriptions to the MSS. and Versions are quite unreliable, and 
often wholly irreconcilable with internal evidences, That it was written during 
Paul’s imprisonment at Cesarea is entirely conjectural, and needs no refutation. 
From the obscurity which hangs over this less important question, it is best to be 
content with the general suggestion, that the letter was probably composed in 
Macedonia, or at least in its neighbourhood. 


ITS OCCASION AND PURPORT. 

What the apostle at his early departure had feared, (Acts xx, 29,) had been 
only too soon realized. Heretical teachers had arisen, (chapter i, 4,) and Timothy, 
comparatively a young man, needed the counsel and guidance and moral support 
of his older and superior minister. The nature of the false doctrines that had 
been brought in is somewhat shown in such expressions as the ἀντιθέσεις τῆς 
ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, oppositions of’ science (knowledge) falsely so called, (chapter 
vi, 20,) the beginnings of which were already apparent at that time, and this the 
apostle opposes as wholly incompatible with the Gospel. Timothy’s early 
education (chapter iv, 12) had prepared him, in part, to become the antagonist 
of these errors; and yet his comparative youth, the short period during which he 
had been a Christian, his lack of the special apostolic gifts, (χαρίσματα.) and his 
comparatively less influence in the Church, rendered it desirable that he should 
have in form the explicit instructions of Paul himself, as to both the agreement 
of his doctrines with those of the apostle, and his authority to direct the adminis- 
᾿ trative affairs of the Church. Whether or not Paul was conscious of the relations 
that this epistle was to hold in the Church through all later times is a question 
rather curious than practically useful, but whoever believes that the Holy Spirit 
guided his writing cannot fail also to believe that the future wants of the Church 
were cared for, and that herein, more fully than anywhere else, the living Church 
may at all times see a divinely modelled order of church government. Luruer has 
aptly said, “St. Paul writes this epistle as a model for all bishops, what they 
shall teach, and how they shall rule the Christian Church in all circumstances, so 
that they need not guide Christian men by their own human darkness.” (See 
Lange’s Bible Work.) 

CONTENTS. 

After the salutation, the apostle informs Timothy that he had requested him 
to abide in Ephesus for the purpose of charging that sound doctrines be taught 
and heresies avoided. He refers to himself as having been a persecutor, and to 
his call to the ministry as anexample of the divine mercy for the benefit of 
others. He exhorts Timothy to perseverance in the faith. He directs that 
prayers be offered for all men, especially for those in authority, declaring that 
God wills the salvation of all through the Gospel of Christ, of which he has been 
made a minister. He gives directions respecting the deportment of women, (chap- 
ters i, ii.) He describes the qualifications of bishops and deacons, and the conduct 
required of their wives. He expects to come shortly to see Timothy, but writes 
in order that, if he does not come, Timothy may know how to conduct himself; 
at the same time he speaks of the great mystery that is found in the gospel sys- 


tem. (Chapter iii.) He foretells through the Spirit the coming apostasy and the 
329 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 


heresies in the Church, instructs Timothy in the duties of personal religion, in the 
treatment of elders and widows, and enjoins caution in ordaining men to the 
ministry. (Chapter iv, 5.) He also describes the duties of servants to their mas- 
ters, exhorts Timothy to withdraw from those who teach anything contrary to 
the doctrines of Christ, points out the fatal consequences of a love of money, 
exhorts Timothy in the most solemn manner to be faithful to warn the rich 
against trusting in their riches, but to charge them to trust in God, to be rich in 
good works, and benevolent; and he concludes by warning Timothy against the 
pretences of a false science.—Harman. 


GENUINENESS. 

The evidence for the genuineness of this epistle is abundant and altogether 
satisfactory. Itis found in all the ancient Versions, and in nearly all the MSS., and 
the Fathers quote from it, recognising it as the writing of Paul. It is attrib- 
uted to Paul in the Peshito-Syriac Version, and in the Canon of Muratori, about 
A.D. 150. Irenzus gives part of chapter vi, 20, attributing the words to Paul, 
and also other parts of the epistle. It is ascribed to Paul by Clement of Alex- 
andria, and Tertullian, and Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, about A.D. 180. It 
was however rejected by the heretic Marcion, but only on dogmatic grounds. 
An eminent German critic and commentator, (/Zuther,) after thoroughly consid- 
ering the whole case, concludes, “If there are difficulties in vindicating the 
Pauline authorship, it is still more difficult to prove, in whole or in part, how a 
forger could manufacture three such epistles as these are (namely, I and IL Tim- 


othy, and Titus) in form and contents, and foist them on the Apostle Paul.” 
330 


THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


ea Oi EB ας 


. CHAPTER I. 
AUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ *by the 
d commandment “of God our Saviour, and 
Lord Jesus Christ, «which is our hope; 2 Un- 
to “Timothy, «my own son in the faith: 
f Grace, merey, and peace, from God our Fa- 


ther, and Jesus Christ our Lord. 8 As I be- 
sought thee to abide still at Ephesus, ¢ when I 
went into Macedonia, that thou miglitest 
charge some *that they teach no other doc- 
trine, 4 ‘Neither give heed to fables and 
endless genealogies, * which minister questions, 


a Acts 9, 15; Gal. 1. 1, 11.—d Chap. 2.3; 4. 10; Titus 1.3; 
2. WW; 3. 4: Jude 25. cCol. 1. 27. —@ Acts 16. 1; 1 Cor. 
4.17; Phil. 2. 19; 1 Thess. 3. 2.——e Titus 1. 4. 


FGal. 1. 3: 3 Tim. 1.. ὃ: 1 Pet. 1, 2.—g Acts 20. 1, 8: Phil. 
9) 91. Gal. 1. 6.7; chap. 6. 3, 10.—7 Chap. 4. 7; 6. 4, 20; 
2 Tim, 2. 14, 16,23; ‘Titus 1. 14; 3. 9.—A Chap 6. 4. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Paul, an apostle... by the command- 
ment of God—We have already seen that the 
term ἀπόστολος, apostle, literally signifies a person 
sent from one to another, without implying any par- 
ticular dignity in the person, or importance in the 
message. But in the New Testament, it is usually 
applied to those sent expressly by our Lord with 
the message of salvation to mankind, [and to es- 
tablish Christ’s kingdom in the world.] It was 
thus by the express command of God that St. Paul 
went to the Gentiles preaching the doctrine of sal- 
vation by faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ... 
our hope—He is called our “ hope,” as he is called 
our life, our peace, our righteousness, etc., because 
from him hope, life, peace, righteousness, and all 
other blessings proceed. 

2. My own son in the faith—Brought to sal- 
vation through Christ by my ministry alone. But 
γνησίῳ τέκνῳ May Mean my beloved son ; for in this 
sense τὸ γνησίον is not unfrequently used. In the 
faith— The word πίστις, fuith,*is taken here for 
the whole of the Christian religion, “ faith ” in Christ 
being its essential characteristic. [So Timothy was 
Paul’s beloved son in the Gospel, having through 
him (Paul) been brought to believe in Christ. ] 
Grace, mercy, and peace—“ Grace,” the favour 
and approbation of God. ‘“ Mercy,” springing from 
oe grace, pardoning, purifying, and supporting. 

eace,” the consequence of this manifested mercy 
—peace of conscience and peace with God—produ- 
cing internal happiness, quietness, and assurance. 

3. As I besought thee — [Καθὼς indicates a 
correlative clause with which to close the sentence, 
but the apodosis is not given. The inserted words 


so do recognise the defect, but scarcely remedy | 


it.] The apostle had seen that a bad seed had 
been sown in the Church; and, as he was obliged 
to go then into Macedonia, he wished Timothy, on 
whose prudence, piety, and soundness in the faith 
he could depend, to stay behind and prevent the 
spreading of a doctrine that would have been per- 
nicious to the people’s souls. I have already sup- 
posed that this epistle was written after Paul had 


been delivered from his first imprisonment at Rome, 
about the end of the year 64, or the beginning of 
65. (See the preface.) When, therefore, the apos- 
tle came from Rome into Asia, he no doubt visited 
Ephesus, where, ten years before, he had planted a 
Christian Church ; and, as he had not time to tarry 
then, he left Timothy to correct abuses. That 
thou mightest charge some—He does not name 
any persons; the Judaizing teachers are generally 
supposed to be those intended; and the term τισί, 
some, certain persons, Which he uses, is expressive 
of high disapprobation, and at the same time of 
delicacy ; they were not apostles, nor apostolic men; 
but they were undoubtedly members of the Church 
at Ephesus, and might yet be reclaimed. [Μὴ 
ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν, literally, not to teach heresy, cor- 
rectly rendered other doctrines, that is, than those 
which the apostle had taught, nor different from 
that by which they had been brought to Christ.] 

4. Neither give heed to fables—lI«dle fancies ; 
things of no moment; doctrines and opinions unau- 
thenticated ; silly legends, of which no people ever 
possessed a greater stock than the Jews. End- 
less genealogies — Some learned men suppose 
that the apostle alludes here to the eons among 
the Gnostics and Valentinians, of whom there were 
endless numbers to make up what was called their 
pleroma ; or to the sephiroth, or splendours, of the 
Cabalists. But it is not certain that these heresies 
had arrived to any formidable head in the apostle’s 
time ; and it has long been a doubt with me whether 
they even existed at that time ; and I think it the 
most simple way, and most likely to be the inten- 
tion of the apostle, to refer all to the Jewish gen- 
ealogies, which he calls “ Jewish fables,” (Tit. i, 14,) 
to which we know they were strongly and even con- 
scientiously attached. [Alford, after noticing and 
rejecting the principal interpretations of those 
words, favours the opinion that they refer to “the 
lists of Gnostic emanations,” inferring that even at 
that early period, “ though we must hardly under- 
stand the ripened fruit of Gnosticism, but rather 
the first beginnings of those genealogies in the 
abuse of Judaism.”] Which minister questions 

991 


A.M. 4069. A.D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 813. 


J, TIMOTHY. 


Jesus Christ the only mediator 
between God and men, 


rather than godly edifying which is in faith: 
co do. & Now 'the end of the commandment 
is charity ™out of a pure heart, and ef a good 
conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6 From 
which some " having swerved have turned aside 
unto °vain jangling; “4 Desiring to be teach- 
ers of the law; P understanding neither what 


they say, nor whereof they affirm. S$ But we 
know that 4the law zs good, if a man use it 
lawfully; 9 ‘Knowing this, that the law is 
not made for arighteous man, but for the law- 
less and disobedient, for the ungodly and for 
sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers 
of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man- 


Z7Rom. 13. 8, 10; Gal. 5. 14.—m ἃ Tim, 2. 22.—vn Or, not aim- 
ing at. 


o Chap. 6. 4, 20.—g Chap. 6, 4.—g Rom. 7. 12. -----γ' Gal. 3. 
19; 5. 23. 


—They are the foundation of endless altercations 
and disputes; for, being uncertain and not consecu- 
tive, every person had a right to call them in question. 
Rather than godly edifying—Such discussions 
as these had no tendency to promote piety, [nor to 
build up any in the faith.] Instead of οἰκοδομίαν 

cov, godly edifying, or the edification of God, 
οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ, the economy or dispensation of 
God, is evidently the true reading ; and though the 
old reading, which is supported by the Latin Fa- 
thers and the Vulgate, gives a good sense, yet the 
connexion and spirit of the place favours the latter. 
This dispensation, says the apostle, is by faith, 
οἰκονομίαν Θεοῦ τὴν ἐν πίστει. It was not by nat- 
ural descent, nor by works, but by faith in Christ ; 
therefore it was necessary that the people who were 
seeking salvation in any other way should be strict- 
ly informed that all their toil and labour would be 
vain. 

5. Now the end of the commandment is 
charity—[“ The end,” τέλος, the purpose or de- 
sign, that purposed to be attained to; παραγγελίας, 
the things proclaimed, that is, the doctrines and 
precepts of the Gospel.] ‘The end,” aim, and 
design of God in giving this dispensation to the 
world is, that men may have a living faith, such as 
lays hold on Christ crucified, and produces a good 
conscience, [that apprehends Christ, and delights in 
him and in doing his will,] and which leads on to 
purity of heart; Love to God and man being the 
grand issue of the grace of Christ here below, and 
so fully preparing the soul for eternal glory. He 
whose soul is filled with love to God and man has a 
pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith. 
But these blessings no soul can ever acquire but 
according to God’s dispensation of faith. The 
paraphrase and note of Dr. Macknight on this verse 
are very proper: ‘‘ Now the scope of the charge to be 
given by thee to these teachers is, that instead of 
inculeating fables and genealogies, they inculcate 
love to God and man, proceeding from a pure heart, 
and directed by a good conscience, and nourished 
by unfeigned faith in the Gospel doctrine. The 
word παραγγελίας (commandment) denotes a mes- 
sage or order, brought to be delivered by word 
of mouth. The charge here meant is, that which 
the apostle ordered Timothy to deliver to the 
teachers in Ephesus; for he had said, (verse 3,) 
I had besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, wa 
παραγγείλῃς, that thou mightest charge some: here 
he tells him what the scope of this charge was to 
be.” Of faith unfeigned — Πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου, 
a faith not hypocritical. The apostle appears to 
allude to the Judaizing teachers, who pretended 
faith in the Gospel merely that they might have 
the greater opportunity to bring back to the Mosaic 
system those who had embraced the doctrine of 
Christ crucified. [A false faith may exist and 
operate, while its subject may be quite unconscious 
of his own hypocrisy. (See note on Matt. vi, 6.)] 

6. From which some having swerved — 

332 


“From which some,” though they have seemed to 
aim at the τέλος, scope, or object, have missed that 
mark. Turned aside unto vain jangling—The 
original term, ματαιολογίαν, signifies empty or vain 
talking; discourses that turn to no profit; many 
words and little sense, and not worth the hearing. 
Such, indeed, is all preaching where Jesus Christ 
is not held forth. : 

7. Teachers of the law — Of Moses. To be 
esteemed or celebrated as rabbins; to be reputed 
cunning in solving knotty questions and enigmas, 


which answered no end to true religion. Of such 
the rabbinical teaching was full. Understanding 


neither what they say — [They understand as 
little about the one as the other; neither the dia- 
tribes which they actually put forth, nor those ob- 
jective truths which properly belong to and under- 
lie the matters with which they are thus tamper- 
ing. See Alford.] 

8. But we know that the law is good—The 
law as given by God is both good in itseif, and has 
a good tendency. (Rom. vii, 12-16.) If a man 
use it lawfully—That is, interpret it according to 
its own spirit and design, and use it for the purpose 
for which God has given it. Even the ceremonial 
law was a schoolmaster to lead us unto Christ, 
and Christ is the end of that law for justification 
to every one that believes. Now those who did not 
use the law in reference to these ends, did not use 
it lawfully—tThey did not construe it according to 
its original design and meaning. 

9. The law is not made for a righteous man 
—The object of the moral law is to restrain crimes, 
and to punish those that commit them. It was not 
made for the “righteous ” as a restrainer of crimes 
and an inflicter of punishments; for the righteous 
avoid sin, and by living to the glory of God expose 
not themselves to. its censures. The apostle does 
not say that the law was not MavE for a righteous 
man, but ov κεῖται, it does not LIE against a right- 
cous man; because he does not transgress it: but 
it lies against the wicked; for they have broken it, 
and are condemned by it. The lawless— Avoxoic ; 
those who will not be bownd by a law, and acknowl- 
edge none, therefore have no rule of moral conduct. 
Disobedient— Ανυποτάκτοις, those who acknowl- 
edge no authority; they neither acknowledge law 
nor executive authority, and consequently endeavour 
to live as they list; and from such dispositions all 
the crimes in the following catalogue may naturally 
spring. For the ungodly —’AgeBéou, the irre- 
ligious—those who do not worship God, or have no 
true worship. For sinners—'Ayaprwsoic, those 
who transgress the laws. For unholy— Ανοσίοις, 
persons ethically depraved. And profane—Be/37- 
λοις, moral outcasts, answering to our word profane, 
which comes from procul a fano, “ away from the 
temple.” Murderers of fathers — Πατρολῴαις. 
The murderer of a father or a mother, notwith- 
standing the deep fall of man and the general 
profligacy of the world, has been so rare, and is a 


The faithful saying, that Christ 
came to save sinners. 


slayers, 20 For whoremongers, for them 
that defile themselves with mankind, for men- 
stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if 
there be any other thing that is contrary ‘to 
sound doctrine; ΕΠ According to the glori- 
ous gospel of ‘the blessed God, «which was 
committed to my trust. #2 And I thank 
Christ Jesus our Lord, ¥ who hath enabled me, 
~ for that he counted me faithful, * putting me 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4089. A.D. 65, 
Year of Kome, 818. 


into the ministry; 18 »Who was before a 
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: 
but I obtained mercy, because 11 did it igno- 
rantly in unbelief. 14 *And the grace of our 
Lord was exceeding abundant & with faith «and 
love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 4This is a 
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
that ὁ Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit 


sChap. 6.3; 2 Tim. 4. 3; Tit. 1. 9: 2.1. ὁ Chap. 6. 15.— 
wi Cor. 2. 17: Gal. 2.7; Col. 1. 25: 1 Thess. 2. 4; chap. 2. 7; 
arin, 1. 11 Tit, Lis: 72 Cor. 12. 9. 101 Cor. 7. 25.— 
@2 Cor, 3. 5,6; 4.1; Col. 1. 25.—y Acts 8. 3; 9. 1; 1 Cor. 15. 


crime so totally opposite to nature, that few civil- 
ized nations have found it necessary to make laws 
against it. Yet such monsters, like the most 
awful and infrequent portents, have sometimes ter- 
rified the world with their appearance. Perhaps the 
original does not mean the murder of a father or 
of a mother; it may mean simply beating or striking 
a father or mother. Manslayers —’Avdpopdvoie, 
murderers simply; all who take away the life of a 
human being contrary to law. For no crime, unless 
it be murder, should any man lose his life. If the 
_ law did not speak differently, I should not scruple 
to say that he whose life is taken away, except for 
murder, is murdered, 

10. For whoremongers — ἸΤόρνοις, adulterers, 
fornicators, and prostitutes of all sorts. Them 
that defile themselves with mankind— Apoevo- 
κοίταις, a word too bad to be explained. Sodomites. 
[And yet this pollution was fearfully common among 
the most cultivated Greeks and Romans. Such is 
culture without the Gospel.] Meastealers— Av- 
δραποδισταῖς, slavedealers; whether those who carry 
on the traffic in human flesh and blood, or those 
who steal a person in order to sell him into bondage, 
or those who buy such stolen men or women, no 
matter of what colour or what country, or those who 
sow dissensions among barbarous tribes in order 
that they who are taken in war may be sold into 
slavery, or the nations who legalize or connive at 
such traffic; all these are ‘‘menstealers,” and God 
classes them with the most flagitious of sinners. 
For liars — Yevoraic, they who speak for truth 
what they know to be false. For perjured per- 
sons —'Exvdpkoic, perjurers, or bearers of false 
witness, trucebreakers. And if there be any 
other thing — Every species of vice and immo- 
rality—all must be necessarily included—that 
contrary to sound doctrine —to the immutable 
moral law of God, as well as to the pure precepts 
of Christianity wherein that law is incorporated, 
explained, and rendered more sacredly binding. 

11. According to the glorious gospel—The 
“sound doctrine” mentioned above, which is here 
called εὐαγγέλιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ μακαρίου Θεοῦ, the 
Gospel of the glory of the blessed οὐ adorable God 
—a dispensation which exhibits the glory of all his 
attributes: and by saving man in such a way as is 
consistent with the glory of all the divine perfec- 
tions, while it brings peace and goodwill among 
men, also brings glory to God in the highest. Sin 


is 


has dishonoured God, and robbed him of his glory ; | 


the Gospel provides for the total destruction of sin, 
and thus brings back to God his glory. 

12. I thank Christ—[I give thanks to Christ, 
ete.; χάριν ἔχω, I have gratitude, is the Greek 
equivalent for our give thanks.| I feel myself un- 


der infinite obligation to Christ who hath strength- | 


ened me, ἐνδυναμώσαντι, who hath endued me with 


9; Phil. 3. 6.—z2 Luke 28, 34: John 9. 39, 41: Acts 3. 17: 26. 9. 
—« Rom. d. 20; 1 Cor, 15 10.—2 Tim. 1. 13. c Luke 7, 47. 
—d Chap. 3. 1; 4. 9; 2 Tim. 2. 11; Tit. 3. 8.——e Matt. 9. 13; 
Mark 2, 17, Luke d. 32; 19. 10; Rom. 5. 8; 1 John 3. ὅ. 


various miraculous gifts of his Holy Spirit, and put 
me into the ministry, διακονίαν, the deaconship, the 
service of mankind, by preaching the Gospel, for 
that he counted me—he knew that I would be— 
faithful to the charge that was delivered to me. 
[Constituted me worthy by his own will, as an act of 
sovereign grace and of infinite condescension. ] 

13, A blasphemer—Speaking impiously and 
unjustly of Jesus, his doctrine, his ways, and his 
followers. And a persecutor — Endeavouring, 
to the uttermost of my power, to exterminate all 
who called on the name of the Lord Jesus. And 
injurious—Kai ifpior#; as full of insolence as I 
was of malevolence ; and yet all the while think- 
ing I did God service, while sacrificing men and 
women to my own prejudices and intolerance. I 
did it ignorantly in unbelief—Not having con- 
sidered the nature and evidences of Christianity, 
and not having believed that Jesus was the prom- 
ised Messiah, I acted wholly under the prejudices 
that influenced my countrymen in general. God, 
therefore, showed me mercy, because I a€ted under 
this influence, not knowing better. This extension 
of mercy does not, however, excuse the infuriated 
conduct of Saul of Tarsus, for he says himself that 
he was exceedingly mad against them. Let us he- 
ware lest we lose the man’s former crimes in his 
after character. [His ignorance did not give him 
any claim on God’s mercy, but merely put (left) 
him within the pale of its operation —L//icott.] 
[There is certainly here, and also in our Lord’s 
prayer for his murderers, a presumption that such 
unbelief as that under which both they and Paul 
acted, forms in some way a condition favourable to 
their repentance. | 

14, The grace of our Lord was exceeding 
abundant — The original is very emphatic, that 
grace of our Lord, ὑπερεπλεόνασεν, hath super- 
abounded—it manifested itself in a way of extraor- 
dinary mercy. With faith and love—Not only 
pardoning such offences, but leading me to the full 
experimental knowledge of Christ’s salvation; of 
that faith and love which are essential to it ; and 
giving me authority to proclaim it to mankind. 

15, 16. Christ Jesus came into the world to 
save sinners—This is one of the most glorious 
truths in the book of God; the most important 
that ever reached the human ear, or can be enter- 
tained by the heart of man. A// men are sinners ; 
and, as such, justly condemned to eternal death. 
Christ Jesus became incarnate, suffered, and died 
to redeem them; and, by his grace and Spirit, saves 
them from their sins. This saying or doctrine he 
calls, first, a faithful or true saying, πιστὸς ὁ λόγος ; 
it is a doctrine that may be eredited without the 
slightest doubt or hesitation. God himself has 
spoken it; and the death of Christ and the mission 
of the Holy Ghost, sealing pardon on the souls of 

999 


A.M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


iL TIMOTHY. 


Paul ascribes praise to God. 
His charge to Timothy, 


for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me 
first Jesus Christ might show forth all long- 
suffering, ¢for a pattern to them which should 
hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 
17 Now unto "the King eternal, ‘immortal, 
k invisible, ! the only wise God, ™/e honour and 
glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18 This 


charge "I commit unto thee, son Timothy, 
°according to the prophecies which went be- 
fore on thee, that thou by them mightest Ρ war 
a good warfare; 19 4 Holding faith, and a 
good conscience; which some having put away, 
concerning faith τ have made shipwreck: 20 Of 
whom is *Hymeneus and t Alexander; whom 


F2 Cor. 4. 1.—g Acts 13. 39.—A Psa. 10. 16; 145. 13; Dan. 
7. 14: chap. 6. 15, 16. ——7z Rom. 1. 238. k John 1, 18; Heb, 11, 
27; 1 John 4, 12.— Rom. 16. 27; Jude 25, 


m1 Chron, 29. 11.—2 Chap. 6. 13, 14, 20; 2 Tim. 2. 2. 
oChap. 4, 14. —p Chap, 6, 12; 2 Tim. 2.3; 4. 7.-— g Uhap. 3.9, 
—-r Chap. Ὁ. 9.—s2'Tim. 2, 17.—22 Tim. 4. 14. 


all who believe, have confirmed and established the 
truth. Secondly, it is worthy of all acceptation; as 
all need it, it is worthy of being received by all. It 
is designed for the whole human race, for all that 
are sinners; is applicable to all, because all are sin- 
ners; and may be received by all, being put within 
every man’s reach, and brought to every man’s ear 
and bosom, either by the letter of the word, or, 
where that revelation is not vet come, by the power 
of the divine Spirit, the true light from Christ that 
lightens every man that cometh into the world. 
From this also it is evident that the death of Christ, 
and all its eternally saving effects, were designed 
for every man. Of whom I am chief—['Qv πρῶτός 
εἰμι ἐγώ, of whom, that is, sinners. The aim and 
extent of the Lord’s mercy intensifies the feeling of 
Paul’s own special unworthiness ; πρῶτος expresses, 
not ¢ime, but degree ; the expression is one of the 
deepest humility, only another form of the publi- 
can’s μοὶ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, to me a sinner. (Luke 
xviii, 15.) In one’s own sight, (when truly awa- 
kened,)} other men’s crimes seem to sink into nothing 
in comparison, and a man’s own to be the chief and 
only ones.—A/ford.| Keeping this idea strictly in 
view, he adds: Howbeit, for this cause I obtained 
mercy; that in me Jesus Christ might show forth 
all iongsuffering, for a pattern to THEM which should 
HEREAFTER (τῶν μελλόντων) believe on. him to life 
everlasting. And this great display of the pardon- 
ing mercy of God, granted in so singular a manner, 
at the very first promulgation of the Gospel, was 
most proper to be produced as a pattern for the 
encouragement of all penitent sinners to the end of 
time. If Jesus Christ, with whom there can be no 
respect of persons, saved Saul of Tarsus, no sinner 
need despair. 

17. Now unto the King eternal—This burst 
of thanksgiving and gratitude to God naturaliy 
arose from the subject then under consideration. 
(sod has most wondrously manifested his merey, in 
this beginning of the Gospel, by saving me, and 
making me a pattern to all them that shall here- 
after believe on Christ. He is Βασιλεύς τῶν αἰώνων, 
the King of elernities, the eternity that was before 
time was, and the eternity that shall be when time 
isno more. Therefore, ever living to justify and 
save sinners to the end of the world. Immortal 
-᾿Αφθάρτῳ, incorruptible, essentially imperishable. 
Some copies read ἀθάνατῳ, immortal, which our 
translation follows ; but it is not the original read- 
ing. Invisible—Aopaty, [in his own nature in- 
capable of being seen. (John i, 18.)] The only 
wise God—The word σόφωῳ, wise, must be omitted: 
lo the only God; nothing visible or invisible being 
worthy of adoration but himself. [Essentially sole. ] 
Be honour—feverence, worship, glory —all_ ex- 
cellence and perfection. And this for ever and 
ever—through eternily. (Gal. i, 5.) [This doxology 
is to the Father, not to the Trinity, nor the Son. ... 
The abstract adjectives of attribute are used al- 
most as substantives, and stand by themselves, re- 

954 


; dictions. 


ferring not to βασιλεῖ immediately, but to him 
of whom βασιλεύς (the king) is a title, the King of 
the ages, the Jncorruptible, the Invisible, the one 
(or sole) God.— Alford. | 

18. This charge—Sce the note on verse 5. It 
was a “charge” that the Judaizing teachers should 
not teach differently from that doctrine which the 
apostle had delivered to him. (See verse 3.) Ac- 
cording tothe prophecies—This may refer to 
some predictions by inspired men, (e. g., Silas,) rel- 
ative to what Timothy should be; and he wishes 
him to act in all things conformably to those pre- 
He was now called to that estate to which 
the prophecies may have referred; and now he is 
to act worthily of that calling, according as he might 
fight the good warfare and hold faith and a good 
conscience. Some think that the tpoayovcac προφη;- 
τείας, the foregoing prophecies, refer to revelations 
which the apostle himself had received concerning 
Timothy, while others think that the word is to be 
understood of advices, directions, and exhortations 
which the apostle had previously delivered to him. 
We know that sometimes προφητεύω signifies to 
speak to men to edification, to exhortation, and to 
comfort. (See 1 Cor. xiv, 8.) This is a very sober 
and good sense of the passage. War a good 
warfare—The trials and afflictions of the followers 
of God are often represented as a “warfare” or 
campaign. (See Isa. xl, 2; 1 Cor. ix, 7; 2 Cor. 
x, 4; see also Eph. vi, 13.) [Στρατεύεσθαι includes 
the whole business of the employed soldier, not 
merely of fighting, properly so called, .. . but the 
whole campaign.—A/jord. | 

19. Holding faith—All the truths of the Christ- 
ian religion; firmly believing them, and fervently 
proclaiming them to others. And a good con- 
science—*o holding the truth as to live according 
to its dictates, that a “good conscience” may be 
ever preserved, As the apostle had just spoken of 
the Christian’s warfare, so he here refers~ to the 
Christian armour, especially to the shield and 
breastplate; the shield of faith, and the breastplate 
of righteousness. (See on Eph. vi, 18, οἷς. and 
1 Thess. v, 8.) Which (the good conscience) 
some having put away --- ᾿Απωσάμενοι, having 
thrust away. [There is something in the word 
implying the violence of the act required, and 
the importunity of consciences reluctant to be 
so extended.—A/ford.] Concerning faith—The 
great truths of the Christian religion. Have 
made shipwreck—Being without the faith, that 
only infallible system of truth; and a good con- 
science, that skilful pé/ot, that steady and com- 
manding helm, that faithful and invariable load- 
stone ; have been driven to and fro by every wind 
of doctrine, and, getting among shoals, quich- 
sands, and rocks, have been shipwrecked and en- 
gulfed. 

20. Of whom... Hymeneus and Alexander 
—Who had the faith but thrust it avay; who had 
a good conscience through believing, but made ship- 


Exhortation to make prayer for 
all classes of men, 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4969. A.D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


I have “delivered unto Satan, that they may |and «for all that are in dauthority; that we 


learn not to ἡ blaspheme. 


‘ 


CHAPTER II. 
*EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, sup- 
plications, prayers, intercessions, and giving 
of thanks, be made for all men; 2 "ἡ For kings, 


u1 Cor. 5. 5.—v Acts 13. 45.—a Or, desire.—h Ezra 6. 
10; Jer. 29. 7. ec Rom. 13. 1. —d Or, eminent place. — 
6 Rom, 12. 2; chap. 4. 4. 
wreck of it. Delivered unto Satan — For the 
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be 
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (See 1 Cor. 
v,5) What this sort of punishment was no man 
now living knows. It seems to have been some- 
thing done solely by apostolical authority, under the 
direction of the Spirit of God. [For any one now 
to presume on a like course of action would be a 
flagrant presumption.] ‘‘Hymeneus and Alexan- 
der” denied the resurrection, (2 Tim. ii, 17, 18 ;) but 
whether this “ Alexander” be the same with <A/- 
exandler the coppersmith, (2 Tim. iv, 14,) or the .Al- 
exander of Acts xix, 33, [or still some other, ] cannot 
be determined. Whether they were brought back 
to the acknowledgment of the truth does not ap- 
pear. From what is said in the second epistle the 
ease seems extremely doubtful. Let him who most 
assuredly standeth take heed lest he fall. He that 
is self-confident is already half fallen. He who 
professes to believe that God will absolutely keep 
him from falling finally, and neglects watching 
unto prayer, is not ina safe state. He who lives 
by the moment, walks in the light, and maintains 
his communion with God, is in no danger of apos- 
tasy. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. I exhort—{ Παρακαλῶ, make a practical use of 
the things named, to enforce and explain which is 
the design of the epistle. 'Therefore—Ovv, in view 
of what has been said, and what the case requires. 
First of all— Πρῶτον πάντων, imprimis, not in 
point of time, but dignity, qualifying “I exhort,” 
rather than should be made. See Ellicott.] Prayer 
for the pardon of sin, and for obtaining necessary 
supplies of grace and continual protection from 
God, with gratitude and thanksgiving for mercies 
already received, are duties which our sinful and 
dependent state renders absolutely necessary ; and 
which should be chief in our view, and “ first of all” 
performed. It is difficult to know the precise dif- 
ference between the four words used here by the 
apostle. They are sometimes distinguished thus: 
Supplications—Aeryoerc, special petitions. Pray- 
ers — Προσευχάς, prayers generally. Interces- 
sions —’Evreifervc, on behalf of others. Giving 
of thanks — Εὐ χαριστίας, thanksgivings. Prob- 
ably the apostle gives directions here for public 
worship ; and that the words may be thus para- 
phrased: ‘Now, I exhort first of all, that in the 


public assemblies deprecations of evils and srppli- 


cations for such good things as are necessary, and 
intercessions for their conversion and thanksgiving 
for mercies, be offered in behalf of all men—for 
heathens as well as for Christians, and for enemies 
as well as for friends.” (See Macknight.) 

2. For kings—<As it is a positive maxim of 
Christianity to pray for all secular governors, so it 
has ever been the practice of Christians. When 
St. Cyprian defended himself before the Roman 
proconsul, he said: ‘‘ We pray to God, not only for 
ourselves, but for allmankind; and particularly for 


may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all god- 
liness and honesty. τ For this is good and 
acceptable in the sight ‘of God our Saviour ; 
4 © Who will have all men to be saved, "and 
to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 
5 iFor there is one God, and * one mediator 
JF Chap. 1. 1; 2 Tim. 1. 9.—g Ezek. 18. 23; John 3. 16, 17: Tit. 


2, 11; 2 Pet. 3. 9.—A John 17, 3; 2 Tim. 2. 25.—7 Rom. 3. 29, 
80: 10. 12; Gal. 3, 20.—Zé Heb. 8. δ: 9. 18. 


the emperors.” Tertullian, in his Apology, is more 
particular, (cap. 30,) “‘ We pray for all the emperors, 
that God may grant them long life, a secure gov- 
ernment, a prosperous family, vigorous troops, ἃ 
faithful senate, an obedient people; that the whole 
world may be in peace; and that God may grant, 
both to Cesar and to every man, the accomplish- 
ment of their just desires.” So Origen: (Cont. 
Cels., lib. viii:) ‘“‘ We pray for kings and rulers, that 
with their royal authority they may be found pos- 
sessing a wise and prudent mind.” Indeed, they 
prayed even for those by whom they were perse- 
cuted. If the state be not in safety, the individual 
cannot be secure; self-preservation, therefore, 
should lead men to pray for the government under 
which they live. [Ὑπὲρ βασιλέων, for kings gen- 
erally, without any special reference to the Roman 
emperors, ἐν ὑπεροχῇ, in authority, all who have 
any share of the constituted authority.—£//icott. | 
That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life— 
We thus pray forthe government that the public 
peace may be preserved. Whether the rulers be 
good or bad, prayer for them is the duty of all 
Christians; and the answer to their prayers, in 
either case, will be the means of their being enabled 
to “lead a quiet and peaceable life” in all godli- 
ness and honesty. [The relation of the apostles 
and the primitive Church was that of passive obe- 
dience and loyal support, accepting the govern- 
ment de facto, as also de jure, so far as the subjects 
were concerned. The idea of the political rights of 
persons, as such, was then unknown; and since 
Christians held their citizenship in heaven, they 
were as aliens in the world, and could only ask for 
liberty to live in peace and godliness. See Rom. 
xiii, 1-7.] 

8. This is good and acceptable—Prayer for 
all legally constituted authorities is “ good ” in itself, 
because useful to ourselves and to the public at large, 
and it is “acceptable in the sight of God our Savy- 
iour;” and this is its highest sanction and its high- 
est character; it is good; it is well pleasing to God. 

4. Who will have all men to be saved—Be- 
cause he wills the salvation of all men, therefore 
he wills that all men should be prayed for, And 
to come unto the knowledge of the truth—Dic 
ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, to the acknowledgment of tle 
truth; that they may receive the truth, and make 
it the rule of their faith, the model and director of 
their life and actions. [ΑἸ] attempted restrictions 
of this vital text are as much to be reprehended, on 
the one hand, as (is) that perilous universalism, on 
the other, which ignores or explains away the clear 
declaration of Scripture, that there are those whose 
perdition (ὄλεθρος) ‘shall be eternal, (αϊώνιος,) 
(2 Thess. i, 9,) and whose portion shall be the second 
death, (δεύτερος θάνατος.) (Rev. xxi, 8.)— Lilicott.] 

5. There is one God—Who is the maker, gov- 
ernor, and preserver of all men, of every condition, 
and of every nation ; and equally wills the salvation 
of all. And one mediator—The word μεσίτης, 

335 


A, Μ. 4/169. Α, Ὁ. 45. 
Year of Rome, 518. 


between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 
6! Who gave himself a ransom for all, ™"to 
be testified ’in due time. % ? Whereunto I am 
ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (4 I speak 


iy TIMOTHY. 


The apostle declares that Christ 
became a ransom for all men, 


the truth in Christ, avd lie not.) "a teacher of 
the Gentiles in faith and verity. Ὁ I will 
therefore that men pray ‘every where, ¢ lifting 
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 


ὦ Matt. 20. 28: Mark 10. 433 Eph. 1. 7; Tit. 2. 14.—m Or, a 
testimony. n1 Cor, 1. δ: 9 Thess. is τ; 2'Tim. 1. 8.---ο Rom. 
5. 65 Gal. 4. 4; Eph. 1.9: 3.4 Ὁ Tit. 1.: 


11.—gq Rom. 9, 1.—v7 Rom. 11. Bs 
. 16.—s Mal. 1. 11; John 4. 21.—¢ Psa. 134. 2 


p Eph. 3. 7,83 ἃ Τίσι. Ἷ 
1” 16% (Gal 1 
Isa, 1. 1d. 


mediator, signifies, literally, a middle person, one 
whose office it is to reconcile two parties at enmity ; 
and hence Suidas explains it by εἰρηνοποιός, a 
peacemaker. God was offended with mankind; to 
restore them to his peace Jesus Christ was incar- 
nated; and, being God and man, both God and 
men met in and were reconciled by him. But 
this reconciliation required a sacrifice on the part 
of the peacemaker or mediator, hence what fol- 
lows. 

6. Who gave himself a ransom—The word 
λύτρον signifies a ransom paid for the redemption 
of a captive; and ἀντίλυτρον, the word used here, 
and applied to the death of Christ, signifies that 
ransom which consists in the exchange of one per- 
son for another, or the redemption of life by life. 
As God is the God and father of all, (one God,) 
(verse 5,) and Jesus Christ is the mediator of all, so 
he gave himself a ranson for all; that is, for all 
that God made, every human soul. The argument 
of the apostle is plainly this: 1) God is one, sole. 
2) He is the Creator of all. 38) He has madea 
revelation of his kindness to all. 4) He wills (it is 
according to the purpose of his goodness) to have 
all men saved. 5) Their salvation must be through 
coming to the knowledge of the truth; and, 6) He 
has provided a mediator for all, who has given 
himself a ransom for all. As surely as God has 
created all men, so surely has Jesus Christ died 
for all men. This is a truth which the nature 
and revelation of God unequivocally proclaim. 
[The deliverance of man from sin, misery, and 
all other evils arising from his transgression, which 
constitutes our redemption by Christ, is not a 
gratuitous deliverance, granted without a consid- 
eration as an act of pure prerogative; the ransom, 
the redemption price, (ἀντίλυτρον,) was exacted and 


paid; one thing was given (and accepted) for 
another, the precious blood of Christ for captive 


and condemned men. (See Watson’s Theological 
Institutes, vol. ii, p. 123.)] To be testified in 
due time—T0 μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις. [Τὸ μαρ- 
τύριον is an accusative, in opposition to the preced- 
ing sentence, and in its turn governs the dative of 
time, καιροῖς ἰδίοις, a witness for its own times, im- 
plying also its purpose. ] This, (the ἀντίλυτρον,) in 
the times which seemed best to the divine wisdom, 
was to be testified to every nation and people and 
tongue. The apostles had begun this testimony ; 
and, in the course of the divine economy, it has 
ever since been gradually promulgated; and at 
Dreen runs with a more rapid course than ever. 

I am ordained a preacher—/ am set apart, 
oa appointed. The word does not imply any 
imposition of hands by either bishop or presbytery, 
as is vulgarly supposed, [but simply Christ’s own 
act. (Gal. i, 1.)] I speak the truth in Christ— 
As I have received my commission from him, so I 
testify his truth. I did not run before I was sent ; 
and 1 speak nothing but what I: have received. 
A teacher of the Gentiles—Being specially com- 
missioned to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. 
In faith and verity — Maithfully and truly; 
preaching the TruTH, the whole rRuTH, and nothing 

336 


but the TRUTH; and this fery ently, affectionately, 
and perseveringly. [The whole stress of this 
verse rests on the words, ‘‘teacher of the Gen- 
tiles,” (so indicating the substance taught.)— Ols- 
hausen. | 

8. I will therefore—Seeing the apostle had his 
authority from Christ, and spoke nothing but. what 
he received from him, his βούλομαι, Twill, is equal 
to J command. That men pray—That is, for the 
blessings promised in this testimony of God. For 
although God has provided them, yet their bestow- 
ment is conditioned on their being asked for. (See 
the note on verse 1, the subject of which is here 
resumed.) Every where —’Ev παντὶ τόπῳ, in 
every place. That they should always have a pray- 
ing heart, and this will ever find a praying place. 
The Jews thought, at first, that no prayer could be 
acceptable that was not offered at the temple at 
Jerusalem; afterward this was extended to the 
Holy Land; but when they became dispersed 
among the nations, they built oratories or places of 
prayer, principally by rivers and by the seaside, 
and in these they believed that public prayer might 
be offered, but nowhere else. In opposition to this, 
the apostle, by the authority of Christ, commands 
men to pray “every where ;” that all places belong 
to God’s dominions; and as he fills every place, in 
every place he may be worshipped and glorified. 
(John iv, 21-24.) [In every place where prayer is 
made, it is to be made in the manner prescribed in 
the following instructions. J every place, how- 
ever, certainly refers to the different places of meet- 
ing.— Olshausen.| Lifting up holy hands—It was 
a common custom, not only among the Jews but 
also among the heathens, to lift wp or spread out 
their arms and hands in prayer. It is properly the 
action of entreaty and request; and seems to be an 
effort to embrace the assistance requested. But 
the apostle probably alludes to the Jewish custom 
of laying their hands on the head of the animal 
which they brought for a sin-offering, confessing 
their sins, and then giving up the life of the animal 
as an expiation for the sins thus confessed. And 
this very notion is conveyed in the original term, 
éraipovrac. This shows us how Christians should 
pray. They should come to God; humble them- 
selves for their sins ; bring as a sacrifice the Lamb 
of God; and by faith offer this sacrifice to God in 
their souls’ behalf, expecting salvation through his 
meritorious death alone. Without wrath—Hay- 
ing no vindictive feeling against any person; har- 
bouring no unforgiving spirit while they are im- 
ploring pardon for their own offences. (Psa. Ixviii, 
18; Luke xi, 14, 15.) The “holy hands” refer to 
the Jewish custom of washing their hands before 
prayer; this was done to signify that they had put 
away all sin, and purposed to live a holy life. And 
doubting—Avahoyiouev, inward disputations, such 
as are often felt by distressed penitents and timid 
believers ; faith, hope, and unbelief appearing to 
hold a controversy in their own bosoms. The 
apostle, therefore, wills them to come implicitly re- 
lying on the promises of God and the sacrifice and 
mediation of Jesus Christ. 


Women exhorted to array themselves 
with good works, 


9 In like manner also, that "women adorn 
themselves in modest apparel, with shame- 
facedness and sobriety; not with v braided 
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 
10 * But (which becometh women professing 
godliness) with good works. Ik Let the 
women learn in silence with all subjection. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. ΔΙ. 4°69. A. Τὸ 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


12 But «I suffer not a woman to teach. 
Σ ΠΟΙ to usurp authority over the man, but 
to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first 
formed, then Eve. 14 And *Adam was not 
deceived, but the woman being deceived was 
in the transgression. 25 Notwitlistanding 
she shall be saved in childbearing, if they 


wi Peter 3. 3.-—-v Or, ce a ale Peter 3. 4.—a 1 Cor. 


9. In like manner also—That is, he wills or 
commands what follows, as he had commanded 
what went before. That women adorn them- 
selves—K ai τὰς γυναῖκας ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ. The 
apostle seems to refer here to different parts of the 
Grecian and Roman dress, The στολή, stola, seems 
to have been originally very simple. The καταστολῇ 
seems to have been the same as the palliwm or 
mantle, which was made nearly in the form of the 
stola, and hung loosely over it without being con- 
fined by the zona, or girdle. With shamefaced- 
ness and sobriety—The sfola, catastola, girdle, 
etc., though simple in themselves, were often highly 
ornamented both with gold and precious stones; and, 
both among the Grecian and Roman women, the 
hair was often crisped and curled in the most 
variegated and complex manner. To this the apos- 
tle alludes when he says: “Not with plaited hair, 
or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” The ‘costly ” 
raiment might refer to the materials out of which 
the raiment was made, and to the workmanship ; 
the ‘‘gold” and ‘‘ pearls,” to the ornaments on the 
raiment. ‘‘ With shamefacedness,” or modesty, μετὰ 
αἰδοῦς, this would lead them to avoid every thing 
unbecoming or meretricious in the mode or fashion 
of their dress. ‘ With sobriety,” καὶ σωφροσύνης ; 
moderation would lead them to avoid all unnecessary 
expense. They might follow the custom or cos- 
tume of the country as to the dress itself, for 
nothing was ever more becoming than the Grecian 
stola, catastola, and zona; but they must not imi- 
tate the extravagance of those who decked them- 
selves merely to attract the eye of admiration, or 
set in lying action the tongue of flattery. The ex- 
travagauce to which the Grecian and Asiatic women 
went in their ornaments might well be a reason for 
the apostle’s command. When either women or 
men spend much time, cost, and attention on deco. 
rating their persons, it affords a painful proof that 
within there is little excellence, and that they are 
endeavouring to supply the want of mind and moral 
good by the feeble and silly aids of dress and orna- 
ment. Were religion out of the question, common 
sense would say in all these things: Be decent ; but 
be moderate and honest. 

10. But (which becometh,) ete. — That is: 
Good works are the ornaments with which, above 
all these, women professing Christianity should seek 
to be adorned. [‘‘ Good works,” that is, works of 
beneficence, in which “ women professing godliness ” 
seem to especially excel, and through which they 
may the most eminently adorn themselves. A true 
“sister of mercy” is (next to that of a wife and 
mother) the most honourable style of a Christian 
woman, nor are the two characters entirely incom- 
patible. The real excellence of this character has 
been the occasion of its ostentatious and super- 
abundant counterfeits. ] 

11. Let the women learn in silence—This is 
generally supposed to be a prohibition of women’s 
preaching. I have already said what I judge neces- 

Vow. II.—22 


y Eph. 5. 24.—z2 Gen. 7s 9.18, aes Cor. 11. 8, $.—a Gen. 


1, 51 
8. 6; 2 Cor. 11. 

sary on this subject elsewhere. (See 1 Cor. xi, 5, 
ete., and xiv, 34, 35.) 

12. Nor to usurp authority—A woman should 
attempt nothing, either in public or private, that be- 
longs to man as his peculiar function. This was 
prohibited by the Roman laws. But to be in 
silence—It was lawful for men, in public assem- 
blies, to ask questions, or even interrupt the speaker 
when there was any matter in his speech which 
they did not understand; but this liberty was not 
granted to women. (See the note on 1 Cor. xiv, 
34, 35.) [There is here an antithesis in every 
word. “In silence” is opposed to drawing atten- 
tion to themselves by a public appearance. . . . Let 
her learn is opposed to teach. In all subjection is 
in opposition to usurping authority over the man. 
Being in subjection is in that passage represented 
as the proper position. of the woman, which of it- 
self excludes the teaching in public assemblies, but 
not, of course, teaching in general. (Acts xviii, 25.) 
—Olshausen. | 

13. For Adam was first formed, then Eve— 
And by this very act God designed that he should 
have the pre-eminence. God fitted man, by the 
robust construction of his body, to live a publie 
life, to contend with difficulties, and to be capable 
of great exertions. The structure of woman’s 
body plainly proves that she was never designed 
for those exertions required in public life. In this 
the chief part of the natural inferiority of woman 
is to be sought. 

14. Adam was not deceived—It does not 
appear that Satan attempted the man; the woman 
said: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” 
Adam received the fruit from the hand of his wife ; 
ie knew he was transgressing, he was not 
“deceived; ” however, she led the way, and in 
consequence of this she was subjected to the dom- 
ination of her husband: “ Thy desire shall he to 
thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Gen. 
iii, 16.) God has not only rendered her unfit to 
rule, but he has subjected her, expressly, to the 
government of the man. 

15. She shall be saved in childbearing — 
Σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς TEKvoyoviac, she shall be saved 
through childbearing—she shall be saved by means, 
or through the instrumentality, of childbearing or of 
bringing forth a child. Amid the different opin- 
ions given of the meaning of this very singular 
text, that of Dr. Macknight appears to me the most 
probable, which I shall give in his paraphrase and 
note. 

“The word σωθήσεται, saved, in this verse, refers 
to ἡ yur), the woman, in the foregoing verse, which 
is certainly Eve. But the apostle did not mean to 
say that she alone was to be saved through child- 
bearing, but that all her posterity, whether male or 
female, are to be saved through the childbearing 
of a woman; as is evident from his adding, /f 
they live in faith and love and holiness, with 
sobriety. For safety in childbearing does not 
337 


A. M, 4069, A. Ὁ. 65, 
Ycar of Rome, 518. 


continue in faith and charity and holiness with 

sobriety. 
CHAPTER III. 

‘Tins ais a true say ing, If a man desire the 


ΤΠ LIMO, 


Concerning bishops and 
their qualifications, 


office of a bishop, he desireth a good 
ework. 2 4A bishop then must be blameless, 
ethe husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of 
good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to 


Phil. 1. ene 4, 12. 


a Chap. 1. 15. ae) Aete 20. 28; 


ἃ Tit. 1.6, ete. —e Chap. 5. 9.—/ Or, mod ext.—g 2 Tim. 2 24, 


depend on that condition at all ; Since many pious 
women die in childbearing, while others, of a con- 
trary character, are preserved. The salvation of 
the human race, through childbearing, was inti- 
mated in the sentence passed on the serpent. 
(Gen. iii, 15.) Accordingly, the Saviour is truly 
the seed of the woman who was to bruise the head 
of the serpent; and a woman, by bringing him 
forth, has been the occasion of our salvation.” 
[‘ Childbearing ” evidently denotes (figuratively) the 
sphere which properly belongs to the woman, and 
thus stands in opposition to the sphere of public 
teaching, which she enters upon only by usurpa- 
tion. In this sphere, to which God has 
appointed her—not in one of active duty for the 
advancement of the kingdom of God, to which she 
is not called, and which contradicts the position 
assigned to her by God—she will be saved under the 
conditions which are the same in all.— Olshausen. ] 
[In that, her normal relation, bearing its burdens 
and doing its duties, the Christian woman shall 
be saved; that is the lot assigned them in God’s 
appointments.] If they continue— Eav μείνωσιν 
is rightly translated if they live; for so it signifies 
in other passages. (See Phil. i, 25.) The change 
in the number of the verb from the singular to the 
plural, which is introduced here, was designed by 
the apostle to show that he does not speak of Hve, 
nor of any particular woman, but of the whole sex. 
(See Macknight.) Without faith it is impossible to 
please God, or to be saved; and without love it 
will be impossible to obey. Fatra and Love are 
essentially necessary to holiness and sobriety; and 
unless both men and women Jive in these, they 
cannot, scripturally, expect to dwell with God for 
ever. 
CHAPTER III. 

1. This is a true saying—lIlord¢ ὁ λόγος, this 
is a true doctrine. These words are joined to the 
last verse of the preceding chapter by several of 
the Greek Fathers, and by them referred to the 
doctrine there stated. [If so used, they form a 
kind of amen to what has gone before; but Alford, 
and many, perhaps most, think they refer to what 
the apostle is proceeding to say. } If a man desire 
—The word ὀρέγεται, which we translate “ desire,” 
signifies curnest, eager, passionate desire; and ἐπιθυ- 
pet, Which we also translate ‘ desire,” also signifies 
earnestly to desire or covet. It is strange that the 
episcopacy, in those times, should have been an 
object of intense desire to any man, when it was a 
place of danger, and exposure to severe labour, 
want, persecution, and death, without any secular 
emolument whatsoever. The office of a bishop— 
᾿Βπισκοπῆς, the episcopacy, overseership, or superin- 
tendency. ᾿Βπισκοπῆς appears to have been equiva- 
lent to that of pastor or rector of some particular 
Church, who was usually of the order of elders. ] 
Our term bishop comes from the Anglo-Saxon biscop, 
which is a mere corruption of the Gr eek ἐπίσκοπ o¢, and 
the Latin episcopus, the former, being compounded 
of ἐπί, over, and σκέπτομαι, 1 look or inspect, sig- 
nifies one who has the inspection or oversight of a 
place, persons, or business; what we commonly 
term a superintendent. The New Testament writers 

338 


have borrowed the term from the Septuagint, it 
being the word by which they translate the pd, 
pakid, of the Hebrew text, which signifies a eon 
one that personally inspects the people or business 
over which he presides. It is given by St. Paul 
to the elders at Ephesus, who had the oversight 
of Christ’s flock, (Acts xx, 28,) and to such like 
persons in other places. (Phil. i, 1; Titus i, 7.) 
[In the pastoral epistles we must fairly acknowi- 
edge, with Jerome, that the terms ἐπίσκοπος (bishop) 
and πρεσβύτερος (elder or presbyter) are applied 
indifferently to the same persons. The first was 
borrowed from the Greeks, and pointed to the of- 
fice on the side of duties, the second, which marked 
primarily the age of the occupant, was taken from 
the Jews, and pointed to the office on the side of 
gravity and dignity. — Ellicott.| [The ἐπίσκοποι 
(bishops) of the New Testament have officially noth- 
ing in common with our (modern) bishops. (See 
Acts xx, 17, 28.) The identity of the ἐπίσκοπος 
and πρεσβύτερος, in apostolic times, is evident 
from Titus i, 5, 7.—Alford.] A good work—A 
“work” it then was, heavy, incessant, and painful. 
There were no unpreaching prelates in those days, 
and should be none now. 

2. A bishop then must be blameless— Ave- 
πίλημπτον, a person against whom no evil can be 
proved; the word is a metaphor, taken from the 
case of an expert and skilful pugilist, who defends 
every part of his body. So a Christian bishop 
ought to be one that has so conducted himself as 
to put it out of the reach of any person to allege 
that he is either unsound in the Christian faith or 
deficient in respect to any duty incumbent on a 
Christian. He‘ must” be irreprehensible; for how 
can he reprove that in others which they can reprove 
in him? The husband of one wife—He should 
be a married man, and not a polygamist. The apos- 
tle’s meaning appears to be this: that he should 
not be a man who has divorced his wife and mar- 
ried another; nor one that has two wives at a 
time. It does not appear to have been any part 
of the apostle’s design to prohibit second mar- 
riages, of which some have made such a serious 
business. Wigilant—Nypadiov; a bishop has to 
watch over the Church, and watch for it ; and this 
will require all his care and cireumsyection. Sober 
—Loopova, prudent, or, more literally, a man of a 
sound mind; having a cood understanding, and the 
complete government of all his passions. A bishop 
should be a man of learning, of an extensive and 
well-cultivated mind, dispassionate, prudent, and 
sedate. Of good behaviour — Κόσμιον, orderly, 
decent, grave, and correct in the whole of his ap- 
pearance, carriage, and conduct. A clownish, rude, 
or boorish man should never have the rule of the 
Church of God; the sour, the sullen, and the bois- 
terous should never be invested with a dignity 
which they would most infallibly disgrace. Given 
to hospitality — Φιλόξενον, literally, a lover of 
strangers. “ Hospitality,” in those primitive times, 
was a great and necessary virtue: then there were 
few inns, or places of public entertainment; to 
those who were noted for benevolence the neces- 
sitous stranger had recourse. Apt to teach— 


Concerning bishops and 
their qualifications, 


teach; 8 »'Not given to wine, «no striker, 
‘not greedy of filthy lucre; but "patient, not 
a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth 
well his own house, "having his children in 
subjection with all gravity; 6 (For if a man 
know not how to rule his own house, how 
shall he take care of the church of God?) 


h Or, Not ready to quarrel, and ae wrong, ae one in 
avine. —i Verse 8; Titus 1. k2 Tim. 2, 24. ——/1 Peter 
5. 2..—m2 Tim. ἡ, 24.—n Titus 1. 6. —00r, one newly 


ἡ.- 


Διεδακτεκόν, one capable of teaching; not only wise 
himself, but ready to communicate his wisdom to 
others. One whose delight is to instruct the igno- 
rant, and those who are out of the way. He must 
be a preacher ; an able, zealous, fervent, and as- 
siduous preacher. 

3. Not given to wine—M? πάροινον. This word 
not only signifies one who is inordinately addicted 
to wine, a winebibber or tippler, but also one who 
acts out his inebrietv. No striker— Μὴ πλήκτην, 
not quarrelsome,; not ready to strike a person who 
may displease him; no persecutor of those who 
may differ from him. It is said of Bishop Bonner, 
of infamous memory, that when examining the 
poor Protestants whom he termed heretics, when 
worsted by them in argument he was used to smite 
them with his fi fists, and sometimes scourge and 
whip them. But though he was a most ignorant 
and consummate savage, yet from such a Scripture 
as this he might have seen the necessity of surren- 
dering his mitre. Not greedy of filthy lucre— 
Μὴ αἱσχροκερδής, not desirous of base gain; not 
using base and unjustifiable methods to raise and 
increase his revenues; not trading or trafficking ; 
for what would be honourable in a secular char- 
acter would be base and dishonourable in a minister 
of the Gospel. These two words are probably not 
authentic. The word covetous, which we have 
below, expresses all the meaning of this. (See 
verse 8.) Patient—Ezvevk7, meck, gentle; the op- 
posite to πλήύκτην, a quarrelsome person, which it 
immediately follows when the spurious word aic- 
χροκερδής is removed. Where ineekness and pa- 
tience do not reign, gravity cannot exist, and the 
love of God cannot dwell. Not a brawler — 
“Auayov, not contentious or litigious, but quiet and 
peaceable.. Not covetous —’Ad@iAdpyupov, not a 
lover of money; not desiring the office for the sake 
of its emoluments. 

4. One that ruleth well his own house— 
Tov ἰδίου οἴκου καλῶς προϊστάμενον, one who properly 
(handsomely) presides over (and governs) his own 
family. One who has the command of his own 
house, not by sternness, severity, and tyranny, but 
with all kindness and “gravity.” This is a 
maxim of common sense; no family can be pros- 
perous that is not under subjection, and no person 
can govern a family but the head of it, the husband, 
who is, both by nature and the appointment of 
God, the head or governor of his own house. (Eph. 
N: 22. 

5. For if a man know not — Method is a 
matter of great importance in all the affairs of 
life. He who has a disorderly family has no gov- 
ernment of that family; he probably has none be- 
cause he has no method, no plan, of presiding. If 
a man’s domestic arrangements be not good, he 
should not be trusted w ith any branch of govern- 
ment, whether ecclesiastical or civil. 

6. Not a novice—Nedgvrov ; not a young plant, 
not recently ingrafted, that is, one newly converted to 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ, 65. 
Year of Rome, #18. 


6 Not °a novice, lest being lifted up with 
pride Phe fall into the condemnation of the 
devil. % ‘Moreover he must have a good re- 
port 1 οὗ them which are without; lest he fall 
into reproach tand the snare of the devil. 
δ Likewise must *the deacons, be grave, not 
double-tongued, ‘not given to much wine, not 


come to the faith. — 7p Isa. 14. 12. — gq Acts 22. 12; i Cor. 
5. 12: 1 Thess. 4. 12.—2 Chap. 6. 9; 2 Tim. 2. 26. 8 Acts 6. 3. 
—t Lev. 10. 9; Ezek. 44. 21; verse 3. 


the faith. It is impossible that one who is not long 
and deeply experience® in the ways of God can 
guide others in the way of life. Hence presbyters 
or elders were generally appointed to have the 
oversight of the rest, and hence presbyter and 
bishop seem to have been two names for the same 
office; yet presbyters or elders certainly were not 
all bishops. Lest being lifted up with pride 
he fall into the condemnation of the devil— 
The apostle’s term, τυφωθεὶς, puffed up, inflated, is a 
metaphor taken from a bladder when filled with 
air or wind. It is light, can be the sport of the 
wind, but has nothing in it but air. 

In Ecclus. x there are some excellent sayings 
concerning pride: “ Pride is hurtful before God 
and man.” ‘Why is earth and ashes proud?” 
“The beginning of pride is when one departeth 
from God.” “ For pride is the beginning of sin; 
and he that hath it shall pour out abominations.” 
“ Pride was not made for men.” (See verses 7, 9, 
12, 13, and 18, of the above chapter.) 

7. Moreover he must have a good report of 
them which are without—[Maprupiav καλὴν, a 
good record, favourably reputed.] That he should 
be one who had not been recently a profligate, or 
scandalous in his life. Such a person, when con- 
verted, may be a worthy private Christian, but 
should not be at once called to the work of the 
ministry. [Certainly not until, by a somewhat ex- 
tended course of well-doing, he comes to have such 
a “good report.”] ‘“ Them which are without ” are 
the Jews, Gentiles, and the unconverted of all kinds. 
Luest he fall into reproach—For his former scan- 
dalous life. And the snare of the devil—Snares 
and temptations such as he felt into and fell by be- 
fore. This is calied the “snare of the devil; ” for 
he well knows the constitution of such persons, and 
what is most likely to prevail. Backsliders in gen- 
eval fall by those sins to which they were addicted 
previously to their conversion. Former inveterate 
habits will revive in him who does not continue to 
deny himself, and watch unto prayer. “The snare 
of the devil,” some would translate the snare of the 
accuser; and they give the same meaning to the 
word in verse 6, because it is evident that d:a36/0u¢ 
has that meaning in verse 11, where our translators 
render it slanderers. 

8. Likewise must the deacons — The term 
“deacon,” διακόνους, simply signifies a regular or 
stated servant. (See Matt. xx, 26.) As nearly the 
same qualifications were required in the deacons as 
in the bishops, the reader may consult what is said on 
the preceding verses. Grave—Of a sedate and dig- 
nified carriage and conduct. Not double-tongued 
—Speaking one thing to one person and another 
thing to another on the same subject. Not given 
to much wine—Neither a drunkard, tippler, nor 
what is called a jovial companion. All this would 
be inconsistent with gravity. Not greedy of 
filthy lucre—See on verse 3. [The repetition of 
the caution indicates its importance. ] 

339 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Yeur of Rome, 818 


L TIMOTHY. 


Concerning deacons and 
their qualifications, 


greedy of filthy lucre; 9 » Holding the mys- 
tery of the faith in a pure conscience. Ὁ And 
let these also first be proved; then let them 
use the office of a deacon, being found blame- 
less. ΕΠ v Even so must their wives be grave, 
not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 
42 Let the deacons be the husbands of one 
wife, ruling their children and their own 
houses well. 3&8 For ἡ they that have «used 


lthe office of a deacon well purchase to 
themselves a good degree, and great bold- 
ness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping 
to come unto thee shortly: 45 But if I 
tarry long, that- thou mayest know how 
thou oughtest to behave thyself yin the 
house of God, which is the church of the 
living God, the pillar and zground of the 


w Chap. 1. 19.—»v Titus 2. 3.0 See Matt. 25. 21.—a Or, 


ministered.—y Eph. 2 21, 22; 2 Tim, 2. 20.—z Or, stay. 


9. Holding the mystery of the faith— 
[Μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως, the doctrines of the Gospel, 
that great objective truth which man of himself 
knows not, but which the Spirit of God reveals to 
the faithful. (Rom. xvi, 25; 1 Cor. ii, 7-10.)... 
Probably τῆς πίστεως is here to be taken subjec- 
tively: their faith, the apprehension which appro- 
priates to them the contents of God’s revelation of 
Christ. — A /ford. ] 

10. Let these. . . be proved—Let them not 
be young converts, or persons lately brought to the 
knowledge of the truth. (See verse 6.) Let no 
man be put into an office in the Church till he has 
given full proof of his sincerity and steadiness, by 
having been for a considerable time a consistent 
private member of the Church. Being found 
blameless —’AvéyxAyrot ὄντες, being irreproach- 
able; persons against whom no evil can be proved. 
(See verse 2.) [Let the stewards (whose office 
answers to that of the scriptural deacons) be per- 
sons of solid piety, who both know and love the 
Methodist (Christian) doctrine and discipline, and 
of good natural and acquired abilities.— Methodist 
Discipline. 

11. Even so must their wives be grave— 
Tuvaikag ὡσαύτως σεμνάς, let the women likewise be 
grave. Whatever is spoken here becomes women 
in general. If the apostle had those termed dea- 
conesses in his mind, the words are peculiarly 
suitable to them. That there was such an order in 
the apostolic and primitive Church, and that they 
were appointed to their office by the imposition of 
hands, has already been noticed. (Rom. xvi, 1.) 
Possibly, therefore, the apostle may have had these 
in view, to whom it was as necessary to give coun- 
sels and cautions as to the deacons themselves; and 
to prescribe their qualifications, lest improper per- 
sons should be brought into that office. Not 
slanderers — M7 δια 3όλους, literally, not devils. 
(See on verse 7.) This may be properly enough 
translated slanderers, backbiters, talebearers, ete., 
for all these are of their father, the devil. (See 
on verse 2.) Faithful in all things — The 
deaconesses had much to do among the poor, 
and especially among poor women, in dispensing 

ye bounty of the Church. They were not only 
iithfully to expend all they had received, and for 
he purpose for which they received it; but they 
must do this with impartiality, showing no respect 
of persons, the necessities of each case being the 
only rule by which the distribution was to be regu- 
lated. ᾿ 

12, Let the deacons be the husbands of one 
wife—Scee on verses 2, 4, and 5. 

13. That have used the office of a deacon 
well—They who, having been tr%ed or proved, 
(verse 10,) have shown by their steadiness, activity, 
and zeal, that they might be raised to a higher 
office, are said to purchase to themselves a 
940 


good degree, βαθμὸν καλὸν; for, instead of hav- 
ing to administer to the bodies and bodily wants 
of the poor, the faithful deacons were raised to 
minister in holy things; and, instead of minister- 
ing the bread that perisheth, they were raised to 
the presbyterate or episcopate to minister the bread 
of life to immortal souls. And hence the apos- 
tle adds: and great boldness in the faith—lIlo/- 
λὴν παρρησίαν, great liberty of speech ; that is, in 
teaching the doctrines of Christianity, and in ex- 
pounding the Scriptures and preaching. It seems 
to have been a practice, dictated by common sense, 
that the most grave and steady of the believers 
should first be employed as deacons; the most ex- 
perienced and zealous of the deacons should be 
raised to the rank of elders; and the most able 
and pious of the elders be consecrated bishops or 
pastors. 

14. These things write I—That is, I write 
only these things; because J hope to come unto 
thee shortly. 

15. But if I tarry long— That is, Notwith- 
standing I hope to come to thee shortly, and there- 
fore do not feel the necessity of writing at large, 
yet, lest I should be delayed, I write what I judge 
necessary to direct thy conduct in the Church of 
God. The house of God—This is spoken in al- 
lusion to the ancient tabernacle, which was God’s 
house, and in which the symbol of the divine 
majesty dwelt. So the Christian Church is God’s 
house, and every believer is a habitation of God 
through the Spirit. [If the Church in general (the 
comprehending body of believers) is the house of 
God, then any portion of it may clearly partake of 
the title and the dignity.] The church of the 
living God—The assembly in which God lives and 
works; each member of which is a living stone, all 
of whom, properly united among themselves, grow 
up unto a holy temple in the Lord. [The ‘“ Holy 
Catholie Church” of the Apostles’ Creed.] The 
pillar and ground of the truth—Never was there 
a greater variety of opinions on any portion of the 
sacred Scripture than has been on this and the fol- 
lowing verse. Commentators and critics have 
given senses and meanings till there is no meaning 
to be seen. The house of God is the Church of 
the living God ; wxicaw (Church) is the pillar and 
eround of the truth. The full revelation of God’s 
truth is in the Christian Church. The great doc- 
trines of that Church are the truth. Formerly the 
truth was but partially revealed, much of it being 
shadowed with types, ritualistic ceremonies, and 
comparatively dark prophecies ; but now all is made 
plain, and the full revelation given; and the foun- 
dations on which this truth rests are the grand facts 
detailed in the Gospel, especially those which con- 
cern the incarnation, miracles, passion, death, and 
resurrection of Christ, and the mission of the Holy 
Spirit. 


The great mystery of 


godliness, 


truth, 16 And without controversy great 
is the mystery of godliness: *God was *man- 


a John 1. 14; 1 John 1. 2.—UGr, manifested.—c Matt. 
3.16; John 1. 82, 35; 15. 26; 16. 8. 9: Rom. 1. 4; 1 Peter 3. 18; 
1 Joha 5. 6, etc. —-d@ Matt. 23. 2; Mark 16. 5; Luke 2, 13; 


16. And without controversy—Kai ὁμολογου- 
μένως, and confessedly, by general consent, it is a 
thing which no man can or ought to dispute. Great 
is the mystery of godliness—| Μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς 
εὐσεβείας μυστήριον, This sentence is a paraphrase 
of the ἀλήθεια, (the truth, the whole Gospel,) in the 
preceding verse. It is so called by the apostle be- 
cause, as the subject of the Christian fear of God, 


or piety, it is hidden from the world, the mystery of 


the faith. (Verse 9.}}] God was manifest in the 
flesh—Ocd¢ ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί. Instead of Θεός, 
God, several MSS., Versions, and Fathers have ὃς 
or ὁ, who or which. The insertion of Θεός for ὅς, 
or ὃς for Θεός, may be easily accounted for. In 
ancient times the Greek was all written in capital 
letters, for the common Greek character is com- 
paratively of modern date. In these early times 
words of frequent recurrence were written contract- 


edly, thus: for πατήρ, =p; Θεός, Oc; Κύριος, xe ; 


᾿Ιησοῦς, της, ete. This is very frequent in the oldest 
MSS., and is continually recurring in the Codex 
Beze and Codex Alexandrinus. If, therefore, the 
middle stroke of the 9, in OC, happened to be faint, 
or obliterated, and the dash above not very appa- 
rent, both of which I have observed in ancient 


MSS., then OC, the contraction for OEOC, God, 
might be mistaken for OC, which or who; and vice 
versa. This appears to have been the case in the 
Codex Alexandrinus in this passage. ΤῸ me there 
is ample reason to believe that the Codex Alexan- 


drinus originally read OC, God, in this place; but 
the stroke becoming faint by length of time and 
injudicious handling, of which the MS. in this place 
has had a large proportion, some person has sup- 
plied the place, most reprehensibly, with a thick 
black line. This has destroyed the evidence of 
this MS., as now it can neither be quoted pro nor 
con, though it is very likely that the person who 
supplied the ink line did it from a conscientious 


conviction that OC was the original reading of this 
MS. The enemies of the deity of Christ have been 
at as much pains to destroy the evidence afforded 
by the common reading in support of this doctrine 
as if this text were the only one by which it ean be 
supported; they must be aware that John i, 1 
and 14, (and many other passages,) proclaim the 
same truth; and that in those places there is no 
authority to doubt the genuineness of the reading. 
[The reading Θεός is no longer supported by any 
respectable authority, and the only dispute is be. 
tween ὃς (who) referring to an omitted antecedent, 
Christ, and ὁ, (which,) having μυστήριον (the mys- 
tery) for its antecedent, and the preference is to 
be given very decidedly to the former.] [Ὃς is not 
“he who,” (emphatic,) including in itself both the 
demonstrative and relative, but is a relative to 
an omitted, though easily recognised, antecedent, 
namely, Christ. . . . The rhythmical as well as the 
antithetical character of the clauses, and the known 
existence of such compositions, render it by no 
means improbable that the words (following) are 
quoted from some well-known Aymn, or possibly 
from some familiar confession of faith— Ellicott.] 
[it should be noticed, in a question which now 


CHAPTER IIL. 


fold wisdom of God. 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 


Yeur of Rome, SIs, 


ifest in the flesh, © justified in the Spirit, 4 seen 
of angels, *preached unto the Gentiles, ‘ be- 


24. 4; John 20. 12; Eph. 3. 10; 1 Peter 1. 12..—e Acts 10. 34; 
13, 46, 48; Rom, 10. 18; Gal. 2. 8; Eph. 3. 5, 6,8; Col. 1. 27, 28; 
chap, 2. 7.—/Col. 1. 6, 23. 


happily no longer depends on internal consider- 
ations, how completely the whole glorious sentence 
is (would be) marred and disjoined by the substitu- 
tion of Θεός. It is not the objective fact of God 
being manifested of which the apostle is speaking, 
but the life of God lived in the Chureh—the truth, 
of which the congregation of believers is the pillar 
and basement—as identical (John xiv, 6) with Him 
who is its centre and heart and stock, as unfolded 
once for all in the unfolding of Him.—A/ford. | 
Justified in the Spirit—[Ed:caié6y ἐν πνεύματι, 
was vindicated in spirit, in the higher sphere of the 
divine life... . The πνεῦμα of Christ is not here 
the Holy Spirit, nor ἡ θεία δύναμις, the divine 
power or miracles, but the higher principle of 
spiritual life, which was not in itself the divinity, 
but especially and intimately waited (not blended) 
and associated with it.—Zilicott.| Seen of angels 
— By ἀγγέλοις here, some understand not those 
celestial or infernal beings commonly called 
“angels,” but apostles and other persons who be- 
came messengers, to carry far and wide, and attest, 
the truth of his resurrection from the dead. If, 
however, we take the word “seen,” in its Jewish 
acceptation for made known, we may here retain 
the term ‘‘ angels” in its common acceptation; for 
it is certain that previously to our Lord’s ascension 
to heaven, these holy beings could have little 
knowledge of the necessity, reasons, and economy 
of human salvation, or of the nature of Christ as 
God and man. St. Peter informs us that the angels 
desire to look into these things (1 Pet. i, 12.) And 
St. Paul says the same thing (Eph. iii, 9, 10) when, 
speaking of the revelation of the Gospel plan of 
salvation, which he calls the mystery which rrom the 
BEGINNING OF THE WORLD had been nip in God, and 
which was now published, that wnto the PRINCIPALI- 
TIES and POWERS in heavenly places might be MADE 
KNOWN by (διὰ, through) the Chureh, the mani- 
Even those angelic beings 
have obtained an accession to their blessedness by 
an increase of knowledge in the things which con- 
cern Jesus Christ, and the whole scheme of human 
salvation through his incarnation, passion, death, 
resurrection, ascension, and glorification. The 
“mystery of godliness,” as displayed in the incar- 
nation, manifests the Godhead in communion with 
our race to the higher orders of spiritual beings, so 
making them sharers, though apparently incident- 
ally, in the beneficial results of that stupendous 
transaction.] [It is very probable that the general 
manifestation of Christ to angels through his incar- 
nation, rather than the specific appearances of them 
during some scenes of his earthly life, or any [as- 
sumed] specific manifestation in heaven, is here al- 
luded to.—Eilicott.| Preached unto the Gen- 
tiles—This was one grand part of the “mystery” 
which had been “ hidden in God *—that the Gentiles 
should be made fellow heirs with the Jews, and be 
admitted into the kingdom of God. To the Gentiles, 
therefore, he was proclaimed as having pulled down 
the middle wall of partition between them and the 
Jews; that, through him, God has granted unto them 
repentance unto life; and that they also might 
have “redemption in his blood, the forgiveness of 
sins.” [‘‘The mystery of godliness ” includes in 
341 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


if 


lieved on in the world, #received up into 
glory. 
CHAPTER IV. 
OW the Spirit *speaketh expressly, that 
‘in the latter times some shall depart from 
the faith, giving heed © to seducing spirits, 4 and 
doctrines of devils; Φ ¢Speaking lies in hy- 


TIMOTHY. 


Corruptions of the Church 
foretold. 


pocrisy; ‘having their conscience seared with 
a hot iron; 8% &Forbidding to marry, "and 
commanding to abstain from meats, which 
God hath created 'to be received « with thanks- 
giving of them which believe and know the 
truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, 
and nothing to be refused, if it be received 


.@gLuke 24, 51; Acts 1. 9; 1 Peter 3. 22.——a John 16. 13; 
2 Thess. 2. 3: 2 Tim. 3. 1, etc.; 2 Peter 3. 3; 1 John 2, 18: Jude 
4, 18. 1 Peter |. 20.—c2 Tim. 3. 13; 2 Peter 2. 1; Rev. 


Tho Dans 1 35: 1 aos eevee 20\——— ΘΠ Σ [ΟΣ 


Rom. 16, 18:2 Peter 2, 8.---- Eph. 4. 19.----ΟἸ Cor. 7 28, 36, 
38; Col. 2. 20. 21; Heb. 13. 4. ἢ Rom, 14. 3, 17; 1 Cor. 8, 8. 
—i Gen. 1. 29; 9.3.—+ Rom. 14. 6; 1 Cor. 10. 30.—d Rom. 
14, 14,20; 1 Cor. 10. 25; Titus 1. 15. 


its far reaching purposes of salvation all men, 
which is seen in the commission to preach the 
Gospel to all nations, Jews and Gentiles alike, and 
without any ethnic distinctions.| Believed on 
in the world—This is a most striking part of the 
“mystery of godliness,” that one whose kingdom 
is not of this world, and whose doctrines are op- 
posed to all the sinful propensities of the human 
heart, should, wherever the Gospel is preached, be 
acknowledged as the only Saviour of sinners, and 
the Judge of quick and dead! And, notwithstand- 
ing their prejudices, many even of the Jews be- 
lieved on him; and a “great company of the 
priests ” themselves, who were his crucifiers, 
“became obedient to the faith.’ (Acts vi, 7.) 
[he facts of the spiritual conquests of the Gospel 
in the world constitute no mean proof of its great- 
ness asa divine mystery. In these Christianity has 
an ever-increasing demonstration of its divinity. ] 
Received up into glory—Even that human na- 
ture which he took of the Virgin Mary was taken 
up into glory. (Acts i, 9.) This is a part of the 
mystery of godliness which, while we have every 
reasonable evidence to believe, we have not powers 
to comprehend. His reception into glory is of the 
utmost consequence to the Christian faith; as, in 
consequence, Jesus Christ in his human nature ever 
appears before the throne as our sacrifice and 
our mediator. [Christ in his proper person—the 
God-man—is the subject of which all that is here 
said (in verse 16) is predicated. He was mani- 
fested in the flesh. He was justified in the spirit, 
ete., and in him was embodie¢ all that mystery of 
grace which we call spiritual religion. (1 Cor. i, 
24, 30; Col. ii, 3.)] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly— 
“Ῥητῶς, manifestly, openly. It is very likely that 
the apostle refers here to a prophecy then furnished 
by the Holy Ghost, and probably immediately after 
he had written the words in the preceding verses ; 
and as this prophecy contains things nowhere elise 
spoken of in the sacred writings, and which are 
of the utmost moment to the Christian Church, 
they should be read with reverence. In the latter 
times—This does not necessarily imply the last 
ages of the world, but any times subsequent to 
those in which the Church then lived. Depart 
from the faith— Αποστήσονταί τινες τῆς πίστεως, 
they will apostatize from the faith, that is, from 
Christianity ; in effect renouncing the whole system, 
by bringing in doctrines which render its essential 
truths null and void, or denying and renouncing 
such doctrines as are essential to Christianity as a 
system of salvation. A man may hold all the 
truths of Christianity, and yet render them of none 
effect by holding other doctrines which counteract 
their influence; or he may apostatize by denying 
some essential doctrine, though he bring in nothing 

942 


heterodox. [Tivec, some, are not the heretics, but 
those who are led away from the faith by them. 
The apostasy belonged to the future. but the heresy 
to the present.—Huther.| Giving heed to se- 
ducing spirits. — Πνεύμασι πλάνοις. Deception 
has its spirits, emissaries of every kind, which she 
employs to darken the hearts and destroy the souls 
of men. Pretenders to inspiration, and false 
teachers of every kind, belong to this class. And 
doctrines of devils—Aaimoviov, demons, either 
meaning fallen spirits or dead men, spectres, etc., 
or doctrines inspired by Satan relative to these, by 
which he secures his own interest, and provides for 
his own worship. [The words signify not doctrines 
concerning demons, but proceeding from demons. 
... A man never stands isolated; if the divine 
Spirit does not lead him, the evil spirit will ; hence 
the heresies are here represented as inspirations of 
the demons, ministers of Satan. (2 Cor. xi, 15.) 
— Olshausen. | 

2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy—Persons pre- 
tending not only to divine inspiration, but also to ex- 
traordinary degrees of holiness. self-denial, mortifi- 
cation, ete., in order to accredit the “lies” and false 
doctrines which they taught. Of this kind are the 
“lies? framed concerning miracles pretended to 
be wrought by the velics of departed saints, ete. 
Having their conscience seared with a hot 
iron—They bear the marks of their hypocrisy as 
evidently and as indelibly in their conscience in the 
sight of God as those who have been cawterized for 
their crimes do in their bodies in the sight of men. 
[ Cauterizing was a form of punishment for marking 
criminals as such: as these bore the brand on their 
forehead, . . . so do these heretics bear in their 
conscience the knowledge of their own guilt.— 
Olshausen. | 

3. Forbidding to marry — These hypocrites 
pretended that a single life was much more favour- 
able to devotion and to the perfection of the 
Christian life. This sentiment was held by the 
Essenes, a religious sect among the Jews; and we 
know that it is a favourite opinion among the Ro- 
manists, who oblige all their clergy to live a single 
life by a vow of continency. To abstain from 
meats—Among the heathens, Jews, and Romanists, 
certain “meats” were prohibited; some always, 
others at particular times. This, the apostle in- 
forms us, was directly contrary to the original de- 
sign of God; and says that those who know the 
truth know this. [It does not appear what were 
the kinds of meats that were forbidden, but prob- 
ably flesh is intended. There is here a faint 
shadowing of an incipient Gnosticism, already 
showing itself, although its full development did 
not occur till considerably later. | 

4. For every creature of God is good—That 
is, every creature which God has made for man’s 
nourishment is good for that purpose, and to be 
thankfully received whenever necessary for the 


Godliness declared to be profitable 
unto all things, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4069. A.D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 815. 


with thanksgiving: 
the word of God and prayer. 6 If thou put 
the brethren in remembrance of these things, 
thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, 
nourished up in the words of faith and of 
good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 
7 But "refuse profane and old wives’ fables, 
and °exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 


5 For it is sanctified by | For Pr bodily exercise profiteth 4little: * but 


godliness is profitable unto all things: * hav- 
ing promise of the life that now is, and of that 
which is to come. 9 'This és a faithful say- 
ing, and worthy of all acceptation. 10 For 
therefore "we both labour and suffer reproach, 
because we trust in the living God, » who is 
the Saviour of all men, specially of those that 


m2 Tim, 3. 14, 15.—n Chap. 1. 4; 6. 20: 2 Tim. 2. 16, 23; 4. 4; 
Titus 1. 4.—o Heb, 5. 14.—p 1 Cor, 8, 8; Col. 2. 23.—g Or, 
Jor « little time.—r Chap. 6. 6. 


8 Psa. 37. 4; 84. 11; 112. 2,3; 145. 19: Matt. 6. 33; 19. 99; Mark 
10, 30; Rom, 8, 28.—ztChap. 1. 15.—wl Cor. 4. 11, 12,.— 
ψ Chap. 6. 17.—vw Psa. 36. 6; 107. 2, 6, etc. 


support of human life; and nothing of that sort is 
at any time to be refused, οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον, rejected 
or despised. 

5. For it is sanctified by the word of God— 
Διὰ λόγου Θεοῦ, “by the command of God ;” prob- 
ably referring to Gen. i, 29; “ And God said, I have 
given you every herb... and every tree... to 
you it shall be for meat;” and to chapter ix, 3, 
“Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for 
you; even as the green herb have [ given you all 
things;” that is, 1 have given you every animal 
that is proper for food, as I have given you every 
herb and fruit proper for nourishment. Therefore, 
all this was “sanctified,” se¢ apart, and appropriated 
to this use by this command. And when man is 
abot to use it, he is to sanctify or set it apart to 
that use by prayer to God; 1) That it may answer 
the end to us for which it was designed; 2) That 
we may use it with gratitude and moderation ; 
8) That all the strength derived from it may be 
devoted to God in filling up the duties of those 
situations in which his providence has placed us. 
Those who thank not God for their food, and pray 
not for bis blessing in the use of it, are unworthy 
even of a morsel of bread and of the breath they 
breathe. 

6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance 
of these things—Show the Church that even now 
there is danger of this apostasy ; put them on their 
guard againstit; for the forewarned are forearmed. 
Nourished up in the words of faith—By acting 
as I command thee, thou wilt show that thou art a 
good minister of Jesus Christ, and that thou hast 
been nourished from thy youth up in the doctrines 
of faith. The apostle seems to allude here to Tim- 
othy’s Christian education. (See the preface to this 
epistle.) Whereunto thou hast attained — ‘HI 
παρηκολούθηκας, which thou hast thoroughly under- 
stood. [Hast followed along by tracing its course 
and accompanying it.—A//ord. ] 

7. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables 
—[Tpadderc, (from γραῦς, an old woman,) si/ly.] 
This seems to refer particularly to the Jews, whose 
Talmudical writings are full of the most ridiculous 
and profane fables that ever disgraced the human 
intellect. 
said of the legends of the Romish Church. Let any 
man read the Aurea Legenda, and he will find of 
“profane and old wives’ fables”? what may stand, 
with considerable propriety, column for column with 
the Talmud. See Joseline’s Life of St. Patrick for 
miracles abundantly more numerous and more stu- 
pendous than all that were wrought by Jesus Christ 
and his apostles! No doubt the Spirit of God had 
these and similar corruptions, and this corrupt 
Church particularly, in view. Exercise thyself 
rather unto godliness—|Tvuvate δὲ σεαυτὸν, keep 
yourself toa course of gymnastics. (See Heb. v, 


The same may with equal propriety be } 


| 


erence to practical culture in piety.] Timothy was 
to exercise himself unto godliness, that he might be 
prepared to direct his hearers to the kingdom of 
heaven, and the crown that fadeth not away. (See 
the notes on 1 Cor. ix, 24, ete.) 

8. For bodily exercise (outward observances) 
profiteth little—Il pic ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος, are 
but little worth; but godliness (εὐσέϊεια) has the 
promise of this life and the life to come; it is 
profitable for all things; and for both time and 
eternity. Having promise of the life that now 
is—The man that fears, loves, and serves God has 
God’s blessing all through life. His religion saves 
him from all those excesses, both in action and 
passion, which sap the foundations of life and ren- 
der existence itself often a burden. The peace and 
love of God in the heart produce a serenity and 
calm which cause the lamp of life to burn clear, 
strang, and permanent. Evil and disorderly pas- 
sions obscure and stifle the vital spark. Every 
trulv religious man extracts the uttermost good out 
of life itself, and through the divine blessing secures 
the uttermost good that is in life; and, what is 
better than all, acquires a title through grace to 
an eternal life of glory above. Thus godliness has 
the assured promise of, and secures the blessings 
of, both the present and the future life. 

9. This is a faithful saying—|Confirmatory 
of what immediately precedes.—£i/icott.|_ The truth 
of this doctrine none need doubt; and every man 
has it in his power to put this to the proof. (See 
i, 15.) 

10. For therefore we both labour—This verse 
was necessary to explain what the apostle had be- 
fore said; and here he shows that his meaning was 
not that the followers of God should enjoy worldly 
prosperity and exemption from natural evils; for, 
said he, it is because we exercise ourselves in god- 
liness that we have both labour and reproach, and 
we have these because we trust in the living God. 
[λπίκαμεν, have set our hearts upon the living God ; 
we make him the object of our confidence for time 
and eternity.]| Who is the Saviour of all men 
—Who has provided salvation for the whole human 
race, and has freely offered it to them in his word and 
by his Spirit. Specially of those that believe— 
What God intends for att, he actually gives to 
them that believe in Christ. As “all” have been 
purchased by his blood, so “all” may believe; 
and consequently “ all’? may be saved. Those that 
perish, do so through their own fault. 1) God 
wills that all men should be saved. (Chapter ii, 4.) 
2) He has provided a ransom price by which all 
may be saved. (Heb. ii, 9.) 3) By virtue of that 
provision all men are brought to a state of initial 
salvation. (Heb. x, 29.) 4) But the consummation 
of that salvation in personal redemption and ever- 
lasting life is conditioned on the faith of the in- 


14; xii, 11; 2 Peter i, 14.) Πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, in ref- | dividual subject.] 


343 


A.M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 
believe. ΕΠ *These things command and 


teach. I yLet no man despise thy youth; 
but #be thou an example of the believers, in 
word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in 
faith, in purity. 43 Till I come, give attend- 


I. TIMOTHY. 


Counsels to Timothy respecting 
reading and preaching, 


ance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 
14 * Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which 
was given thee "by prophecy, © with the laying 
on of the hands of the presbytery. 3&8 Medi- 
tate upon these things; give thyself wholly to 


a Chap. 6. 2.—yl1 ee Ths pie 2. 15. ——e2 Titus 2. 7; 


Peter 


11. These things command and teach—Let 
it be the sum and substance of thy preaching: 
that true religion is profitable for both worlds; 
that vice destroys both body and soul; that Christ 
tasted death for every man; and that he saves to 
the uttermost all them that believe in his name. 

12. Let no man despise thy youth—<Act 
with all the gravity and decorum which become 
thy situation in the Church. As thou art in the 
place of an elder, act as an elder. Concerning 
Timothy’s age, see the conclusion of the preface to 
this epistle. Be thou an example of the be- 


lievers—[Tizoc, a type-model, here re in a 
moral sense. (See 1 Pet. v, 3; Phil. iii, 17, etc.)] 


Though, according to the just ideraient ot God, 
they “who die in their sins have their blood on 
their own head; yet, if they have either gone into 
sin or continued i in it through the watchman’s fault, 
their blood will God require at his hand. (See Ezek. 
xxxiii, 1-10.) In word —’Ev λόγῳ, in doctrine; 
teach nothing but the truth of God. In conver- 
sation— Ev dvaorpody, in the whole of thy manner 
of life. In charity— Ev ἀγάπῃ, in love to God and 
man—in universal good will. In spirit— Ev rvev- 
ματι, in the manner and disposition in which thou 
dost all things. [These words are wanting in the 
best copies.| In faith—'Ev πίστει, be faithful to thy 
trust, to thy flock, to thy domestics , to the public, 
to thy Gop. Fidelity consists in hones tly keeping, 
preserving, using, and delivering up when required, 
whi itever is intrusted to our care. In purity — 
Ἔν dyvia, chastity of body and mind; a direction 
peculiarly necessary for a young minister, who has 
more temptations to break its rules than perhaps 
any other person. “ Converse sparingly with 
women, and especially with young women,” was the 
advice of a very holy and experienced minister of 
Christ. [We cannot but observe that there is a 
certain order in the succession of these terms. 
First we have, in “word” and in “ conversation,” 
the former including every kind of speaking, (not 
merely doctrine,) that i is, teaching, exhorting, warn- 
ing, comforting, etc., both in public and private; 
the latter is the life as embodied in deeds. “Love” 
and “ faith” belong to the inner life, and denote the 
powers that give motion to the Christian life. The 
last word, “purity,” denotes not chastity specific- 
ally, but generally,—“ purity of moral behaviour.” 
—Hauther. | 

13. Give attendance to reading — Timothy 
could easily comprehend the apostle’s meaning; 
but at present this is not so easy. What books 
does’ the apostle mean ? The books of the Old Test- 
ament were probably what he intended; these tes- 
tified of Jesus, and by these he could either con- 
vince or confound the Jews. But whether was the 
reading of these to be public or private ? Probably 
both. It was customary to read the Law and the 
Prophets in the synagogue, and doubtless in the 
assemblies of the Christians; after which there 
was generally an exhortation founded upon the 
subject of the prophecy. Hence the apostle says: 
Give attendance to reading, to EXNORTATION, to 

944 


“ἢ Τίπι. 1. θ.------ὦ Chap. 1. 18 ——c Acts 6. 6; 8. 17; 18. 8; 19. 6; 
chap. 5. 22; 2'Tim. 1. ὃ. 


pocTrInE. Timothy was therefore to be diligent in 
reading the sacred writings at home, that he might 
be the better qualified to read and expound them 
in the public assemblies to the Christians, and to 
others who came to these public meetings. As to 
other books, there were not many at that time 
that could be of much use to a Christian minister, 
In those days the great business of the preacher 
was to bring forward the grand facts of Christian- 
ity, to prove these, and to show that all had hap- 
pened according to the prediction of the prophets ; 
and from these to show the work of God in the 
heart, and the evidence of that work in a holy 
life. The works of various scholars prove of how 
much consequence even the writings of heathen 
authors, chiefly those of Greece and Italy, are to the 
illustration of the sacred writings. And he who is 
best acquainted with the sacred records will avail 
himself of such helps with gratitude both to God 
and man. Though so many languages and so much 
reading are not absolutely necessary to form a min- 
ister of the Gospel, (for there are many eminent 
ministers who have not such advantages,) yet if 
properly used they are helps of the first magnitude 
to those who have them and know how to use them. 

14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee—The 
word χάρισμα, here, must refer to the gifts and 
graces of the divine Spirit which Timothy received 
when set apart to the work of an evangelist by the 
imposition of St Paul’s hands (2 Tim. i, 6) and by 
that of the presbytery or eldership. [The word 
χάρισμα may be applied to every gift of God be- 
stowed on man by God’s χάρις, (grace.) In the 
New Testament it denotes both—generally, the new 
spiritual life wrought in the believer by the Holy 
Spirit, and also specially, every faculty imparted 
for every Christian work. Here, where the apostle 
is speaking of Timothy’s official work, it can only 
mean the faculty given him for the sake of the 
office, [work,] in regard to both the governing and 
the calling and teaching.—Huther.]| Given ‘thee 
Hp prophecy—It has been conjectured (chapter 
i, 18) that there had been some remarkable pre- 
diction relative to the future destiny,and usefulness 
of Timothy. And probably it was in consequence 
of this that he was set apart to the office of evan- 
gelist and bishop in the Church at Ephesus. When 
apostles laid their hands on men they ordinarily 
received the Holy Spirit with this imposition. This 
may be what the apostle calls to the remembrance 
of Timothy, and tells him not to neglect what he 
had received, nor the purpose for which he had 
received it. 

15. Meditate upon these things—Taira μελέ- 
τα, care for these things; revolve them frequently 
in thy mind; consider deeply their nature and im- 
portance ; get them deeply fastened in thy heart, 
and let all thy conduct flow from this inward feel- 
ing and conviction. Let the nature, reasons, and 
motives of thy ministry be ever in the view of thy 
heart and conscience. Give thyself wholly to 
them—'Ev τούτοις ἴσθι, be thow in these things. 
Occupy thyself wholly with them; make them not 


Paul gives sundry directions 
concerning widows, 


them; that thy profiting may appear ‘to all. 
16 ¢Take heed unto thyself, and unto the 
doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this 
thou shalt both ‘save thyself, and them that 


hear thee. 
OHAPTER V. 
‘TD EBUKE * not an elder,.but entreat Aim as 
a father; and the younger men as breth- 
ren; 2 The elder women as mothers; the 
younger as sisters, with all purity. % Honour 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. ΔΙ. 4°69. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


widows "that are widows indeed. 4 But if 
any widow have children or nephews, let them 
learn first to show “ piety at home, and ὁ τὸ re- 
quite their parents: ¢for that is good and ac- 
ceptable before God. & £Now she that is a 
widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, 
and ¢continueth in supplications and prayers 
bnight and day. 6 ‘But she that liveth in 
pleasure is dead while she liveth. 7 !And 
these things give in charge, that they may be 


a Or, in all things. —e Acts 20. 28. ——fEzek, 33. 9. — 


Matt. 15.4; Eph 6. 1, 2. F\ Cor. 7. 32. 


eChap. 2. 3. 


Rom, 11. 14; 1 Cor. 9, 22: James ὃ. 20,—da Lev. 19. 32. g Luke 2 37; 1s. 1. —A Acts 26. 7. i James ὅ. 5, —— ἃ Or, 
verses 5, 16. —c Or, kindness. —d See Gen, 45. 10, 11; | dedicately.—l Chap. 1. 3; 4. 11; 6. 17. 
only thy chief, but thy sole, concern. To this let all | them with the respect due to their age. The 


thy reading and study be directed ; this is thy great 
business, and thou must perform it as the servant 
and steward of the Lord. [He who is wholly in 
these things will be little in worldly company, in for- 
eign studies, in collecting books, shells, and coins, 
in which many ministers consume a principal part of 
their life—Bengel.] Such should be prayed for 
and pitied. That thy profiting may appear to 
all—By being made a universal blessing, convine- 
ing and converting sinners, and building up the 
Church of God on its most holy faith. 
progress in the Christian life, and with reference to 
the duties of thy office, and especially as respects 
the caution given, (verse 12,) that no man despise 
thy youth, may be manifest to all_—Alford.] 

16. Take heed unto thyself—See that the life 
of God remains and the work of God prospers in 
thine own soul. “Take heed unto” thy doctrine, 
that the matter be pure and scriptural ; that thou 
teach nothing for truth but what God has revealed. 
Continue in them—That is, in ¢hese things, αὐτοῖς, 
{all that has been enjoined in the preceding in- 
structions. See Huther and Ellicott.) Without 
this, the divine influence shall recede from thy 
heart, and the divine gift from thy intellect ; and, 
like Samson shorn of his strength, thou wilt soon 
become as a common man; thou shalt be no longer 
able to perswade men; the uncrion shall depart 
from thy soul; and, destitute of spiritual feeling 
thyself, thou shalt not be able to cause others to 
feel. Take the apostle’s advice, and thou shalt 
save thy own soul and the souls of them that hear 
thee. 

NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. Rebuke not an elder—An elderly person; 
for the word πρεσβύτερος (elder) is here taken in 
its natural sense, and signifies one advanced in 
years. At verse 17 it is taken in what may be 
termed its ecclesiastical meaning, and signifies an 
officer in the Church, a presbyter or bishop; for 
sometimes these terms were confounded. There 
are but few cases in which it at all becomes a 
young man to reprove an old man, and especially 
one who is a father in the Church. If such a one 
does wrong, or gets out of the way, he should be 


entreated as a father, with great caution and re- 
| 


spect. To this at least his age entitles him. The 
words μὴ ἐπιπλήξῃς signities, do not smite; that is, 
do not treat them harshly, nor with magisterial 
austerity. The younger men as brethren— 
[The word παρακάλει (entreat) applies equally to 
all of the several kinds or classes of persons named. ] 
Showing humility, and arrogating nothing to thy- 
self on account of thy office. Feel for them as 
thou oughtest to feel for thy own brethren. 

2. The elder women as mothers—'reating 


[ That thy | 


younger as sisters—Feel for every member of 
the Church, old and young, male and female; con- 
sider them as fathers, mothers, brothers, and sis- 
ters; treat them all with gentleness, as well as 
pastoral solicitude. With all purity—’Ev πάσῃ 
ayvia, with all chastity. (See chapter iv, 12.) 

3. Honour widows that are widows indeed 
—Our meaning of the word τίμα, to honour, is to 
support, sustain, ete., (Matt. xv, 4, 5;) and here it 
is most obviously to be taken in this sense. Pro- 
vide for those widows especially which are δ widows 
indeed ”—persons truly destitu(e, being aged and 
helpless, and having neither children nor friends to 
take care of them, and who behave as becometh 
their destitute state. But see the note on verse 10, 

4. But if any widow have children or 
nephews—This shows that “widows indeed ” are 
those that have neither children nor nephews, that 
is, no relatives that either will or can help them, or 
no near relatives alive. Let them (the children, 
etc.) learn first to show piety at home—Let 
these children and nephews provide for their aged 
or helpless parents or relatives, and not burden the 
Church with them while they are able to support 
them. And to requite their parents — Kai 
ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς προγόνοις. [And to give 
back requitals to their progenitors, that is, mothers 
and grandmothers.] ‘This is called showing piety; 
and there is doubtless an allusion to the fifth com- 
mandment, “ Honour thy father and thy mother ;” 
provide for them in their old age and afllictions ; 
God commands this. 

5. And desolate—Kai μεμονωμένη, left entirely 
alone—having neither children nor relatives to take 
care of her. Trusteth in God—Finding she has 
no other helper, she continues in prayer and sup- 
plication, that she may derive that from God which, 
in the course of his providence, he has deprived 
her of among men. 

6. But she that liveth in pleasure—H δὲ 
σπαταλῶσα, she that liveth delicately, indulging her- 
self with dainties; it does not indicate grossly 
criminal pleasures, but simply means one who in- 
| dulges herself in good eating and drinking, pam- 
pering her body. Is dead while she liveth—No 
purpose of life is answered by the existence of such 
a person. [Although physically and psychically 
alive, she is spiritually dead; and therefore should 
have no place in a specifically spiritual community. | 

7. That they may be blameless— Charge the 
whole Church to attend to these things, that they 
may be blameless. The words are not spoken of 
| the widows only, but of the Church or its officers ; 
| it need not be restricted to the widows, for the ad- 
jective ἀνεπίλημπτοι, is both of the masculine and 
feminine gender. 


~ 


3845 


A. M. 4069, A. D. 65. \ 
Year of Rome, 818, 


1, TIMOTHY: 


Paul gives sundry directions 
concerning widows, 


blameless. 9. But if any provide not for his 
own, ™and specially for those of his own 


"house, ?he hath denied the faith, Pand is 
worse than an infidel. 9 Let not a widow be 
4 taken into the number under threescore years 


old, ‘having. been the wife of one man, 
10 Well reported of for good works; if she 


have brought up children, if she have * lodged 


strangers, if she have t washed the saints’ feet, 
if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have 
diligently followed every good work. 11 But 
the younger widows refuse: for when they 
have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they 
will marry; 22 Having damnation, because 
they have cast off their first faith, ἘΞ °And 
withal they learn to be idle, wandering about 


m Isa. 58. 7; Gal. 6. 10.—n Or, kindred.—o2 Vim. 3. 5; | chap. 3. 2. bh. 15; Heb. 13 25 b 
Titus 1. 16. p Matt. 18. 17.—g Or, chosen.—r Luke 2. 36; | 18. 4; 19.2: Luke 7. 38, 44; John 19, 5, 14.—\w2 2 The ss. 3.11. 

8. But if any provide not for his own—His | heart, soul, and strength. From the character 
own people or relatives. Those of hisown house} given here of the “widow indeed,” it may be 


—That is, his own family, or a poor widow or rela- 
tive that lives under his roof. Hath denied the 
faith—The Christian religion, which strongly in- 
culeates love and benevolence to all mankind, and 
especially to one’s kindred. Is worse than an 
infidel—For what are called the dictates of nature 
lead men to feel for and provide for their own fam- 
ilies. Heatben writers are full of maxims of this 
kind ; Tacrrus says: Liberos cuique ae propinquos 
NATURA carissimos esse voluit, ‘Nature dictates 
that to every one his own children and relatives 
should be most dear.” And CicEro, (in Epist. ad 
Caption:) Suos quisque debet tueri, ““ Every man 
should take care of his own family.” 

9. Taken into the number—Let her not be 
taken into the list of those for whom the Church 
must provide. But some think that the apostle 
means the list of those who were deaconesses in 
the Church ; and that no widow was to be admitted 
into that rank who did not answer to the following 
character. Under threescore years—As it might 
be supposed that previously to this age they might 
be able to do something toward their own support. 
(See on verse 10.) Having been the wife of one 
man—Having lived in conjugal fidelity with her 
husband; or having had but one husband at a 
time ; or, according to others, having never been 
but once married. But the former is the opinion 
of some of the most eminent of the Greek Fathers, 
and appears to be the most consistent with the 
scope of the place and with truth. 

10. Well reported of for good works— 
Numbers being able to bear testimony, as the word 
implies, that she has not only avoided all sin, but 
that she has walked according to the testimony of 
God. [There seems to be herea special reference to 
works of beneficence. (See Titus iii, 8.)] Brought 
up children—It was customary among the Gen- 
tiles to expose their children, when so poor that 
they were not able to provide for them. Pious and 
humane people took these up; and fed, clothed, 
and educated them. The words “brought up” 
may refer to the children of others, who were edu- 
cated in the Christian faith by pious Christian 
women. Lodged strangers—If she had been 
given to hospitality, freely contributing to the ne- 
cessitous when she had it in her power. Washed 
the saints’ feet—This was an oflice of humanity 
shown to all strangers and travellers in the eastern 
countries, who, either walking barefoot or wearing 
only a sort of sole, needed to have the feet washed 
when they came to their journey’s end. Pious 
women generally did this act of kindness. Re- 
lieved the afflicted—Visited and ministered to 
the sick. Diligently followed every good 
work—In a word, if she have been altogether a 
Christian, living according to the precepts of the 
Gospel, and doing the Lord’s work with all her 

046 


doubted whether χήρα, widow, is not here used as 
the name of an office, which name it might have 
from being ordinarily filled by widows. It can 
hardly be supposed that any widow, unless she had 
considerable property, could have done the things 
enumerated in this verse, some of which would oc- 
casion no small expense. ‘che “widow indeed” 
may mean a person who was to be employed in some 
office in the Church; and Timothy is enjoined not 
to take any into that office unless she had been 
before remarkable for piety and humanity. Some 
think that the widows of whom the apostle speaks 
had been deaconesses, and wished now to be taken 
on what might be termed the superannuated list ; 
and the apostle lays down rules for the admission 
of such, the sum of which is: Let none come on 
this superannuated list unless she be at least sixty 
years of age, and can bring proof of her having 
conscientiously discharged the office and duty of a 
deaconess. 

11. But the younger widows refuse — Do 
not admit those into this office who are under sixty 
years of age. Probably those who were received 
into such a list promised to abide in their widow- 
hood. But, as young or comparatively young women 
might have both occasion and temptations to re- 
marry, and so break their engagement to Christ, 
they should not be admitted. Not that the apostle 
condemns their remarrying as a crime in itself, 
but because it was contrary to their engagement. 
(See verse 14.) Wax wanton—Kataortpyvidcwow, 
from κατά, intensive, and στρηνιάω, to act in a lux- 
urious or wanton manner. This metaphor is taken 
from a pampered horse, from whose mouth the 
rein has been removed, so that there is nothing to 
check or confine him. The metaphor is plain 
enough, and the application easy. [The word has 
commonly a bad significance; but here may imply 
ungovernableness, by reason of natal (uot neces- 
sarily eriminal) impulses. | 

12. Having damnation—In the sense in which 
we use this word I am satisfied the apostle never 
intended it. It is likely that he refers here to some 
promise or engagement which they made when 
taken on the list already mentioned, and now they 
have the guilé of having violated that promise ; 
this is the κρίμα, or condemnation, of which the 
apostle speaks. They have cast off their first 
faith—By recently pledging their fidelity to a hus- 
band they have cast off their fidelity to Christ, as a 
married life and their previous engagement are in- 
compatible. 

13. And withal they learn to be idle—They 
do not love work, and they will not work; [Ἅμα 
δὲ καὶ ἀργαὶ μανθάνουσιν, περιερχόμεναι τὰς οἰκίας, 
and at the same time, han idle, they learn (become 
accustomed) to go (cad) about among the houses; | 
gossiping; never contented with home; always 


Directions concerning widow 
and elders, 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4069. A.D. 65, 
Year of Rome, 818. 


from house to house; and not only idle, but 
tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things 
which they ought not. 14 ¥1 will therefore 
that the younger women marry, bear children, 
guide the house, “ give none occasion to the 
adversary *to speak reproachfully. 4&5 For 
some are already turned aside after Satan. 
16 If any man or woman that believeth have 
widows, let them relieve them, and let not the 


church be charged; that it may relieve Σ them 
that are widows indeed. 17 Let the elders 
that rule well *be counted worthy of double 
honour, especially they who labour in the word 
and doctrine. Ὁ For the Scripture saith, 
*’Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth 
out the corn. And, ©The labourer is worthy 
of his reward. 19. Against an elder receive 
not an accusation, but ἃ ὁ before two or three 


»1 Cor. 7. 9.-—2 Chap. 6.1: Titus 2. 8——~a Gr., for their 
railing. y Verses 3, 5.-—z Rom. 12. 8; 1 Cor. 9. 10, 14; Gal. 
6. 6; Phil. 2. 29; 1 Thess, 5, 12,13; Heb. 13. 7, 17. 


visiting. And not only idle—[®/vapor, full of 
talk.| Busybodies — [Περίεργοι, intermeddling. | 
Speaking things which they ought not— 
[Λαλοῦσαι τὰ μὴ δέοντα, telling things not proper, 
that is, to be told.] [From idleness and ease is en- 
gendered curiosity, which is itself the mother of 
senseless talkativeness.—Calvin.] [Paul’s fear is, 
that these younger widows will not only do the 
Church’s work idly, but make mischief by bearing 
about tales and seandal.—A//ord. | 

14. I will therefore that the younger wom- 
en marry—As the preceding discourse has been 
about the younger widows, and this is an inference 
from it, it is most evident that by the ‘‘ younger 
women” the apostle means the young widows. 
These he considers unfit for the office of the female 
diaconate. and therefore wills them to marry, edu- 
cate children, and give themselves wholly up to 
domestic affairs. Here the apostle, so far from 
forbidding second marriages, directly recommends 
them. The adversary—T® ἀντικειμένῳ, not Si- 
tan, but any person. whether Jew or Gentile, who 
might be watching for an occasion to reproach, 
through the misconduct of its professors, the cause 
of Christianity. 

15. For some are already turned aside— 
Some of these young widows, for he appears to be 
still treating of them, are turned aside from chas- 
tity, propriety, discretion, to follow Satan instead of 
Christ. [The agency of the great adversary in 
promoting the defection of those who have once 
entered upon the Christian life is here, as often, 
recognised by the apostle. To his spiritual con- 
ception Satan was ever a real presence, seeking to 
circumvent the work of grace. The fearful possi- 
bility of a fatal and final turning aside by real be- 
lievers (to which class the “‘ some ” of verse 15 must 
have belonged) is here clearly implied. ] 

16. If any man or woman that believeth— 
Tf any Christian man or woman have poor widows 
which are their relatives, let them relieve them 
—provide them with the necessaries of life, and 
not burden the Church with their maintenance, that 
the funds may be spared for the support of those 
widows who were employed in its service teaching 
children, visiting the sick, ete., ete. For the per- 
forming of such offices it is very likely that none 
but widows were employed ; and these were chosen, 
other things being equal, out of the most indigent 
of the widows, and therefore called by the apostle 
here and in verse 3, ταῖς ὄντως χήραις, widows in- 
deed—widows desolate, without support and with- 
out relatives. (See the note on verse 10.) [The 


higher excellence of the family, as compared with | 


every and all churchly arrangements for the order- 
ing of the temporal affairs of believers, “ the saints,” 
is clearly recognised and declared in these warn- 
ings and instructions]. 


a Acts 28, 10.—? Deut. 25. 4; 1 Cor. 2, 9. —eLev. 19. 13; 
Deut. 24. 14, 15; Matt, 10. 10; Luke 10. 7.—d Or, under. 
é Deut. 19, 15. 


17. Let the elders that rule well—Elder is 
probably here the name of an ecclesiastical officer, 
similar to what we now term presbyter, [and not 
simply an elderly person, as in verse 1.] Dr. Mae- 
knight has remarked, that ‘in the first age the 
name πρεσβύτερος, elder, was given to all who exer- 
cised any sacred office in the Church, as is plain 
from Acts xx, 28, where the persons are called 
ἐπίσκοποι, bishops, who (verse 17) were called πρὲσ- 
βύτεροι, elders. The same thing appears from Titus 
i, 5, where those are called e/devs who (verse 7) are 
named bishops; and from 1 Tim. iv, 14, where, col- 
lectively, all who held sacred offices in Lystra are 
called πρεσβυτέριον, the presbytery or eldership, and 
are said to have concurred with St. Paul in setting 
Timothy apart to the ministry.” Double honour 
--Διπλῆς τιμῆς. Almost every critic of note allows 
that τιμή here signifies reward, stipend, wages. 
Let him have a double or a larger salary who rules 
well; and why? Because in the discharge of his 
office he must be at expense, in proportion to his 
diligence, in visiting and relieving the sick, in lodg- 
ing and providing for strangers; in a word, in his 
being given to hospitality, which was required of 
every bishop or presbyter. Especially they who 
labour in the word and doctrine—Those who 
not only preach publicly, but instruct privately, 
satechize, etc. Some think this refers to distinct 
ecclesiastical orders; but these technical distine- 
tions were, in my opinion, a work of later times. 
[The words ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ certainly seem 
to imply ¢wo kinds of ruling presbyters: those who 
preached and taught and those who did not; and 
it may be naturally supposed that there existed, in 
the large community at Ephesus, a clerical college 
of chief presbyters, some of whom might have the 
gift (κάρισμα) of teaching more eminently than 
others. See Ellicott.] 

18. The Scripture saith, Thou shalt not 
muzzle the ox—This is a manifest proof that by 
τιμή, honour, in the preceding verse, the apostle 
means salary or wages: “ Let the elders that rule 
well be accounted worthy of double honour”—a 
larger salary than any of the official widows men- 
tioned before—for “the labourer is worthy of his 
hire.’ The maintenance of every man in the 
Church should be in proportion to his own labour 
and the necessities of his family. He that does no 
work should have no wages. In the Church of 
Christ there never can be a sinecure. They who 
minister at the altar should live by the altar ; the 
ox that treadeth out the corn should not be muzzled ; 
the labourer is worthy of his hire; but the altar 
should not support him who does not minister at it ; 
if the ox wont tread out the corn, let him go to the 
common or be muzzled ; if the man will not labour, 
let him have no hire. 

19. Against an elder—Be very cautious of re- 

347 


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Year of Rome, 518, 


Τ TIMOTHY. 


Directions concerning imposition 
of hands, temperance, etc, 


witnesses. 20 f Them that sin rebuke before 
all, €that others also may fear. 42 "I charge 
thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and the elect angels, that thou observe these 
things ' without preferring one before another, 
doing nothing by partiality. 22 «Lay hands 
suddenly on no man, ‘neither be partaker of 
other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. 28 Drink 


F Gal. 5 13.—g Deut. 13. 11.---- Chap. 6. 13; 


math 14; , Titus 1. 
2 Tim "1. 1 -- Or; without prejudice. 


2. ΠῚ 


no longer water, but use a little wine ™for 
thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmi- 


ties. 24 "Some men’s sins are open before- 
hand, going before to judgment; and some 


men they tollow after. 25 Likewise also the 
good works of some are manifest before- 
hand; and they that are otherwise cannot be 
hid. 


k Acts 6. ὃ: 13. 8: chap. 4. 14: 2 Tim. Marg Jobn 11.— 
me Psa. 104. 18. sane Gal. 19. 


ceiving evil reports against those whose business it 
is to preach to others and correct their vices. Do 
not consider an elder as guilty of any alleged crime, 
unless it be proved by two or three witnesses. 
This the law of Moses required in respect to all. 
Among the Romans a plebeian might be condemned 
on the deposition of one credible witness ; but it 
required two to convict a senator. The reason of 
this difference is evident: those whose business it 
is to correct others will usually have many enemies ; 
great caution, therefore, should be used in admit- 
ting accusations against such persons. 

20. Them that sin rebuke before all—That 
is, before the members of the Church ; which was 
the custom among the Jews in their synagogues. 
But, if the words refer to the elders alone, then 
the transgressing elder is to be reproved before his 
fellows, and be tried by them. That others also 
may fear—This is the grand object of Church 
censures—to reclaim the transgressors and to give 
warning to others. 

21. I charge thee before God—The apostle 
would have Timothy to consider that all he did 
should be done as in the sight of God, the Father 
of the spirits of all flesh; in the sight of Christ, 
the Saviour of sinners, who purchased the Church 
with his own blood; and in the sight of the most 
holy, approved, and eminent angels, whose office it 
was to minister to the heirs of salvation. Elect 
angels — The angels as such (that is, all angels) 
are elect of God, whom God has chosen (made) 
the objects of his love; ἐκλεκτός (elect) is synony- 
mous with ἔντεμος, (precious.) (1 Pet. ii, 4.)— 
Huther.| The word ἐκλεκτῶν, elect, applied to the 
angels here, is used to indicate God’s favour towards 
them on account of their personal holiness and 
fidelity to the trusts committed to them. Perhaps 
there is nothing else meant than the angels that are 
chosen out from among others, by the Lord him- 
self, to be ministering servants to the Church. 
Without preferring one before another— 
Χωρὶς pai ἰματοί; without prejudice. Promote 
no man’s cause, weigh both sides, and hear both 
parties, with their respective witnesses; and then 
act impartially, as the matter may appear to be 
proved. A minister of the Gospel who, in the ex- 
ercise of discipline in the Church, is swayed and 
warped by secular considerations, will scarcely be 
a blessing to the people of God. Accepting the 
persons of the rich, in ecclesiastical matters, has 
been a source of corruption in Christianity. 

22. Lay hands suddenly on no man—Do 
not hastily appoint any person to the sacred minis- 
try; let the person be well proved before he re- 
ceives the imposition of hands. Some understand 
this of laying hands on the sick. [In the New 
Testament the laying on of hands is mentioned on 
various occasions, specially, 1) In healing the sick, 
whether by Christ. or his Aiseiples 5 2) in bestow- 
ing the divine blessing, (Matt. xix, 18, 153) 3) In 

348 


imparting the Holy Spirit, ree viii, 17;) 4) In 
appointing to a definite ecclesiastical office, (Acts 
vi, 6;) 5) in setting apart for special Church work, 
(Acts xiii, 3.) . . . It will be most correct to take 
the exhortation quite generally, applving to all 
occasions, and for the reason immediately added.— 
Huther.|_ Neither be partaker of other men’s 
sins—It is a sin for any improper person to thrust 
himself into the sacred office; and he partakes of 
that sin who introduces, helps him forward, or sane- 
tions him in it. O, what an account will rash, un- 
discerning, and prejudiced bishops, presbyters, and 
others have to render to God for their ordinations ! 
Keep thyself pure—From this and every other 
evil. [Not here to be referred to personal purity 
and chastity, (though that would be the most im- 
portant of all elements in carrying out the precept,) 
but in respect to partaking of other men’s sins.— 
Alford. | 

23. Drink no longer water, but use a little 
wine—The whole of this verse seems, to several 
learned critics and divines, strangely inserted in 
this place; it might have been, according to them, 
a note which the apostle inserted on the margin of 
his letter, on recollecting the precarious state of 
Timothy’s health, and his great abstemiousness 
and self-denial. [Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to 
keep himself pure, taken in connexion with the re- 
quirement that bishops and deacons should not be 
addicted to wine-drinking, makes it probable that 
entire abstinence from wine was at least viewed 
favourably, perhaps required of officials, in the 
apostolic Church. But the state of Timothy’s 
heaith called for some mitigation of that rule in 
his case, and as the injunction or permission was 
based ona special condition of things, making it a 
dietetic necessity; and as the indulgence is care- 
fully limited to “a little,” the whole piece of advice 
becomes a strong plea for abstinence in all ordina- 
ry cases.]| As Timothy’s life was of great conse- 
quence to the Church of God at Ephesus, it was not 
unworthy of the Spirit of God to give the direction 
in the text, and to mingle it immediately with what 
some have called more solemn and important ad- 
vice. 1) It was necessary that the work should be 
done in the Church at Ephesus which the apostle 
appointed to Timothy. 2) There was no person at 
Ephesus fit to do this work but Timothy. 3) Tim- 
othy could not continue to do it if he followed his 
present mode of abstemiousness. 4) It was nec- 
essary therefore that he should receive direction 
from divine authority relative to the preservation 
of his life, and consequently the continuation of his 
usefulness, as it is not likely that a minor author- 
ity would have weighed with him. 

24. Some men’s sins are open beforehand, 
ete. al The sins of some men are manifest, mpbdnAot, 
conspicuous, and so, in some manner, challenging 
censure, (κρίσιν .) to others, τισὶν, some, they rather 
follow after; yet in their longer or shorter course 


How Christian servants should 
regard their masters, 


CHAPTER VI. 
ET as many *servants as are under the yoke 
count their own masters worthy of all 
honour, "that the name of God and His doc- 
trine be not blasphemed. 2 And they that 
have believing masters, let them not despise 
them, “because they are brethren; but rather 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 81s, 


do them service, because they are 4 faithful and 
beloved, partakers of the benefit. ¢These 
things teach and exhort. $ If any man ‘teach 
otherwise, and consent ¢not to wholesome 
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, "and to the doctrine which is accord- 
ing to godliness; 4 He is ‘proud, * knowing 


@Eph. 6. 5; Col. 3. 22; Titus 2. 9; 1 Peter 2. 18,—D isa. 
52. 5; Rom 2. 24; Titus 2. 5, 8.—cCol. 4. 1.—dOr, be- 
liewing. 


they are discovered. . . . So, in like manner, good 
works are in some cases readily manifest, and even 
those that seem to be otherwise will at length re- 
veal themselves in their results. . . . To limit the 
κρίσις, judgment, to the case of candidates for or- 
dination is to give a verse almost obviously and 
studiedly general a very narrow and special inter- 
pretation. See Ellicott.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 

1. Let as many servants as are under the 
yoke—The word δοῦλοι here means slaves con- 
verted to the Christian faith; and the ζυγὸν, or 
yoke, is the state of slavery; and by δεσπόται, mas- 
ters, despots, we ave to understand the heathen mas- 
ters of those Christianized slaves. Even these, in 
such circumstances, and under such domination, 
are commanded to treat their masters with all hon- 
our and respect, that the name of God, by which 
they were called, and the doctrine of God, Chris- 
tianity, which they had professed, might not be 
blasphemed—might not be evil spoken of in con- 
sequence of their improper conduct. Civil rights 
are never abolished by any communications from 
God’s Spirit. The civil state in which a man was 
before his conversion is not altered by that conver- 
sion; nor does the grace of God absolve him from 
any claims which either the State or his neighbour 
may have on him. All these outward things con- 
tinue unaltered. (See the notes on Eph. vi, 5, ete. ; 
and 1 Cor. vii, 21, ete.) 

2. And they that have believing masters— 
Who have been lately converted as well as them- 
selves. Let them not despise—Supposing them- 
selves to be their equals, because they are their 
brethren in Christ ; and grounding their opinion on 
this, that in Him there is neither bond nor free; 
for, although all are equal as to their spiritual priv- 
ileges and state, yet there still continues in the or- 
der of God’s providence a great disparity in their 
Station ; the master must ever be, in this sense, supe- 
rior to the servant. But rather do them service 
—Obey them the more cheerfully, because they are 
faithful and beloved: “faithful” to Ged’s grace, 
“beloved” by him and his true followers. [The 
(Christian) slaves who were under heathen masters 
(δεσπόται) were positively to regard their masters 
as deserving of honour, (because of their relation ;) 
the slaves under Christian masters were, negatively, 
not to evince any want of respect. The former were 
not to be insubordinate nor the latter disrespectful. 
—Fillicott.| [The right or wrong of slavery is not 
here brought into notice, but its existence as a le- 
galized social institution is recognised ; and agree- 
ably to the uniform practice of our Lord and his 
disciples, obedience to “ the powers that be,” with- 
out respect to the rightfulness or otherwise of 
their authority, is enjoined as a Christian duty in 
all things not contrary to God’s law. So, also, 
nothing is said of the duty of believing masters to 


eChap. 4. 11.—/Chap. 1. 3. 
4,3; Titus 1, 9,—A Titus 1, 1. 
chap. 1. 7. 


qChap, 1. 10; 2 Tim. 1. 13; 
i Or, a fool.— k 1 Cor. 8. 2; 


emancipate their slaves, since the state of society 
was such that emancipation might be a doubtful 
favour; nor were they called upon to denounce 
slaveholding as sinful, since they themselves ex- 
ercised no political power, and also because the 
ameliorating influences of Christianity usually pro- 
ceed by general rather than special and incidental 
expressions of its purposes.] Partakers of the 
benefit—Tijc εὐεργεσίας ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι, joint par- 
takers of the benefit. This is generally understood 
as referring to the master’s participation in the ser- 
vices of his slaves. Because those who are partak- 
ers of the benefit of your services ave faithful and 
beloved; or it may apply to the servants who are 
partakers of many benefits from their Christian 
masters. Others think [without proper authority ] 
that “ benefit ἡ here refers to the grace of the Gospel, 
the common salvation of believing masters and 
slaves. [Serve (your masters) all the more, that 
they, devoting themselves to kindness toward you, 
are believers, and beloved (of God.)—Huther. | 

3. It any man teach otherwise—It appears 
that there were teachers of a different kind in the 
Church, a sort of religious levellers, who preached 
that the converted servant had as much right to 
the master’s service as the master had to his. 
Teachers of this kind have been in vogue since 
long before the days of Paul and Timothy. And 
consent not to wholesome words—'Yyaivouce 
λόγοις. healing doctrines; doctrines which give 
nourishment and health to the soul, which is the 
true character of all the doctrines taught by our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; doctrines which are according 
to godliness—securing as amply the honour and 
glory of God as they do the peace, happiness, and 
final salvation of man. All this may refer to the 
general tenor of the Gospel; and not to any thing 
said, or supposed to have been said, by our Lord 
relative to the condition of slaves. With political 
questions, or questions relative to private rights, 
our Lord searcely ever meddled ; he taught all men 
to love one another ; to respect each other’s rights ; 
to submit to each other ; to show all fidelity ; to be 
obedient, humble, and meek ; and to know that his 
kingdom was not of this world. [The Gospel, 
though eminently revolutionary in its ulterior re- 
sults, is never itself an inciter to revolutionary 
actions, but waits for the growth and normal de- 
velopment of its principles in society. The civil 
and social operations of Christianity are incidental 
and secondary,—are produced at second hand, in 
society, and these belong not to the Church as 
such, nor to Christians in their immediate relations 
to the Church. ] 

4. He is proud—Tevigwrar, he is blown up or 
inflated with a vain opinion of his own knowledge ; 
[beclouded, besotted with pride, (and self-conceit,) 
yet knowing nothing, (not properly understanding.) 
Knowing nothing —[Yet knowing “nothing,” 
(though so proud.) (See chapter i, 7.)—Z//icott. 

349 


A.M, 4069, A, D. 65, 
Year of Rome, 818, 


nothing, but !doting about ™questions and 
strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, 
‘auilings, evil surmisings, & "°Perverse dis- 
putings of Pmen of corrupt minds, and desti- 
tute of the truth, 4 supposing that gain is god- 
liness: "from such withdraw thyself. 6 But 
‘godliness with contentment is great gain. 
7 Fortwe brought nothing into this world, 


ZOr, sick. Pronant aS 4; 2 Tim. 2. 
Gallings one of another. OM Cor. . 16; chap. 1. 6.—— 
pa) Tim. 3. 3. -g Tit. 1. 11; 2 Pet. 2. 3. ea δι τῷ 17; 2 Tim. 
3. 8 Psa, 37. 16; Prov. 15. 165 16 8; Heb. 13. 8 


EY Tit. 3. 9.—n Or, 


I. TIMOTHY. 


Danger of setting the affections 
on merely earthly good, 


and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 
Ὁ And vhaying food and raiment, let us be 
therewith content. 9 But vthey that will 
be rich fall into temptation “ and a snare, and 
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, * which 
drown men in destruction and perdition. 
10 » For the love of money is the root of all 


evil: which while some coveted after, they 

tJob 1. 21; Psa. 49. 17: Prov. 27. 24; Eccles. 5. 15.—w Gen. 
28, 20: Heb, 13. 5,-—v Prov. 15, at 20, 21; 2%, 20: Matt. 
13. 22: James 45. 1.—720Chap. 3. 7. --- α Chap. i ——— 


y Exod, 23. 8; Deut. 16. 19. 


Doting about questions—He i is sick, distempered, 
[inert and incapable, and yet self-confident in re- 
spect to recondite and not well understood politi- 
cal, social, and religious questions, which uniformly 
lead to strifes about words, Aoy omaxiac. | Strifes 
of words—Aoyouayiac, verbal contentions ; split- 
ting hairs. In this sort of sublime nonsense the 
works of the Jewish rabbins abound. Where- 
of cometh envy, strife, etc.—How little good 
have religious [and especially ecclesiastical] dis- 
putes ever done to mankind or to the cause of 
truth! Christian teachers should know that the 
wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of the 
Lord. 

5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt 
minds—|Thoroughly perverted, both morally and 
intellectually.] Disputations that cannot be settled, 
because their partisans will not listen to the truth; 
and they will not listen to the truth because their 
“minds ” are corrupt.” Destitute of the truth— 
Untruthfulness of character; the immediate con- 
sequence of the foregoing. [The truth was taken 
away from them, but its first rejection was their 
own act. See Ellicott.] Supposing that gain is 
godliness—Professing religion only for the sake of 
secular profit; defending their own cause for the 
emoluments it produced; and having no respect to 
another world. [The ‘“ gain” of which the apostle 
is here thinking is not the heavenly, eternal bless- 
ing, but the gain to which we are directed in verses 
9 and 10.—Huther.| From such ‘withdraw 
thyself—Have no religious fellowship with such 
people. [This clause is omitted by nearly all of the 
best authorities. ] 

6. But godliness with contentment is great 
gain—The word “ godliness,” εὐσέβεια, here, and in 
several other places of this epistle, signifies the 
true religion, Christianity ; and the word “ con- 
tentment,” αὐταρκεία signifies a competency, a suffi- 
ciency ; that measure or portion of secular things 
which is necessary for temporal well-being. It re- 
quires but little of this world’s goods to satisfy a 
man who feels himself to be a citizen of another 
country, and knows that this is not his rest. 

7. We brought nothing into this world— 
There are some sayings in Seneca which are almost 
verbatim with this of St. Paul: Memo nascitur 
dives ; quisquis exit in lucem jussus est lacte et panno 
esse conte ntus, (Epist. xx.) ‘‘ No man is born rich ; 
every one that comes into the world is commanded 
to be content with food and raiment ”’—(literally, 
milk and bread.) Seneca and St. Paul were con- 
temporary, and possibly they knew something of 
each other ; but all the Greek and Latin poets, “and 
especially the stoic philosophers, are full of such 
sentiments. 

8. Having food and raiment, let us be 
therewith content—’Apxeolycéucta, let us con- 
sider this a competency, And it is evident that the 

850 


apostle considers these things a competency, and 
by these words explains what he said verse 6. The 
word σκεπάσματα, which we translate ‘ raiment,” 
signifies covering in general; and may here mean 
house or lodging, as well as clothing. 

9. But they that will be rich—0i dé βουλό- 
μενοι πλουτεῖν. The words are emphatic, and refer 
to persons who are determined to get riches ; who 
make this their object and aim in life. By the term. 
“rich” it is very likely that the apostle refers to 
what he had said above: ‘‘ Having food and rai- 
ment, let us be therewith content.” Fall into 
temptation and a snare—When this temptation 
is once received, and possesses the soul, others 
quickly sueceed: and when men have swallowed 
down the temptation to the exd, then they drink 
in a thousand temptations to the means ; and all 
these lead them, εἰς παγίδα, into unforeseen and 
concealed traps. [The form of the temptation as- 
sumed was that of an entangling power, from 
which it was not easy for the captive to extricate 
himself. — ilicott.| || Such a snare is that into 
which those “ who will be rich” must necessarily 
fall. But who will believe this ? (See on verse 10.) 
And into many foolish and hurtful lusts 
[{ππιθυμίας, eupidities, lusts of the eye—these are 
“foolish,” opposed to human reason, and also 
“hurtful,” blinding the conscience and arousing to 
dangerous activity the natural worldliness of the 
soul.| These lusts or desires are not only “ fool- 
ish,’ but they are ‘ hurtful ;” the mind is debased 
and narrowed by them; benevolent and generous 
feelings become extinct; charity perishes; and 
selfishness, the last and lowest principle in mental 
degradation, absorbs the soul; for these “fool- 
ish” and “hurtful lusts” drown men in destruc- 
tion and perdition; the soul is destroyed by them © 
here, and brought through them into a state of 
‘““nerdition ” hereafter. Such is the lot, the well- 
nigh unavoidable catastrophe, of them ἀ that will 
be. rich,” even though they should strive to accom- 
plish their desires by means the most rigidly honest. 

10. The love of money is the root of all 
evil—Pifa yap πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστὶν ἡ φιλαρ- 
γυρία. Covetousness is the root of (spring, inciting 
cause toward) all forms of ethical and spiritual 
badness.| [The germ of all evil lies in the love of 
money ; not that, on the one hand, all evil must 
manifest itself in every lover of money, nor, on the 
other, is it denied that there are other vices which 
likewise carry in them the beginnings of all evil. 
Fortunately, man is inconsistent also ἴῃ evil, 
Ebrard.| Which... some coveted after—['He, 
of which, refers grammatically to φιλαργυρία, and 
ὀρεγόμενοι, being ‘earnestly desirous, must be under- 
stood as relating to that passion or lust of the soul, 
and though the image is not perfectly correct, 
(Ellicott,) yet the violation of the image is but 
little felt, while the sense is entirely obvious. 


Timothy is exhorted to fight 
the good fight of faith, 


CHAPTER VI. 


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Year of Rome, 818. 


have zerred from the faith, and pierced them- 
selves through with many sorrows. U2 *But 
thou, "Ὁ man of God, flee these things; and 
follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, 
love, patience, meekness. 22 ὁ Fight the good 
fight of faith, 4lay hold on eternal life, where- 
unto thou art also called, «and has professed a 
good profession before many witnesses. 1B 1 
give thee charge in the sight of God, ¢ who 
quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, 
who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good 


iconfession; 14 That thou keep this com- 
mandment without spot, unrebukable, * until 
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 
15 Which in his times he shall show, who is 
'the blessed and only Potentate, "the King of 
kings, and Lord of lords; 16 °®Who only 
hath immortality, dwelling in the light which 
no man can approach unto; °whom no man 
hath seen, nor can see: Pto whom le honour 
and power everlasting. Amen. ἈΦ Charge 
them that are rich in this world, that they be 


2 Or, Leen seduced.a 2 Tim, 2, 22.—b Deut. 33.1: 2 Tim. 
8. 17.—-c1 Cor, 9. 25, 26; chap. 1. 18; 2 Tim, 4. 7.—d Phil. 8. 
12, 14; verse 19 ——e Heb. 13. 23. J Chap. ὃ. 21.-—g Deut. 
82. 39: 1 Sam. 2. 9; Jolin 5. 21.—/ Matt. 27. 11; John 18, 37; 


Through this inordinate coveteousness men have 
erred from the taith, ἀπεπλανήθησαν, fallen away 
from the life and power of the Gospel.] And 
pierced themselves through with many sor- 
rows—Rather, many torments. The word περιέ- 
repay signifies to be transfixed in every part, and 
is an allusion to one form of those snares (παγίδα, 
verse 9) where a hole is dug in the earth and [filled 
full of sharp stakes, into which whatever falls is 
pierced through and through with these sharp 
stakes, the ὀδύναις πολλαῖς, the many torments. 

11. But thou, O man of God—Thou, who hast 
taken God for thy portion, flee these things. 
Even thow art not out of the reach of the Jove of 
money. How many of the ministers of religion 
have been ruined by this! And how much has 
religion itself suffered by their love of money! 
Follow after righteousness—God’s way of sal- 
vation, adding to it godliness—a thorough con- 
formity to the will of God and mind of Christ; 
faith in Jesus, and in all that he hath spoken, 
and a faithful use of the talents thou hast received, 
and the office with which thou art intrusted. 
Love—To God and all mankind. Patience—In 
all trials and afflictions. Meekness—Bearing up 
with an even mind under all adversities and con- 
tradictions. 

12. Fight the good fight of faith—“ Agonize 
the good agony.” Thou hast a contest to sustain in 
which thy honour, thy life, thy soul, are at stake. 
Live the Gospel, and defend the cause of God. 
Unmask hypocrites, reprove the profligate, purge 
and build up the Church, live in the spirit of thy 
religion, and give thyself wholly to this work. 
Lay hold on eternal life—Fight, conquer, and 
seize upon the prize ; carry off the crown of eternal 
life! Whereunto thou art also called—ZJnto 
which conflict (ἀγῶνα) you have been called. The 
“agony”? was the immediate objective of the call- 
ing, and “eternal life” the w/timate, and his prac- 
tical acceptance of that calling, with its present 
trials and its glorious hopes, he had becomingly 
confessed in his words and actions, of which many, 
both believers and unbelievers, were witnesses. 

13 I give thee charge—This is similar to that 
in verse 21 of the preceding chapter, where see the 
note. Who quickeneth all things—God, who is 
the fountain of life, and who is the resurrection, 
and who will raise thee up at the last day to a life 
of ineffable glory if thou be faithful unto death. 
And should thy life fall a sacrifice to the perform- 
ance of thy duty, all will be safe; for thy life is 
hid with Christ in God, and when he who is thy 
life shall appear, then shalt thou also appear with 
him in glory | A good confession—The confession 


— i Or, profsession.—k Phil. 1. 6,10: 1 Thess, 
3. 13 » De ¢Chap. 1. 11, 17.—7n Rev. 17. 14: 19. 16. 
n Chap. 1. 17.-—o Exod. 33. 20; John 6. 46. p Eph. 3. 21; 
Phil. 4. 20; Jude 25; Rev. 1. 6: 4. 11; 7. 12. 


Rev, 1.5; 3. 14. 


was Messiah the King; but that his kingdom was 
not of this world ; and that hereafter he should be 
seen coming in the clouds of heaven to judge the 
quick and dead, (See John xviii, 36, 37; Mark 
xiv, 61, 62. 

14. That thou keep this commandment with- 
out spot—'l'wo things are mentioned here: 1) That 
the commandment itself—the whole doctrine of 
Christ—should be kept entire. 2) That Timothy’s 
life should be agreeable to that doctrine. Keep it 
“without spot ’—let there be no d/ot on the sacred 
book; add nothing ¢o it, take nothing from it, 
change nothing im it. Deliver down to thy sue- 
cessors the truth as thou hast had it from God 


himself. Unrebukable—Let there be nothing in 
thy conduct or spirit contrary to this truth. Keep 
the truth, and the truth will keep thee. Until 


the appearing of our Lord—Hand it down pure, 
and let thy conduct be a comment on it, that it 
may continue in the world and in the Church till 
the coming of Christ. 

15. Which in his times he shall show— 
Jesus will appear in the most proper time; the 
time which the infinite God in his wisdom has ap- 
pointed for his coming. The blessed and only 
Potentate—Avvacryc, “ potentate,”’ is applied to 
secular governors ; but none of these can be styled 
ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος, the happy and only One; 
ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, the King of kings, or 
the King over all kings ; and Κύριος τῶν κυριευόν- 
των, the Lord over all lords or rulers. These are 
titles which could not be given to any mortals. 
This is made more specific by the verse following. 

16. Who only hath immortality—All beings 
that are not eternal must be mutable; but there 
can be only one eternal Being, that is, God ; and he 
only can have immortality. Dwelling in the 
light which no man can approach unto—All 
this is said by the apostle in three words: φῶς 
οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, inhabiting unapproachable light. 
Such is the excessive glory of God that he is 
equally unapproachable to all created beings. 
Whom no man hath seen, nor can see—Moses 
himself could only see the symbol of the divine 
presence, but the face of God no man could ever 
see. Because he is infinite and eternal, therefore 
he is incomprehensible ; and if incomprehensible to 
the mind, consequently invisible to the eye. To 
whom—As the author of being, and the dispenser 
of all good, be ascribed honour and power; the 
sole authority of all-pervading, all-superintending, 
all-preserving, and everlasting might. 

17. Charge them that are rich — Paul had 
before (verses 9, 10) given them a very awful lesson 
concerning their obtaining riches; end now he 


made by Christ before Pontius Pilate is, that Ae! gives them one equally so concerning their use of 


901 


A. Μ, 4069. A. Ὁ. 65, 
Year of Rome, 518, 


I. TIMOTHY; 


Exhortation to the performance 
of good works, 


not highminded, @nor trust in τὸ uncertain 
riches, but in tthe living God, "who giveth us 
richly all things to enjoy; 15. That they 
do good, that they be rich in good works, 
wready to distribute, *¥ willing to communi- 
cate; 99 *Laying up in store . for themselves 
a good foundation against the time to come, 


that they may *lay hold on eternal life. 20 O 
Timothy, "keep that which is committed to 
thy trust, ‘avoiding profane and vain bab- 
blings, and oppositions of science falsely so 
called: 28 Which some professing 4 have 
erred concerning the faith. Grace be with 
thee. Amen. 


q Job 31. 24; Psa. 52, 7: 62.10; Mark 10. 24; Luke 12, 21. 
r Gr, uncertainty of riches. ——s Prov. 93. 5.—#1 Thess. 
ik 9: chap. 3 15; 4. 10.——w Acts 14. 17; 17. 25.—vw Luke 12. 21; 
chap. 5. 10: Titus 3. 8; James 2. 5,—0 Rom, 12. 13. 
them. That they be not high-minded—That 
they do not value themselves on account of their 
wealth, for this adds nothing to mind or moral 
worth. Nor trust in uncertain riches—II/0iT0v 
adnadétyte; which is never at a stay, is ever chang- 
ing, and seldom continues long with one propri- 
etor ; therefore, as well as on many other accounts, 
wealth is not to be trusted in: it cannot give abid- 
ing happiness, because it is not fixed and perma- 
nent: neither can it meet, the wishes of an immortal 
spirit: but in the living God, who, as the unchange- 
able fountain of perfection may be safely trusted 
in. Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy 
—Who not only has all good, but dispenses it liber- 
ally for the supply of the wants of all his creatures ; 
and he does not give merely what is necessary, 
but he gives what tends to render life enjoyable. 
The comforts of life come from God, as well as the 
necessaries. He not only gives us a bare subsist- 
ence, but he gives us bountifully. God gives liber- 
ally ; but man divides it badly. 

18. That they do good—That they relieve the 
wants of their fellow creatures according to the 
abundance which God has given them. The high- 
est luxury a human being can enjoy on this side of 
the grave is to do good to others. Rich in good 
works—That their good works may be as abun- 
dant as their riches. [Here, as in many other 
places, ‘‘ good works” imply, especially, acts of 
beneficence.] Ready to distribute—EHvetado- 
τους εἷναι. That they give nothing through parti- 
ality or favour, but be guided in their distribution 
by the necessities of the objects presented to them ; 
and that they confine not their charity at home, 
but scatter it abroad. Willing to communi- 
cate—Kowwxorc. Bringing every poor person 
into a state of fellowship with themselves. [Com- 
munistic, ina good sense. | 

19. Laying up in store for themselves a 
good foundation—| Sioring away for themselves a 
good endowment, θεμέλιον, for the future, εἰς τὸ 
μέλλον, which is further pointed out as consisting 
in eternal life, now to be made secure.| A some- 
what similar form of speech may be seen in 
Tobit, chapter iv, 8, 9: Jf thou hast abundance, 
give alms accordingly ; if thou hast but a little, 
be not afraid to give aecording to that little: for 
thow treasurest up ὦ good reward for thyself against 

352 


x Or, 
19, 21; 
Titus 1. 
Titus 1. ii; 


sociable, mone 6. 6; Heb. 13. 16.—z Matt. 6. 20 
Tuke 12. 33; 9, —- a Verse 12. -— 02 Tim. i 14 

; Rev. 3. Ne ἜΣ 1, 4, δ: ἈΠ 2 Tim, 2. 14, 16, 23 
3. 9.—d Chap. 1. t, 19; 2 Tim, 2. 18, 


. 
, 
. 
. 
᾿ 


the day of necessity. The sentiment is the same 
in both writers; the words nearly so; and the 
meaning is simply this, as it is judiciously para- 
phrased by Mr. J. Wesley in his note on this pas- 
sage: “Vreasuring up for themselves a good foun- 
dation of an abundant reward by the free mercy of 
God, that they may lay hold on eternal life. This 
cannot be done by almsdeeds ; yet, they come up 
for a memorial before God. (Acts x, 4.) And the 
lack even of this may be the cause why God will 
withhold grace and salvation from us.” Christ has 
said: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy. They who have not been merciful accord- 
ing to their power shall not obtain mercy; they 
that have, shall obtain mercy: and yet the eternal 
life which they obtain they look for from the mercy 
of God through Jesus Christ. 

20. O Timothy, keep that which is com- 
mitted to thy trust—This is another repetition of 
the apostolic charge. (See chapters i, 5, 18, 19; 

, 6, 7, 14, 15,°16; v, 21; vi, 18.) Carefully pre- 
serve that doctrine which I have delivered to thee. 
Nothing can be more solemn and affectionate than. 
this charge. Avoiding profane and vain bab- 
blings See on chapter i, 4; iv. 7. And oppo- 
sitions of science falsely so called—Kai ἀντι- 
θέσεις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, and oppositions of 
knowledge falsely so named. As by these interpre- 
tations they endeavoured to establish the efficacy of 
the Levitical atonements, the apostle very properly 
termed these interpretations ‘oppositions of?’ 
knowledge, because they were framed to establish 
doctrines opposite to and subversive of the Gospel. 
Some think that the apostle has certain Gvostiec 
heresies in view, some shadowings of which, it is 
supposed, were even then seen in “the Chureh. 

21. Which some professing — Which knowl- 


edge some pretending to have, such as Levitical 
rites in opposition to the creat Christian sacri- 


fice, have erred concerning the faith—have com- 
pletely mistaken the whole design of the Gospel. 
(See chapter i, 6, 7.) Grace be “with thee— May 
the favour and influence of God be with thee, and 
preserve thee from these and all other errors! 
Amen— Wanting in all the most ancient MSS. 
The word should be omitted. 

The subscriptions as usual are various, and of 
very little value. 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE 


TO 


ἜΣΕΙ ΔΙ a Ud Man 


TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING. 


N the preface to the first epistle mention was made of the parentage, country, 
and education of Timothy; his call to the evangelic office; and of his appoint- 
ment to the presidency of the Church at Ephesus. In reference to the present 
epistle, it is only necessary to inquire into the ¢/me in which it was most prob- 
ably written, which is variously set down from A.D, 61 to A.D. 66 or 67, and 
the place, which quite certainly was Rome. 

Dr. Paley observes, that it was the uniform tradition of the primitive Church 
that St. Paul visited Rome twice, and twice there suffered imprisonment, and that 
at the conclusion of his second imprisonment he was put to death; and he thinks 
that the opinion concerning these ¢wo journeys of St. Paul is confirmed by many 
hints and allusions in this epistle, compared with what St. Paul has said in other 
epistles which are allowed to have been written trom Rome. 

“That this epistle was written while Paul was a prisoner, is distinctly marked. 
(See chapter i, 8.) It was also written while Paul was prisoner at Rome. 
(See verses 16 and 17.) Since it appears from these that St. Paul wrote this 
epistle in confinement, there can be no doubt that the word chain refers to that 
confinement. And if so, the next words determine it to have been written from 
Rome.” Dr. Macknight thinks that Paul was now a close prisoner, very different 
in his circumstances from his first imprisonment, in which he was permitted to 
dwell alone in his own hired house, and receive all that came to him, and publicly 
to preach the Gospel, being guarded only by a single soldier. It also appears 
that crimes were now laid to his charge widely different from those formerly 
alleged against him, (chapter ii, 9,) and that he was not only abridged of all 
liberty, but was downd in a close prison. Hence the word malefactor, κακοῦργος, 
which may mean here that the apostle was treated as the worst of criminals. 

From the whole, (concludes Dr. Paley,) there seems the fullest evidence, 
1) That this epistle was not written during St. Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome. 
2) That he was at Rome when he wrote this epistle. 3) That he was there a pris- 
oner, and in such confinement as, we know from the Acts of the Apostles, he was 
not in during the time of his first imprisonment there. 4) That this must have 
been some subsequent imprisonment. 5) That as the general consent of all Christ- 
ian antiquity states that St. Paul was twice imprisoned at Rome, and that from 
his second imprisonment he was never liberated, but was at its conclusion mar- 


tyred; therefore this epistle must have been written while St. Paul was in his 
Vou, I.—23 353 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE TO. TIMOTHY. 


second imprisonment at Rome, and but a short time before his martyrdom. And 
as the Christian Church has generally agreed that this apostle’s martyrdom took 
place on the 29th of June, A.D. 66, the second epistle to Timothy may have 
been written sometime toward the end of the spring or beginning of sznmer of 
that year. It is supposed that St. Paul went from Crete to Rome about the end 
of the year 65, on hearing of the persecution which Nero was then carrying on 
against the Christians on pretence that they had set Rome on fire. Like a true 
soldier of Jesus Christ, he was ever at the post of danger; and in this case he had 
led on the jorlorn hope. 
GENUINENESS. 

The second epistle to Timothy is found in nearly all the ancient MSS. and 
Versions, including the Peshito-Syriac, and is included in the Canon of Muratori. 
It is quoted as Paul’s by Irenzus, and also by Clement of Alexandria, who ex- 
pressly calls it the second epistle to Timothy. Tertullian also refers to it as St. 
Paul’s. Origen notices an objection to its genuineness, on account of its naming 
Jannes and Jambres, but thinks the objection of no force. With that exception, 
its Pauline origin seems never to have been doubted by the ancient Church. Its 
internal character strongly favours its genuineness. 


CONTENTS. 


The apostle expresses his ardent affection for Timothy, and his strong desire 
to see him; and speaks of the faith which dwelt in him and in his mother and 
grandmother. He exhorts him to stir up the gift that is in him, and not to be 
ashamed of the testimony of the Lord and his prisoner. He refers to the revela- 
tion and power of the Gospel, of which he is a minister and apostle to the Gen- 
tiles, and expresses his confidence in God, exhorts Timothy to fidelity in doc- 
trine, in faith and love, and complains that all those of Asia have turned away 
from him with the exception of Onesiphorus, upon whose family he invokes the 
divine blessing. (Chapter i.) He exhorts Timothy to fidelity in his work by vari- 
ous considerations, and refers to his own sufferings for the sake of the Gospel, 
and at the same time urges him to shun youthful lusts, to attend to the practical 
duties of religion, avoiding foolish and unlearned questions, and to conduct him- 
self with gentleness toward the enemies of the truth, that they, perchance, may be 
saved. (Chapter 11.) 

He describes the character of persons who shall appear in the last days, 
exhorts Timothy to follow the doctrines he has learned from him, commends to 
him the inspired Scriptures, reminding him of his own afflictions and persecutions 
at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, and how the Lord had delivered him. (Chap- 
ter 111.) In view of the fact that the time will come when sound doctrine will not 
be endured, he gives Timothy a solemn charge respecting preaching; declares that 
his departure is at hand, and that he is ready to be offered; that he has been faith- 
ful, and that a glorious reward awaits him; and urges Timothy to come shortly to 
him, as only Luke is with him. He gives him various directions, speaks of his 
first defence, (before Nero,) and states that the Lord stood by him though men 
had forsaken him, and is confident respecting the future. He closes with saluta- 


tions and greetings, and urges Timothy to come to him before winter. (Chapter iv.) 
854 


THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


ΠΡΟ 


CHAPTER I. 
AUL, *an apostle of Jesus Christ by the 
will of God, according to 'the promise of 
life which is in Christ Jesus, Φ “Τὸ Timothy, 
my dearly beloved son: Grace, merey, and 
peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus 
our Lord. 8 41 thank God, e¢whom I serve 


from my forefathers with pure conscience, 
that ‘without ceasing I have remembrance of 
thee in my prayers night and day; 4 ε Great- 
ly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy 
tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5. When 
I call to remembrance "the unfeigned faith 
that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grand- 


a2 Cor. 1. 1.— 2d Eph. 3. 6; Titus 1. 2: Heb. 9. 15.—e1 Tim. 
1. 2. —d Rom. 1. 8; Eph. 1. 16. —-e Acts 22. 3; 23. 1; 24. 14; 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Paul, an apostle—Showing his office, the av- 
thority on which he held it, and the exd for which 
it was given. By the will of God—|He ascribes 
his apostolate to the will and free determination of 
God, and not to his own merits. (So 1 Cor. i, 1; 
2 Cor. i, 1, 2; Eph. i, 1.)—Estius, quoted by Elli- 
cott.| According to (in pursuance of) the prom- 
ise (ἐπαγγελίαν, that which was promised) of life 
...in Christ Jesus—[The object of the promise 
is the blessed life which exists originally in Christ. 
The assurance of that life is the apostle’s present 
consolation.| And he was appointed that he might 
proclaim that eternal life which God had in view 
for mankind by the incarnation of his Son Jesus 
Christ, and which was the end of all the promises 
he had made to men, and the commandments he 
had delivered to all his prophets since the world 
began. The mention of this “life” was peculiarly 
proper in the apostle, who had now the sentence of 
death in himself, and who knew that he must soon 
seal the truth with his blood. His life was hidden 
with Christ in God; and he knew that as soon as 
he should be absent from the body he should be 
present with the Lord. With these words he both 
comforted himself and his son Timothy. 

2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son— 
See on 1 Tim. i, 2. 

8. I thank God, whom I serve from my 
forefathers—Being born a Jew, and having been 
zealous for the Jews’ religion, Paul was carefully 
educated in the knowledge of the true God, and the 
proper manner of worshipping him. With pure 
conscience—Ever aiming to please him, even in 
the time when, through ignorance, I persecuted the 
Church. [His service of God (though at first mis- 
directed through his unbelief, 1 Tim. i, 13,) had 
been at all times conscientious and single hearted, 
and as he had received it (this manner of service) 
from his forefathers, (ἀπὸ προγόνων, not of the 
Jewish people, but the progenitors of the apostle 
himself.) Though greatly wrong at first, yet even 


: Rom. 1. 9: Gal. 1. 14.—/1 Thess, 1. 2; 3. 10.—g Chap. 
h1 Tim. 1. 5; 4. 6. 


to his convictions, 
conversion he had 


then he was sincere according 
(Acts xxvi, 9,) and since his 
pursued his Christian calling with conscientious 
fidelity.] Without ceasing I have remem- 
brance of thee—[«As 7 have unceasing remem- 
brance of thee in my prayers, day and night. This 
part of verse 3, and all of verse 4, must be read 
somewhat parenthetically, so making what is named 
in verse 5 the subject for which the apostle gives 
thanks. } 

4. Being mindful of thy tears — Probably 
referring to the affecting parting with the Ephe- 
sian Church, (Acts xx, 81.) or perhaps to the deep 
impressions made on Timothy’s heart when he 
(Paul) instructed him in the doctrine of Christ 
crucified, or to some interview between themselves. 
The mention of this by the apostle is no small 
proof of his most affectionate regards for Timothy, 
whom he appears to have loved as a father loves 
his only son. 

5. The unfeigned (real, not simulated) faith 
that is in thee—Timothy had given the fullest 
proof of the sincerity of his conversion, and of the 
purity of his faith, Which dwelt first in thy 
grandmother Lois—In Acts xvi, 1, we are in- 
formed that Paul “came to Derbe and Lystra; and, 
behold, a certain disciple was there named Timo- 
theus, the son of a certain woman who was a Jew- 
ess, and believed; but his father was a Greek.” 
Luke’s saying that Timothy’s father was a “ Greek,” 
makes it probable that he was then in his heathen 
state; and so Paul, in mentioning the grandmother, 
mother, and son, passes by the father in silence. 
Lois and Eunice are both Grecian names; hence 
we are led to conclude that although Timothy’s 
mother was a Jewess, yet she was a Grecian or 
Hellenist by birth. Lois appears to have been 
the first convert of the family to Christianity: 
she instructed her daughter Eunice, and both 
brought up Timothy in the Christian faith ; so that 
he had a general knowledge of it before he met 
with St. Paul at Lystra. There, it appears, the 

355 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 318. 


LT: TEMO TY: 


Timothy exhorted to stir up 
the gift that was in him. 


mother Lois. and ‘thy mother Eunice; and I 
am persuaded that in thee also. © Wherefore 
I put thee in remembrance, * that thou stir up 
the gift of God, which is in thee by the put- 
ting on of my hands. Ὁ For!God hath not 
given us the spirit of fear; "but of power, 
and of love, and of a sound mind. Ὁ "Be not 
thou therefore ashamed of °the testimony of 


our Lord, nor of me Phis prisoner: 4 but be 
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel 
according to the power of God; 9 «Who 
hath saved us, and ‘called ws with a holy call- 
ing, ‘not according to our works, but "accord- 
ing to his own purpose and grace, which was 
given us in Christ Jesus ἡ before the world be- 
gan; 80 But “is now made manifest by the 


i Acts 16. 1.——1 Thess. 5. 19; 1 Tim. 4. 14.——2 Rom. 8. 15. 
—m Luke 24. 49; Acts 1. 8.—7 Rom. 1. 16.— 61 Tim. 2. 6; 
Rev. 1. 2. p Eph. 3.13; Phil. 1. 7—aqC.l. 1. 245 chap. 4. ὃ. 
—r | Tim. 1. 1; Titus 3. 4. 


81 Thess. 4. 7; Heb. 3. 1.—7#Rom, 3. 90: 9.11; Titus 3. 5. 
—u Rom. 8. 28.—v Rom. 16. 25; Eph. 1. 4; 3.11; Titus 1. 2: 
1 Peter 1. 20. w Rom. 16. 26: Eph. 1. 9; Col. 1. 26; Titus 
1.3: 1 Peter 1. 20, 


apostle was the instrument of the conversion of his 
heart to God. 

6. Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee 
—The “ gift ” which Timothy had received was the 
Holy Spirit; and through him, a particular power 
to preach and defend the truth. [‘The gift,” 
χάρισμα, (singular, as combining the whole of the 
gifts necessary for the ministry in one aggregate,) 
not the gift of the Spirit which is imparted to all 
believers. (See 1 Tim. iv, 14.) Of those minis- 
terial gifts, that of παρρησία (boidness of utter- 
ance) would be most required in this case.—Al- 
ford.| By the putting on of my hands—{[In 
1 Tim. iv, 14 the apostle speaks, evidently refer- 
ring to the same action, of the laying on of the 
hands of the presbytery, respecting which Alford 
remarks: ‘Any apparent discrepancy with that 
passage, from the apostle here speaking of the lay- 
ing on of his own hands alone, may be removed by 
regarding the apostle as the chief in the ordination, 
and the presbyters as his assistants,” (or coadju- 
tors.) “As to the διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως TOV χειρῶν μου, 
(the imposition of my hands,) we can appeal to the 
whole spirit of St. Paul’s teaching, as declaring 
that by such an expression he does not mean that 
the inward spiritual grace is operated merely and 
barely by the outward visible sign.” See Al- 
ford. ] 

7. God hath not given us the spirit of fear, 
(δειλίας, cowardice,) but of power—Avvapews, (as 
opposed to the wickedness of cowardice,) giving sup- 
port in trials, and enabling them to do that. which 
was required in his service. And of love—Which 
is able to make even the timid bear and endure 
all things; acting as an incentive to all obedience. 
Of a sound mind—Zwdpovicpod, of self-possession 
and self-government, according to some. But “a 
sound mind” implies much more: it means a clear 
understanding, a sound judgment, a rectified will, 
holy passions, heavenly tempers; in a word, the 
whole soul harmonized in all its powers and faeul- 
ties ; and completely regulated and influenced so as 
to think, speak, and act aright in all things. 

8. Be not... ashamed of the testimony— 
[Seeing that God hath given us such a spirit, be 
not thou ashamed of the testimony which thou art to 
give concerning our Lord, (the common Lord of 
Paul and Timothy ;) not the testimony which he 
(Christ) bore, but the witnessing for Christ in the 
preaching of the Gospel. See Alford.] The testi- 
mony of Christ is the Gospel in general, which pro- 
claims Christ crucified, and redemption through his 
blood. In the sight of the world there appeared 
to be reason why a man should be ashamed of this; 
ashamed of him who was crucified as a malefactor ; 
but, when this Gospel became the power of God to 
the salvation of every one that believed, it was a 
subject to exult in. (See Rom. i, 16.) Nor of me 
his prisoner—[Tov δέσμιον αὐτοῦ, (see Eph. iii, 1,) 

356 


not simply Christ’s, as if held by him, but rather as 
imprisoned by reason of Christ and his Gospel.] 
When our friends are in power and credit we can 
readily acknowledge them ; but when they fall into 
discredit we are often not so ready to acknowledge 
them. Be thou partaker of the afflictions of 
the gospel — No parent could love a child bet- 
ter than Paul loved Timothy; and, of course, he 
could wish him nothing but what was great, hon, 
ourable, and good; and yet he wishes him to be a 
“nartaker of the afflictions of the Gospel.” Be- 
cause to suffer for Christ, and suffer with Christ, 
was the highest glory to which any human being in 
this state could arrive. The royal way to the crown 
of glory is by the cross of Christ. According to 
the power of God—|Kara δύναμιν Θεοῦ, corre- 
spondingly to that power which God has displayed 
toward us in our calling and salvation.— £//icott. | 
God will take care that if a faithful discharge of 
thy duty shall expose thee to afflictions, his power 
manifested in thee shall be in proportion to thy 
necessities. His load cannot be oppressive who 
is strengthened to bear it by the “power of God.” 

9, Who hath saved us—[ All men, by the sacri- 
fice of Christ, and especially those that believe, by the 
renewing of the Holy Spirit. (1 Tim. iv, 10; Titus 
iii, 5.)] And called us with a holy calling— In- 
vited us to holiness and comfort here; and to eter- 
nal glory hereafter. [The act of “ calling” is usually 
regularly and solemnly ascribed to God the Father. 
(Gal. i, 4.) The calling is essentially and intrinsi- 
cally HoLy, because it calls us into the fellowship 
of Christ, (in spirit and in life.) (1 Cor. i, 9.)—#7- 
licott.| Not according to our works—See Titus 
ili, 5. We have not deserved any part of the good 
we have received; and can never merit one mo- 
ment of the exceeding great and eternal weight of 
glory which is promised. See the notes on the 
parallel passages. Before the world began— 
[Πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, from the etgrnal times. To 
understand this as only “before the Jewish dispen- 
sation,” or “before any of God’s dispensations for 
fallen men,” is to miss the great truth which so 
magnifies the love of God—his eternal purpose of 
the redemption of a race foreknown to be rebellious 
against his will. Grace, here, is that highest ex- 
pression of God’s free and undeserved merey, his 
purpose to save us by Jesus Christ. It was given 
from all eternity, not merely promised; for what 
God purposes, 7s. See Alford. ] 

10. But is now made manifest—This purpose 
of God to save our fallen race, and call us to a 
state of salvation by Jesus Christ, was, previously 
to the manifestation of Christ, hidden, or only 
dimly revealed throngh types and ordinances. [The 
atonement was not an afterthought brought in on 
man’s apostasy; it was a provision, so that when 
man fell he found justice hand in hand with merey. 
— Watson.| [Φανερωθεῖσαν (made manifest) im- 


The apostolic form of sound 
words to be held fast, 


͵ 


hath abolished death, and hath brought life 
and immortality to light through the gospel: 
11 » Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, 
and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 
42 7For the which cause I also suffer these 
things: nevertheless I am not ashamed ; *for 
I know whom I have "believed, and am per- 


@1Cor. 15. 54, 55; Heb. 2. 14.— vy Acts 9. 15: Epk. 3. 7, 8: 
1 Tim. 2. 7: chap. 4. 17.--- Eph. 3. 1; chap. 2. 9.—w« 1 Peter 
4. 19.— Or, trusted.—ce1 Tim. 6. 20.—d Verse 18; chap. 


plies what is expressed in other passages, (for ex- 
ample, Rom. xvi, 25, 26, Col. i, 26,) that the eter- 
nal counsels of mercy were not only formed before 
all ages, but Aidden during their lapse, till the ap- 
pointed viv (now) arrived. (Eph. iii, 9.)—£/icott. | 
Who hath abolished death—Karapyyjoavroc μὲν 
τὸν θάνατον, who has counterworked death ; oper- 
ated against his operations, destroyed his batteries, 

undersunk and destroyed his mines, and rendered 
all his instruments and principles of attack useless. 
By “death,” here, we are not to understand merely 
natural death, but that deadness of the soul in sin 
and spiritual atrophy which take place in conse- 
quence of it; and which would be endless but for 
the power of Christ’s resurrection. By him alone 
comes the resurrection from the dead ; and through 
him eternal life and glory are given to the souls of 
believers. Brought life and immortality to 
light—The literal translation of the original is, He 
hath illustrated life and incorruption by the Gospel. 
[Zw7 (life) denotes the blessed life of the children of 
God, which is further described as eternal, ever 
enduring, by the epigetical (interpretive) καὶ a@@ap- 
aiav, (incapability to decay.) This life was orig- 
_inally hid in God, but Christ brought it to light out 
of concealment, through the Gospel. — Huther.| 
[The latter substantive, ἀφθαρσία, (immortality, ) 
characterizes and explains the former, Cw/, (/ife,) 
not, however, with any special reference to the res- 
urrection of the body, (1 Cor. xv, 42,) but with 
reference to the essential quality of the Cw, (/ife,) 
its imperishable and incorruptible nature, and its 
exemption from death. (Rev. xxi, 4; compare 
Rom. ii, 7.)—£l/icott. | 

11. Whereunto — [Εἰς 6, in respect to which, 
that is, the Gospel.] I am appointed a preacher 
—Kypvs, a herald. (See the notes at the end of 
Matt. iii.) And an apostle — Sent immediately 
from God to man. (See 1 Tim. ii, 7.) A teacher 
—One whose business it is to instruct men, and 
particularly the Gentiles, to whom he was espec- 
ially sent; to declare and set forth the doctrines 
of eternal life, and the salvation of the whole man 
by Christ Jesus. 

12. For the which cause I also suffer these 
things—[A’’ ἣν αἰτίαν, that is, because I am ap- 
pointed an apostle, and am earnestly labouring to 
perform the duties of my calling.} [I am not 
ashamed of my sufferings ; imprisonment is not to 
me a disgrace, (but a glory,) for the reason imme- 
diately following. —Huther.| I am not ashamed 
—Though I suffer for the Gospel, Iam not ashamed 
of the Gospel; nor am I confounded in my expec- 
tation; his grace being at all times sufficient for 
me. For I know whom I have believed— 
[ Trusted, with complete confidence in his ability to 
keep and recompense, and in his fidelity, that he 
will surely accomplish all that he has promised; and 
my faith in all this is based upon my acquaintance 


CHAPTER I. 


appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, * who | suaded that he is able to ‘keep that which I 


A. M. 4009. A. D. 65. 


Year of Rome, 818. 


have committed unto him “against that day. 
13 eHold fast ‘the form of ¢sound words, 
hwhich thou hast heard of me, ‘in faith and 
love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 * That good 
thing which was committed unto thee keep by 
the Holy Ghost ' which dwelleth in us. 15 
This thou knowest, that “all they which are 


4. 8.—e Chap. 3. 14; Titus 1. 9; Heb. 10, 23; Rev. 2. 25. 
7 Kom, 2. 20; ὁ. 17.—g 1 Tim, 1. 10; 6, 3.—A Chap, 2. 2,— 
~1 Tim, 1. 14.— 1 Tin, 6, 20,—/7 Rom, 8. 11.— Acts 19 10. 


with my covenant-keeping Saviour.] That whichI 
have committed unto him — His /ife, which he 
had put into the hands of Christ, in full assurance 
that he would receive it again. His sow/, which he 
had also given into the hands of his faithful Creator, 
knowing that although wicked men might be per- 
mitted to destroy his body, yet they could not destroy 
his soul. The work of the Gospel, which he knows 
will be surely preserved by the great Head of the 
the Church: for, though his servants might be 
soon called to seal the truth with their blood, yet 
God will take care that the same truth shall be 
proclaimed to the world by others, whom he will 
raise up for that purpose. Against that day— 
[Εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, with reference to. Fic points 
to something in the future, in respect to which his 
παραθήκην (deposit) had heen made. ‘ That day,” 
when “the good and faithful servant” shall hear 
the Mastev’s approval, Well done " 

13. Hold fast the form of sound words— 
The word ὑποτύπωσιν signifies the sketch, plan, or 
outline of a building, picture, ete.; and here refers 
to the plan of salvation (the system of Christian 
doctrines) which the apostle had taught to Timothy. 
If God had not given a revelation of himself, then 
indeed the inventions of man in religious things 
must be an endless maze of uncertainty and error, 
leading to unlimited confusion. Therefore God, in 
his great mercy, has given to man a “form of 
sound words,” or doctrines; a perfect plan and 
sketch of the original building ; fair and well de- 
fined outlines of every thing which concerns the 
present and eternal welfare of man and his own 
glory, which contains all things necessary to sal- 
vation. In faith and lovwe—‘“ Faith ” credits the 
divine doctrines; “love” reduces them all to 
practice. ‘ Faith” lays hold on Jesus Christ, and 
obtains that ‘‘love” by which every precept is 
cheerfully and effectually obeyed. [The sacred de- 
posit, divine truth delivered of old by the proph- 
ets, and later by Christ himself, and last of all 
by the apostles, and afterward embodied in the 
sacred canon, 18 that by which every religious 
teacher should fashion the opinions that he is to 
hold and the lessons that he shall teach.] 

14. That good thing—The everlasting Gospel. 
Keep by the Holy Ghost —This indwelling 
Spirit will make the truth effectual to thy own sal- 
vation, and enable thee to preach it to the sal- 
vation of others. 

15. All they which are in Asia—It seems as 
if the apostle must refer to the Asiatic Christians 
which were then at Rome, or had been lately there. 
Finding the apostle in disgrace, and thinking it 
dangerous to own him or his cause, they neither 
visited him nor confessed Christianity. He can- 
not be speaking of any general defection of the 
Asiatic Churches, but of those Asiatics Who had 
professed a particular friendship for him. Ee 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


ΤΣ ΠῚ 


MOTHY. 


Timothy is exhorted to be a 
good soldier of Jesus Christ. 


in Asia be "turned away from me; of whom 
are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord 
°give mercy unto Pthe house of Onesiphorus; 
“for he oft refreshed me, and" was not ashamed 
of ‘my chain: 47 But, when he was in 
Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and 
found me. 3&8 The Lord grant unto him 
‘that he may find mercy of the Lord “in that 
day : and in how many things he ἡ ministered 
unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. 


CHAPTER II. 

HOU therefore, «my son, 'be strong in the 

grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 «And the 
things that thou hast heard of me ‘among 
many witnesses, the same commit thou to 
faithful men, who shall be fable to teach oth- 
ers also. 3% & Thou therefore endure hardness, 
has a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 'No 
man that warreth entangleth himself with 
the affairs of this life ; that he may Please 


na Chap. 4. 10, 16.—oMatt. 5. 7.— Chap. 4. 19. — 
4 Philem. 7.—’ Verse &,—-s Acts 28, 20; Epli. 6. 20.—? Matt. 
25. 34-40. . 6. 10. 


1 Tim. Ἢ 2: chap. 1. ἘΞ EGh: 6. 10.—e Hees 18: 3. 
d Or, by. 61 Tim, 1. 18.—/1 Tim. Pitas f 9, 
seit ie δ; 4. 5.—A 1 Tim. 1. 18. ~—i1 Cor. 9. 95. 


turned away — [There had evidently been a 
marked defection of those who had before pro- 
fessed attachment to the apostle, but who they 
were, or why they “turned away’’ from him, is mat- 
ter of conjecture. The names of persons and place, 
here given, shed very little light on the subject. ] 
Phygeilus and Hermogenes—These were two 
of the persons of whom he complains ; but who 
they were, or what office they held, or whether they 
were any thing but private Christians who had for 
a time ministered to St. Paul in prison, and, when 
they found the State determined to destroy him 
ceased to acknowledge him, we cannot tell. 

16. The Lord give mercy—Onesiphorus had 
acknowledged Paul, and continued to do so; he 
and his house, or family, ministered to him in prison, 
and were not ashamed of their imprisoned pastor, 
nor of the cause for which he was in disgrace and 
suffering. As he showed mercy to the apostle, the 
apostle prays the Lord to show mercy to him. 

17. When he was in Rome—Onesiphorus was 
no doubt an Asiatic, (probably an Ephesian, see 
below,) who had frequent business at Rome; and 
who, when he came, sought out the apostle, who it 
is supposed had been confined in some close and 
private prison, so that it was with great difficulty 
he could be found out. This man had entertained 
the apostle when he was at Ephesus, and now he 
sought him out at Rome. Pure love feels no loads. 
Here was a true friend, one who sticketh closer 
than a brother. 

18. The Lord grant ... that he may find 
mercy of the Lord—This is probably only a He- 
braism for, God grant that he may now be saved by 
divine grace, and that in the great day he may re- 
ceive the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eter- 
nal life. (See a similar form of expression, Gen, 
ix, 16; xix, 24; Exod. xxiv, 1, 2. 


It is impossible to read this chapter without feel- 
ing deeply interested for this most noble and amia- 
ble of men. To what trials did God expose him! 
His life was a life of perils and tribulations, his 
labours were superabundant, and his success all 
but incredible. Wherever he went he left a track 
of light and life behind him. To him, as the grand 
instrument of God, the Gentiles—the whole habit- 
able world—owe their salvation. Yet see him: in 
his old age neglected by his friends, apparently 
forsaken of God, abandoned to the hands of ruth- 
less men, in prison and in chains, yet triumphing 
over sufferings and death ; perfectly unshaken, un- 
stumbled with the evils with which he is obliged 
to contend, having the fullest persuasion of the 
truth of the doctrines which he had preached, and 
the strongest and most encouraging anticipation of 
the glory that should be revealed. No murmur is 

358 


heard from his heart ; he is persuaded that all 
things work together for good to them that love 
God; the miserable uncertainty of friendship, the 
defection of cowardly brethren, and the apostasy 
of once zealous professors, did not move him. As 
far as it is lawful, he courts death; knowing that 
to be absent from the body is to be present with 
the Lord. Glorious system of truth by which such 
an apostle was formed! and glorious apostle by 
whom this system was illustrated and confirmed! 
The character and conduct of St. Paul must make 
Christianity doubly amiable to believers and highly 
respectable even to its enemies. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. Be strong in the grace—Though the gen- 
eral import of the word “grace” is favour, yet it 
often implies an active principle communicated from 
God: light, directing how to act, and power, enab- 
ling to act according to the light. 

2. The things that thou hast heard of me— 
Those doctrines which I have preached the most 
publicly, and which many persons can attest. 
These truths are still continued in the Church, and 
still there are faithful men who proclaim them. 
But where is the uninterrupied apostolic succes- 
sion? Who can tell? Probably it does not exist 
on the face of the world. All the pretensions to it 
by certain Churches are as stupid as they are idle 
and futile. [Timothy, by his long continuance with 
St. Paul, and frequent listening to his publie dis- 
courses, and also receiving his private instructions, 
had become thoroughly versed in the doctrines of 
the Gospel, so that he himself was now qualified to 
be a public teacher and guide. | 

3. Endure hardness—He considers a Christian 
minister under the notion of a soldier, not somuch 
for his continual conflicts with the world, the devil, 
and the flesh, for these are in a certain sense com- 
mon to all Christians, but for the hardships and 
difficulties to which he must be exposed who faith- 
fully preaches the Gospel of Christ. 

4. No man that warreth entangleth, ete — 
It is well remarked by Grotius, on this passage, that 
the legionary soldiers among the Romans were not 
permitted to engage in husbandry, merchandise, 
mechanical employments, or any thing that might 
be inconsistent with their calling. He who will 
preach the Gospel thoroughly, and wishes to give 
full proof of his ministry, has need to have no 
other work. He should be wholly in this thing, that 
his profiting may appear unto all. There are many 
who sin against this direction. But what are they, 
either in number or guilt, compared to the im- 
mense herd of men professing to be Christian min- 
isters, who neither read nor study, and consequent- 
ly never improve? ‘These are too conscientious to 


Th t] tions his own “ A. Μ. 4069. A. D. 65. 
ἘΣ Ν κε eid consolation: CHAP TER ΠῚ Year of Rome, 818. 
him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.| is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. I *J¢ 


5 And «if a man also strive for masteries, yet 
is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 
6 '™The husbandman that laboureth must be 
first partaker of the fruits. 7. Consider what I 
say; and the Lord give thee understanding in 
all things. δὶ Remember that Jesus Christ, " of 
the seed of David, ° was raised from the dead, 
Paccording to ny gospel: 9 4 Wherein I suffer 
trouble, as an evil doer, ‘even unto bonds; 
*but the word of God is not bound. 10 There- 
fore tI endure all things for the elect’s sake, 
“that they may also obtain the salvation which 


is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with 
him, we shall also live with him: 12*If we 
suffer, we shall also reign with him: sif we 
deny him, he also will deny us: 13 7I1f we 
believe not, yet he abideth faithful: *he can- 
not deny himself. 14. Of these things put 
them in remembrance, "charging them before 
the Lord «that they strive not about words to 
no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 
15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, 
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But 


11 Cor. 9. 25, 26.—7 Or, The hushandman, lubouring first, 
must be partaker of the fruits. —m 1 Cor, 9. 10.—7 Acts 2. 
81): 18. 23; Rom. 1. 8, 4.—o1 Cor. 1. 1, 4, 20.—* Rom. 2. 16. 
— q Acts 9.16: chap, 1.12.—r Eph.3. 1; Phil. 1.7; Col. 4.3, 18, 
——=s Acts 28. 31; Eph. 6. 19, 20; Phil. 1. 18, 14. 


t Eph. 3. 13: Col. 1. 24.——w2 Cor. 1. 6.—n 1 Tim, 1. 
w Rom, 6. 5, 8; 2 Cor, 4. 10, « Rom. & 17; 1 Peter 4, 
y Matt. 10. 33: Mark 8, 38; Luke 12. 9, zRom., 3. ὃ: 9. 6. 
——=(f Num. ΨΚ, 1}, b1 Tim. 6, 21; 6. 18; chap. 4. 1. ---- 
ΟἹ Tim, 1.4; 6 4; Titus 3. 9, 11. 


15.— 
] 


meddle with secular affairs, and yet have no scruple 
of conscience to while away time, be among the 
chief in needless self-indulgence, and, by their bur- 
densome and monotonous ministry, become an en- 
cumbrance to the Church! 

5. If a man also strive for masteries—'Eav δὲ 
καὶ aban τις, if any one would be an athlete. See 
on 1 Cor. ix, 24-26. Yet is he not crowned— 
Though he may have outdone all his competitors, 
except he strive lawfully; unless he enter ac- 
cording to the rules of the athlete, and act as these 
direct. ΝῸ man, however zealous he may have 
been, is to expect the Well done, good and faithful 
servant, from Jesus Christ, unless he have laboured 
in the word and doctrine, preached the truth as it 
is in Jesus, and built up the Church upon um who is 
its only FouNDATION. [he minister of the Gospel 
does not arbitrarily exempt himself from this or 
that portion of his task, or even direct his activity 
according to his own discretion: not the bias of his 
own heart, but the will of the Lord alone, must be 
his standard; so that without this it is impossible 
for him to hope for his approval and recognition. 
Lange. | 

6. The husbandman that laboureth—That is, 
the “husbandman” must first till his ground be- 
fore he can expect a crop; and he must till it ac- 
cording to the proper rules of agriculture, else he 
cannot haveacrop. The combatant must fight and 
conquer, and fight according to the laws of the 
ayones, (the contestants,) before he can be crowned : 
so the Christian minister must labour in the spiritual 
vineyard, and labour, too, under the eye and accord- 
ing to the direction of his Master, before he can 
expect that crown of righteousness that fadeth not 
away. 

7. Consider what I say—Apply my metaphors 
and similitudes in a proper manner. And the 
Lord give thee understanding—But instead of 
δῴη, may he give, most of the best authorities have 
δώσει, he will give, a promise instead of a prayer. 
Consider thou properly, and God will “give thee” a 
proper understanding of all things that concern thy 
own peace, and the peace and prosperity of his 
Church. 

8. Remember that Jesus Christ—The apostle 
seems to say: “ Whatever tribulations or deaths 
may befall us, let us remember that Jesus Christ, 
who was slain by the Jews, rose again from the 
dead, and his resurrection is the proof and pledge of 
ours. We also shall rise again to a life of glory 
and blessedness. Of the seed of David—[This 
points indeed to Christ’s human nature, but it 


points to it as derived through the greatest of 
Israel’s kings, and in the fulfilment of the sure 
word of prophecy.—Zilicott.}| According to my 
gospel—Paul preached the resurrection from the 
dead; and founded his doctrine on the resurrection 
and promise of Christ. This was fis gospel; the 
other was of a different nature. [This clause 
seems to be used by the apostle to confirm the 
truth of what he had before expressed.—Huther.] 

9. Wherein—[’Ev ©, that is in, or resulting from, 
preaching the Gospel.| I suffer trouble, as an 
evil doer—[In my imprisonment and condemna- 
tion to suffer death as a malefactor.] But the 
word of God is not bound—[Though I (to whom 
the Gospel is intrusted) am bound, the Gospel it- 
self is not thereby fettered, but goes freely forth 
into the world, and works unfettered. (2 Thess. 
iii, 1.)\—Huther.] 

10. For the elect’s sake—[The knowledge that 
the Gospel is unfettered in its influence enables 
Paul to endure all for the sake of the ἐκλεκτοί, the 
elect . . . believers so-called.—Huther. | 

11. If we be dead with him—That is, if we 
die with him spiritually (Gal. ii, 20) we shall surely 
live again with him eternally. (Col. iii, 8, 4.) This, 
says the apostle, is πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, a true doctrine. 

12. If we suffer, we shall also reign—Thiese 
are other parts of the “true doctrine,” which the 
apostle mentions above. (Rom. viii, 17.) 

13. If we believe not—|If we are unfaithful.] 
Should we deny the faith and apostatize he is the 
same, as true to his threatenings as to his promises. 
He cannot deny (act contrary to) himself. 

14, That they strive not about words— 
Worps, not things, have often been a most fruitful 
source of contention in the Christian world; and 
among religious people the principal cause of 
animosity has arisen from the different manner of 
apprehending the same term, while, in essence, 
both meant the same thing. All preachers and 
divines should be very careful, both in speaking 
and writing, to explain the terms they use, and 
never employ them in any sense but that in which 
they have explained them, The subverting of 
the hearers—This is the general tendency of all 
polemical divinity and controversial preaching, 
when angry passions are called in to support the 
doctrines of the Gospel. 

15. Study to show thyself approved unto 
God—Endeavour so to cultivate and improve thy 
heart and mind that thou mayest be approved 
to [for the service of] him from whom thou hast 
received thy commission. Rightly dividing the 

859 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65, 
Yeur of Rome, 818, 


@shun profane and vain babblings: for they 


will increase unto more ungodliness. 1% And 
their word will eat as doth a ecanker: of 


whom is ‘Hymeneus and Philetus; 18 Who 
® concerning the truth have erred, saying that 
the resurrection is past already; and over- 
throw the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless 


if. ‘TIMOTHY, 


Pau] expresses his confidence 
in God and his truth, 


ithe foundation of God standeth * sure, having 
this seal, The Lord 'knoweth them that are 
his. And, Let every one that nameth the 
name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 " But 
in a great house there are not only vessels of 
gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; 
"and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 


1 Tim. 4. 7: 6.20; Titus 1. 14.—e Or, gangrene.—/1 Tim. 
1. 20.—g 1 Tim. 6. 21.—A1 Cor. 15: 12. i) Matt. 24.24; Rom. 


8. 35; 1 John 2. 19.—Ak Or, steady.—I Nahum 1. 7; John 10. 
14, 27; see Num. 16, 5.—22 1 Tim. 3. 15.—v7 Rom. 9, 21. 


word of truth—By “rightly dividing the word of 
truth,” we are to understand his continuing in the 
true doctrine, and teaching ¢hat to every person ; 
and, according to our Lord’s simile, giving each his 
portion of meat in due season—milk to babes, strong 
meat to the full grown, comfort to the disconsolate, 
reproof to the irregular and careless; in a word, 
finding out the necessities of his hearers, and 
preaching so as to meet those necessities. 

15. Shun profane and vain babblings—This 
is the character Paul gives of the preaching of the 
false teachers. Whatever was not agreeable to 
the doctrine of truth was, in the sight of God, 
empty and profane “babbling:” engendering 
nothing but ungodliness, and daily increasing in 
that. [For they (those who utter the κενοφωνίας, 
empty voices) will advance to more fulness {πλεῖον) 
of impiety. The future tense of the verb shows 
that the error of the false teachers in its most de- 
veloped state had not yet appeared.— Hllicott. | 

17. Their word will eat as doth a canker— 
Ὡς yayypaiva, as a gangrene; that is, as a mortifi- 
cation in the flesh, where the circulation is stopped, 
and putrefaction takes place, which continues to 
corrupt the flesh, spreading more and more till 
death takes place, unless stopped by timely reme- 
dies. Such is the influence of false doctrine ; it 
fixes its mortal seed in the soul, which continues to 
corrupt and assimilate every thing to itself, till, if 
not prevented by the word of life under the direc- 
tion of the heavenly Physician, it terminates in the 
bitter pains of an eternal death. To such a gan- 
grene the apostle compares the corrupt doctrines 
of Hymeneus and Philetus. [Two false teachers 
of whom nothing certain is known. 

18. Who concerning the truth have erred— 
They had the “truth,” but ‘erred ” or wandered 
from it, saying the resurrection was already past, 
and thus denying a future resurrection, and, by 
consequence, future rewards and punishments ; and 
this necessarily sapped the foundation of all re- 
ligion ; and thus the gangrene had, in reference to 
their unhappy votaries, a rapid and unchecked oper- 
ation. Saying that the resurrection is past al- 
ready—[ Aéyovtec τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἤδη γεγονέναι. AS 
the persons of these two heretics are unknown, so 
the character of their heresy is not easy to be de- 
termined. The ἀνάστασις, in respect to which they 
seem to have erred from the truth, is elsewhere 
in the New Testament identified with the fwtwre 
life, or life after physical death, (see Matt. xxii, 
23, 28, 30, 31; Mark xii, 18, 23; Luke xx, 27, 33, 
35, 36; Acts xxi, 6, 8; 1 Cor. xv, 12-19; Heb. 
vi, 2, ete.,) which it would seem, from many intima- 
tions in St. Paul’s epistles was in some cases denied, 
or so presented as to rob it of its foree. The here- 
tics here referred to are said to have taught that 
the ἀνάστασις was not an event of the future, an 
advanced development of the destined life (existence- 
state) of believers, but something already accom- 
plished, or in constant process of accomplishment. 

360 


There are also to be clearly seen indications of an 
incipient Gnosticism, in the times of the apostles, 
which may have been the form taken by the 
errors of Hymeneus and Philetus. ] 

The foundation of God standeth sure— 
The word θεμέλιος signifies literally a foundation, 
and especially the jowndation of a building; and 
metaphorically, the Owilding itself, and often a 
noble mansion orpalace. In this place the apostle 
compares the religion of Christ to a great or noble 
mansion. See verse 20. And as this religion is 
founded on the authority and power of the Almighty, 
it necessarily must stand sure and be permanent. 
This house has an inscription on it, for so σφραγίς, 
seal, is frequently understood ; and this is evidently 
an allusion tothe ancient temples. Above the door 
of the temple of Delphi there was the Greek word 
εἰ, thou art, on which Plutarch has written an ex- 
press treatise. And we know that there was an 
inscription on the mitre of the high priest among 


the Jews, namely, “ Holiness to the Lord.” (Exod. 
XXVili, 86; xxxix, 30. See also Zech. xiv, 20.) 


And this inscription may here be represented as 
made with the seal of God, for he stamps this on 
all things belonging to himself and his worship. 
But some suppose θεμέλιος, here, to signify a con- 
tract or covenant by which two parties are bound 
to fulfil certain conditions and duties, the obligation 
to which each takes on him by sealing the instru- 
ment with his seal. Among the Asiatics these 
seals have scarcely ever any image or figure on 
them, but always some very eapressive inscription. 
The twofold inscription—that is, one on the seal of 
each party—may be here alluded to, That on God’s 
seal is, Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ, The Lord 
approveth of them that are his: that on the seal 
of his followers is, ᾿Αποστήτω ἀπὸ ἀδικίας πᾶς ὁ 
ὀνομάζων τὸ ὄνομα Kupiov, Let every one who nameth 
the name of the Lord (every Christian) depart from 
iniquity. Thus each has his peculiar inscription. 
Κυρίου, Lord, instead of Χριστοῦ, Christ, is the 
reading of almost all the MSS. of importance and 
the principal Versions, [and is no doubt the only 
correct one. ] 

20. But ina great house—Here the apostle 
carries on the allusion introduced in the preceding 
verse. As the “foundation of God” refers to 
God’s building, that is, the whole system of Chris- 
tianity, so here the “great house” is to be under- 
stood of the visible Church, and the different kinds 
of “vessels ” mean the different teachers, as well as 
the different kinds of members. In this sacred 
house at Ephesus there were vessels of gold and 
of silver—eminent, holy, sincere, and useful teach- 
ers and members; and also vessels of wood and of 
earth—inapt and unspiritual persons, perhaps false 
and heretical teachers. There are also in such 
houses “vessels” employed, some in a more hon- 
ourable, others in a less honourable, office. [The 
thought here is the same as that expressed in the 
parables of the fishes and of the tares, namely, 


Timothy exhorted to press ufter right- 
asa faith, charity, etc, 


21 ‘If a man therefore purge himself from 
these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanc- 
tified, and meet for the master’s use, and " pre- 
pared unto every good work. 22 Flee also 
youthful lusts: but "follow righteousness, 
faith, charity, peace, with them that °call on 
the Lord Pout of a pure heart. 23 But 4 fool- 
ish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing 
that they do gender strifes. 24 And ‘the 
servant of the Lord must not strive; but be 
gentle unto all men, ‘apt to teach, t patient ; 
25 «In meekness instructing those that op- 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4969. A.D. 65, 
Year of Rome, 818, 


pose themselves; vif God peradventure will 


give them repentance “ to the acknowledging 
of the truth; 26 And that they may *re- 
cover themselves ¥ out of the snare of the devil, 
who are *taken captive by him at his will. 


CHAPTER III. 
HIS know also, that *in the last days peril- 
ous times shall come. 2 For men shall 
be *lovers of their own selves, ©*covetous, 
‘boasters, ¢proud, ‘ blasphemers, £ disobedient 
to _ parents, unthankful, unholy, Φ ® Without 


ZSee Isa. 52. 11.—m chan: 8. 17: 11π8.8. 1. ἘΝ Tim. 
6. 11. τ 0 Acts 9. 14; 1 Cor. 1. 9. —p 1 Tim. 1. 5; 4. 

J . 73. 6. ἐς verse 16; Titus 3. 9.------γ Titus 3, —— 
Titus 1. 9.——t Or, Sorbearing.—wu Gal. 


6.1: 1 Tim: ΤΣ 1 Peter 3. 15. Ὁ Acts 8. 22. 


that the visible Church will never be perfect.— 
Conybeare and sg oon 

21. If aman therefore purge himself from 
these—[’A70 τούτων, from these persons, that is, 
those included in ἃ εἰς ἀτιμίαν, the some to dishon- 
our.—Ellicott.| He that takes heed to his ways and 
to his doctrines, and walks with God, will separate 
himself not only from all false doctrine, but from 
all wicked men, and be thus sanctified and proper 
to be employed by the Master in every good word 
and work. 

22. Flee also youthful lusts — Not only all 
irregular and sensual desires, but pride, ambztion, 
and, above all, the lust of power, (the greatest dan- 
ger of those who are clothed with ecclesiastical 
authority,) to which most men will sacrifice all 
other propensities—their ease, pleasure, health, 
ete. Both in Church and State this passion is 
ruinous; but particularly so in the former. Tim- 
othy was now between thirty and forty years of 
age—the very age in which ambition an] the love 
of power most generally prevail. Carnal pleasures 
are the sins of youth; ambition and the love of 
power the sins of middle age; covetousness and cark- 
ing cares the crimes of old age. Follow right- 
eousness — Flee from sin, pursue’ goodness. 
“ Righteousness ’—whatever is just, holy, and inno- 
cent. Faith—Fidelity both to God and man, im- 
proving that grace by which thy soul may be saved, 
and faithfully discharging the duties of thy office 
that thou mayest save the souls of others. Char- 
ity—Love to Godand man. Peace among all the 
members of the Church, and as far as_ possible 
with all men; but especially among those who in- 
voke the Lord out of a pure desire to glorify his 
name. 

23. Foolish and unlearned quentisnse eek 
the notes on 1 Tim. i, 4; iv, 7; Tit. iii, 9. 

24. The servant of the Lord must not strive 
—See on 1 Tim. iii, 2, 3. 

25. Those that oppose — ᾿Αντιδιατιθεμένους ; 
this seems to refer to those who opposed the apos- 
{165 authority. [The allusion is not to positively 
wilful and heretical teachers. The definite heretic 
was to be admonished, and, in case of stubborn- 
ness, was to be left to himself, (Titus iii, 10 ;) such 
opponents as the present were to be dealt with 
gently, and to be won back to the truth —Zi/icolt.] 
If God peradventure—Timothy was to use every 
means which he had reason to believe God might 
bless; and the apostle intimates that, bad as the 
people were, they were not out of the reach of 
God’s mercy. 

26. And that they may recover themselves 


wi Tim. 


9. 4: Pe 7; Titus 1. ae Gr. awake,— 
y¥1 ‘Tim. 3. 7.—z Gr. taken ulive.—al Tim. 4. 1; chap. 4. 3; 
2 Peter 3. 3: 1 John 2. 12: sade) 18, b Phil. —¢e2 a 


2. 3. dnd SEP 16.—e 1 Tim. 6. J 1 Tim, 1Ε Ὧν 2 Peter 2. 12 
Jude 10.—g Rom, 1. 30.—h’ a 1. 31. 


—The construction of this verse in the original 
is somewhat difficult, though the sense given by 
our translation is plain enough. [Some who were 
of the Church had become ensnared in destructive 
errors, from which the apostle still hoped that they 
might escape by means of repentance, and thus 
(through God’s great mercy) deliver themselves 
from the power of the adversary who now held 
them in captivity. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

In the last days—This often means the days 
of the Messiah, and is sometimes extended in its 
signification only to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
as this was properly the “last days” of the Jewish 
State. But the phrase may mean any future time, 
whether near or distant. [Here, probably, simply 
in the future. | 

2. For men shall be—The description in this 
and the following verses the Papists apply to the 
Protestants: the Protestants, in their turn, apply it 
to the Papists ; Schoettgen to the Jews ; and others 
to heretics in general. There have been both 
teachers and people in every age of the Church, and 
in every age of the world, to whom these words 
may be most legitimately applied. Lovers of 
their own selves—®i/av70l, selfish, studious of 
their own interest, and regardless of the welfare 
of all others. Both Catholics and Protestants have 
been lovers of their own selves, ete., but it is prob- 
able that the apostle had some particular age in 
view, (which was already appearing at that time,) 
in which there.should appear some very distinctive 
corruption and spiritual decline of Christianity. 
Covetous—i/dpyupot, lovers of money, because 
of the influence which riches can _ procure. 
Boasters—’A/alévec, vainglorious, self-assuming, 
valuing themselves beyond all others. Proud— 
ὝὙπερήφανοι, airy, light, trifling persons; those who 
love to make a show—who are all outside. Blas- 
phemers—B/dc¢n01, those who speak impiously 
of God and sacred things, and injurious/y of men. 
[Triflers with sacred “things. ] Disobedient to 
parents — Γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, headstrong children, 
w hom their parents cannot persuade, Unthankful 
— A yapiorot, persons without grace or gracefulness ; 
who think they have a right to the services of all 
men, yet feel no obligation, and consequently no 
gratitude. Unholy — ᾿Ανόσιοι, without piety; 
having no heart-reverence for God. 

3. Without natural affection — “Actopyor, 

without that affection which parents bear to their 

young, and which the young bear to their parents. 

An affection which is common to every class of 
361 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


IJ. TIMOTHY. 


Perilous times will come 
in the latter days, 


natural affection, ‘trucebreakers, * false accus- 
ers, |incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that 
are good, 4 "Traitors, heady, highminded, 
"lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 
5 Having a form of godliness, but °denying 
the power thereof: rfrom such turn away. 
6 For 4 οὗ this sort are they which creep into 
houses, and lead captive silly women laden 
with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever 
‘Jearning, and never able ‘to come to the 
knowledge of the truth. Ὁ *Now as Jannes 
and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also 


resist the truth: tmen of corrupt minds, 
"vreprobate concerning the faith, 9 But 
they shall proceed no further: for their folly 
shall be manifest unto all men, δ᾽ as theirs also 
was. 20 *But thou hast fully known my 
doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long- 
suffering, charity, patience, IH Persecutions, 
afflictions, which came unto me zat Antioch, 
‘at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I 
endured : but cout of them all the Lord deliv- 
ered me. 32 Yea, and all that will live 
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 


Sinna. 1. 31.—z Or, makehates; Tit. 2. 72 Pet. 
—m 2 Pet. 2. 10.—v7n Phil. 3. 19; 2 Pet. 2. ἘΝ ete : $ Deca. 48: 


—1 Tim. 5. 8: Tit. 1. 16.—p 3 Thess. ὃ. 6; 1 Tim. Ὁ. —— 
q Matt. 23. 14: Tit. 1. 11.—71 Tim. 2. 4. 8 Exod. Le 
61 Tim. 6. 5.—u Or, of no judgment. —v Rom. 1. o8 ; 2 Cor. 


13 5; Tit. 1. 16.-----οὐ Exod. 7. 12; 8. 183 9, 11.—® Phil. 2. 22; 
1 Tim. 4, 6. y Or, thou hast been a ‘diligent SJollower Of, 
2 Acts 13. 45, 50.—u Acts 14. 2, ὃ. 

6 Psa, 34.19; 2 Cor. 1. 10; chap. 4. 17. d Psa. 34 19; Matt. 
16. 24; John 17. 14; Acts 14. 22; 1 Cor. 15.19; 1 Thess. 8. 8. 


animals ; ‘consequently, men without it are worse 
than brutes. Truce-breakers— ᾿Ασπονδοι. Who 
are bound by no promise, held by no engagement, 
obliged by no oath; persons who readily promise 
anything because they never intend to perform. 
False accusers—Ardfoio, devils; but properly 
enough rendered false accusers. Slanderers ; striv- 
ing ever to ruin the characters of others. Incon- 
tinent— Axpateic, those who, having sinned away 
their power of self-government, want strength to 
govern their appetites; slaves to uncleanness. 
Fierce— Avjepor, wild, impetuous, whatever is 
contrary to pliability and gentleness. Despisers 
of those that are good—’AgiAdyalo, not lovers 
of good men. Those who do not love the good 
must be radically bad themselves. 

4. Traitors—Ilpodéra:, those who deliver up to 
an enemy the person who has put his life in their 
hands. Heady—lIlIporerteic, headstrong, precipi- 
tate, rash, inconsiderate. Highminded—Tetvdw- 
μένοι, full of themselves, and empty of all good. 
Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God 
—This is nervously and beautifully expressed in the 
Greek, φελήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι, lovers of pleasure 
rather than lovers of God; that is, pleasure, sen- 
sual gratification, is their god; and this they love 
and serve; God they do not. 

5. Having a form of godliness—The original 
word, μόρφωσιν, signifies a draught, sketch, or swm- 
mary, and will apply equally well to those who 
have all their religion [in outward forms and ser- 
vices, fasts, prayers, church-goings, sacraments, 
offerings, and pilgrimages, or those who have it] in 
their creed, confession of faith, catechism, bodies 
of divinity, ete., while both may be destitute of the 
life of God in their souls. F'rom such turn away 
—Not only do not imitate them, but have no fellow- 
ship with them; they ave a dangerous people, and 
but seldom suspected, because their outside is fair. 

6. For of this sort are they—Paul here refers 
to false teachers and their insinuating manners, 
practising upon weak women, who, at first, seeing 
in them such a semblance of piety, entertain them 
with great eagerness, and at last become partakers 
with them in their impurities. 

7. Ever learning—From their false teachers, 
and never able to come to the knowledge of 
the truth, because that teaching never leads to 
“the truth;” for, although there was a form of 
godliness which seemed to give them a sort of 
authority to teach, yet, as they practically denied 
the power of godliness, they never could bring their 
votaries to the knowledge of the saving power of 
Christianity. 

862 


8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood 
Moses—This refers to the history of the Egyptian 
magicians. (Exod. vii.) [See M’Clintock and 
Strong’s Cyclopedia. | Men of corrupt minds— 
It appears as if the apostle were referring still to 
some Judaizing teachers who were perverting the 
Church with their doctrines, and loudly calling in 
question the authority and doctrine of the apostle. 
Reprobate concerning the faith— Αδόκιμοι, wn- 
discerning ov untried; they are base metal, un- 
stamped; and should not pass current, because not 
standard. This metaphor is frequent in the sacred 
writings. 

9. But they shall proceed no further—Such 
teaching and teachers shall never be able w/timately 
to prevail against the truth; for the foundation of 
God standeth sure. Their folly shall be mani- 
fest—False doctrine cannot prevail long where the 
sacred Scriptures are read and studied. Error pre- 
vails only where the book of God is withheld from 
the people. The religion that fears the Bible is 
not the religion of God. [And they who are afraid 
to trust the truth of God in any conflict with the 
wisdom of the world, or against the perverse ego- 
tism of unbelief, lack faith not only in the power 
of the truth, but also of its great Author.] 

10. Thou hast fully known my doctrine— 
[Timothy, by his long-time association with Paul, 
had not only come to know his doctrines, but had 
also learned from personal observations his char- 
acter and spirit of mind, and therefore the apostle 
now refers him to these for his own guidance. | 

1. Persecutions .. . which came unto me 
at Antioch—The “ Antioch” mentioned here was 
Antioch in Pisidia, to which place Paul and Bar- 
nabas came in their first apostolic progress, and 
where Paul delivered that memorable discourse 
which is preserved in the 13th chapter of Acts, 
verses 16-43. (See also Acts xiv, 5, 6, 19-21, and 
xvi, 1, 2.) As these things happened in his own 
neighbourhood, Timethy must have known them; 
for a person who had such a religious education as 
he had could not be unacquainted with these perse- 
cutions. [He would also naturally have heard of 
them, both from the apostle himself and from those 
who were his associates, and to some extent his 
companions, in suffering. ] 

12. All that will live godly—so opposite to 
the spirit and practice of the world is the whole of 
Christianity, that he who gives himself entirely up 
to God, making his word the rule of his life and 
actions, will be less or more reviled and persecuted. 
“If religion gives no quarter to vice, the vicious 
will give no quarter to religion and its professors.” 


Character and purpose of the 
Holy Scriptures. 


13 ¢But evil men and seducers shall wax 
worse and worse, deceiving, and being de- 
ceived. 14 But ‘continue thou in the things 
which thou hast learned and hast been assured 
of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them ; 
15 And that from a child thou hast known 
ethe holy Scriptures, which are able to make 


1 Tim, 4. 1; chap. 2. 16.—/ Chap. 1. 13; 2. 2. 


683 Thess. 2. 11; 
—g Jolin 5, 39- 


ess ,Ἕ-.-----ς--ςς. 


13. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse 
—They will yet get on for a season, deceiving 
themselves and deceiving others; but by and by 
their folly will become manifest to all, (Verse 9.) 
The word γόητες, which we render “ seducers,” sig- 
nifies jugglers, pretenders to magical arts ; probably 
persons dealing in fa/se miracles, with whom the 
Chureh in all ages has been not a little disgraced. 
[The apostle renews his reference to the here- 
tics, which was interrupted at verse 10, calling 
them “evil men and seducers” in contrast with 
those wishing to live godly, and says of them, that 
they will make advance toward the worse, which is 
all the more suitable (germane to the subject) be- 
cause it was the very reason why persecution was 
threatened the honest disciples of Christ, and with 
them Timothy himself. See Huther-.] 

14. But continue thou—No man, however well 
instructed in the things of God, or grounded in 
divine grace, is out of the reach of temptation, 
apostasy, and final ruin; hence the necessity of 
watching unto prayer, depending upon God, con- 
tinuing in the faith, and persevering unto the end. 

15. From a child thou hast known the holy 
Scriptures—The early religious education of Tim- 
othy has been already noticed. (See chapter i, 5.) 
St. Paul introduces this circumstance again here for 
the confirmation of Timothy’s faith. He had 
learned the doctrines of Christianity from a genu- 
ine apostle ; and, as Christianity is founded on the 
law and the prophets, Timothy was able to com- 
pare its doctrines with all that had been typified 
and predicted, and consequently was assured that 
the Christian religion was true. Able to make 
thee wise unto salvation—The apostle is here 
evidently speaking of the Jewish Seriptures ; and 
he tells us that they are able to make us wise unto 
salvation provided we have faith in Jesus Christ. 
This is the simple use of the Old Testament. No 
soul of man can be made wise unto salvation by it 
but as he refers all to Christ Jesus. [Which he 
will be able to do only as he shall be taught by the 
‘Holy Spirit. (John xvi, 14, and 1 John iv, 15.)] 
The Jews are unsaved, though they know these 
Scriptures, because they believe not in Christ; for 
Christ is the end of the law for the justification of 
all that believe. 

16. All Scripture is 
God—This sentence is not well translated; the 
original πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς 
διδασκαλίαν, κ. τ. 2., should be rendered : Every 
writing divinely inspired is profitable for doctrine, 
ete. The particle καὶ, and, though omitted by many of 
the Versions and Fathers, is now generally accepted 
as genuine. The apostle is here, beyond all con- 
troversy, speaking of the writings of the Old Testa- 
ment, which, because they came by divine inspira- 
tion, he terms the Holy Scriptures, (verse 15;) and 
it is of them alone that this passage is to be 
understood; and although all the New Testament 
came by as direct an inspiration as the Old, yet as 


CHAPTER III. 


given by inspiration of 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


thee wise unto salvation through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus. ΕΘ "All Scripture is given 
by inspiration of God, ‘and és profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in- 
struction in righteousness: 4&7 *That the 
man of God may be perfect, !™thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works. 


h2 Peter 1. 20, 21.—7 Rom. 15. 4. κι Tim. 6. 11.—/Or, 
perfected.—m Chap, 2. 21. 


it was not collected at that time, nor indeed com- 
plete, the apostle could have no reference to it. 
The doctrine of the inspiration of the sacred writ- 
ings has been a subject of much discussion, and 
even controversy, among Christians. There are two 
principal opinions on the subject: 1) That every 
thought and word were inspired by God, and that 
the writer did nothing but merely write as the 
Spirit dictated. 2) That God gave the whole mat- 
ter, leaving the inspired writers to their own lan- 
guage ; and hence the great variety of style and 
different modes of expression. [The latter rather 
than the former is now generally accepted.] Is 
profitable for doctrine — To teach the will of 
God, and to point out Jesus Christ till he should 
come. [It is the only and the sufficient rule 
and standard of religious faith, “so that whatso- 
ever is not read therein, nor may be proved there- 
by, is not to be required of any man that it should 
be believed as an article of faith.”] For reproof 
—To convince men of the truth; and to confound 
those who should deny it, particularly the Jews. 
For correction—IIpoc ἐπανόρθωσιν, for restoring 
things to their proper uses and places, correcting 
false notions and mistaken views. Instruction in 
righteousness—!Ipoc παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, 
for communicating all initiatory religious Κπον]- 
edge ; for schooling mankind. All this is perfectly 
true of the Jewish Scriptures; and let faith in 
Christ Jesus be added, (see verse 15,) and then all 
that is spoken in the following verse will be liter- 
ally accomplished. 

17. That the man of God—The preacher of 
righteousness, the minister of the Gospel, the per- 
son who derives his commission from God, and 
always appears as “is herald and servant. May 
be perfect—' Aprio¢ properly signifies an *leger, 
or whole number in arithmetic, to which nothing 
needs to be added to make it complete. ‘Thor- 
oughly furnished — ᾿Ἐξηρτισμένος. Not only 
complete in himself as to his integrity, religious 
knowledge, faith in Jesus, and love to God and 
man; but that he should have all those qualifica- 
tions which are necessary to complete the char- 
acter and insure the success of a preacher of the 
Gospel. Timothy was to teach, reprove, correct, 
and instruct others; and was to be to them a pat- 
tern of good works. From what the apostle says 
here concerning the qualifications of a Christian 
minister, we may well exclaim: Who is equal to 
these things? A minister of the Gospel should be 
a man of the soundest sense, the most cultivated 
mind, the most extensive experience; one who is 
deeply taught of God, and who has deeply studied 
man; one who has prayed much, read much, and 
studied much; one who takes up his work as from 
God, does it as before God, and refers all to the 
glory of God; one who abides under the inspira- 
tion of the Almighty, and who has hidden the 
word of God in his heart, that he may not sin 
against him. No minister formed by man can ever 

363 


A. M. 4969. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, 518. 


Il. TIMOTHY. 


Timothy is charged to preach 
faithfully and to be diligent, 


CHAPTER IV. 
aCHARGE thee therefore before God, and 
the Lord Jesus Christ, *who shall Judge 
the quick and the dead at his appearing and 
his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant 
in season, out of season; reprove, ‘rebuke, 
éexhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 
3 ©For the time will come when they will not 


endure fsound doctrine; ¢but after their own 
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, 
having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn 
away their ears from the truth, and shall be 
turned unto fables. 6 But watch thou in all 
things, ‘endure afflictions, do the work of * an 
evangelist, |!make full proof of thy ministry. 
6 For "I am now ready to be offered, and the 


a1 Tim. 5. 21: 6. 13; chap. 2. 14.—d Acts 10. 42.——e1 Tim. 
5. 20: Titus 1. 13; 2. 15. @1 Tim, 4. 13. —— e Chap. ὃ. 1. — 
J 1 Tim, 1. 10.-—g Chap. 3. 6. 


be such as is required here. The school of Christ, 
and that alone, can ever form such a preacher. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. I charge thee therefore before God— 
Whose herald thou art; and (before) the Lord Je- 
sus Christ, whose salvation thou art to proclaim, 
and who shall judge the quick and the dead— 
the living and the dead, that is, all men. [Kai τὴν 
ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, by his 
appearing and by his kingdom. These accusatives, 
without any governing preposition, (κατὰ has some- 
times been supplied but without authority,) are used 
in reference to the solemn adjuration of the apos- 
tle to Timothy; they are usually understood as be- 
longing to Christ’s future appearing and king- 
dom; but they apply equally well to things now 
present and transpiring. | 

2. Preach the word—K~pviov τὸν λόγον, pro- 
claim the word and doctrine of Christ incarnate, 
revealing God to man, crucified for the sins of the 
whole world; raised from the dead, enthroned in 
glory, preached to the Gentiles, and believed on in 
the world. Be instant in season, out of season 
—'Eriornft εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως ; be urgent, whether 
the times be prosperous or adverse, whenever there 
is an opportunity ; and when there is none, strive to 
make one. The Judge is at the door, and to every 
man eternity is at hand! Do not be contented 
with stated times and accustomed places merely ; 
all time and place belong to God, and are proper 
for his work. Satan will omit neither time nor 
place where he can destroy. Omit thou none where 
thou mayest be the instrument of salvation to any. 
Reprove --- -λεγξον, confute the false teacher. 
Rebuke—'Emitiyoov, reprove cuttingly and se- 
verely those who will not abandon their sins. Bx- 
hort — Παρακάλεσον; [incite to Christian activity 
and godly diligence.] Comfort the feeble minded, 
the diffident, and the tempted. With all long- 
suffering — In reference to each and all of these 
cases. ['Ev πάσῃ μακροθυμίᾳ Kai διδαχῇ, in, not 
with, as these things are not the accompaniments of 
the action, but the element and temper in which 
they are to be performed.—Alford.] And doc- 
trine—The teaching suited to each. 

3. For the time will come—There is a time 
coming to the Church when men will not hear the 
practical truths of the Gospel; when they will pre- 
fer speculative opinions (which either do no good 
to the soul or corrupt and destroy it) to that whole- 
some doctrine of ‘deny thyself, take up thy cross, 
and follow me,” which Jesus Christ has left in his 
Church. [Ἔσται yap καιρὸς, the time will be, to 
which Bengel adds, and now is, indicating that the 
defection was not only near at hand, but already 
somewhat advanced.] But after their own lusts— 
For these they will follow, and hate those preachers 
and that doctrine by which they are opposed. [’E7v- 

904 


2.1 Tim. 1. 4; 4. 7; Titus 1. 14—7 Chap. 1. 8; 2. 3.—-k Acis 
21.8; Eph. 4. 11.—J Or, fulfil; Rom. 1d. 19; Col. 1. 255 4. 17. 
—w7n Phil. 2. 17. 


θυμίας, depraved spiritual tastes and desires. Shall 
they heap to themselves teachers—They will 
add one teacher to another, run and gad about 
after all, to find out those who insist not on the 
necessity of bearing the cross, of being crucified to 
the world, and of having the mind that was in Je- 
sus. In this disposition interested men often find 
their account; they set up for teachers, “and widen 
and strew with flowers the way down to eternal 
ruin,” taking care to soothe the passions and flat- 
ter the vices of a trifling, superficial people. Hav- 
ing itching ears—Endless curiosity, an insatiable 
desire of variety; and they get their ears tickled 
with the language and accent of the person, aban- 
doning the good and faithful preacher for the fine 
speaker. [The apostle appears to desire to notice 
not merely the fact that they were having their 
ears tickled, but to mark the uneasy feeling that 
was always seeking to be gratified. ] 

4. And they shall turn away their ears 
from the truth—The “truth” shows them their 
vices, sacrifices their idols, darts its lightnings 
against their easily besetting sins, and absolutely 
requires a conformity to a crucified Christ; there- 
fore they turn their ears away from it. And shall 
be turned unto fables—Believe any kind of stuff 
and nonsense; for, as one has justly observed, 
“Those who reject the truth are abandoned by the 
just judgment of God to credit the most degrading 
nonsense.” This is remarkably the case with most 
unbelievers ; their creed often exhibits what is gross- 
ly absurd. [How strikingly all this agrees with 
the usual course of spiritual, followed by doctrinal, 
defections from the simplicity and power of the 
Gospel, is very obvious. | 

5. But watch thou in all things—[Spiritual 
declension within the Church itself is highly infec- 
tious, and must be guarded against with the 
utmost diligence whenever its symptoms appear. ] 
Endure afflictions—Let no sufferings affright 
thee; nor let the dread of them either cause thee 
to abandon the truth, or relax in thy Zeal for the 
salvation of men. Do the work of an evan- 
gelist—That is, preach Christ crucified for the 
sins of the whole world ; for this, and this alone, is 
doing the work of an evangelist, or preacher of the 
elad tidings of peace and salvation by Christ. 
[The evangelists did not form a special and sep- 
arate class, but were, generally, preachers of the 
Gospel in different countries — subordinates and 
missionaries.—Allicotl.| Make full proof of thy 
ministry — Perform faithfully all the duties of 
which it is composed; and do God’s work in his 
own way and in his own spirit. 

6. For I am now ready to be offered— Hd7 
srévdouar; Lam already poured out as a libation. 
(See Phil. ii, 17.) [Zam made a libation, poured 
out as a drink offering. Dropping the figure, the 
meaning is, already my blood is shed, (so certain 


Paul requests Timothy to go to 
him at Rome, 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65, 
Year of R me, 818, 


time of "my departure is at hand. 7 °I have 
fought a good fight. 1 have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith: & Hencefortl there is 
laid up for me Pa crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give 
116 4 αὖ that day: and not to me only, but un- 
to all them also*that love his appearing. 9 Do 
thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 10 For 
‘Demas hath forsaken me, * having loved this 
present world, and is departed unto Thessa- 


ἢ Phil. 1. 23; see 2 Peter 1. 14.—o1 Cor, 9, 24,25; Phil. 3. 14: 
1 Tim. 6. 12; Heb. 12. 1.-—p 1 Cor, 9, 25; James 1. 12; 1 Peter 
5. 4: Rev. 2. 10.—g Chap. 1. 12,.— 7’ Col. 4. 14; Philem. 24. 
81 John 2. 15. 


lonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dal- 
matia. UE 'Only «Luke is with me. Take 
* Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is 
profitable to me for the ministry. 92 And 
“Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 13 The 
cloak that I Jeft at Troas with Carpus, when 
thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, 
but especially the parchments. 84 * Alexan- 
der the coppersmith did me much evil: y the 
Lord reward him according to his works: 


tSve chap. 1. 15.—2w Col, 4. 14; Philem. 24.—=z Acts 12. 25; 
15. 37; Col. 4. 10 —vz Acts 20; 4; Eph. 6. 21; Col. 4. 7; Titus 
3. 12.—a Acts 19. 33; 1 Tim. 1. 20..— y2 Sam. 3. 34; Psa. 28, 
4; Kev. 18, 6. 


and immanent was his execution.—//uther.)] He 
considers himself as on the eve of being sacrificed, 
and looks upon his blood as the libation which was 
poured on the sacrificial offering. Paul could not 
have spoken thus positively had not the sentence 
of death been already passed upon him. 

7. I have fought a good fight — Tov καὸν 
ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι, 1 have wrestled that good ‘wrest- 
ling. I have finished my course—Tdv δρόμον 
τετέλεκα, the race I have completed. I have kept 
the faith—Tjv πίστιν τετήρηκα, I have kept (pre- 
served, persevered in) the faith. [The faith (not 
Jidelity) intrusted to me I have kept as a sacred 
and inviolable deposit.—Huther. | 

8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a 
crown—{[As the contestants in the games, if suc- 
cessful, received a crown, so I, having contended 
well, and completed the course, faithfully abiding 
by its laws, am now to receive my crown, τῆς ὅδε 
καιοσύνης, of justifying grace.| The Lord, the 
righteous judge — [There is nothing strange in 
laying stress on the righteousness of the judge, 
since that forms the main element in the divine 
judgment. God’s grace ( χάρις) does not take away 
his righteousness, (δικαιοσύνη,)} and the Gospel does 
not deny, but confirms, the truth that for the 
believer the (divine) judgment will take place ac- 
cording to his works.—Huther.] At that day— 
The appointed and certainly coming day of rec- 
ompense. Unto all them also that love his 
appearing —All who live in expectation of the 
coming of Christ, who anticipate it with joyfulness, 
having buried the world and laid up all their hopes 
above. And this reward is common to the faith- 
ful; it is given not only to apostles, but “ to all 
them that love his appearing.” This crown “i 
laid up ”"—it is in view, but not in possession. 
must die first. 

9. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto 
me—Paul appears to have wished Timothy to be 
present at his death, and particularly so as he had 
scarcely now any companions. 

10. Demas hath forsaken me—Demas was 
with the apostle in his first imprisonment, «and 
joins in the salutations (see Col. iv, 14) which 
were written when Paul was a prisoner at Rome 
the first time. Having lovei this present 
world—'Ayarijcac τὸν viv αἰῶνα. {Mournful and 
unmanly as the conduct of Demas is here described 
to be, there seems no just reason for ascribing to 
him utter apostasy. He left the apostle in his 
trials and sufferings because he loved safety and 
ease and the fleeting pleasures of this world, (τὸν 
νῦν αἰῶνα.) and had not the Christian fortitude to 
share the dangers, or the Christian love to minister 
to the sufferings, of the nearly desolate apostle.— 
Lilicott.| Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dal- 


We 


matia—lIt is probable that both these persons had 
gone on sacred missions, and perhaps had been 
gone some time before the apostle was brought 
into such imminent danger. 

11. Only Luke is with me—This was Luke 
the evangelist, the writer of the Acts of the Apos- 
tles, who was always much attached to St. Paul, 
and, it is supposed, continued with him even to his 
martyrdom, Take Mark, and bring him with 
thee—This was John Mark, the sister’s son of 
Barnabas, who, after having wavered a little at 
first, became a steady, zealous, and useful man; 
his name and conduct have been often before the 
reader. For he is profitable to me for the 
ministry—Eic¢ διακονίαν, for service; that is, he 
would be very useful to the apostle, to minister to 
him in his present close confinement. Some think 
that the apostle means his preaching the Gospel; 
but at this time, I should suppose, there was very 
little, if any, public preaching at Rome. 

12. Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus—See 
on Acts xx, 4; Eph. vi, 21; Col. iv, 7. [Ellicott 
suggests that perhaps Tychicus had been in attend- 
ance upon Paul, but now that he had been sent 
away, the apostle had the greater need for the 
services of Mark.] 

13. The cloak that I left — Τὸν φελόνην. 
[There is no good reason tor departing from the 
accepted rendering of this word. At Troas—’Ev 
Τρῳάδι; it thus appears that Paul had been at 
Troas not very long before that time, of which, 
however, we have no account.] And the books 
—What “the books” were we cannot tell; per- 
haps they were his own acritings; and as to the 
parchments, they were probably the Jewish 
Scriptures of the Septuagint. These he must have 
had at hand at all times. The books and parch- 
ments now sent for could not be for the apostle’s 
own use, as he was on the eve of his martyrdom. 
He had probably intended to bequeath them to the 
faithful, that they might be preserved for the use 
of the Church. 

14. Alexander the coppersmith—We are not, 
probably, to understand this of any tradesman, but 
of some rabbin; for it was not unusual for the 
Jews to apply the name of some trade as an epithet 
to their rabbins and literary men. He is, perhaps, 
the same mentioned Acts xix, 53, and it is not un- 
likely that he may have been the same whom the 
apostle was obliged to excommunicate. (1 Tim. 
i, 20.) [It has been conjectured that this Alexan- 
der, a native of Ephesus, had come from there to 
Rome to give testimony against the apostle, (at his 
πρώτῃ ἀπολογίᾳ, first answer, verse 16,) and had 
returned again to Ephesus.—Huther.] The Lord 
reward him—'Azodéce: αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος. [Not an 
imprecation, but a calm submission of his case, by 

365 


A. M. 4069. A. 1D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


1. TIMOTHY: 


Greetings to different persons. 
The apostolical benediction, 


15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath 
greatly withstood our words. &6 At my 
first answer no man stood with me, *but 
all men forsook me: *Lpray God that it 
may not be laid to their charge. 117 © Not- 
withstanding the Lord stood with me, and 
strengthened me; ‘that by me the preaching 
might be fully known, and that all the Gen- 
tiles might hear: and I was delivered eout of 
the mouth of the lion. #8 ‘And the Lord 
shall deliver me from every evil work, and 


will preserve me unto his heavenly king- 
dom: ¢to whom be glory for ever and ever. 
Amen. 19 Salute ἃ Prisca and Aquila, and 
ithe household of Onesiphorus. 20 * Eras- 
tus abode at Corinth: but !Trophimus have 
I left at Miletum sick. 22 ™Do thy dili- 
gence to come before winter. Eubulus greet- 
eth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, 
and all the brethren. 22 "The Lord Jesus 
Christ be with thy spirit. Grace de with you. 
Amen 


2Or, owr preachings.—v«a Chap. 1. b 
¢ Matt. 10. 19; Acts 23. 13 27. 23. fala ez 9. 1Ὁ δ᾽ 26. 
Eph. 3 . 8. = é Psa, 22. 21; ὁ Peter 2 9. ἘΣΕΙ͂Σ Psa, 1: 21, 


Tr, 18; 


g Rom, 11. 36; Gal. 1. 5; Heb. 13. 21.—A Acts 18, 2; Rom. 
16. = ——{2 "Tim. 1. 16.—z Acts 19. 292: Rom. 16. 23.——Z Acts 
20, 4; 21. 29 or Verse 9.—n Gal. 6. 18; Philein. 25. 


one who felt that he was erievously wronged, to 
the divine righteousness and judgment. | 

15. Of whom be thou ware also—It seems 
that this rabbin travelled about from place to place 
for the purpose of opposing the Gospel, “the Jews 
putting him forward.” (See Acts xix, 33.) He 
hath greatly withstood our words—Has been 
a constant opposer of the Christian doctrines. 

16. At my first answer—’Ev τῇ πρώτῃ μου 
ἀπολογίᾳ, at iny first apology; this word properly 
signifies a defence or vindication. It is generally 
allowed that’ when St. Paul had been taken this 
second time by the Romans he was examined im- 
mediately, and required to account for his conduct ; 
and that so odious was Christianity through the 
tyranny of Nero, he could procure no person to 
plead for him. I pray God that it may not be 
laid to their charge—My7 αὐτοῖς λογισθείη, let it 
be not placed to their account, | However much this 
want of evangelical spirit may have pained the 
apostle, he says no word in anger.— Huther. | 

17. The Lord stood with me — When all 
human help failed, God, in a most remarkable man- 
ner, interposed, giving him boldness in his own 
defence, and securing his temporary release. That 
by me the preaching might be fully known— 
[LLAnpogopytn, performed, fully carried out.| When 
called on to make his defence he took occasion to 
preach the Gospel, and to show that the great God 
of heaven and earth had designed to illuminate the 
Gentile world with the rays of his light and glory. 
[Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, all the nations, of which Rome 
was the head.—Zengel.| I was delivered out 
of the mouth of the lion—I escaped the immi- 
nent danger at that time. The words ἐκ στόματος 
λέοντος, from the mouth or jaws of the lion, may 
mean simply deliverance from the most imminent 
peril. [Paul escaped from the danger impending 
over him, unhurt in body and soul, (see chapter 
ili, 11,) escaped as a conqueror in the eyes of 
the Lord, and hence he says, ἐρύσθην ἐκ στόματος 
λέοντος, (I was snatched from the mouth of the 
ne as —Huther.| 

. And the Lord shall deliver me from 
ee evil work—WNone of the evil designs 
formed against me to make me unfaithful or un- 
steady, to. cause me to save my life at the expense 
of faith and a good conscience, shall succeed; my 
life may go, but he will preserve me unto his 
heavenly kingdom. A continuance on earth the 
apostle expects not; but he has glory full in view, 
and therefore he gives God glory for what he had 
done, and for what he had promised to do. 
366 


9. [With the 18th verse the general epistle is 
scans after, come personal salutations, and the 
closing benedictions. Salute Prisca (or Priscilla) 
and Aquila—See on Acts xviii, 18, 26. The 
household of Onesiphorus—See on chapter i, 16. 

20. Erastus abode (remained) at Corinth— 
He was treasurer of that city, as we learn from 
Rom. xvi, 23. The apostle had sent him and Tim- 
othy on a mission to Macedonia, (Acts xix, 22, 
whence it is probable he returned to Corinth, and 
there became finally settled. 'Trophimus have I 
left at Miletum sick—Even the apostles could not 
work miracles when they pleased; that power was 
but rarely given, and then for very special pur- 
poses. “'Trophimus ” was an Ephesian. (See Acts 
xx, 4.) “ Miletum” was a maritime town of Ionia, 
not far from Ephesus; but there was another 
Miletus, in Crete, which some learned men think to 
be intended here. It appears likely that St. Paul 
went from Macedonia to Corinth, where he left 
Erastus; from Corinth he proceeded to Troas, 
where he lodged with Carpus ; from Troas he went 
to Ephesus, where he visited Timothy; from 
Ephesus he went to Miletus, where he left Trophi- 
mus sick; and having embarked at Miletus, he 
went by sea to Rome. (See Calmet.) It is most 
likely, therefore, that the “ Miletus” of Ionia is 
the place intended. 

21. Come before winter —1) Because the 
apostle’s time was short and uncertain. 2) Be- 
cause sailing in those seas was very dangerous in 
winter. W hether Timothy saw the apostle before 
he was martyred is not known. HEubulus, and 
Pudens, and Linus—Of these persons we have 
no trustworthy account. Both of the last two are 
claimed by Roman Catholics as Bishops of Rome, 
but there is no sufficient ground for the assump- 
tion. Claudia—Some think she was a British 
lady, converted by Paul; and that she was the first 
that introduced the Gospel to Britain. [All of 
which is little better than purely legendary.] All 
the brethren—All the Christians, of whom there 
were many at Rome; though of Paul’s companions 
in travel only Luke remained there. 

22. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy 
spirit—He prays that Christ may be with his 
spirit, enlightening, strengthening, and confirming 
it to the end. Grace be with you—[Me ef’ ὑμῶν, 
with you, (plural.)| [This benediction is somewhat 
singular as being twofold, to Timothy separately, 
and to Timothy and those with him. (See 1 Cor. 
xvi, 23, 24.)—illicott.| Amen—[Added by later 
transcribers. 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE 


TO 


eee. 


—_———_ +e —_—_ 


TO WHOM WRITTEN. 


HAT Titus was a frequent companion of St. Paul in his journeys we have 
evidence from his epistles; and yet he is not once mentioned in the book of 
the Acts of the Apostles. He seems to have been a Greek, and brought up in 
heathenism. (Gal. ii, 3.) As he was uncircumcised, he was neither a Jew nor a 
proselyte of justice, and probably was a mere heathen till he heard the Gospel 
preached by St. Paul, by whose ministry he was converted to the Christian faith. 
(Chapter i, 4.) That he was very highly, and deservedly, esteemed by St. Paul, 
is evident from the manner in which he mentions him in different places. (2 Cor. 
ii, 13; vii, 6, 7, 13, 14; viii, 16, 23; xii, 18.) 

Though St. Paul’s preaching the Gospel in Crete is not expressly mentioned 
anywhere, yet it may be plainly inferred. (See chapter i, 5.) It is supposed that 
he was there some time in the year A. D. 62, after the apostle had been released 
from his first imprisonment in Rome. But not being able to spend much time in 
that island, he left the care of the Churches to Titus, and sailed to Judea in the 
beginning of A. D. 63, taking Timothy with him. Having spent some time in 
Jerusalem, he proceeded to Antioch, comforting and establishing the Churches 
whithersoever they went. From Antioch he set out on his fifth and last apostol- 
ical journey, in which he and Timothy travelled through Syria and Cilicia, and 
came to Colosse, in Phrygia, early in the year 64. On this occasion it is supposed 
he wrote his epistle to Titus, in which he desires him to meet him in Nicopolis, 
as he intended to spend the winter there. (Titus. iii, 12.) From Colosse he 
went with Timothy to Ephesus, where he left him to regulate and govern the 
Church; from thence he passed into Macedonia, and probably visited Philippi, 
and different Churches in that province, according to his intention, (Phil. ii, 245) 
and thence to Nicopolis, where he had desired Titus to meet him. 

Whether Titus ever left Crete we know not; nor how nor where he died. 
Some traditions, on which little dependence can be placed, say he lived till he 
was ninety-four years of age, and died and was buried in Crete. He appears to 
have been a young man when intrusted with the care of the Churches in this 
island. In such an extensive district an aged or infirm man would have been of 
little service. 

THE ISLAND OF CRETE. 

Crete, where Titus was resident, is the largest island in the Mediterranean 

Sea; it lies between 22° and 27° long. E., and between 35° and 36° lat. N.; is 


nearly 200 miles in length; and 30 miles at its greatest breadth. It has the 
367 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. 


Archipelago to the north, the African sea to the south, the Carpathian to the 
east, and the Ionian to the west. Its inhabitants are chiefly Greeks, the govern- 
ment Turkish. 

Idomeneus, who assisted Agamemnon in the Trojan war, was the last king of 
Crete. He left the regency of the island to his adopted son Leucus, who, in the 
absence of the king, usurped the empire; the usurper was, however, soon expelled, 
and Crete became one of the most celebrated republics in antiquity. The 
Romans at last, under Quintus Metellus, after an immense expenditure of blood 
and treasure, succeeded in subduing the island, on which he abolished the laws 
of Minos, and introduced the code of Numa Pompilius. Crete, with the small 
kingdom of Cyrene, became a Roman province; at first governed by a proconsul, 
next by a questor and assistant, and lastly by a consul. Constantine the Great, 
in the new division he made of the provinces of the empire, separated Crete from 
Cyrene, and ‘left it, with Africa and Illyria, to his third son Constans. In the 
ninth century, in the reign of Michael IL., it was attacked and conquered by the 
Saracens about 965. ‘The Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, in the following century, 
defeated and expelled the Saracens, and reunited the island to the empire, after 
it had been under the power of the infidels upward of 100 years. It remained 
with the empire until the time of Baldwin, earl of Flanders, who, being raised 
to the throne, rewarded the services of Boniface, marquis of Montserrat, by 
making him king of Thessalonica, and adding it to the island of Crete. Baldwin, 
preferring a sum of gold to the government of the island, sold it to the Venetians, 
A.D. 1194, under whose government it was called Candia, from the Arabic kan- 
dak, a fortification, the name which the Saracens gave to the metropolis which 
they had built and strongly fortified. In 1645, in the midst of a profound peace, 
it was attacked by the Turks with a fleet of 400 sail, which had on board an army 
of 60,000 men, under the command of four pachas, to oppose whom the whole 
island could only muster 3,500 infantry, and a small number of cavalry; vet with 
these they held out against a numerous and continually recruited army, disputing 
every inch of ground, so that the whole Ottoman power was employed for nearly 
thirty years before they got the entire dominion of the island. In this long cam- 
paign against this brave people the Turks lost about 200,000 men. 


GENUINENESS. 

This epistle is found in all the ancient MSS. and Versions; is quoted by 
Clement of Rome, and also by Irenzus, Clement of Alexandria, and by Tertullian. 
It is also included in the Canon of Muratori. Jerome states that it was received 
as Paul’s by Tatian, who had been a disciple of Justin Martyr. Nowhere in the 
ancient Church was there any doubt of its genuineness. The objections of 
modern critics, founded on fancied internal evidence of the later composition of 
this and the other pastoral epistles, have been thoroughly considered and 


answered. 
368 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


- ΤΟ 


ee ἢ ΣΥῸΣ 


CHAPTER I. 
AUL, a servant of God, and an apostle of 
; Jesus Christ, according to the faith of 
God’s elect, and *the acknowledging of the 
truth *which is after godliness; 2 ¢¢In hope 
of eternal life, which God, ¢that cannot lie, 
promised ‘before the world began; 38 © But 


hath in due times manifested his word through 
preaching, » which is committed unto me ‘ac- 
cording to the commandment of God our Sav- 
iour; A To «Titus, ! mine own son after the 
"common faith: "Grace, merey, and peace, 
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ 
our Saviour. & For this cause left I thee in 


}1 Tim. 3. 16; 6. 3.—e Or, For. εἰ ἃ Tim. 
6 Ναπη. 23. 19: 2 Tim. 2. 13.—/Rom. 16, 23; 
σὰ Tim. 1. 10.—h1 Thess, 2. 4; 


a2Tim. 9. 25, 
1.1: chap. 3. 7. 


41 Tim. 1. 1; 2, 3; 4. 10. —2#2 Cor. 2. 13; 7. 13; 8. ἢν 
16, 23; 12. 18: Gal. 2. 3. ——21 Tim.1. 2.—m Rom. 1. 12; 
ae τ 13; 2 Peter 1. 1.--- Eph. 1. 2; Col, 1. 2; 1 Tim. 1. 2: 
Tins. 12s 


1. Paul, a servant of God—In several places 
of his other epistles St. Paul styles himself the 
servant of Jesus Christ, but this is the only place 
where he calls himself “the servant of God.” In 
the use of the phrase the apostle probably had no 
particular design ; for, according to him, he who is 
the servant of Christ is also the “servant of God.” 
The faith of God’s elect — [By the expression, 
“the faith of God’s elect,” κατὰ πίστιν ἐκλεκτῶν Θεοῦ, 
the apostle evidently intends to designate the Gospel 
way of salvation, which is by the election of grace 
on God’s part, and the exercise of faith by man.] 
The acknowledging of the truth — For the 
propagation of that truth, or system of doctrines, 
which is calculated to promote godliness, or a holy 
and useful life. [According to the spiritual knowl- 
edge of “the truth,” relative to godliness; (the 
last noun defines the preceding one.) ] 

2. In hope of eternal life—In expectation of 
a state of being and well being which should last 
to eternity. This “hope” was but ill understood, 
and not very clearly revealed, under the Mosaic 
law; but is now fully revealed under the Gospel, 
and the doctrine illustrated by the resurrection 
and ascension of Christ. [The apostle’s calling 
had for its destination the faith of the elect and 
the knowledge of the truth, and the basis on which 
all this rested was the hope of eternal life. — E/- 
licott.| Which God, that cannot lie, promised 
—['0 ἀψευδὴς Θεὸς, the unlying God, promised, πρὸ 
χρόνων αἰωνίων, from time not reckoned. In the 
divine purposes the salvation of the Gospel ante- 
dated all its developments in time.] 

_ 8. But ‘hath in due times—Kavpoic ἰδίοις, in 
its own times. (See 1 Tim. ii, 6; Gal. iv, 4; Eph. 
1, 10; ii, 7.) God sent forth his Son, and also 
caused the Gospel to be published, in that time in 
which it could be published with the greatest effect. 
He would neither prematurely hasten nor cause- 
lessly delay the accomplishment of any of his 
works. Jesus was manifest precisely at the time 
Vor. I1.—24 


in which that manifestation could best promote thie 
glory of God and the salvation of man. Manifested 
his word—Tov λόγον αὐτοῦ, his doctrine—the doc- 
trine of eternal life, by the incarnation, passion, 
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Which 
is committed unto me — That is, to preach it 
among the Gentiles. ['Ev κηρύγματι ὃ ἐπιστεύθην 
ἐγὼ, for the proclamation of which I am appointed, 
according to the ordination of the Saviour, our God 
—a remarkable and unusual application of the 
name Θεός to the Saviour.] According to the 
commandment of God our Saviour—This evi- 
dently refers to the commission which Paul had re- 
ceived from Christ. (See Acts ix, 15.) As the com- 
mission was given by Jesus Christ alone, the person 
whom he terms here ‘God our Saviour” must be 
Jesus Christ. This ‘eternal life’? which God had 
“yromised,” in a comparatively obscure way under 
the Jewish dispensation, now under the Gospel he 
had made manifest—produced it with all its bright- 
ness, illustrations, and proofs. 

4. To Titus, mine own son—Him whom I 
have been the instrument of converting to the 
Christian faith; and whom I love as a man loves 
his own begotten son. After the common faith 
—[That in which all believers stand before God, in 
Christ.] Grace, mercy, and peace, from God 


‘the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our 


Saviour—[The word ἔλεος, peace, is of doubtful 
authority. It is found in a large number of good 
MSS. and Versions, but is wanting in still more. 
The best modern critics omit it. ] 

5. For this cause left I thee in Crete—That 
St. Paul had been in Crete. though nowhere else in- 
timated, is clear from this passage. That he could 
not have made such an important visit, and evan- 
gelized an island of the first consequence, without 
its being mentioned by his historian, Luke, had it 
happened during the period embraced in the Acts 
of the Apostles, must be evident. That the jour- 
ney, therefore, must have been performed after the 
time in which St. Luke ends his history—that is, 

369 


A.M. 4069. A. Ὁ, 65. 
Year of Rome, 818, 


Crete, that thou shouldest eset in order the 
things that are P wanting, and ‘ordain elders 
in every city, as I had appointed thee: 6 ‘If 
any be blameless, *the husband of one wife, 
‘having faithful children not accused of riot or 
unruly. % For a bishop must be blameless, as 
“the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon 
angry, ‘not given to wine, no striker, “not 
given to filthy lucre; 9 * But a lover of hos- 
pitality, a lover of y good men, sober, just, holy, 


TEEUS. 


The qualifications required in a 
Christian elder or bishop, 


temperate; 9 9 Holding fast «the faithful word 
'as he hath been taught, that he may be able 
¢by sound doctrine both to exhort and to con- 
vince the gainsayers. 20 For 4there are 
many unruly and vain talkers and ¢deceivers, 
f specially they of the circumcision: ΗΕ Whose 
mouths must be stopped, £ who subvert whole 
houses, teaching things which they ought not, 
‘for filthy lucre’s sake. 42 iOne of them- 
selves, even a prophet of their own, said, The 


ol Cor. 11. 34. ar ὃς. left undone.—q Acts 14, 23: 2 Tim, 


2. 2.—r7r 1 Tim. 3. 2, etc. sl Tim. 3._12.—11 Tim. 3. 4, πὶ 
—w Matt. 24. 45: 1 Cor. 4. 1,2; » Lev. 10. 9; Eph. 5. 18 
1 Tim. 3. 3, 8.701 Tim. 3.3, 8; 1 Peter ὅ. 2-1 Tim, 3. 2 


sO good things. 


after St. Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome—seems 
almost certain. Set in order the things that 
are wanting—It appears from this that the apos- 
tle did not spend much time in Crete, and that he 
was obliged to leave it before he had got the Church 
properly organized. The supplying of this defect, 
he tells Titus, he had confided to him as one whose 
spiritual views coincided entirely with his own. 
[There seems no sufficient reason for supposing, 
with Neander, that Christianity was (first) planted 
in Crete by St. Paul, on this occasion ; reorganized, 
it might have been.... The whole tenor of the 
epistle leads to the supposition that it had been 
long established. ... Cretians were present at the 
Pentecostal miracle. (Acts ii, 11.)—/licott.] Ου- 
dain elders— That thou mightest appoint (κατα- 
στήσῃς) elders —persons well instructed in divine 
things, who should be able to instruct others, and 
observe and enforce the discipline of the Church. 
It appears that those who are called “elders,” in 
this place, are the same as those termed “ bishops ” 
in verse 7. We have many proofs that bishops 
and elders were of the same order in the apos- 
tolic Church, though afterward they became dis- 
tinet. Lord Peter King, in his View of the Prim- 
itive Church, has written well on this subject. In 
every city—Kara πόλιν. In each city, or city by 
city. [As each city had its own church officers, 
each appears to have been self-governing in all 
separate or local affairs. See Neander. | 

6. If any be blameless — See 1 Tim. iii, 2, ete. 
Having faithful children—W hose family is con- 
verted to God. It would have been absurd to em- 
ploy aman to govern the Church whose children 
were not in subjection to himself; for it is an apos- 
tolic maxim, that he who cannot rule his own house 
cannot rule the Church of God. (1 Tim. iii, 5.) 

7. Not self-willed—M7 αὐθάδη; not self-opin- 
ionated, arrogant, setting up his own judgment above 
that of all others. Such a governor in the Chureh 
of God can do little good, and may do much mis- 
chief. Not soon angry — Μὴ ὀργίλον; not a 
cholerie man; one who is irritable; who is apt to 
be inflamed on every opposition; one who has not 
proper command over his own temper, (See 1 Tim. 
ili. 3.) 

8. A lover of hospitality—Adfevov ; hospit- 
able; a lover of strangers. (See 1 Tim. iii, 2.) 
[This hospitality would be especially shown when 
Christians, (apostles and evangelists, ) traveling from 
one place to another, were received and forwarded 
on their journey by their brethren.—Zv/icott.) A 
lover of good men—*Adyatov ; a lover of good- 
ness or of good things in general. [Both meanings 
are admissible.] _Sober—Prudent in all his con- 
duct. Just—In all his dealings. Holy—In his 

370 


ἘΞ 2. las 2 Dim. 1. 13-——e2 Tim, 157349716598 
3 


sees 


2 ΤΠ 2) ὩΣ: ) Or, in teaching. — 1 Tim. 1. 10: 6: 
ἢ Tin 4. 3: han: 2. 1.—d1 Tim. 1. 6.—e Rom. 16. 18. 
F Acts 15. 1. g Matt. 23. 14; 2 Tim. 3. 6.—/1 Tim. 6. 5. 


ὦ Acts 17. 58. 


heart. Temperate wet ς- and abstemious 
in his food and raiment; not too nice on points of 
honour, nor magisterially rigid in the exercise of 
his ecclesiastical functions. Qualifications quite 
too rarely found in spiritual governors. 

9. Holding fast the faithful word—Conscien- 
tiously retaining, and zealously maintaining, the 
true Christian doctrine, κατὰ τὴν διδα χὴν, according 
to the instructions, or according to the institutions, 
form of sound doctrine, or confession of faith, 
which I have delivered to thee. [The “faithful” 
word is so on account of its accordance with apos- 
tolic teaching.— Ellicott.| That he may be able by 
sound doctrine—If the doctrine be not ‘ sound,” 
vain is the profession of it, and vain its influence. 
It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing; 
but zeal for what is not of God will do no good to 
the souls of men, however sincere that zeal may be. 
To exhort—By appealing to their feelings and 
motives. And to convince—By appeals to their 
understandings refute the objections, confound the 
sophistry, and convince the gainsayers ; and thus 
defend the truth. 

10. There are many unruly — Persons who 
will not receive the sound doctrine, nor come un- 
der wholesome discipline. Wain talkers—Empty 
boasters of knowledge, rights, and particular priv- 
ileges; all noise, empty parade, and no work. De- 
ceivers—Of the souls of men by their specious 
pretensions. They of the circumcision—The 
Judaizing teachers, who maintained the necessity 
of circumcision, and of observing the rites and cere- 
monies of the Mosaic law, in order to the perfect- 
ing of the Gospel. 

‘11. Whose mouths must be stopped—Oic dei 
ἐπιστομίζειν, who ought to be silenced. Unmask them 
at once; exhibit them to the people; make mani- 
fest their ignorance and hypocrisy, and let them be 
confounded before the people whom they are en- 
deavouring to seduce. Subvert whole houses 
—Turn whole Christian families from the faith, at- 
tributing to the strait gate what belongs only to 
the broad way; ministering to disorderly passions, 
and promising salvation to their proselytes, though 
not saved from their sins. For filthy lucre’s 
sake—[For base gain, marking emphatically the 
utterly corrupt character of these teachers, It was 
not from fanatical motives, or a morbid pharisaical 
love of proselytizing, (Matt. xxiii, 15,) but simply 
for selfish objects and dirty gains. These words 
may also very probably have had reference to the 
general Cretian character.— Ellicott. | 

12. One of themselves, even a prophet of 
shell own—This was Epimenides, who was born 
at Gnossus, in Crete, and was reckoned by many 
the seventh wise man of Greece, instead of Perian- 


To the pure all things are pure: 
to the iinpure nothing is pure. 


Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bel- 
lies. 28 This witness is true. * Wherefore 
rebuke them sharply, that they may be ' sound 
in the faith; 14 "Not giving heed to Jewish 
fables, and "commandments of men, that turn 
froin the truth. 15 ° Unto the pure all things 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4089, A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Kome, 818. 


are pure: but Punto them that are defiled and 
unbelieving zs nothing pure; but even their 
mind and conscience is defiled. £6 They pro- 
fess that they know God; but 4 ἴῃ works they 
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, 
rand unto every good work * reprobate. 


1ὰ Cor. 13. 10; 2 Tim. 4, 2.—JZChap. 2. 2, — m1 Tim. 
1.4: 4 7: 2 Tim. 4. 4. — Isa. 29. 18: Matt. 15. 9; Col. 
ἃ 93.——o'Luke li, 39, 40, 41; Rom. 14. 14, 20; 1 Cor. ὃ. 12; 


der, to whom that honour was by them denied. He 
died about 538 years before the Christian era. 
When St. Paul calls him a prophet of their own, he 
only intimates that he was so reputed by the Cre- 
tians. And, according to Plutarch, (én Solone,) the 
Cretians paid him divine honours after his death. 
It may also be remarked that vates and poeta, 
prophet and poet, were synonymous terms among 
the Romans. The Cretians are always liars— 
The words quoted here by the apostle are, accord- 
ing to St. Jerome, Socrates, Nicephorus, and oth- 
ers, taken from a work of Epimenides, now no 
longer extant, entitled Περὶ χρήσμων, Concerning 
Oracles. The words form an hexameter verse :— 


Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες apyai 


The Cretians are always liars; destructive wild 
beasts ; sluggish gluttons. That the Cretians were 
reputed to be egregious liars, several of the an- 
cients declare; insomuch that Κρήτιεζειν, to act like 
a Cretian, signifies to lie. Beyvil beasts—Ferocious 
and destructive in their manners. Slow bellies 
—Addicted to voluptuousness, idleness, and glut- 
tony; sluggish or hoggish men. 

13. This witness is true—What Epimenides 
said of them nearly 600 years before continued still 
to be true. Their original character had undergone 
no moral change. Rebuke them sharply— A7zo- 
τόμως, cuttingly, severely; show no indulgence to 
persons guilty of such crimes. That they may 
be sound in the faith—That they may receive the 
incorrupt doctrine, and illustrate it by a holy and 
useful life. [The nature of the people the apos- 
tle knew to be what Epimenides had declared it; 
their tendencies were to evil, and for the sake of 
truth, holiness, and the Gospel the remedy was to 
be firmly applied.— E//icott. | 

14. Not giving heed to Jewish fables—See 
1 Tim. i, 4, and iv, 7. Commandments of men 
—The injunctions of the scribes and Pharisees, 
which they added to the law of God. That turn 
from the truth—For such persons made the word 
of God of none effect by their traditions. Some- 
times the verb ἀποστρέφειν (middle voice) signifies 
to be averse from, to slight, or despise. So, here, 
the persons in question despised the truth, and 
taught others to do the same. 

15. Unto the pure all things are pure—This 
appears to have been spoken in reference to the 
Jewish distinctions of clean and unclean meats. 
To the genuine Christian every kind of meat 
proper for nourishment is pure, is lawful, and may 
be used without seruple. This our Lord had long 
before decided. (See Luke xi, 39-41.) But unto 
them that are defiled—lIn their consciences, and 
unbelieving, ἀπίστοις, unfaithful, both to offered 
and received grace, is nothing pure; they have 
no part in Christ, and the wrath of God abides up- 
on them. Their mind is contaminated with im- 
pure and unholy images and ideas, and their con- 
science is defiled with the guilt of sins already 
committed against God. [They sin, even in law- 


10, 28, 25: 1 Tim. 4. 3, 4. —p Rom. 14. 93.—g2 Tim 3, ὃ: 
eh a Rom. 1. 28; 2 Tim. 3. 8.—sOr, void of judg- 
ment, 


ful things, because of the spirit that rules in 
them. | 

16. They profess that they know (οὐ--Θεὺν 
ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι. professing to know God. They 
—The unbelieving Jews, the seducing teachers, and 
those who had been seduced by their bad doctrine. 
None were so full of pretensions to the knowledge 
of the true God as the Jews. But in works they 
deny him—Toic δὲ ἔργοις apvotvrarc—They are full 
of a pretended faith, while utterly destitute of those 
“ works” by which a genuine faith is accredited and 
proved. Being abominable — Βδελυκτοὶ, This 
word sometimes refers to unnatural lusts. And 
disobedient— Απειθεῖς, unpersuadable, unbelieving, 
and consequently disobedient. Characters remark- 
ably applicable to the Jews through all their gener- 
ations. Unto (respecting) every good work 
reprobate -- ᾿Αδόκεμοι, adulterate ; like bad coin, 
deficient both in the weight and goodness of the 
metal, and without the proper sterling stamp; and 
consequently not current. If they did a good work, 
they did it not in the spirit in which it should be 
performed. They had the name of God’s people; 
but they were counterfeit. Of such the prophet 
said: Reprobate silver shall men call them. 


1. Though the principal part of this chapter, and 
indeed of the whole epistle, may be found in nearly 
the same words in the first epistle to Timothy, yet 
there are several circumstances here that are not so 
particularly noted in the other; and every minister 
of Christ will do well to make himself master of 
both; they should be carefully registered in his 
memory and engraven on his heart. 

2. The truth which is according to godliness in 
reference to efernal life, should be carefully re- 
garded. The substantial knowledge of the truth 
must have faith for its foundation, god/iness for its 
rule, and elernal life for its object and end. He 
who does not begin well is never likely to finish 
well. He who does not refer every thing to eter- 
nity, is never likely to live either well or happily in 
time. 

8. There is one subject in this chapter not suffi- 
ciently attended to by those who have the author- 
ity to appoint men to ecclesiastical offices—none 
should be thus appointed who is not able, hy sound 
doctrine, both to exhort and convince the gainsayers. 
The powers necessary for this are partly natural, 
partly gracious, and partly acquired. 1) If a man 
have not good natural abilities, nothing but a mir- 
acle from heaven can make him a proper preacher 
of the Gospel; and to make a man a Christian min- 
ister who is unqualified for any function of civil 
life, is sacrilege before God. 2) If the grace of 
God do not communicate ministerial qualifications, 
no natural gifts, however splendid, can be of any 
avail. To be a successful- Christian minister, a 
man must feel the worth of immortal souls in such 
a way as God only can show it, in order to spend 
and be spent in the work. He who has never 
passed through the travail of the soul in the work 

271 


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Year of Rome, 818. 


CHAPTER II. 
UT speak thou the things which become 
«sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men 
be "sober, grave, temperate, ‘sound in faith, in 
charity, in patience. % 4¢The aged women 
likewise, that they bein behaviour as becometh 
eholiness, not ‘false accusers, not given to 


ai 1 Tim. 1. 10; 6.3; 2 Tim. 1. 13 + chap. 1. 9.—2 Or, vigi- 
lant, -—e Chap. 1. 13. —d 1 Tim. 2. 9, 10: 3. 11: 1 Peter 3. 3, 4. 
ὁ Or, holy women:— Or, makebates; 2 Tim, 3. 3. 


TITUS. 


Sundry directions to aged men 
and aged women. 


much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That 
they may teach the young women to be & sober, 
“to love their husbands, to love their children, 
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, 
‘obedient to their own husbands, «that the 
word of God be not blasphemed. 6 Young 
nen likewise exhort to be! soberminded. 7 ™In 


g Or, wise.—h1 Tim. 5. 14.—i1Cor. 14. 34; Eph. δ. 22; 
Col, 3. 18; 1 Tim. 2. 11; .——-k Rom, 2. 24; 1 Tim. 
6, 1.—1J Or, discreet.—m1 Tim, 4. 12; 1 Peter 5. 3. 


of regeneration in his own heart can never make 
plain the way of salvation to others. 3) He who 
is employed in the Christian ministry should culti- 
vate his mind in the most diligent manner; he can 
neither learn nor know too much. If called of 
(rod to be a preacher, (and without such a call he 
had better be a galley slave,) he will be able to 
bring all his knowledae to the assistance and suc- 
cess of his ministry. Tf he have human learning, 
so much the better; if he be accredited, and ap- 
pointed by those who have authority in the Church, 
it will be to his advantage; but no human learn- 
ing, no ecclesiastical appointment, no mode of or- 
dination, can ever supply the divine unction without 
which he never can convert and build up the souls 
of men. The piety of the flock must be faint and 
languishing when it is not animated by the heaven- 
ly zeal of the pastor; they must be blind if he be 
not enlightened ; and their faith must be wavering 
when he can neither encourage nor defend it. 

4. As a consequence of the appointment of im- 
proper persons to the Christian ministry there will 
be not only a decay of piety, but also a corrup- 
tion of religion. No man is a true Christian min- 
ister who has not grace, gifts, and fruit; if he have 
the grace of God, it will appear in his holy life and 
godly conversation. If to this he add genuine abil- 
ities, he will give full proof of his ministry; and if 
he give full “proof of his ministry he will have 
Jruit; the souls of sinners will be converted to 
God through his preaching, and believers will be 
built up on their most holy faith. How contemp.- 
tible must that man appear in the eyes of common 
sense, who boasts of his clerical education, his 
sacerdotal order, his legitimate authority to preach, 
administer the Christian sacraments, ete., while no 
soul is benefited by his ministry! Such a person 
may have legal authority to take tithes, but as to 
an appointment from God, he has none; else his 
word would be with power, and his preaching the 
means Of salvation to perishing souls. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. But speak thou the things—The Judaizing 
feachers not only taught a false doctrine, but they 
led unholy lives; Titus was to act directly the op- 
posite ; he must teach a sacred doctrine, and the 
things which become it; he must proclaim the 
truth and illustrate that truth. The people must 
not only be well instructed, but they must be holy 
in their lives. Principle and practice must go hand 
in hand. 

2. That the aged men be sober—It refers to 
advanced years, and not to any office in the Church: 
the whole context seems to require this sense. 
[Alford holds the opposite view.] Sobriety of 
manners especially becomes the aged. Sound 
(healthy) in faith, in charity, (love,) in patience. 

3. The aged women likewise—lI believe e/der- 
ly women are meant, and not deaconesses. That 
they be in behaviour—?’ Ev καταστήματι ieporpe- 


οἷς 
οι 


πεῖς, holy beseeming. That they be in their dress, 
gait, and general deportment such as their holy 
calling requires. Not false accusers—M7 δια- 
βόλους ; literally, not devils; false accusers, slan- 
derers. (See 1 Tim. iii, 11.) Not given to much 
wine— M7 οἵνῳ πολλῷ dedovAwpévac ; not enslaved 
by much wine. Both among the Greeks and Ro- 
mans old women were generally reputed to be fond 
of ‘“much wine.” Teachers of good things— 
[Not by public teaching, but, as the context implies 
by its specifications, in domestic privacy. — δ - 
cott.| See on 1 Tim. v, 23. 

4. That they may teach the young women 
to be sober—That it was natural for the young 
to imitate the old will be readily allowed; it was 
therefore necessary that the old should be an 
example of godly living to the young. | Zw@por- 
ζωσι τὰς νέας, that they teach (bring to σωφροσύνη, 
wisdom) the young women ; tle aim of this teaching 
is given in the next words, @Aavdpouc, diA0TéKvouc, 
(husbund-loving, children- loving.) These two ideas 
are placed first, as pointing to the first and most 
obvious circumstances of the νέαι, young (married) 
women. See Huther.] [The highest and most 
honourable duties of a married woman are those of 
her own household. This the Christian religion in- 
culeates and enforces. | 

5. Keepers at home—Instead of οἰκουργοίς, keep- 
ers of the house, or keepers at home, a large number 
of the best aalghovities have οἰκουροῖ"ς, workers at 
home, which, however, does not change the sense. 
That the word of God be not blasphemed— 
The enemies of the Gospel are quickeyed to spy out 
imperfections in its professors; and, if they find 
women professing Christianity living irregular lives, 
they will not fail to decry the Christian doctrine on 
this account. [The levity of character prevalent 
among the Greek women, which seems to have been 
especially characteristic of the Cretians, made these 
admonitions the more necessary. | [᾿Αγαθάς, good, 
kind, the οἰκουρία, housekeeping, was not to be 
marred by austerity, (to servants, ete ,) or by im- 


proper thrift, ὑποτασσομένας. Ruling in their own 
households, they are still to be subordinate in 


authority, τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν, to their own husbands 
severally. See Ellicott. | 

6. Young men. exhort to be sober- 
minded—Reformation should begin with the old; 
they have the authority, and they should give the 
example. The young of both sexes must also give 
an account of themselves to God; sobermindedness 
in young men is a rare qualification, and they who 
have it not plunge into excesses and irregularities 
which in general sap the foundation of their con- 
stitution, bring on premature old age, and not sel- 
dom lead to a fatal end. [To be ‘ soberminded,” 
σωφρονεῖν. In this pregnant word a young man’s 
duty is simply but comprehensively enunciated... .. 
The repeated occurrence of this word in different 
forms in the last few verses would seem to hint 
that irregular appetites (affections) were sadly prev- 


Directions to Titus respecting 
his conduct and duties, 


all things showing thyself a pattern of good 
works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, 
gravity, "sincerity,  °Sound speech, that 
cannot be condemned; Pthat he that is of the 
contrary part ¢4may be ashamed, having no 
evil thing to say of you. 9 Lvhort ‘servants 
to be obedient unto their own masters, and to 
please them well "ἴῃ all things; not ‘ answer- 
ing again; 10 Not purloining, but showing 


CHAPTER II. 


A. Ὑ. 4:89, A. 19. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818, 


all good fidelity; "that they may adorn the 
doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 
11 For ‘the grace of God » that bringeth sal- 
vation * hath appeared to all men, 12 Teach- 
ing us ¥ that, denying ungodliness* and worldly 
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly, in this present world; ἘΦ *Looking 
for that blessed hope, and the glorious ‘ap- 
pearing of the great God and our Saviour 


nm Eph. 6. 24.—o1 Tim. 6. 3.—p Neh. 5.9; 1 Tim, 5. 14; 
1 Pet. 2. 12, 15; 3. 16. q2 Thess. 3. 14.—v Eph. 6. 4; Col. 3. 
93:1 Tim. 6. 1,231 Pet. 2. 18.-— «Eph. 5, 244.—7Z Or, guinsay- 
ing. w Matt. 5. 16; Phil. 2. 15.—vp Rom. 5.15; chap. 3. 4, 
δ: | Pet. 5. 12. — wr, that bringeth sulvation to all men, 


hath appeared. aw Luke 3. 6; John 1. 9: 1Tim. 2. 4. 
y Luke 1. 75: Rom. 6. 19; Eph. 1. 4; Col. 1. 22: 1 Thess. 4. 7. 
21 Pet. 4. 2: 1 John 2. 16. — «a1 Cor. 1. 7: Phil. 3. 20; 
2 Pet 3. 12.— Acts 24. 15: Col. 1. 5, 23: chap. 1. 2; 3.7, 
ὁ Col. 3. 4; 2 Tim. 4. 1.8: Heb. 9. 28; 1 Pet. 1. 7; 1 John 3. 3. 


alent in Crete, and that the apostle had the best of 
reasons for what is said in chapter i, 13.—H/licott. } 

7. In all things showing thyself a pattern— 
As the apostle had given directions relative to the 
conduct of old men, (verse 2,) of old women, 
(verse 3,) of young women, (verse 4,) and of young 
men, (verse 6,) the words περὶ πάντα, which we trans- 
late “in all things,” should be considered in refer 
ence to the duties required of the above per- 
sons: “showing thyself a pattern of good works” 
as to all these things, being in sobriety, gravity, 
temperance, what thou requirest others to be. In 
doctrine showing uncorruptness — Mixing 
nothing with the truth; taking nothing from it; 
adding nothing to it; and exhibiting it in all its 
connexion, energy, and fulness. 

8. Sound speech—Adyov ὑγιῆ healthy, or heal- 
ing doctrine. All false doctrines not only leave 
men under the influence of spiritual disease, but 
nearly always aggravate it; the unadulterated doc- 
trine of the Gospel alone can Heal the sin-sick. He 
that is of the contrary part—Hither the Judaiz- 
ing teachers in general, or any one who might, by 
his false doctrine, disturb the peace of the Churches. 
Having no evil thing to say of you—Against a 
person who is sound in his doctrine and holy in his 
life no evil can be justly alleged. He who reports 
evil of such a person must be confounded when 
brought to the test. Instead of wept ὑμῶν, of you, 
περὶ ἡμῶν, of Us, is the reading now generally 
accepted. This reading makes a better sense, and 
is undoubtedly genuine. 

9. Exhort servants to be obedient — The 
apostle refers to those who were slaves, and the 
property of their masters; even these are exhorted 
to be obedient, ἰδίοις δεσπόταις, to their own despots, 
though they had no right over them on the ground 
of natural justice. Please them well in all 
things—They were to endeavour to do this in all 
things, though they could not hope to sueceed in 
every thing. Not answering again—M)? ἀντιλέ- 
yovrac, not contradicting or gainsaying. This is no 
part of a servant’s duty; a servant is to do his mas- 
ter’s work, and this his master has a right to appoint. 

10, Not purloining—M?) νοσφιζομένους, neither 
giving away, privately selling, nor in any way 
wasting, the master’s goods. The word signifies 
not only sealing, but embezzling, another’s property ; 
keeping back a part of the price of any commodity 
sold on the master’s account. In Acts v, 2 we 

- translate it “kept back part of the price,” the 
crime of which Ananias and Sapphira were guilty. 
It has been remarked that among the heathens this 
species of fraud was very frequent, especially 
among servants. It was necessary, therefore, that 
the apostle should be so very particular in his 
directions to servants, as they were in general 
thieves almost by profession. [On the relations 


and duties of both servants and masters, see the 
notes on the epistle to Philemon. } 

11. The grace of God that bringeth salva- 
tion hath appeared to all men—'Ezedavy γὰρ ἡ 
χάρις Tov Θεοῦ σωτήριος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ; literally 
translated, the words stand thus: For the grace of 
God, that which saves, hath shined forth upon all 
men. Or, as it is expressed in the margin of our 
Authorized Version: The grace of God, that bring- 
eth salvation to ail men, hath appeared. [Still more 
exactly, Zhe saving grace of God hath appeared to 
all men.] In this place, and in Col. i, 6, the Gospel, 
which points out God’s infinite mercy to the woild, 
is termed the grace of God; for it is not only a favour 
of infinite worth in itself, but it announces that great- 
est gift of God to man, the incarnation and atoning 
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. [And this grace brings 
salvation equally to all men, to Jews and Gentiles, 
and to masters and slaves ; and this is here assigned 
as a reason why the duties indicated (verses 9, 10) 
should be cheerfully performed. Even the slaves, 
as they are among “all men,” have a share in that 
abounding grace; let them therefore endure their 
present estate in the patience of faith and hope.] 

12. Teaching us that, denying, ete.—Ilawei- 
ovoa, instructing us as children are instructed. 
Christ is the great teacher; and men, in order to 
learn, must become his diseiples—must put them- 
selves under his tuition, and Jearn of him. Deny- 
ing ungodliness— ᾿Ασέβειαν, all things contrary 
to God ; whatever would lead us to forget his being, 
or his providence, or his influence on the souls of 
men. Every thing, also, which is opposed to his 
true worship; theoretical and practical irreligious- 
ness. Worldly lusts—Such desires, affections, 
and appetites as men are governed by who have 
their portion in this life, and live without God in 
the world. We should live soberly—Having 
every temper, appetite, and desire under the goyv- 
ernment of veason, and reason itself under the 
government of the Spirit of God. Righteously 
—Rendering to every man his due; and filling up 
the duties of the particular stations in which it has 
pleased God to fix us. And godly—Eice;lac, just 
the reverse of what is implied in ungodliness. (See 
above.) In this present world—[’Ev τῷ viv 
αἰῶνι, in the now age, or epoch. In the temporary 
order of human affairs, in which men’s lots are 
very widely unlike, but which inequalities shall be 
righteously adjusted in the coming αἰών, For that 
better order of things we are all to look forward.] 

13. Looking for that blessed hope—Expect- 
ing the grand object of our hope, elernal life. This 
the Gospel teaches us to expect, and for this the 
grace of God prepares us. This is called a “ blessed 
hope ;” because those who have it are happy in 
the sure prospect of that glory which shall be re- 
vealed. The glorious appearing—Kai ἐπιφάνειαν 


373 


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Year of Rome, 818, 


Jesus Christ; #84 *Who gave himself for 
us, that. he might redeem us from all iniq- 
uity, °and purify unto himself Pa peculiar 
people, 4zealous of good works. 18 These 


things speak, and τ exhort, and rebuke 
with all authority. * Let no man despise 
thee. 


TITUS. 


Titus directed to remind the people 
to be obedient and peaceful. 


CHAPTER III. 
UT them in mind «to be subject to princi- 
palities and powers, to obey magistrates, 
‘to be ready to every good work, 2 ὁ 1Ὁ speak 
evil of no man, ‘to be no brawlers, but © gen- 
tle, showing all ‘meekness unto all men. 
3 For ¢ we ourselves also were sometime fool- 


aGal. 1. 4; 2, 90; Eph..5.2; 1 Tim. 2. 6. oHeb, 9. 14. 
p Exod. 15. 16; 19. 5; Deut. 7. 6; 14. 2; 26. 18; 1 Pet. 
ἊΣ 3.---ὦ Eph. 3. 10; chap. 3. 8.--τττ  ῶ Tim. 4. 2.----81 Tim, 
4, 12, 


a Rom, 13. 1; 1 Pet. 2. 13.—2 Col 1. 10; 2 Tim. 2. 21; Heb. 
13. 21.—e Eph. 4: 31.—d2 Tim. 2, 24, 25.—e Phil. 4, 5.—— 
F¥Eph. 4. 2; Col. 3. 12.—g1 Cor. 6. 11; Eph. 2. 1; Col. 1. 21; 
3.73 1 Pet. 4. 3. 


τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ Kai σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ 
Ἰησοῦ ; and the appearing of the glory of the great 
God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ. The “ blessed 
hope” refers simply to eternal glorification in gen- 
eral; the “glorious appearing,” to the realization 
of that hope when Christ appears in judgment. 
(See Phil. iii, 20, 21.) 

14. Who gave himself for us—Who gave his 
own life as a ransom price to redeem ours. This is 
evidently what is meant, as the words λυτρώσηται 
and λαὸν περιούσιον imply. The verb λυτρόω sig- 
nifies to redeem or ransom by paying a price, as I 
have often had occasion to observe ; and περιούσιος 
signifies such a peculiar property as a man has in 
what he has purchased with his own money. Jesus 
gave his life for the world, and thus has purchased 

“men unto himself; and having purchased the slaves 
from their thraldom, he is represented as stripping 
them of their sordid vestments, cleansing and puri- 
Frying them unto “himself,” that they may become 
his own servants, and bringing them out of their dis- 
honourable and oppressive servitude, in which they 
had no proper motive to diligence, and could have 
no affection for the despot under whose authority 
they were employed. Thus redeemed, they now be- 
come his willing servants, and are zealous of good 
works; affectionateiy attached to that noble em- 
ployment which is assigned to them by that Master 
whom it is an inexpressible honour to serve. This 
seems to be the allusion in the above verse. 

[This paragraph (verses 11-14) is addressed 
primarily to the class of persons named in verse 9, 
servants, (δούλους, slaves,) although, as Alford fitly 
observes, “the reference is far wider than merely 
to slaves;” and yet it has a peculiar fitness and 
adaptation as addressed to such, and well follows the 
exhortation given them to maintain fidelity to their 
own masters. During the present order of things, 
6 νῦν αἰών, the condition of the slaves was painful 
in the extreme, and they were made the victims of 
the most cruel injustice ; but this was to remain but 
a short time. The grace of the Gospel brings sal- 
vation to all men. This Gospel is now made known, 
it hath appeared, ἐπεφάνη, (shined forth, like the 
sun at his rising,) and it not only tells of the day 
of deliverance to the enslaved, (Isa. lxi, 1, Luke 
iv, 18,) but also points out their duties, especially 
in personal well-doing, during their present estate, 
and seeks to fix their faith and hopes upon the 
elorious recompense that awaits them at the com- 
ing of Christ, that is, in the day of recompense, and, 
above all else, to fix their faith on Christ as their 
condescending and once suffering and atoning Re- 
deemer, whose purpose toward his people is to pu- 
rify them by the processes of his providence and 
grace, and so to bring them into the fellowship of 
his sufferings and into sympathy with his zeal for 
good works. But while addressed primarily to 
slaves, its suitableness for all classes of men ren- 
ders it of universal adaptation. ] 

914 


15. These things speak—That is, teach ; for 
λάλει, speak, has the same meaning here as δεδάσκε, 
teach, which, as being synonymous, is actually the 
reading of the Codex Alexandrinus. And exhort 
-Παρακάλει. Repeat them again and again, and 
urge them on their attention and consciences. 
And rebuke —*EAcyye, demonstrate the import- 
ance, utility, and necessity of them; and show 
them that God requires their obedience. With 
all authority—Mera πάσης ἐπιταγῆς, with all that 
authority with which thy office invests thee, and 
which thou hast received from God. Let no man 
despise thee—<Act so that no person shall be able 
to regard you with contempt, either for your work, 
or the manner and spirit in which you perform it. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Put them in mind to be subject to prin- 
cipalities and powers — By “ principalities ” 
(apyaic) we are to understand the Roman em- 
perors or the supreme civil powers in any place. 
By “powers,” ἐξουσίαις, deputies, proconsuls, ete., 
and all such as are in authority under the supreme 
powers wherever we dwell. (See on Rom. xiii, 
1-7.) This doctrine of obedience to the civil 
powers was highly necessary for the Cretans, who 
were reputed a people exceedingly jealous of their 
civil privileges, and ready to run into insurrections 
when they suspected any attempt on the part of 
their rulers to infringe their liberties. For such 
advice as that given here the known character of 
the Cretans is a sufficient reason, 

2. To speak evil of no man—Mydéva βλασφη- 
μεῖν, to blaspheme (denounce) no person, to re- 
proach none, to speak nothing to any man’s injury ; 
but, on the contrary, to bear reproach and con- 
tumely with patience and meekness. 

3. For we ourselves — All of us, whether 
Jews or Gentiles, were, before our conversion to 
Christ, foolish, disobedient, and deceived. F'ool- 
15}---Ανόητοι, without understanding; ignorant of 
God, his nature, his providence, and his grace. 
Disobedient— Areieic, unpersuaded, unbelieving, 
obstinate, and disrespectful. Deceived—Il/avo- 
μενοι, erring, wandering from the right way; and, 
in consequence of unbelief and obstinacy, not 
choosing to know it. [Unbelief is much more of 
the heart than of the wnderstanding.| Serving 
divers lusts and pleasures — Δουλεύοντες, en- 
slaved to manifold lusts and sensuous pleasures; 
being in a state of continual thraldom; not served 
or gratified by our lusts and pleasures, but living, 
as their slaves, a life of misery and wretchedness. 
Living in malice and envy— Ep κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ 
διάγοντες, spending our life in wickedness and envy. 
[Terms that indicate the essentially evil condition 
of the whole moral and spiritual nature.] Hate- 
ful—Xrvy7roi, abominable, infernal, execrable. The 
word comes from Στύξ, Styx, the infernal river by 
which the gods were wont to swear. Hating one 


God’s philanthropy manifested in 
the redemption of inan, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, *18. 


ish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts 
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hate- 
ful, and hating one another. 4 But after 
that "the kindness and ‘love of «God our Sav- 
iour toward man appeared, ᾧ ! Not by works 
of righteousness which we have done, but ac- 
cording to his mercy he saved us, by ™the 
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the 
Holy Ghost; Ὁ ® Which he shed on us °abun- 


dantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 
@ rThat being justified by his grace, 4we 
should be made heirs ‘according to the hope 
of eternal life. 8 " 7his is a faithful saying, 
and these things I will that thou aftirm con- 
stantly, that they which have believed in God 
might be careful ‘to maintain good works. 
These things are good and profitable unto men. 
9 But "avoid foolish questions, and genealo- 


A Chap. 2. 11.—7 Or, pity.—s1 Tim. 2. 3.—/ Rom. 3. 29; 
9.11; 11. 6; Gal. 2. 16; Koh. 2. 4, 8, 9: 2'Tim. 1. 9.—7 John 
8. 8,5; Eph. ὅ. 26: 1 Pet. 3. 21. m Ezek, 36. 25; Joel 2. 28; 
John 1. 16; Acts 2. 33; 10. 45; Rom. ὅ. ὃ. 


οὔτ. richly. — p Rom, 3. 24; Gal. 2. 16; chap. 2. 1]. -- 
4 Kom, 8, 23, 24.—r Chap. 1. 2. 41 Tim, 1, 15; chap. 1. 9. 
—t Chap. 2. 14; verses 1, 14.—vw1 Tim. 1. 4; 2 Tim. 2. 23; 
chap. 1. 14. 


another — Μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους The words which 
the apostle uses in this place give a finished picture 
of the carnal state of man; and they are not true 
merely of the Cretians and Jews that then were, 
but of all mankind in every age and country; they 
express the wretched state of fallen man. 

4. But after that the kindness and love of 
God our Saviour—By χρηστότης, we may under- 
stand the essential goodness of the divine nature ; 
the spring of all kindness, merey, and beneficence. 
Toward man—i/.av0puzia, love to man. God loves 
man; he delighted in the idea when formed in his 
own infinite mind; he formed man according to that 
idea, and rejoiced in the work of his hands ; when 
man fell, the same “love” continued, and induced 
him to devise his redemption, and God the Saviour 
flows from God the Philanthropist. Where “love ” 
is it will be active, and will show itself. So the 
philanthropy of God appeared, ἐπεφάνη, (it shined 
out,) in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and in his 
giving his life for the world. 

5. Not by works of righteousness — Those 
who were foolish, disobedient, and deceived, serv- 
ing divers lusts and pleasures, could not possibly 
have “works of righteousness” to plead; there- 
fore, if saved at all, they must be saved by mercy. 
(See Col. ii, 15; Eph. ii, 8.) [Δικαιοσύνη, here, is 
not justification, but righteousness, integrity; the 
“works,” which we have done, are added emphatically 
to make the contrast all the stronger.—Huther. | 
By the washing of regeneration—Avd λουτροῦ 
παλινγενεσίας ; through the washing which is of 
(effected by) regeneration. [It is by no means cer- 
tain that the apostle makes any reference to out- 
ward baptism in this place. The renewing of the 
Holy Ghost is itself a cleansing (washing) of the 
soul, (1 Cor. vi, 11, Eph. v, 26,) and this interpre- 
tation of the words of the original wholly expresses 
their evident intent. Ye were corrupt and un- 
clean, (verse 8.) but God, in his great merey, has 
renewed you in the spirit of your minds by the 
regenerating and cleansing power of the Holy 
Spirit.] By the renewing of the Holy Ghost 
we are to understand not only the profession of 
being bound to live a new life, but the grace that 
renews the heart and enables us thus to live. 
They who think baptism to be regeneration, neither 
know the Scriptures nor the power of God; there- 
fore they do greatly err. 

6. Which he shed on us abundantly—0 
ἐξέχεεν, which (cleansing of regeneration) he poured 
out onus, not in drops, but πλουσίως, richly, in great 
abundance. Through Jesus Christ—There had 
been no outpouring of the Holy Spirit had there 
been no saving and atoning Christ. Through him 
alone all good comes to the souls of men. 

7. That being justified by his grace— 
Being freed from sin; for the term justification is 


fail. 


to be taken here as implying the whole work of 
the grace of Christ on the heart, in order to its 
preparation for eternal glory. [“ Justified,” δικαίω- 
θέντες, is here used in its usual and more strict 
theological sense ; not, however, as implying only a 
mere outward non-imputation of sin, but as involvy- 
ing a change of personal condition, an acceptance 
(being accepted) into new privileges, and the enjoy~ 
ment of the benefits thereof.— Zi/icott.|__ [‘* Justiti- 
cation ” cannot be conceived (as an accomplished 
fact) without some (inward) work of the Spirit in con- 
ferring a title to salvation.— Water/and.] Should 
be made heirs—The Gospel not only gave them 
the hope of an endless state of glory, but also of 
being begotten in Christ, and made “ heirs” through 
the adoption of grace. (See Gal. iv, 6, 7.) 

8. This is a faithful saying—lIlic70c ὁ λόγος, 
this is the true doctrine; the doctrine that cannot 
And these things I will—Kai περὶ τοΐτων 
βούλομαί oe διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, concerning these things 
we wish you to make asseveration. The things to 
which the apostle refers are those of which he had 
just been writing, and may be thus summed up: 
1) The ruined state of man through sin. 2) The 
infinite goodness of God which devised his sal- 
vation. 3) The manifestation of this goodness by 
the incarnation of Jesus Christ. 4) The justifi- 
cation which they who believed received through his 
blood. 5) The mission of the Holy Spirit, and the 
purification of the heart by his influence. 6) The 
hope of the future life, and the eternal glorification 
of redeemed souls. 7) The necessity of obedience 
to the will of God, and of walking worthy of the 
vocation wherewith they had been called. 8) And 
all these points he wills him to press continually 
on the attention of believers, and to keep con- 
stantly in view that all good comes from God’s in- 
finite kindness, by and through Christ Jesus. 
They which have believed in God — All δε- 
lievers ; for [by that title were all of the ear- 
liest Christians designated.] [Ka/ov ἔργων, good 
works. The recurrence of this expression, in the 
pastoral epistles, (verse 14; 1 Timothy v, 10, 25; 
vi, 18,) has been often noticed. The nature of 
the errors condemned in these epistles was exactly 
such as required the reiteration of such a command, 
It was not to be a hollow, specious, falsely ascetic 
and sterile Christianity, but one that showed itself 
in outward actions.—£ilicott.| These things are 
good and profitable — | Not the good works, but 
the lessons which the apostle had now delivered, 
(verses 4-7 ;) these were “ good,” because they were 
according to truth, and their observance would 
always prove advantageous. See Alford.]| They 
are “good” in themselves, and calculated to pro- 
mote the well-being of men. 

9. Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies 
—In these the Jews particularly delighted; they 

375 


A. M. 4069. A. D. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818, 


TICS: 


Titus directed how to treat heretics, 
Ordered to meet Paul at Nicopolis. 


gies, and contentions, and strivings about the 
law; ‘for they are unprofitable and vain. 
40 A man that is a heretic, “after the first 
and second admonition, *reject; Δ Know- 
ing that he that is such is subverted, and sin- 
neth, » being condemned of himself. 12 When 
I shall send Artemas unto thee, or 5 Tychicus, 
be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for 


22 Tim. 2, ἢ. «158 Cor. 13. 3.- -α Matt. 18, 17; Rom. 16. 
17; 2'Vhess, 3. 6, 14; 2 Tim. 3. 5; 2 John 10.—-y Acts 18, 46.— 
2 Acts 20. 4; 2 Tim. 4. 12. 


I have determined there to winter. 13 Bring 
Zenas the lawyer and * Apollos on their jour- 
ney diligently, that nothing be wanting unto 
them. 44 And let ours also learn >to *main- 
tain good works for necessary uses, that they 
be ὁποῦ unfruitful. 26 All that are with me 
salute thee. Greet them that love us in the 
faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. 

a Acts 18, 24.—b Verse 8.—c Or, profsess honest trades, 


Eph. 4. 28. —d Rom. 15. 28; Phil. 1. 11; 4. 17; Col. 1. 10; 
2 Peter 1. 8. 


abounded in the most frivolous questions ; and, as 
they had little piety themselves, they were solici- 
tous to show that they had descended from godly 
ancestors. Contentions, and strivings about 
the law—Of legal contentions, and different and 
conflicting decisions about the meaning of particu- 
lar rites and ceremonies, the Talmud is full. [The 
subject of contention would be the justification or not 
of certain commandments of men, out of the law ; 
or perhaps the mystical meaning of the various 
portions of the law as affecting these genealogies. 
— Alford.]| 

10. A man that is a heretic—Aipertixov ἄνθρω- 
πον, a heretical man; generally defined, one that is 
obstinately attached to an opinion contrary to the 
peace and comfort of society, and who will submit 
to neither Scripture nor reason. Here if means a 
person who maintains Judaism in opposition to 
Christianity, or who insists on the necessity of cir- 
cumcision, ete., in order to be saved. This is 
obviously the meaning of the word “heretic” in the 
only place in which it occurs in the sacred writ- 
ings. [The exact meaning of this word must not 
be deduced from the usage of later writers, but 
simply from the apostle’s use of the substantive 
from which it is derived... . Thus, then, the 
heretical man, will here be one who gives rise to 
divisions by erroneous teaching, not necessarily 
of a fundamentally heterodox nature, but of the 
kind just described. (See verse 9, and chapter 
i, 14.)\—Ellicott.| After the first and second 
admonition, reject—Labour to convince him of 
his error; but if he will not receive instruction— 
if he have shut his heart against conviction, then 
shun him, παραιτοῦ. Do him no harm, but hold no 
communion with him, and leave him to God. (See 
the notes on Acts v, 17; xxiv, 14.) 

11. Is subverted—ZJs turned out of the way in 
which he may be saved, and consequently sinneth ; 
enters into that way that leads to destruction. 
Being condemned of himself—[Not that the 
man condemns himself directly and explicitly, as 
that might be a step toward recovery, but that he 
condemns himself indirectly and implicitly, as act- 
ing against the law of his mind, and doing in his 
own particular case what in the general he con- 
demns. — Lilicott.| Were the Churches in all 
countries strictly scrutinized, there is-reason to fear 
that multitudes of Aeretics of this kind would be 
found. 

12. When I shall send Artemas.. . Tychi- 
cus — These were either deacons or presbyters, 
whom the apostle intended to send to Crete, to 
supply the place of Titus. Artemas is not men- 
tioned in any other place in the New Testament. 
Tychicus was a native of Asia. (Acts χχ, 4) Be 
diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis—Nicop- 
olis was a city of Epirus, on the gulf of Ambracia, 
near to Actium, which Augustus built in commem- 

376 


oration of his victory over Mark Antony. There 
was another Nicopolis in Thrace, at the entrance of 
Macedonia, on the river Nessus; but the former 
is supposed to be the place here intended. For 
I have determined there to winter—Hence the 
apostle was at /iberty, seeing his spending the win- 
ter at this or at any other practicable place de- 
pended on his own determination. It was probably 
pretty late in the autumn, and the apostle was now 
drawing near to Nicopolis; for he certainly was 
not yet arrived, else he would not have said, “ I have 
determined (ἐκεῖ) there to winter.” 

13. Bring Zenas the lawyer—This person is 
only mentioned in this place; whether he was.a 
Jewish, Roman, or Greek lawyer, we cannot tell. 
And Apollos — Of this person we have some 
valuable particulars, (See Acts xviii, 24; 1 Cor, 
i, 12; iii, 5, 6; iv, 6.) Hither St. Paul had left 
these at Crete when he visited that island, or he 
had heard that, in their evangelical itinerancy, they 
were about to pass through it. On their journey 
diligently— Afford them the means to defray their 
expenses. The Churches through which these evan- 
gelists passed bore their expenses from one to the 
other. (See 3 John 6.) 

14. And let ours also learn to maintain good 
works — There is something very remarkable in 
this expression. The words καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασ- 
θαι, which we translate “to maintain good works,” 
occur also in verse 8, and some think they mean, 
to provide for our own necessities, and those of 
others, by working at some honest occupation ; and 
that this was necessary to be taught to the Cretians, 
is evident from the words /eé ours also learn, etc., 
who were naturally and practically ¢dle gluttons. 
[Ours, ἡμέτεροι, our people, those of the Church. 
The good works here named were evidently contri- 
butions for the necessary requirements of the poor 
and those engaged in the services of the Church. ] 
Flor necessary uses—That they may be able at 
all times to help the Church of God, and those that 
are in want. That they be not unfruitful—As 
they must be if they indulge thenfselves in their 
idle, slothful disposition. 

15. All that are with me—He means his com- 
panions in the ministry. Salute thee—Wish thee 
well, and desire to be affectionately remembered to 
thee. Greet them that love us in the faith— 
All that love us for Christ’s sake, and all that are 
genuine Christians. Grace be with you—May 
the divine favour be your portion for ever, Some 
MSS. read, Zhe grace of the Lord be with you all; 
others, The grace of God be with you all ; and one, 
Grace be with tay spirit, as if the greeting was sent 
to Vitus only, whereas the others send it to the 
whole Church at Crete. Amen— This is wanting 
in the best MSS. The subscriptions are, as usual, 
various, and of novalue. Some of them are absurd 
and ridiculous. 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE 


TO 


PHILEMON. 


THE PERSON ADDRESSED. 

ee: the person to whom this epistle is addressed, was undoubtedly, at 

the time in which it was sent, an inhabitant of Colosse, and was probably 
a Colossian by birth, though some suppose that he was of Ephesus. It is evident 
(from verse 19) that he was converted to the Christian faith by St. Paul; but as 
some suppose that the apostle had not visited Colosse previously to the writing of 
this epistle, they think it probable that he might have met with him at Ephesus, 
or in some other part of Asia Minor, where he formed an acquaintance with him, 
and became the means of his conversion. But there is no need for this supposi- 
tion, as it is probable that the apostle had not only visited Colosse prior to this, 
but that the Gospel was planted in that city, as in all other parts of Phrygia, 
by himself. (See preface to the epistle to the Colossians, and note on Col. ii, 1.) 

That Philemon was a person of some consideration in his own city, and in the 
Church in that place, is very evident from this epistle. He had a church in his 
house, (verse 2,) and was so opulent as to be renowned for works of charity, and 
for entertaining those Christians who from different quarters had occasion to 
visit Colosse. (See verses 5-7.) Whether he had any office in the Church does 
not appear: some think he was a bishop; others, an elder or deacon; but of this 
there is no evidence. He was probably a private member, [layman,] whose house, 
hand, and property were consecrated to God, his Church, and the poor. Both the 
heart and the means to do secular good are possessed by few, whereas multitudes 
are found willing both to teach in and to govern the Church. 

The occasion of writing this letter was peculiar and highly significant. 
Onesimus, a slave, (δοῦλος, bondservant,) had run away from his master Phile- 
mon, and had fled to Rome, where Paul was at that time in prison, though not 
in close confinement, for he dwelt in his own hired house, in which he assiduously 
preached the Gospel, being guarded only by one soldier. (See Acts xxviii, 
16, 23, 30.) 

It appears that Onesimus sought out Paul, whose public preaching had rendered 
him famous in the city, and from whom he may have heard the word of life 
preached by the apostle at his master’s house in Colosse, and here Paul became 
the means of his conversion. Being thus brought to God, he became affec- 
tionately attached to his spiritual father, and served him zealously as his son in 
the Gospel. Onesimus, being thus brought to the acknowledgment of the truth 


which is according to godliness, gave the apostle a full account of his escape τ om 
377 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO PHILEMON. 


his master, and no doubt intimated his own wish to return and repair the wrong 
which he had done. Though Onesimus was now both dear and necessary to Paul, 
yet, as justice required that reparation should be made, he resolved to send him 
back; and, to remove all suspicion from the mind of Philemon, and to reconcile 
him to his once unfaithful servant, he wrote the following letter, in which, as Dr. 
Macknight expresses it, ‘‘ with the greatest softness of expression, warmth of affec- 
tion, and delicacy of address, he not only interceded for Onesimus’s pardon, but 
urged Philemon to esteem him and put confidence in him as a sincere Christian; 
and because restitution, by repairing the injury that had been done, restores the 
person who did it to the character he had lost, the apostle, to enable Onesimus to 
appear in Philemon’s family with some degree of reputation, bound himself in 
this epistle, by his handwriting, (verses 18, 19,) not only to repay all that Onesi- 
mus owed to Philemon, but to make full reparation also for whatever injury had 
been done hin. 

It is generally thought that Onesimus had robbed his master; but there is 
nothing in the epistle which necessarily implies this; the words, “If he hath 
wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account,” (verse 18,) cer- 
tainly do not prove it; they only state a possible case, that he might have wronged 
his master, or have been under some pecuniary obligation to him; and the apos- 
tle, by expressing his willingness to assume this, greatly strengthened his own 
argument, and met the last objection which Philemon could be supposed to be 
capable of making. 

WHEN AND WHERE WRITTEN. 

That this epistle was written about the same time with those to the Philip- 
pians and Colossians is proved by several coincidences. ‘As the letter to Phile- 
mon and that to the Colossians were written,” says Dr. Paley, “at the same time, 
and sent by the same messenger, the one to a particular inhabitant, the other to 
the Church of Colosse, it may be expected that the same or nearly the same per- 
sons would be about St. Paul, and join with him, as was the practice, in the salu- 
tations of the epistle. Accordingly we find the names of Aristarchus, Marcus, 
Epaphras, Luke, and Demas, in both epistles. Timothy, who is joined with St. 
Paul in the superscription of the epistle to the Colossians, is jomed with him in this. 
Tychicus did not salute Philemon, because he accompanied the epistle to Colosse, 
and would undoubtedly there see him.” It will not be forgotten that Onesimus, 
the bearer of this epistle, was one of the bearers of that sent to the Colossians, 
(Col. iv, 9;) that when the apostle wrote that he was in bonds, (Col. iv, 
3, 18,) which was his case, also, when he wrote this, (see verses 1, 10, 18, 23,) 
and from various other circumstances, we may conclude that the two epistles 
were written about the same time, namely, the ninth year of Nero. 

[But Meyer supposes that this epistle was written from Cesarea during St. 
Paul’s two years’ detention by Festus. His remarks are: “The place and time 
(of the writing of this epistle) are the same as with the epistles written from 
the captivity in Cesarea (not, as is usually supposed, at Rome) tot he Ephesians 
and Colossians, and with the lost epistle to the Laodiceans.” In all this, how- 
ever, both the great preponderance of authority and the internal evidence seem 


to be on the other side. | 
378 


THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


PHILEMON. 


CHAPTER I. 

AUL, *a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Tim- 
othy our brother, unto Philemon our 
dearly beloved, "and fellow labourer, 2 And 
to our beloved Apphia, and © Archippus ¢our 
fellow soldier, and to ¢ the church in thy house: 
ΠΣ ‘Grace to you, and peace, from God our 
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 &1 thank 
my God, making mention of thee always in my 


ὦ Eph. 3.1; 4. 1; 2 Tim. 1. 8; verse 9.—D Phil. 2. 25.—c Col. 
= 17,—d Phil. 2. 25.—e Rom, 16, 5; 1 Cor. 16. 19.—/ Eph. 


NOTES ON PHILEMON. 

1. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ—It has 
already been noted, in the preface, that Paul was a 
prisoner at Rome when he wrote this epistle and 
those to the Colossians and Philippians. The orig- 
inal word δέσμιος, which we here render “a pris- 
oner,” literally means bound with a chain. It shows 
us, in some measure, Paul’s circumstances — one 
arm was bound with a chain to the arm of the sol- 
dier to whose custody he had been delivered. Un- 
to Philemon our dearly beloved—There is a 
peculiarity in the use of proper names in this epis- 
tle which is not found in any other part of St. Paul’s 
writings. The names to which we refer are Phile- 
mon, Apphia, and Archippus. 

2. Apphia—’Ardia τῇ ἀδελῴῃ, and to Apphia 
the beloved sister. Though ἀδελφῇ, sister, be not in 
our common text, it is found in most of the best 
MSS. and Versions, and is generally accepted, and 
is undoubtedly genuine. Archippus— Αρχίππῳ, 
the ruler or master of the horse. The import of 
the name may have led Paul to say: Archippus our 
FELLOW SoLtpierR. To the church in thy house— 
The congregation of Christians frequently assem- 
bling in Philemon’s house, for at this time the Christ- 
ians had neither temples, churches, nor chapels. 
(See Rom. xvi, 5.) It has been conjectured that 
“Apphia” was the wife of Philemon, and Archip- 
pus their son, the pastor of the Church at Phile- 
mon’s house. [But this is only conjecture. } 

4. Ithank my God—For all the good he has 
bestowed upon you, making mention of thee al- 
ways in my prayers. [A touching proof of deep 
and tender personal regard, extending to both tem- 
poral and spiritual things. ] 

5. Hearing of thy love and faith—Philemon’s 
“faith” in Christ Jesus, his “love” to the saints. 
“Faith” must refer to Jesus Christ, and “ love” 
to the saints. 

ὃ, That the communication of thy faith— 


prayers, 5 'Hearing of thy love and faith, 
which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and 
toward all saints; 6 That the communica- 
tion of thy faith may become effectual 'by the 
acknowledging of every good thing which is 
in you in Christ Jesus. 7% For we have great 
joy and consolation in thy love, because the 
bowels of the saints «are refreshed by thee, 
brother. Ὁ. Wherefore, !'though I might be 


σ Eph. 1. 16; 1 Thess, 1. 2; 2 Thess. 1, 3.——h Eph. 1. 15: Col, 
4.—-7 Phil. 1. 9, 1l.—ana 2 Cor. 7. 18; 2 Tim. 1. 16; verse 20. 
—/1 Thess. 2. 6 


The words ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς cov, the fellow- 
ship or “ communication of thy faith,” may be un- 
derstood as referring to the work of love toward 
the saints—the poor Christians, which his “faith ” 
in Christ enabled him to perform, “faith” being 
taken here for its effects; and indeed the word 
κοινωνία itself is not unfrequently used to denote 
liberality, almsgiving. May become effectual 
—Dr. Macknight understands these words thus: 
“That the many good offices which thou dost to 
the saints may become effectual in bringing others to 
the acknowledgment of every good disposition which 
is in you toward Christ Jesus, or toward his mem- 
bers.” 

ἡ. For we have great joy—The Greek author- 
izes the following arrangement: For we have great 
joy and consolation in thy love. O brother, because 
the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee. (So 
the Revised Version.) The apostle speaks here of 
the works of charity in which Philemon abounded 
toward poor Christians. 

8. Wherefore, though I might be much 
bold—It would be better to read: Wherefore, al- 
though I have much authority, through Christ, to 
command thee to do what is proper; yet, on account 
of my love to thee, I entreat thee. (See Revised Ver- 
sion.) The tenderness and delicacy of this epistle, 
says Dr. Paley, have long been admired: “ Though 
I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that 
which is convenient ; yet, for love’s sake, I rather 
beseech thee, being such a one as Paul the aged, and 
now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ—I beseech thee 
for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my 
bonds.” There is something certainly very gentle 
and persuasive in this and every part of the epis- 
tle, and yet the character of St. Paul prevails in it 
throughout. The warm, affectionate, authoritative 
teacher is interceding with an absent friend for a 
beloved convert. He urges his suit with an ear- 
nestness befitting, perhaps, not so much the occa- 

379 


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Yeur of Rome, 815, 


much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which 
is convenient, 9 Yet for love’s sake I rather 
beseech thee, being such a one as Paul the 
aged, "and now also a prisoner of ‘Jesus 
Christ. 10 I beseech thee for my son ® Ones- 
imus, °whom I have begotten in my bonds: 
hi Which in time past was to thee unprofit- 
able, but now profitable to thee and to me: 
12 Whom 1 have sent again: thou there- 
fore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: 


PHILEMON. 


Pau) entreats Philemon to receive 
Onesimus as a brother. 


13 Whom I would have retained with me, 
Pthat in thy stead he might have ministered 
unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 84 But 
without thy mind would I do nothing; 4 that 
thy benefit should not be as it were of neces- 
sity, but willingly. ἘΦ "For perhaps he there- 
fore departed for a season, that thou shouldest 
receive hin for ever; 16 Not now as ἃ ser- 
vant, but above a servant, ‘a brother beloved, 
specially to me, but how much more unto thee, 


m Verse 1.—n Col. 4. 9.—0o01 Cor. 4. 15; Gal. 4, 19.—~p 1 Cor. 
10. 17; Phil. 2. 30. 


sion as the ardour and sensibility of his own mind. 
Here, also, as everywhere, he shows himself con- 
scious of the weight and dignity of his mission: 
nor does he suffer Philemon, for a moment, to for- 
get it. St. Paul’s discourse at Miletus; his speech 
before Agrippa: his epistle to the Romans; that to 
the Galatians, (chapter iv, 11-20;) to the Philip- 
pians, (i, 29; ii, 2:) the second to the Corinthians, 
(vi, 1~13 ;) and indeed one part or another of almost 
every epistle, exhibit examples of a similar appli- 
cation to the feelings and affections of the persons 
whom he addresses. And it is observable that 
these pathetic effusions, drawn for the most part 
from his own sufferings and situation, usually pre- 
cede a command, soften a rebuke, or mitigate the 
harshness of some disagreeable truth. 

9. Paul the aged—If we allow St. Paul to have 
been about twenty-five years of age at the utmost, 
in the year 31, when he was assisting at the mar- 
tyrdom of Stephen, (Acts vii, 58;) as this epistle 
was written about A.D. 62, he could not have been 
at this time more than about fifty-six years old. 
This could not constitute him an “aged” man in 
our sense of the term; yet, when the whole length 
of his life is taken in, being martyred about 
four years after this, he may not improperly be 
considered an “ aged” or elderly man, though it is 
generally allowed that his martyrdom took place in 
the 66th year of our Lord. But the word πρέσβυς 
signifies, not only an old man, but also an ambas- 
sador; because old or elderly men were chosen to 
fulfil such an office, because of their experience and 
solidity; and πρεσβύτης, for mpeaBevryc, is used in 
the same sense, and for the same reason, by the 
Septuagint; hence some have thought that we 
should translate here: Paul the ambassador. This 
would agree very well with the scope and even 
the design of the place. [Meyer dissents from 
Calvin’s view, that not age but office is intended 
by the term πρεσβύτης, and adds, “ He sets himself 
down as a veteran in contradistinction to the younger 
friend, who was once his disciple. | 

10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus— 
[Ὀνήσιεμον, (useful, or profitable.)| It is evident 
from this that Onesimus was converted by St. Paul 
while he was prisoner at Rome, and perhaps not 
long before he wrote this epistle. 

11. Was to thee unprofitable—’A  χρηστον, al- 
luding to the meaning of Onesimus’s name, though 
the apostle uses a different Greek word to express 
the same idea. 

12. Whom I have sent again—The Christian 
religion never cancels any civil relations; a s/ave, 
on being converted, and becoming a freeman of 
Christ, has no right to claim, on that ground, 
emancipation from the service of his master. Jus- 
tice, therefore, required St. Paul to send back Ones- 
imus to his master, and conscience obliged Onesi- 

980 


42 Cor. 9. 7.—7So Gen. 45. ὁ. 8.—s Matt. 23. 8; 1 Tim. 
6. 2. 


mus to agree in the propriety of the measure ; but 
love to the servant induced the apostle to write this 
conciliating letter to the master. (See at the end.) 

18, That in thy stead he might have min- 
istered unto me—Philemon being one of Paul’s 
converts, the latter became thereby his spiritual 
father, and had a right to his services when in need. 
This was a strong argument, not only to induce: 
Philemon to forgive his servant, but to send him 
back to the apostle, that he might minister to him 
in his master’s stead. 

14. That thy benefit should not be as it 
were of necessity—lIf the apostle had kept Ones- 
imus in his service, and written to Philemon to 
forgive him and permit him to stay, to this it is 
probable he would have agreed; but the benefit 
thus conceded might have lost much of its real 
worth by the consideration that, had he been at 
Colosse, Philemon would not have sent him to 
Rome; but, being there and in the apostle’s ser- 
vice, he could not with propriety order him home ; 
thus the benefit to the apostle would have ap- 
peared to have been of necessity. The apostle, 
therefore, by sending him back again, gave Phile- 
mon the opportunity to do all as if sel/-moved to 
it. This is a very delicate touch. 

15. ΗΘ... departed for a season—This is 
another most delicate stroke. He departed thy 
slave, thy unfaithful slave; he departed for a short 
time; but so has the mercy of God operated in his 
behalf, and the providence of God in thine, that he 
now returns, not an unfaithful s/ave, in whom thou 
couldst repose no confidence, but as a brother, a 
beloved brother in the Lord, to be in the same 
heavenly family with thee for ever. Thou hast, 
therefore, reason to be thankful to God that he 
did depart, that he might be restored to thee again 
infinitely better than he was when he left thee. 
God has permitted his unfaithfulness, and overruled 
the whole both to his advantage and thine. The 
apology for Onesimus is very similar to that made 
by Joseph for his brethren. (See Gen. xlv, 5.) 

16. Not now as a servant— Do not receive 
him merely as thy s/ave, nor treat him according to 
that condition; but as a brother, as a genuine 
Christian, and particularly dear to me. Both in 
the flesh, and in the Lord—There is no reason 
to believe that Onesimus was of the kindred of 
Philemon; and we must take the term “flesh,” 
here, as referring to the legal relation in which 
Philemon stood to him. He was a part of his 
property and of his family; as a slave, this was 
his condition ; but he now stood in a twofold re- 
lation to Philemon: 1) Aceording to the “ flesh,” 
as above explained, he was one of his family. 2) 
“In the Lord;” he was now also a member of 
the heavenly family, and of the Church in Phile- 
mon’s house. Philemon’s interest in him was now 


Paul offers to repay Philemon whatever a) T A. M. 4066. A. Ὁ. 62. 
ei tae ὌΠ ΤΙΣ ik owe him. PHILEMON * Year of Rome, 815. 
tboth in the flesh, and in the Lord? 47 Π ἰὼ thy obedience I wrote unto thee, know- 


thou count me therefore “a partner, receive 
him as myself. U8 If he hath wronged thee, 
or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account; 
19 I Paul have written 7¢ with mine own 
hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to 
thee how thou owest unto me even thine own 
self besides. 20 Yea, brother, let me have 
joy of thee in the Lord: ‘refresh my bow- 
els in the Lord. 28 “Ilaving confidence 


ὁ Ὁ]. 3. 22.——2 2 Cor. 8. 23.—~v Verse 7.—70 2 Cor. 7. 16.— 
@ Phil. 1. 25; 2. 24.—-y 2 Cor. 1. 11.—< Col. 1. 7; 4. 12. 


ing that thou wilt also do more than I say. 
22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for 
x] trust that »through your prayers I shall 
be given unto you. 28 There salute thee 
« Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus ; 
24 «Marcus, »Aristarchus, *Demas, ¢ Lucas, 
iny fellow labourers. 25 ©The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 
Amen. 


a Acts 12, 12, 25. b Acts 19, 29; 27. 2: Col. 4. 10.—cCol. 
4, 14.—d ὃ Tim. 4. 11.—e2 Tim. 4. 22, 


doubled, in consequence of his conversion to Chris- 
tianity. 

17. If thou count me therefore a partner— 
[ἸΚοινωνόν, one having an interest in common.| If 
thou dost consider me as a friend, if [ have still 
the place of a friend in thy affection, receive him 
as myself. 

18. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee 
aught—Had the apostle been assured that Onesi- 
mus had robbed his master, he certainly would not 
have spoken in this hypothetical way: If he have 
wronged thee, or owe thee aught, (through lack 
of service while with me,) place all to my ac- 
count. 

19. I Paul have written it with mine own 

hand — It is likely that the whole of the letter 
was written by St. Paul himself, which was not his 
usual custom. (See on 2 Thess. iii, 17.) But by 
thus speaking he bound Philemon to do what he 
requested, as an act of common civility, if he could 
not feel a higher motive from what he had already 
urged. Albeit I do not say to thee how thou 
owest unto me—I ask thee to do this thing 
to oblige me, though I will not say how much thou 
owest untome. Ewen thine own self—As I have 
been the means of thy conversion. 
- 20. Yea, brother—lIt is even so, that thou art 
thus indebted to me. Let me have joy of thee 
—In forgiving Onesimus, and receiving him into 
,thy favour. In the words ἐγώ cov ὀναίμην, which 
we should translate, let me have prorir of thee, 
there is an evident play on the name of Onesimus. 
Refresh my bowels—Gratify the earnest longing 
of my soul in this. I ask neither thy money nor 
thy goods; I ask what will enrich, not impoverish, 
thee to give. 

21. Having confidence in thy obedience— 
I know that it will please thee thus to oblige thy 
friend, and I know that thou wilt do more than I 
request, because thou hast the affection of a son 
to thy spiritual father. 

22. But withal prepare me also a lodging — 
Does not the apostle mention this as conferring an 
obligation on Philemon? I will begin to repay 
thee by taking up my abode at thy house, as soon 
as I shall be enlarged from prison. For I trust 
that through your prayers—It is very likely 
that this epistle was written a short time before 
the liberation of the apostle from his first impris- 
onment at Rome, (see Acts xxviii, 30, Phil. ii, 24,) 
and that he had that liberation now in full pros- 
pect. 

25. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner — Epa- 
phras was a Colossian, (See Col. iv, 12.) But there 
is no account there of his being in prison, though 
the not mentioning of it does not necessarily imply 
that he was not. Some time or other he had suf- 
fered imprisonment for the truth of the Gospel ; 


and on that account St. Paul might, in a general 
way, call him “ fellow prisoner.” 

24. Marcus, Aristarchus, etc. — These were 
all acquaintances of Philemon, and probably Colos- 
sians; and may be all considered as joining here 


with St. Paul in his request for Onesimus. Some 
think that ‘“ Marcus” was the evangelist. ‘“ Aris- 


tarchus”” was probably the same with him men- 
tioned Acts xix, 29; xx, 4; xxvii, 2. (See Col. 
iv, 10.) Demas—Is supposed to be the same who 
continued in his attachment to Paul till his last 
imprisonment at Rome; after which he left him 
for what is supposed to have been the love of the 
world. (2 Tim. iv, 10.) Lucas—Is supposed to be 
Luke the evangelist, and author of the Acts of the 
Apostles. On these suppositions little confidence 
can be placed: they may be correct; they may be 
otherwise. 

25. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be 
with your spirit—By using the plural, ὑμῶν, 
your, the apostle in effect directs or addresses the 
epistle, not only to Philemon, but ¢o a// the Church 
at his house. Amen—lIs wanting, as usual, in the 
best MSS. 

The subscriptions are also various, and of no 
value, as in the preceding cases. 


ADDITIONAL NOTE ON VERSE 12. 

[‘ Christianity,” said Mr. Canning, in one of the 
debates upon the emancipation of the West India 
slaves, “grew up amid the scenes of tyranny which 
are described in the sixth Satire of Juvenal. It 
recognised the institution of slavery. How can it 
be said to be essentially adverse to that institu- 
tion?” This question ought to be fairly met. 
What is the answer? The epistle to Philemon, I 
think, supplies it. St. Paul, in his letters to the 
Churches, had not proclaimed that slaves were free 
from their masters; had not insisted on masters 
dismissing their slaves; he had simply said that 
they were brothers. Here he explains that posi- 
tion. He calls upon a master to receive back a 
runaway slave as both a servant and ἃ brother. 
He might, he says, admonish him to do this as an 
apostle; but he begs it for the love of Christ, and 
for the love which Philemon bears to him, the 
bondman of Christ, because such entreaties are 
mightier than commands. Here is the method ot 
the apostle and the Church for destroying slavery. 
They strike at the root of it, by proclaiming that 
aman can never be a thing nor a chattel. But they 
strike, not merely at a particular arrangement 
which has introduced that cursed notion and 
canonized it, but at every other that interferes with 
the recognition of God’s fatherhood and Christ’s 
brotherhood, and with the indwelling Spirit of 
Christ in men, to the end that their true manhood 
may be called forth in them.—Ken. F. D. Maurice.) 

381 


A. M. 4066, A. D. 62, 
Yeur of Rome, 815. 


PHILEMON. 


Observations on the Epistle 
to Philemon. 


AppiTionaL Nores. 

[It is difficult to resist the impression that Paul 
meant that Philemon should liberate Onesimus, and 
allow him as his own master to return to Paul at 
Rome, or to use his liberty in any other way, as he 
pleased. Having asked every thing short of that 
already, nothing but that seemed to remain as the 
something (ὑπὲρ ὃ) which he had not asked. <Ac- 
cording to De Wette, the sense is: “Thou wilt not 
only pardon him and give him his freedom, (as re- 
quested before, in verse 16,) but also confer (other) 
favours.”’ So also Schrader: ‘ Paul, instead of con- 
tenting himself with having QOnesimus set free, 
(which is presupposed after what is said in verse 
16,) desires now that he should be dismissed with 
such other manifest tokens of goodwill as was 
right to expect from a man of Philemon’s noble 
spirit.” Rosenmiiller: “ Haee verba ad libertatem 
servo reduci concedendam alludere non absimile est 
vero.’ ‘This verse serves,” says Alford, “to put 
Philemon in mind of Paul’s apostolical authority, 
and hints delicately at the manumission of Onesi- 
mus, which he had not yet requested.” Webster 
and Wilkinson: ‘Perhaps the apostle refers (in 
verse 21) to the possibility of Philemon giving 
Onesimus his freedom.” ‘In the words εἰδὼς ὅτε, 
k. τ. 4.,” says Koch, (p. 124,) “the apostle ex 
presses his assurance that Philemon will not only 
cheerfully forgive the convicted Onesimus his of- 
fence, and grant him his freedom, but will go fur- 
ther than this, (ὑπὲρ 6,) that is, anticipate any 
other wants, and supply them.” Dr. Bleek says: 
“ Without doubt what the apostle principally means 
is, that Philemon should grant to Onesimus his lib- 
erty, which he has nowhere definitely expressed 
as his desire in what precedes, (not even in verse 
16.) But asa freedman, also, Onesimus might after 
that stand in a still closer personal relation to him, 
and remain in his service, as was very often the 
case with freedmen, the liberti.”’ 

[On the contrary, some others find the meaning 
to be no more than that Paul had the fullest confi- 
dence in Philemon as a Christian brother, who would 
do for Onesimus, who was also their brother, not 
only what the apostle had asked for him, but more 
too, if he had asked it. The request is not spe- 
cific in this case, and no one favour expected of him 
more than another. So Rothe, (p.57:) Mihi Paulus, 
cum haee scribebat, non certam aliquam rem in men- 
te habwisse, sed eo modo locutus videtur esse, quo in 
vita communi solemus loqui, cum alicui non dubi- 
tare nos, quin sit in nos officiosissimus affirmare 
volumus.” Meyer holds that there is no reference 
to the emancipation, either in this verse (16) or in 
verse 13. “It is doubtful,” says Ellicott, ‘‘ whether 
this alludes to the manumission of Onesimus. The 
tenor of the epistle would seem to imply some- 
thing more than confidence on the part of the 
apostle that Philemon would show to the fugitive 
some greater kindness and a more affectionate 
reception than he had pleaded for.” We may say, 
in conclusion, at all events, that whatever Philemon 
understood the apostle to say or intimate, he was 
not slow to perform. The fact of our having this 
epistle in our hands at the present moment is good 
proof that he was not remiss in acting upon every 
intimation of what was to be expected from his 
friendship or his love of justice ; for our own feel- 
ings assure us, that he would never have allowed 
such a letter to see the light, if it was to exist only 
as a perpetual witness of his ingratitude and his 
severity.—H. B, Hackett, D.D., in Lange.] 

382 


[The epistle to Philemon has been deservedly 
admired as a model of delicacy and skill in the de- 


partment of composition to which it belongs. The 
writer has peculiar difficulties to overcome. He 


was the common friend of the parties at variance. 
He must conciliate a man who supposed that he 
had good reason to be offended. He must com- 
mend the offender, and yet neither deny nor agera- 
vate the imputed fault. He must assert the new 
ideas of Christian equality in the face of a system 
which hardly recognised the humanity of the en- 
slaved. He could have placed the question on the 
ground of his own (the slave’s) personal rights, and 
yet must waive them in order to procure an act of 
spontaneous kindness. His success must be a 
triumph of love, and nothing be demanded for the 
sake of the justice that could have demanded 
every thing. He limits his request to the forgive- 
ness of the alleged wrong, and a restoration’ to 
favour and the enjoyment of future sympathy and 
affection, and yet would so guard his words as to 
leave scope for all the generosity which benevo- 
lence might prompt toward one whose condition 
admitted of so much alleviation. These are con- 
trarieties not easy to harmonize; but Paul, it is 
confessed, has shown a degree of self-denial and a 
tact in dealing with them which, in being equal to 
the oceasion, could hardly be greater, 

[‘‘ The letter,” says Eichhorn, “is a voucher for 
the apostle’s urbanity, politeness, and knowledge 
of the world. His advocacy of Onesimus is of the 
most insinuating and persuasive character, and yet 
without the slightest perversion or concealment of 
any fact. The errors of Onesimus are admitted, 
as was necessary, lest the just indignation of his 
master against him should be roused anew; but 
they are alluded to in the most admirable manner; 
the good side of Onesimus is brought into view, 
but in such a way as to facilitate the friendly re- 
ception of him by his master, as a consequence of 
Christianity, to which he had, during his absence, 
been converted ; and his future fidelity is vouched 
for by the noble principles of Christianity to which 
he had been converted. The apostle addresses 
Philemon on the softest side: Who would wilfully 
refuse to an aged, a suffering, and an unjustly im- 
prisoned friend a request ? And such was he who 
thus pleaded for Onesimus. The person recom- 
mended is a Christian, a dear friend of the apos- 
tle’s, and one who had personally served him ; if 
Philemon will receive him kindly, it will afford the 
apostle a proof of his love, and yield him joy. 
What need, then, for long urgency? The apostle 
is certain that Philemon will, of his own accord, 
do even more than he is askéd. More cogently 
and more courteously no man could plead.” 

[There is a letter extant of the younger Pliny, 
(Epis. ix, 21,) which he wrote to a friend whose 
servant had deserted him, in which he intercedes 
for the fugitive, who was anxious to return to his 
master, but dreaded the effects of his anger. 
Thus the occasion of the correspondence was simi- 
lar to that between the apostle and Philemon. It 
has occurred to scholars to compare this cele- 
brated letter with that of Paul in behalf of Onesi- 
mus; and as a result they hesitate not to say, that 
not only in the spirit of Christian love, of which 
Pliny was ignorant, but in dignity of thought, ar- 
gument, pathos, beauty of style, eloquence, the 
communication of the apostle is vastly superior to 
that of the polished Roman writer.—JZ2? Clintock 
and Strong's Cyclopedia.} 


Eee ack FO THE EPISTIE 


TO 


THE HEBREWS. 


I GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 


HE epistle to the Hebrews is among the most important and valuable of all 
the apostolic writings. All the doctrines of the Gospel are in it embodied, 
illustrated, and enforced in a most lucid manner, and by references and examples 
the most striking and illustrious, and also by arguments the most cogent and con- 
vincing. It is an epitome of the dispensations of God to man, from the founda- 
tion of the world to the advent of Christ. It is not only the sum of the GosrEL, 
but the sum and completion of the Law, on which it is also a most beautiful and 
luminous comment. The writer appears to have taken a portion of another 
epistle for his text, Curist 7s the END of the LAW for RIGHTEOUSNESS (0 them that 
BELIEVE, and has most amply and impressively demonstrated this proposition, 
It is shown that all the rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices of the Mosaic institution 
had Christ for their object and end; that they had neither intention nor meaning 
but in reference to him; that as a system they were without substance, as a law 
without reason, and its enactments both impossible and absurd if taken out of 
this reference and connexion. Never were premises more clearly stated ; never 
was an argument handled in a more masterly manner; and never was a conclusion 
more legitimately and satisfactorily brought forth. The matter is everywhere 
interesting; the manner is engaging; and the language, beautifully adapted 
to the whole, is everywhere appropriate, always nervous and energetic, dignified 
as is the subject, pure and elegant, harmonious and diversified. 


II. CANONICITY. 


More than the usual amount of doubts and controversies have been raised 
about the right of this epistle to a place among the sacred writings, though at 
length it was accepted as canonical by the whole Church. Clement of Rome, 
(A.D. 70-95,) who was probably personally conversant with St. Paul, refers to 
this epistle in the same way as to the other canonical books, and, indeed, more 
frequently than to any other. After his time it seems to have come under some 
doubt in the Western Church, and it is seldom cited by any of the early Latin 
Fathers except Tertullian, who ascribed it to Barnabas. Ireneus knew of its 
existence, and praised it for its excellence, but seems to have doubted its Pauline 
origin, and was therefore unwilling to allow it a place among the genuine apos- 
tolical writings. It is omitted by Caius, (A.D. 210,) who enumerated only 


thirteen Pauline epistles. Hippolytus expressly declares that it is not Paul’s; 
~ 383 


PREFACE, TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


it is not found in Muratori’s fragment; and in the Roman Church it seems to 
have been suspected during the second and third centuries; but in the fourth 
century it began to be generally received. Its Pauline authorship seems to have 
been considered a prerequisite to its canonicity. 

In the Eastern Church it seems to have been received from the first with much 
more favour than in the West. Justin Martyr is supposed to refer to it, and 
Clement of Alexandria ascribes it to Paul and Luke. Origen seems to have received 
it as undoubtedly canonical, and he wrote homilies upon it, as did also most of 
the Fathers of the Eastern Church. It is found in the Peshito Version, is 
quoted by Ephrem as St. Paul’s, and is included in the catalogue of Ebed-Jesu. 
St. Jerome, (near the end of the fourth century,) undoubtedly the best biblical 
scholar of his times, inclined to the same views with the Fathers of the Eastern 
Church, and his contemporary, Augustine, in North Africa, held a similar opinion. 
The third Council of Carthage (A.D. 397) declared in its favour, and Pope 
Innocent (A. D. 416) confirmed it as a part of the sacred canon. The internal 
evidence in its favour is scarcely less than a demonstration. 


11. AUTHORSHIP. 

Contrary to the opinion that prevailed in the ancient Church, that the canon- 
icity of the epistle depends on its Pauline authorship, modern critics and scholars 
have considered the questions of canonicity and authorship as independent of each 
other. It is generally conceded that the name of the apostle as found in the 
title to the epistle in our modern Scriptures is without any good authority, not 
being found in the older manuscripts. Neither in the epistle itself, nor in the 
superscriptions of the most ancient Greek copies, is the name of the author found. 
It is quoted as Paul’s by Clement of Alexandria. He also says that “the epistle 
to the Hebrews is Paul’s, written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language, and 
that Luke easily translated it, and gave it to the Greeks; on which account the 
translation of this epistle and the Acts shows the same style.” That the name 
of the Apostle Paul is not written at the head of it is natural; for he says that 
“in writing to the Hebrews, who had a prejudice against him and suspected 
him, he very prudently did not turn them away from it by putting his name 
to it.” 

Pantzenus, a predecessor of Clement, explains the omission of Paul’s name, with 
an assertion of his apostleship, ‘ because he would not write to the Jews as an 
apostle, because he regarded the Lord himself as their only apostle.” The 
African Fathers were the first to detect the difference of the style of this epistle 
from that of most of Paul’s writings, and that circumstance, with the confessed 
Pauline character of its arguments, perhaps suggested the theory that it was 
originally written by the apostle in Hebrew, and translated into Greek by Luke. 
To this effect is the remark of Origen: “The style of the epistle to the Hebrews 
has not the rustic language of the apostle, who acknowledged that he was ‘rude in 
speech,’ that is, in style; but that this epistle, in the arrangement of its expressions, 
is purer Greek every one capable of judging of differences of style would acknowl- 
edge. But, on the other hand, that the thoughts of the epistle are admirable, 
and not inferior to the acknowledged apostolic writings—this also every one 
would concede to be true who carefully reads the apostolic writings.” After 
this he adds: “In giving my opinion, I would say that the thoughts are the 
apostle’s, but the style and composition are those of some one who has related 


what the apostle said, and has written down, as scholia, the things said by his 
384 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


instructor. If, then, any Church holds this epistle as Paul’s, let it be honoured 
for this. For not thoughtlessly have the ancients handed it down as Paul’s. But 
who wrote the epistle, the truth God (only) knows. ‘The account that has come 
down to us is that, according to some, Clement, bishop of Rome, wrote the 
epistle; according to others, Luke, who wrote the gospel and the Acts.” Beyond 
this the scholarship of sixteen centuries has not gone. 

St. Jerome’s conclusion is, that as a Hebrew Paul had written in Hebrew, that 
is, in his own language, most eloquently, so that those things which had been 
eloquently written in Hebrew were more eloquently translated into Greek, and 
this appears to be the cause why it differs from the other epistles of Paul. 

Augustine and Chrysostom agree in ascribing the epistle to Paul, and while 
its canonicity was uniformly made secondary to its Pauline authorship, it never- 
theless is found in most of the oldest and best Versions, including the Memphitie, 
Thebaic, Afthiopic, and Armenian. It seems quite safe, therefore, to accept the 
conclusion that its authorship and its canonicity are independent questions. 

From the history of the epistle in the first four centuries it appears that the 
weight of evidence is in favour of its having originated, either directly or 
indirectly, from the Apostle Paul, though most probably it was not composed by 
the apostle himself; and against this conclusion modern criticism has failed to 
produce any overpowering objections. 


IV. TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 

The title of the epistle, which it has always borne, and also the character of 
its matter, clearly indicate that it was originally addressed to Hebrew Christians, 
and with this the unanimous testimony of the ancient Church agrees. Whether 
it was addressed to some particular class or body of these is a question that cannot 
be positively answered either way. The general contents being an exposition of 
the Levitical system, with special reference to its Christological properties, seem 
to indicate that its design is for the instruction of all Jewish Christians. On the 
other hand, there are some special remarks and references which seem to imply 
that it was written to the Jewish Christians of some locality, and that not 
Jerusalem, though similar references may be found in the confessedly catholic 
epistles. But if Jerusalem is excluded from the list of places to whose Christian 
inhabitants the epistle might have been addressed, what other place or places may 
be fixed upon as its probable destination? In answer to this question nearly 
every city or country named in the apostolic writings has been designated, which 
diversity sufficiently indicates the worthlessness of all such conjectures. A pretty 
strong case has been made out in favour of Alexandria, where there was a large 
body of Jewish Christians, and also a Judaizing influence scarcely less powerful 
and persistent than at Jerusalem. The language and style of argumentation 
seem also to point to that place; but the entire absence of any recognition of 
this among the early Alexandrian Fathers makes this supposition very doubtful. 
Alford, after Wetstein and Holzmann, inclines to decide in favour of Rome, 
where the Judaizing influence was especially strong in the early Church; and with 
this theory, it is pleaded, the particular references in the epistle very well agree. 

As the drift of modern opinion has been toward a Pauline authorship of the 
epistle, (though not in favour of its being the autograph of that apostle,) so has 
it inclined to favour the Palestinian Jews in particular, and the whole Hebrew 
nation more generally, as those to whom the epistle was originally written. In 


the intense and bitter controversy then proceeding between the Judaizing party 
Vou. Il.—25 385 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


in the Church and those who (with Paul at their head) were contending for the 
equal rights of Gentile believers without their becoming subject to the ceremonial 
law, there was a strong tendency in the Hebrew mind to wholly reject the 
Christian system in favour of its national faith and practice. Against this 
tendency to apostasy from Christ this epistle is specifically a dissuasive, and as 
such it was needed by all Jewish Christians everywhere, and it was alike perti- 
nent to the case of all. It was, therefore, pretty certainly intended, ulteriorly, 
for all Hebrew Christians. 


V. TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING. 


Almost all commentators agree in believing that this epistle was written 
before the destruction of Jerusalem. The uninterrupted continuation of the temple 
services is all along, either directly or indirectly, implied, and it has been well said 
that “it would be inconceivable that such an epistle should be addressed to Jews 
after their city and temple had ceased to exist,” and more especially that no 
reference to that fact should be made. Accordingly, its date must precede 
A.D. 70. Other facts and references seem to fix its date only a little while 
previous to that catastrophe, and accordingly A.D. 68-69 may be accepted as 
certainly about the time of its composition. 

The place of its preparation cannot be so readily determined. The phrase δὲ 
ἀπὸ ‘Itadiac, they of (or from) Italy salute you, casts no light on the subject, 
since the Italians referred to may have been residents or exiles in some foreign 
city. Jerusalem and all Palestine is excluded by the war then raging in that 
country. A strong plea of probability may be made in favour of Alexandria, on 
account of the style and mode of argumentation, which plea is also favourable to 
the theory that makes Apollos or Barnabas the writer. The subscription to the 
accepted text, “To the Hebrews from Italy,” is sustained by no adequate 
authority. Alford decides in favour of Ephesus, but adds, “It must be remem- 
bered that on this head all is in the realm of the vaguest conjecture.” 


VI. OCCASION, PURPOSE, CONTENTS. 


The enmity of the Jews to the Gospel had brought a double danger on the 
Church, and especially on the believing Hebrews; on the one hand of persecution, 
on the other of apostasy. In the absence of the apostles the Jewish converts, in 
the various Churches, were all the time subject to temptation to fall away from 
the despised and unhistorical religion of Jesus of Nazareth into the more com- 
pact, and apparently safer, system of their childhood, To meet this state of the 
case seems to be the object of this epistle, which is sought to be effected by 
showing them the superiority of the Gospel to the former covenant, and espec- 
ially by exhibiting the superiority of Jesus himself to both the messengers and 
the high priests of that former covenant. The whole Old Testament system is 
shown to point directly to Christ, who had met all the requirements of its proph- 
ecies, and given significance to its symbolical services; and therefore as Jews, 
believers in the promises made by God to the fathers, they were most sacredly 
bound to accept Christ as the prophet and high priest of their profession, To 
apostatize from Christ would, therefore, be to abandon the faith of God’s pecul- 
iar people, and to come short of the end of all the promises given from Abraham 
onward. And since in Christ alone was there a way of salvation, to turn away 
from him would be to incur certain and most fearful perdition, 


The author sets forth the dignity of Christ, the importance of giving heed 
386 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


/ 


to his teachings, his incarnation and priesthood, the danger of unbelief, and the 
grounds of confidence in God through the priesthood of Christ. He argues the 
perpetual priesthood of Christ from his being a priest after the order of Melchiz- 
edek, and affirms the ability of Christ to save forever all who come to God 
through him. (Chapters i-vil.) He shows that the old covenant was abolished, 
and a new one substituted in its place, and that the institutions, especially the 
sacrificial rites of the old covenant, were typical of the new, and of the sacrifice of 
Christ for the sins of men. (Chapters vili-x, 18.) He exhorts his readers to stead- 
fastness in the faith, and warns them against apostasy. He sets forth the power 
of faith from examples in the Old Testament, exhorts believers to fidelity, and 
contrasts the privileges of the new dispensation with those of the old. (Chapters 
x, 19-xii.) He closes with an exhortation to the performance of the practical 
duties of the religion of Christ. (Chapter xiii.)—ZZarman. 


ANALYSIS OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


I. ProposrrioN—TuHe Masesty AND PRE-EMINENCE OF CuRisT, chaps. i-iii. 
Il. Tue Proors, or ARGUMENTS. 
1. CHRIST IS GREATER THAN ANGELS, chapter i, 4-14; ii, 1-18. 
(1) Because he has a more excellent name than they, chapter i, 4, 5. 
(2) Because the angels of God adore him, verse 6. 
(5) Because the angels were created by him, verse 7. 
(4) Because, in his human nature, he was endowed with greater gifts than they, verses 8, 9. 
(5) Because he is eternal, verses 10, 11, 12. 
(6) Because he is more highly exalted, verse 13. 
(7) Because the angels are only the servants of God; he, the Son, verse 14. 


In the application of this argument the writer exhorts the Hebrews not to neglect 
Christ, chapter ii, 1, by arguments drawn— 


(1) From the minor to the major, chapter ii, 2, 3. 

(2) Because the preaching of Christ was confirmed by miracles, chapter ii, 4. 

(3) Because, in the economy of the New Testament, angels are not the administrators, but 
the Messiah himself, to whom all things are subject, chapter ii, 5. 


Here the apostle inserts a twofold objection, professedly drawn from divine reve- 
lation :— 


(1) Christ is man, and therefore less than the angels, chapter ii, 6, 7. 
Answered :— 
a. Christ, by his death and resurrection, overcame all enemies and subdued all things 
to himself. 
6. Though Christ took on him this mortal state, that he might redeem man, he did 
this without any prejudice to his divinity, chapter ii, 10-18. 


2. Crist Is GREATER THAN Mosgs, chapter iii, 1-6. 


(1) Because Moses was only the servant, Christ the Lord, chapter iii, 1-6. 
(2) Illustrations from Psalm xev, 7-14, drawn out at length, chapter iii, 7-iv, 13. 


3. CHRIST IS GREATER THAN AARON AND ALL WIS SUCCESSORS. 


(1) Because he has entered, not within the veil of the tabernacle, but into heaven, to make 
an atonement for sin, chapter iv, 14. 

(2) Because he is the Son of God, verse 14. 

(3) Because it is from him we are to implore grace and mercy, chapter iv, 15, 16, and chapter 
Wank. 5.8 

(4) Because he was consecrated high priest by God himself, chapter v, 4-10. 

(5) Because he was a priest after the order of Melchizedek, chapter v, 6-vii, entire. 

(6) Because his priesthood was not typical, but real, chapter viii, 1-ix, 11. ΝΞ 


PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 


4, THE APPLICATION. 

(1) That they should carefully retain their faith in Christ as the true Messiah, chapter x, 19-23. 

(2) That they should be careful to live a godly life, chapter x, 24, 25. 

(8) That they should take care not to incur the punishment of disobedience, chapter x, 32-37 ; 
xii, 8-12. 

(4) That they should have faith in God, and not turn back to perdition, chapter x, 38; xii, 2. 

(5) That they should consider and imitate the faith and obedience of their eminent ancestors, 
chapter xi. 

(6) That they should take courage, and not be remiss in the practice of the true religion, 
chapter xii, 12—24. 

(7) That they should take heed not to despise the Messiah, now speaking to them from 
heaven, chapter xii, 25-29. 


III. Practica AND ΜΟΙ ΑΝ ποῦ EXHORTATIONS, SUGGESTIONS, AND SAL- 
UTATIONS, chapter Xill. 
(1) In respect to social relations and duties, chapter xiii, 1-6, and 16. 
(2) In respect to their Christian rulers, chapter xiii, 7, 8, and 17. 
(3) To steadfastness in doctrines, chapter xiii, 9. 
(4) To entire consecration to Christ, and deadness to the world, chapter xiii, 10-15. 
(5) Prayer solicited, chapter xiii, 18, 19. 
(6) A benediction, chapters xx, xxi. 
(7) Closing salutations, chapter xxii—xxv. 


[P.S.—The conjecture that this epistle may have been written at Cesarea, by 
St. Luke, under the direction of St. Paul, during his two years’ captivity in that 
city, (about A. D. 58-60,) has many things to be said in its favour. 1) There was 
ample opportunity, then and there, for writing it; 2) the Christians at Jeru- 
salem were at that time subjected to very strong temptations to renounce their 
faith in Christianity, as it seemed to be becoming arrayed against Judaism; 
3) in this opposition is seen the pertinency of the principal arguments used, espec- 
ially, that of Paul’s being personally unacceptable to many members of the 
Church at Jerusalem, in consequence of which it might be thought desirable that 
the letter should appear to be written by some one else; and, 4) who so likely or 
so suitable for that work as St. Paul’s attached associate and historiographer, to 
whose style that of the epistle bears so strong a resemblance, and who it has 
been supposed then and there prepared both his Gospel and the larger part of 


the Acts. | 
388 


Pot hEIsSTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO 


CPE), Sr iy BW Se 


CHAPTER I. 
OD, who at sundry times and *in divers 
manners spake in time past unto the fa- 


aNum, 12. 6,8.—0 Deut. 4.30; Gal. 4. 4; Eph. 1. 10,—e John 
1.17; 15, 15; chap. 2. 3. 
NOTES ON CHAPTER 1. 

1. God, who at sundry times and in divers 
manners—We can scarcely conceive any thing 
more dignified than the opening of this epistle ; 
the sentiments are exceedingly elevated, and the 
language harmony itself. The infinite God is at 
once produced to view, not indeed in his natural 
attributes of power and wisdom and eternity, but 
in the manifestation of his love to the world, as 
demonstrated by giving a revelation of his will re- 
specting the salvation of mankind, and thus pre- 
paring the way through a long train of purposes 
and processes for the introduction of his own Son. 
This Son, in the fulness of time, was manifested in 
the flesh that he might complete all vision and 
prophecy, supply all that was wanting to perfect the 
great scheme of revelation for the instruction of the 
world, and then die to put away sin by the sacri- 
fice of himself. The description here given of this 
glorious personage is exceedingly elevated and sub- 
lime. Even in his hwmiliation, he is still infinitely 
exalted above all the angelic host, is the object 
of their unceasing adoration, is permanent on his 
eternal throne at the right hand of the Father, 
and from him even the angels receive their com- 
mands to minister to those whom he has redeemed 
by his blood. This first chapter, which may be 
considered the introduction to the whole epistle, is, 
for importance of subject, dignity of expression, 
harmony and energy of language, compression and 
yet distinctness of ideas, equal, if not superior, to 
any other part of the New Testament. ‘ At sun- 
dry times ;’’ IloAuuepoc, manifoldly. ‘In divers 
manners.”  IloAvtpérwc, variously as to forms. 
These words seem to be intended to point out the 
imperfect state of divine revelation under the Old 
Testament ; it was not complete, nor could it with- 
out the New be considered a sufficiently ample dis- 
covery of the divine will. Under the Old Testa- 
ment, revelations were made πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυ- 


τρόπως, various as to times and persons and laws | 


and forms of teaching, with various degrees of | 


clearness, under various shadows, types, and fig- 


ures, and with various modes of revelation, by vis- | 


ions, dreams, mental impressions, etc. (See Num. 
xii, 6,8.) But under the New Testament all is done 
az/ac, simply, by one person, that is Jesus, who has 
fulfilled the prophets and completed prophecy; who 


thers by the prophets, 2 Hath 'in these last 
days ¢spoken unto us by Ais Son, 4whoin he 
hath appointed heir of all things, *=by whom 
d@ Psa, 2, 8: Matt, 21. 38; 28. 18: John 3, 35; Rom. 8. 17.— 

e John 1.3; 1 Cor. 8. 6; Col. 1. 16. 


is the way, the truth, and the life ; and the founder, 
mediator, and governor of his own kingdom. One 
creat object of the writer seems to be to put the 


| simplicity and completeness of the Christian system 


in opposition to the complexity and incompleteness 
of the Mosaic economy. The excellence of the 
Gospel above the Law is here set down in three 
points: 1) God spake unto the faithful under the 
Old Testament by Moses and the prophets ; worthy 
servants, yet servants : now the Son is much better 
than a servant. (Verse 4.) 2) Whereas the body 
of the Old Testament was long in compiling, being 
about a thousand years from Moses to Malachi; 
{and from the beginning God was all along reveal- 


‘ing himself and his will and purposes to mankind, | 


God also spake unto the fathers by piecemeal, one 
while raising up one prophet, another while an- 
other; now sending them one parcel of prophecy 
or history, then another ; but when Christ came, all 
was brought to perfection in one age ; the apostles 
and evangelists were alive; some of them when 
every part of the New Testament was completely 
finished. 8) The Old Testament was delivered by 
God “in divers manners,” both in utterance and 
manifestation ; but the delivery of the Gospel was 
in a more simple manner ; for, although there are 
various penmen, yet the subject and the treatment 
are substantially the same. By the prophets— 
[Ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, in the prophets, personally, (not 
the prophecies,) as ἐν υἱῷ is in the Son, indicating 
the nature of their inspiration. See Turner. ] 

2. Last days—The gospel dispensation, called 
the “last days” and “last time,” because not to be 
followed by any other dispensation ; or the conclu- 
sion of the Jewish Church and State, now at their 
termination. [The present time, age, or dispensa- 
tion may always be spoken of as the /as¢ until 
superseded by a later.] By his Son—'Er υἱῷ, 
(without the article, and having nothing corre- 
sponding to “his,” as in the English Version.) 
[We may say that Jesus is the Son of God: 
by this (form of expression) is definitely enough 
expressed the fact, and the distinction from other 
sons implied; but we may also say that he is “Son 
of God;” and we thus give the predicate all fulness 
of meaning and prominence, and even more emphat- 


‘ically and definitely express the exclusive character 


lof his Sonship.— A/ford.] 


Whom he hath ap- 
389 


A. Μ. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 510. 


HEBREWS. 


Jesus Christ enthroned on the right 
hand of the Majesty on high. 


also he made the worlds; 
brightness of his glory, and the express image 
of his person, and ¢upholding all things by the 
word of his power, ® when he had by himself 


3 ‘ Who being the | 


purged our sins, ‘sat down on the right hand 
of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so 
much better than the angels, as "he hath by 
inheritance obtained a more excellent name 


FTohn 1, 14; 14. 9; ἃ Cor, 4. 4; Col. 1. 15. 
1. 17: Rev. 4. 11. —W/ Chap. 7. 27; 


g John 1, 4; Col. 
9. 12, 14, 26. 


ὦ Psa, 110.1; Eph. 1. 20; chap. 8.1: 10.12; 12.2: 1 Peter 3. 22. 
—k Eph. 1. 21; Phil. 2. 9, 10. 


pointed—["Ov ἔθηκεν. The dateof this transaction 
asa divine purpose is of old, even from everlasting. 
(Prov. viii, 23, see Psalm ii, 6, 7.) Its historical man- 
ifestation is seen in the incarnation, and especially 
in the final exaltation of the risen and ascended 
Christ to the right hand of the Father. (Mark xvi, 
19; Luke xxii, 69; Eph. i, 20, ete.)] The apostle 
begins with the lowest state in which Christ has 
appeared: 1) His being a Soy, born of a woman, 
and made under the law. He then ascends, 2) To 
his being an Heir, and Heir of all things. 3) He 
then describes him as the Creator of all worlds. 
4) As the brightness of the divine glory. 5) As the 
express image of His person, or character of the 
divine substance. 6) As sustaining the universe by 
the word of his power. 7) As having made an 
atonement for the sin of the world. 8) As being 
on the right hand of God, infinitely exalted above 
all created beings; and the object of adoration to 
all the angelic host. 9) As having an eternal 
throne, neither his person nor his dignity ever 
changing or decaying. 10) As continuing to exer- 
cise dominion, when the earth and the heavens are 
no more! It is only in God manifested in the flesh 
that all these excellences can possibly appear, 
therefore the apostle begins this astonishing climax 
with the simple Sonship of Christ, or his incarna- 
tion; for on this all that he is to man, and all 
that he has done for man, is built. 

3. The brightness of his glory— ἀπαύγασμα 
τῆς δόξης . the resplendent outbeaming of the 
essential glory of God. The same form of expres- 
sion is used by an apocryphal writer, ( Wisdom, 
chapter vii, 26,) speaking of the uncreated wisdom 
of God: ‘* For she is the splendour of eternal light, 
ἀπαύγασμα yap ἐστὶ φωτὸς didiov, and the unsullied 
mirror of the energy of God, and the image of his 
goodness.” The word αὔγασμα indicates that which 
has splendour in itself, ἀπαύγασμα is the splendour 
emitted from it; but the inherent splendour and 
the exhibited splendour are radically and essen- 
tially the same. The express image of his per- 
son—Xapaxryp τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ ; the char- 
acter or impression of his hypostasis or substance. 
It is supposed that these words expound the for- 
mer; ‘‘image” expounding brightness, and ‘per- 
son,” or substance, glory. The hypostasis of God 
is, that which is essential to him as God; and the 
character or image is that by which the likeness of 
the original becomes manifest. From these words 
it is evident, 1) That the apostle states Jesus 
Christ to be of the same essence with the Father, 
as the ἀπαύγασμα, or proceeding splendour, must be 
the same with the αὔγασμα, or inherent splendour. 
2) That Christ, though proceeding from the Father, 
is of the same essence; for if one αὐγῇ, or splen- 
dour, produces another αὐγή, or splendour, the pro- 
duced splendour must be of the same essence with 
that which produces it. 5) That although Christ 
is thus of the same essence with the Father, yet 
he is a distinct person from the Father; as the 
splendour of the sun, though of the same essence, 
is distinct from the sun itself, though each is essen- 
tial to the other. 4) That Christ is eternal with 
the Father, as the proceeding splendour must neces- 

390 


sarily be coexistent with the inherent splendour. 
If the one, therefore, be wnereated and eternal, so 
must the other be. Upholding all things by 
the word of his power—[Implying both preser- 
vation and government. .. The whole universe 
hangs on his arm. . .. He speaks and it is done; 
he commands and it stands fast.— Grown.| Purged 
our sins—There may be here some reference to 
the great transactions in the wilderness. The Is- 
raelites murmured against Moses and against God, 
and provoked the heavy displeasure of the Most 
High: and would have been consumed had not 
Aaron made an atonement for them by offering 
victims and incense. But Jesus not only makes 
an atonement for Israel, but for the whole world ; 
not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with his 
own blood: hence it is said that he “ purged our 
sins,” δύ αὐτοῦ, by himself, his own body and life 
being the victim. [The act of purification is des- 
ionated as the special and peculiar work of the 
Son. The reading ov ἑαυτοῦ designates at the 
same time directly the person of Jesus Christ as 
the means of purification, and we must refer in our 
minds specially to the identity of the priest and 
the expiatory sacrifice, (chapter vii, 27, x, 10,) as 
the ideas of purification and expiation stand in 
close relation. (See Exod. xxix, 36.)—Lange.| Ka- 
θαρισμὸς usually means purification ; but in Helle- 
nistic Greek it is also employed for expiation. (See 
Septuagint, Exod, xxix, 36; xxx, 10.) That it can- 
not be used here in the simple sense of purifiea- 
tion by moral means,—such as doctrine, ete., is 
evident from its being joined with δ ἑαυτοῦ, (‘by 
himself,”) which is explained in chapter ii, 14 by 
διὰ Tov θανάτου, (through death,) and in chapter ix, 
26 by διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ, (through the sacrifice 
of himself.) This last expression I understand as 
the full form, expressing what is elliptically ex- 
pressed in our text by dv éav7ov.—Stuart.| The 
right hand of the Majesty on high—As it were, 


‘associated with the supreme Majesty in glory ever- 


lasting, and in the government of all things in time 
and in eternity ; for the “right hand” is the place 
of the greatest eminence. (1 Kings ii, 19.) The 
king himself, in Eastern countries, sits on the 
throne; the next to him in the kingdom, and the 
highest favourite, sits on his ‘right hand;” and 
the next greatest personage, on ‘his left. [The 
great high priest of our profession, when he ap- 
peared in the presence of God, having finished the 
work given him to do, (John xvii, 4,) presenting 
the blood of the sacrifice, instead of retiring, sat 
down as an abiding priest there ; and he sat down, 
not only in the divine presence but on the divine 
throne,—on the divine right hand,—to sway the 
sceptre of the universe, and to be head over all 
things to his body, the Church.—Lrown. | 

4. So much better than the angels—The Jews 


had the highest opinion of the transcendent excel- 


lence of angels; they even associated them with 
God in the creation of the world, and supposed them 
to be of the privy council of the Most High; and 
thus they understand Gen. i, 26: Let us make man 
in our image, after our likeness. (See the Targum 
of Jonathan ben Uzziel.) As, therefore, the Jews 


The angels of God commanded to 
worship Jesus the Christ. ΄ 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4967. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


than they. & For unto which of the angels 
said he at any time, ! Thou art my Son, this 
day have I begotten thee? And again, "I 
will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me 


UPsa. 2.7; Acts 13. 33; chap. 5. 5.—7 2 Sam. 7. 14: 1 Chron. 
22. 10; 28. 6: Psa. 89, 26, 27.—n Or, When he bringeth again. 


aSon? 6 "And again, when he bringeth in 
*the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, 
Pp And let all the angels of God worship him. 
7 And 4 οὗ the angels he saith, Who maketh 


o Rom. 8, 29; Col. 1. 18: Rev. 1. 5.—p Deut, 32, 43. LXX; 
Psa. 97. 7; 1 Peter 3. 22.— g Gr. wnto.— Psa. 104. 4. 


considered them next to God, and none entitled to 
their adoration but God; on their own ground the 
apostle proves Jesus Christ to be God, because 
God commanded all the angels of heaven to wor- 
ship him. [Ὧν (verse 8) signifies simply being, 
(static ;) γενόμενος implies a becoming, (in the aorist, 
having become,) for the exaltation of the Son in his 
incarnation is a swperinduced estate. Having, as 
man, become “a little lower than the angels,” 
(chapter ii, 7,) he is now, having accomplished the 
work assigned and gone up on high, inducted into 
the place of highest power, being κρείττων τῶν 
ἀγγέλων, essentially more excellent than the angels.} 
By inheritance obtained—Kexiypovouyjxev ὄνομα. 
The verb κληρονομεῖν signifies generally to partici- 
pate, possess, obtain, or acquire ; and is so used 
by the purest Greek writers. It is not by “ inheri- 
tance ” (as acquiring something not his before) that 
Christ possesses a more excellent name than an- 
gels, but as God ; he has it naturally and essentially; 
and, as God manifested in the flesh, he has it in 
consequence of his humiliation, sufferings, and 
meritorious death. (See Phil. ii, 9.) 

5. Thou art my Son, this day have I begot- 
ten thee—These words are quoted from Psalm ii, 
7, a psalm that seems to refer only to the Messiah ; 
and they are quoted by St. Paul (Acts xiii, 33) as 
referring to the resurrection of Jesus. And thus 
application of them is confirmed by the same apos- 
tle, (Rom. i, 4,) as by his resurrection from the 
dead he was declared—manifestly proved—fo be the 
Son of God with power. The words, This day 
have I begotten thee, must, I think, refer either to 
his incarnation, when he was miraculously con- 
ceived in the womb of the Virgin by the power of the 
Holy Spirit ; or to his resurrection from the dead, 
when God, by this sovereign display of his almighty 
energy, declared him to be his Son, vindicated his 
innocence, and also the purity and innocence of 
the blessed Virgin, who was the mother of this Son, 
and who declared him to be produced in her womb 
by the power of God. The resurrection of Christ, 
therefore, to which the words more properly refer, 
not only gave the fullest proof that he was an in- 
nocent and righteous man, but also that he had ac- 
complished the purpose for which he died, and that 
his conception was miraculous, and his mother a 
pure and unspotted virgin. He shall be to mea 
Son—As the Jews_have ever blasphemed against 
the sonship of Christ, it was necessary to adduce 
and make strong all his proofs, and show that this 
Was not a new revelation: that it was that which 
was chiefly intended in several Scriptures of the 
Old Testament. This place (quoted from 2 Sam. 
vii, 14) shows us that the Seed which God prom- 
ised to David, and who was to sit upon his throne, 
and whose throne should be established forever, was 
not Solomon, but Jesus Christ. 

6. And again, when he bringeth in the 
firstbegotten —This is not a correct translation 
of the Greek, Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτό- 
τόκον εἰς τῆν οἰκουμένην, But when he bringeth again 
(τάλεν, the second time) the firstborn into the habi- 
table world, [εἰς tiv οἰκουμένη, into the world of 
mankind, that is,among men. (Johni,14.)] Upon 


the cross both the Godhead and the human spirit 
left his dead body; and as, on his resurrection, 
these were reunited to his revivified manhood, 
therefore, with the strictest propriety, does the 
apostle say that the resurrection was a second 
bringing of him into the world. I have translated 
oikovpévy the habitable world, and this is its proper 
meaning; [here used in reference to its inhabi- 
tants, mankind, rather than the material world ;] 
and thus it is distinguished from κόσμος, which sig- 
nifies the globe, independently of its inhabitants ; 
though it often expresses both the inhabited and 
uninhabited parts. Our Lord’s first coming into 
the world is expressed by this latter word, (chapter 
x, 5:) Wherefore when he cometh into the world, διὸ 
εἰσερχόμενος εὶς τὸν κόσμον, and this simply refers 
to his being incarnated, that he might be capable 
of suffering and dying for man. But the word is 
changed on this second coming, that is, his resur- 
rection, and οἰκουμένην is used. He was now to 
dwell with man; to send his Gospel everywhere to all 
the inhabitants of the earth, and (himself) to aecom- 
pany that Gospel wherever it might go, and to be 
present wherever two or three should be gathered 
together in his name. Wherever the messengers 
of Jesus Christ go, preaching the kingdom of God 
even to the farthest and most desolate parts of the 
earth where human beings exist, there they ever 
find Christ; he is not only in ¢hem, and with them, 
but he is inand among [those to whom they preach, 
and especially] all who believe on him through 
their word. Let all the angels of God worship 
him—The writer recurs here to his former asser- 
tion, that Jesus is higher than the angels, (verse 4,) 
that he is essentially different from those who are 
ordinarily called angels or messengers, and that he 
is properly the object of worship to all the angels 
of God. To worship any creature is idolatry, and 
therefore Jesus Christ can be no creature, else 
the angels who worship him would be guilty of 
idolatry, and God himself, because he commanded 
those angels to worship Christ, the author of that 
idolatry. There has been some difficulty in ascer- 
taining the place from which the apostle quotes 
these words ; some suppose Psalm xevii, 7: Wor- 
ship him, all ye gods; which the Septuagint trans- 
lates thus: Προσκυνησάτε αὐτῷ, πάντες ἄγγελοι 
αὐτοῦ, Worship him, all ye his angels; but it is 
not clear that the Messiah is intended in this Psalm, 
nor are the words precisely those used here by the 
apostle. Our marginal references send us with 
great propriety to the Septuagint version of Deut. 
xxx1i, 43, where the passage is found as here 
quoted ; but there is nothing answering to the words 
in the present Hebrew text. The apostle undoubt- 
edly quoted from the Septuagint, which had then 
been for more than three hundred years a version of 
the highest repute among the Jews; and it is very 
probable that the copy from which the Seventy 
translated had the corresponding (Hebrew) words. 
However this may be, they are. now sanctioned by 
divine authority. 

Deut. xxxii, 43, (Septuagint,) accurately translated 
reads: Rejoice, ye heaven, together with him; and let 
all the angels of God worship him; rejoice, ye Ger- 

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Year of Rome, 816. 


his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of 
fire. S$ But unto the Son he saith, sThy 
throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre 


HEBREWS. 


The throne of the Lord Jesus Christ 
is to endure for ever, 


of ' righteousness 7s the sceptre of thy kingdom. 
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated 
iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, "hath 


8 Psa, 45. 6, 7.—tGr. rightness, or, straightness. 


wiIsa. 61.1; Acts 4. 27; 10. 38. 


tiles, with his people; and let the children of God 
be strengthened in him; for he will avenge the 
blood of his children; he will avenge, and will re- 
pay judgment to his adversaries; and those who 
hate him will he recompense; and the Lord will 
purge the land of his people. 

To this very important verse, as it stands in the 
Septuagint, St. Paul refers in Rom. xv, 10. [A 
still larger omission in our present Hebrew text, or 
an addition in the Septuagint, occurs in] Rom. iii, 
where there is a large quotation from Psalm xiv of 
six whole verses, which are not found in the pres- 
ent Hebrew text, but are preserved in the Septu- 
agint !] 

7. Who maketh his angels spirits—They are 
so far from being superior to Christ, that they are 
not called God’s sons in any peculiar sense, but his 
servants, as tempests and lightnings are. In many 
respects they may have been made inferior even to 
man as he came out of the hands of his Maker, 
for he was made in the image and likeness of God ; 
but of the angels, even the highest order of them, 
this is never spoken. {Πρὸς vidv, to the Son, indi- 
cating an address, not of, (περί, concerning.) The 
address to the Son (verse 8) is direct and personal ; 
that to the angels somewhat by indirection. So 
Bengel here, “to the angels (he speaks) by indirect 
speech ; to the Son by direct.” ‘O ποιῶν, who maketh 
his angels winds, and his ministers (servants) a flaine 
of fire. As the words stand in the Greek (of the 
LXX, Psalm civ, 4) the arrangement and rendering 
of them is unquestionably as above. But the sense 
of the original Hebrew is not so obvious. After 
stating (verses 2,3) that God takes light for his rai- 
ment, “and the heavens for a tent, and the clouds 


for a chariot, we read (in verse 4:) PNP ney 
brid wix ὙΠ) nina, 


Calvin ἘΠ many others) that these words can 
only mean, from the context, “Who maketh the 
winds his messengers, and flames of fire (light- 
nings ?) his servants,” and that the sense in which 
it is here used is entirely “alien.” This. in- 
deed, is probably the primary sense of the words 
of the Psalmist, while the sense given to them 
by the Septuagint and the text, though grammati- 
cally secondary, is its deeper and truer sense. 
Like the winds and the lightnings, the angels are 
only God’s messengers and servants, in widest con- 
trast with the essential glory and godhead of the 
Son. See Alford.] 

8. Thy throne,O God, is for ever and ever 
—The words here quoted are taken from Psalm 
xlv, 6, 7, which the ancient Chaldee paraphrast and 
the most intelligent rabbins refer to the Messiah. 
They are very properly considered a proof, and in- 
deed a strong one, of the divinity of Christ ; but 
some late versions of the New Testament have en- 
deavoured to avoid the evidence of this proof by 
translating the words thus: God is thy throne for 
ever and ever. Mr. Wakefield vindicates this trans- 
lation at large in his “‘ History of Opinions ;” and 
ὁ Θεὸς, being the nominative case, is supposed to 
be a sufficient justification of this rendering. In 
answer to this, it may be stated that the nominative 
case is often used fur the vocative, particularly by 

392 


And it is contended (by 


Sore, 


the Attics; and the whole scope of the place re- 
quires it should be so used here; the original 
Hebrew cannot be consistently translated any other 
way. The throne of Christ is in both worlds, and 
extends over all time, and will exist to endless 
duration. To this our Lord seems to refer when 
he says, (Matt. xxviii, 18,) Ad/ power is given unto 
me, both in HEAVEN and EARTH. My “throne,” that 
is, my dominion, extends from the creation to the 
consummation of all things. These I have made, and 
these I uphold; and from the end of the world, 
throughout eternity, I shall have the same glory— 
sovereign, unlimited power and autbority—which I 
had with the Father before the world began. 
(John xvii, 5.) 1 may add that none of the ancient 
Versions has understood it in the way contended 
for by those who deny the Godhead of Christ, 
either in the Psalm from which it is taken, (xlv, 6,) 
or in this place where it is quoted. And even al- 
lowing that ὁ Θεὸς here is to be used as the nomi- 
native case, it will not make the sense contended 
for, without adding ἔστε to it, a reading which is not 
coun tenanced by any Version or MS. yet discovered. 
Wiclif and Coverdale understood it as the nomina- 
tive, and translated it so; and yet it is evident that 
this nominative has the power of the vocative. 
Tindal and others follow in the same way, all read- 
ing it in the nominative case, with the force of the 
vocative ; for none of them has inserted the word 
ἔστι, is, because not authorized by the original; a 
word which the opposers of the divinity of our 
Lord are obliged to beg, in order to support their 
interpretations. See some further criticisms on 
this at the end of this chapter. A sceptre of 
righ teousness—The sceptre, which was a sort of 
staff, was the ensign of government, and is here 
used for government itself. This declaration the 
ancient Jewish writers always applied to the Mes- 
siah. 

9. Thou hast loved righteousness—This is 
the characteristic of a just governor; he abhors 
and suppresses iniquity ; he countenances and sup- 
ports righteousness and truth, Therefore God, 
even thy God—The original, διὰ τοῦτο éxpicé σε 
ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός cov, may be thus translated: dhere- 
Ο God, thy God hath anointed thee. The 
form of speech is nearly the same with that in the 
preceding verse; but the sense is sufficiently clear 
if we read, ther efore God, thy God, hath anointed 
thee, etc. With the oil of gladness—We have 
often had oceasion to remark, that anciently 
kings, priests, and prophels were consecrated to 
their several offices by anointing; and that this 
signified the gifts and influences of the divine 
Spirit. Christ, ὁ Χρίστος, signifies the Anowted 
One, the same as the Hebrew Messiah; and he is 
here said to be anointed with the oil of gladness 
above his fellows. None was ever constituted 
prophet, priest, and king, but himself ; some were 
kings only, prophets only, and priests only; others 
were kings and priests, or priests and prophets, or 
kings and prophets; but none had ever the three 
offices in his own person but Jesus Christ, and none 
but himself can be a King over the universe, a 
Prophet to all intelligent beings, and a Priest to 
the whole human race. Thus he is infinitely ex- 


The Son of God the Creator of 
the heavens and the earth, 


anointed thee with the oil of gladness above 


thy fellows. #0 And, *Thou, Lord, in the 
beginning hast laid the foundation of the 
earth ; “and the heavens are the works of thine 
hands. 11 w They shall perish, but thou re- 
mainest: and they all shall wax old as doth a 
garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou 


CHAPTER 


A. Μ. 4001. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


᾿ς 


fold them up, and they shall be changed: but 
thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 
13 But to which of the angels said he at any 
time, * Sit on my right h: and, until I make thine 
enemies thy footstool? 14 ¥ Are they not all 
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for 
them who shall be # heirs of salvation ? 


~ vPsa, 102. 25, ΝΣ —w Isa. 34. 4: ἘΝ ὃς: “Matt. 24. 35; 2 Peter 
8. 1. τὰν Rev. 21. 1.— Psa, 110. 1; Matt. 22. 443 Mark 12. 36; 
Luke 2 42; verse 3: chap. 10. 12. ——y Gen. 19. 165 32. 1,2, 24 ᾿ 


Psa. 84. 7: 91. 11: 103. 20, 21; Dan. 3. 28; 7. 10; 10, 
18. 10; Luke 1. 19; 2.9, 13; Acts 12. 7, ete. 3°25. 23. 
8.17; Titus 3. 7; James 2. 5; 1 Peter 3. 7 


11; Matt, 
2 Kom. 


alted τ yond his fellows—all t that had ever borne 
the regal, prophetic, or sacerdotal offices. Some 
think that the word μετόχους, fellows, refers to be- 
lievers who are made partakers of the same Spirit, 
but cannot have its infinite plenitude. The first 
sense seems the best. ‘ Gladness” is used in ref- 
erenee to the festivities which took place on the 
inauguration of kings, ete. 

10. And, Thou, “‘Lord—This is an address to 
the Son as the Creator, (see verse 2;) for this is 
implied in laying the foundation of the earth. 
The heavens, which are the work of his hands, point 
out his infinite wisdom and skill. 

11. They shall perish — Permanently fixed 
as they seem to be, a time shall come when they 
shall be dissolved, and afterward new heavens and a 
new earth be formed in which righteousness alone 
shall dwell. (See 2 Peter iii, 10-13.) Shall wax 
old as doth a garment—As a garment, by long 
using, becomes unfit to be longer used, so shall all 
visible things; they shall wear old, and wear out; 
and hence the necessity of their being renewed. 
Thou remainest—Instead of διαμένεις, some good 
MSS. read διαμενεῖς, the first, without the cireum- 
flex, being the present tense of the indicative 
mood; the latter, with the circumflex, being the 
future—thou shaltremain. The difference between 
these two readings is of little importance. 

12. And they shall be changed—Not destroyed 
ultimately, or annihilated. They shall be changed 
and renewed. But thou art the same — These 
words can be said of no being but God; all others 
are changeable or perishable, because temporal ; 
only that which is eternal can continue essentially, 
and, speaking after the manner of men. formally 
the same. Thy years shall not fail—There is in 
the divine duration no circle to be run, no space to 
be measured, no time to be reckoned. All is eter- 
nity—infinite—and onward. 

13. But to which of the angels — We have 
already seen, from the opinions and concessions of 
the Jews, that if Jesus Christ could be proved to 
be greater than the angels, it would necessarily 
follow that he is God; and this the apostle does 
most amply prove by these various quotations 
from their own Scriptures; for he shows that 
while Ae is the supreme and absolute Sovereign, 
they are no more than his messengers and servants, 
and servants even to his servants, that is, to man- 
kind. 

14. Are they not all ministering spirits— All 
the angels, even those of the highest order, are em- 
ployed to serve those who believe in Christ Jesus. 
What these services are, and how performed, it 
would be impossible to state. Much has been 
written on the subject, partly founded on Script- 
ure, and partly on conjecture. They are, no doubt, 
constantly employed in averting evil and procuring 
good. If God help man by man, we need not won- 
der that he helps man by angels. We know that 
he needs none of those helps, for he can do all 


things himself; yet it seems cas to his in- 
finite wisdom and goodness to use them. This isa 
part of the economy of God in the government of 
the world and of the Church; and a part, no doubt, 
essential to the harmony and perfection of the 
whole. 


The Godhead of Christ is a subject of such great 
importance, both to the faith and hope of a Christ- 
ian, that I feel it necessary to bring it fully into 
view wherever it is referred to in the sacred 
writings. It is a prominent article in the Apostles’ 
Creed, and should be so in ours. That this doe- 
trine cannot be established on verse 8 has been the 
assertionof many. To what I have already said on 
this verse I beg leave to subjoin the following 
criticisms of a learned friend, who has made this 
subject his particular study. 


BRIEF REMARKS ON HEBREWS i, 8. 
Ὁ θρόνος cov, ὁ Θεὺς, εἰς τοῦς αἰῶνας. 


Tt hath ever been the opinion of the most sound 
divines that these words, which are extracted from 
the 45th Psalm, are addressed by God the Father 
unto God the Son. Our translators have accord- 
ingly rendered the passage thus: ‘* Thy throne, Ὁ 
God, is forever.” Those who deny the divinity of 
Christ, being eager to get rid of such a testimony 
against themselves, contend that ὁ Θεὸς is here the 
nominative, and that the meaning is: ‘‘ God is thy 
throne forever.” Now, it is somewhat strange 
that none of them have had critical acumen enough 
to diseover that the words cannot possibly admit 
of this signification. It is a rule in the Greek lan- 
guage that when a substantive noun is the subject 
of a sentence, and something is predicated of it, 
the article, if used at all, is prefixed to the subject, 
but omitted before the predicate. The Greek 
translators of the Old Testament, and the authors 
of the New, write agreeably to this rule. This is 
the constant usage of the Septuagint when a sub- 
stantive noun has something predicated of it in the 


same sentence. If the meaning which they who 
deny our Lord’s divinity affix to Psa. xlv, 6 had 


been intended, it would rather have been written 
θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, or θρόνος cov, Θεὸς, In the very 
next clause of this sentence we find that the arti- 
cle is prefixed to the subject, but omitted before 
the predicate. [The objection sometimes made, 
that Θεὸς with the article affixed is never used 
in the vocative case is shown by numerous places 


in the Septuagint, to be not well taken. (See 
among others the following, Psalms v, 10; xxii, 1; 


lix, 17; exlv, 1; civ, 1.)] It remains, then, that the 
Son of Mary is here addressed as the God whose 
throne endures for ever. Having spoken of nouns 
substantive only, I ought to state that the rule ap- 
plies equally to adjectives and to participles. Near 
the opening of the fifth of Matthew we find eight 
consecutive examples of the rule. In five of these 
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Year of Rome, 810, 


the subject is an adjective, and in the other three 
a participle. Indeed one of them has two partici- 
ples, affording an instance of the rule respecting 
the prepositive article, as well as of that which 
we are now considering. Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες 
καὶ διψῶντες, ‘Blessed are they who hunger and 
thirst.” In the Apocalypse there are four exam- 
ples of the rule with participles, and in all these 
twelve cases the predicate is placed first. I am 
aware that an exception now and then occurs in 
the sacred writings ; ; but I think I may assert that 
there are no exceptions in the Septuagint Version 
of the book of Psalms. As the words ὁ θρόνος cov, 
ὁ Θεὸς, occur in the book of Psalms, the most im- 
portant question is this: Does that book always 
support the orthodox interpretation? With regard 
to the deviations which are elsewhere occasionally 
found, I think there can be little doubt that they 
are owing to the ignorance or carelessness of 
transcribers, for the rule is unquestionably genuine. 
—H. S. Boyd. 

In respect to the eternal Sonship I have shown 
my reasons, in the note on Luke i, 35, why I cannot 
agree with the common yiew. I am inclined to 
think that from this tenet Arianism has its origin. 
J shall here produce my authority for this opin- 
ion. Arius, the father of what is called Arianism, 
and who flourished in A.D. 300, was a presbyter 
of the Church of Alexandria, a man of great learn- 
ing and eloquence, and of deeply mortified manners ; 
and he continued to edify the Church by his teach- 
ing and example till the circumstance took place 
which produced that unhappy change in his relig- 
ious opinions which afterward gave rise to so 
much distraction and division in the Christian 
Church. The circumstance to which I refer is re- 
lated by Socrates Scholasticus, in his supplement to 
the History of Eusebius, liber 1, chapter 5, and is 
in substance as follows: Alexander, having sue- 
ceeded Achillas in the bishopric of Alexandria, 
self-confidently philosophizing one day in the 
presence of his presbyters and the rest of his clergy 
concerning the Holy Trinity, among other things 
asserted that there was a Monad in the Triad. 
What he said on the derived nature or eternal Son- 
ship of Christ is not related. Arius, one of his 
presbyters, a man of considerable skill in the science 
of logic, supposing that the bishop designed to in- 
troduce the dogmas of Sabellius, the Libyan, who 
denied the personality of the Godhead, and conse- 
quently the Trinity, sharply opposed the bishop, 
arguing thus: “If the Father begot the Son, he 
who was thus begotten had a beginning of his-ex- 
istence; and from this it is manifest that there 
was a time in which the Son was not. Whence it 
necessarily follows, that he has his subsistence 
from what exists not.” Now, it does not appear 
that this had been previously the doctrine of Arius, 
but that it was the consegwence which he logically 
drew from the doctrine laid down by the bishop; 
and although Socrates does not tell us what the 
bishop stated, yet, from the conclusions drawn, we 
may at once see what the premises were; and these 
must have been some incautious assertions con- 
cerning the Sonship of the divine nature of Christ : 
and I have shown elsewhere that these are fair de- 
ductions from such premises. ‘But is not God 
ealled Father; and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ?’ Most certainly. That God graciously 
assumes the name of Father, and acts in th: it char- 
acter toward mankind, the whole Scripture proves ; 
and that the title is given to him as signifying 

994 


HEBREWS. 


Observations on the divinity 
of Christ. 


Author, Cause, Fountain, and Creator, is also suffi- 
ciently manifest from the same Scriptures. In this 
sense Job uses the expression, “‘ Hath the rain a fa- 
ther?” (Job xxxviii, 28 :) and hence also it is said, 
He is the Father of spirits, (Heb. xii, 9 ;) and he is 
the Father of men because he created them; and 
Adam, the first man, is particularly called his son. 
(Luke iii, 38.) Buthe is the Father of the human 
nature ot our blessed Lord in a peculiar sense, be- 
sause by his energy this was produced in the womb 
of the Virgin. Luke i, 35: The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall 
overshadow thee: THEREFORE also that HOLY THING 
WHICH SHALL BE BORN OF THEE shall be called THE 
Son or Gop. It is in consequence of this that 
our blessed Lord is so frequently termed the Son 
of God, and that God is called his Father. But I 
know not any scripture, fairly interpreted, that 
states the divine nature of our Lord to be begotten 
of God, or to be the Son of God. Nor can 1 see it 
possible that he could be begotten of the Father, in 
this sense, and be eternal; and if not eternal, he is 
not God. But numberless scriptures give him 
every attribute of Godhead: his own works dem- 
onstrate it; and the whole scheme of salvation re- 
quires this. 

It may be said: “Is not God called the eternal 
Father? And if so, there can be no eternal Father 
if there be no eternal Son.” I answer: God is 
not called in any part of Scripture, as far as I 
can recollect, either the eternal or everlasting 
Father in reference to cur blessed Lord, nor in- 
deed in reference to any thing else; but this very 
title, strange to tell, is given to Jesus Christ him- 
self: His name shall be called the EVERLASTING 
Fatner, (Isa. ix, 6;) and we may on this account, 
with more propriety, look for an eternal filiation 
proceeding from fim, than from any other person 
of the most holy Trinity. 

Should it be asked: ‘““Was there no ¢rinity of 
persons in the Godhead before the incarnation ?” 
I answer: That a trinity of persons appears to me 
to belong essentially to the eternal Godhead, neither 
of which was before, after, or produced from 
another; and of this the Old Testament is full: 
but the distinction was not fully evident till the 
incarnation; and particularly till the baptism in 
Jordan, when on Aim in whom dwelt all the ful- 
ness of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost descended in 
a bodily shape like a dove; and a vvice from 
heaven proclaimed that baptiz zed person God's be- 
loved Son; in which transaction there were three 
persons ‘occupying distinct places; as the person of 
Christ in the water, the Holy Spirit in a bodily 
shape, and the voice from heaven, sufficiently 
prove; and to each of these persons various scrip- 
tures give all the essential attributes of God. 

On the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of the 
divine nature of Christ I once had the privilege of 
conversing with the late reverend John Wesley, 
about three years before his death; he read from a 
book, in which I had written it, the argument against 
this doctrine which now stands in the note on 
Luke i, 35. He did not attempt to reply to it; but 
allowed that, on the grownd on which 1 had taken 
it, the argument was conclusive. J observed that 
the proper, essential divinity of Jesus Christ ap- 
peared to me to be so absolutely necessary to the 
whole Christian scheme, and to the faith both of 
penitent sinners and of saints, that it was of the 
utmost importance to set it in the clearest and 
strongest point of view; and that, with my present 


Observations on the divinity 
of Christ. 


light, I could not credit it if I must receive the 
common doctrine of the Sonship of the divine nature 
of our Lord. He mentioned two eminent divines who 
were of the same opinion; but added, that the 
eternal Sonship of Christ had been a doctrine very 
generally received in the Christian Church; and he 
believed no one had ever expressed it better than 
his brother Samuel had done in the following lines: 


“From whom, in one eternal now, 
The Son, thy offspring. flowed ; 
An everlasting Father thou, 
An everlusting God.” 


He added not one word more on the subject, nor 
ever after mentioned it to me, though after that 
we had many interviews. But it is necessary to 
mention his own note on the text that has given 
rise to these observations; which shows that he 
held the doctrine as commonly received when he 
wrote that note; it is as follows: 

“Thou art my Son” —God of God, Light of 
Light. “This day have I begotten Thee ”—I have 
begotten thee from eternity, which, by its unalter- 
able permanency of duration, is one continued un- 
successive day.” Leaving the point in dispute out 
of the question, this is most beautifully expressed ; 
and I know not that this great man ever altered 
his views on this subject, though I am certain that 
he never professed the opinion as many who quote 
his authority do; nor would he at any time have 
defended what he did hold in their way. I beg 
leave to quote a fact: In 1781 he published in 
the fourth volume of the <Arminian Magazine, 
page 384, an article entitled “An Arian <Anti- 
dote;” in this are the following words: “Greater 
or lesser in infinity, is not; inferior Godhead 
shocks our sense; Jesus was inferior to the Father 
as touching his manhood, (John xiv, 28,) he was a 
Son given, and slain intentionally [in the divine 
purpose| from the foundation of the world, (Rey. 
xiii, 8,) and the firstborn from the dead of every 
creature. (Col. i, 15, 18.) But our Redeemer from 
everlasting (Isa. xiii, 16) had not the inferior name 
of Son; in the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God from eternity, and the Word, 
made flesh, was God,” ete. This is pointedly 
against the eternal Sonship of the divine nature. 
However necessary this view of the subject may 
appear to me, I do not presume to say that others, 
in order to be saved, must view it in the same 
light; I leave both opinions to the judgment of 
the reader. Refined Arians, with some of whom I 
am personally acquainted, are quite willing to re- 
ceive all that can be said of the dignity and glory 
of Christ’s nature, provided we admit the doctrine 
of the eternal Sonship, and omit the word wnorigi- 
nated, which I have used in my demonstration of 
the Godhead of the Saviour of men; but, as far as 
it respects myself, I can neither admit the one nor 
omit the other. The proper essential Godhead of 
Christ lies deep at the foundation of my Christian 


creed; and I must sacrifice ten thousand forms of 


speech rather than sacrifice the éhing. 

[Neither the miraculous conception of Christ, 
nor yet his resurrection from the dead, is the foun- 
dation of his being called the Son of God in this 
(second) Psalm. Not the first, for there is no al- 
lusion to it; not the second, for he was declared 
from heaven to be the “ beloved Sen” of the Father 
at his very entrance upon his ministry, and, conse- 
quently, before the resurrection; and also, because 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4067. A.D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


resurrection of Christ (Acts xiii, 38) explicitly 
states that even that was a declaration of an ante- 
cedent sonship. St. Paul’s argument (Heb. i, 5) 
is expressedly designed to prove the superiority of 
Christ to angels, and the force of the argument 
lies in the expression “ begotten,” importing that 
the person addressed is the Son of God, not by 
creation, but by generation. Christ’s pre-eminence 
over the angels is there stated to consist in this, 
that whereas they were created he is begotten; and 
the apostle’s reasoning would appear fallacious, 
unless this expression intimates a proper and 
peculiar filiation. — Watson, (Theological Institutes, 
volume i, pages 582, 533.)] 

[Alford, in his notes on the passage “ Thou art 
my Son, this day have I begotten thee,” (verse 5,) 
after stating the opinions of those who apply these 
words to David, whose views he seems to accept as 
the primary sense, proceeds to give what he holds to 
be the deeper and the more real meaning of the pas- 
sage. ‘The above remarks,” (he proceeds to say,) 
“seem pertinent and unobjectionable as long as we 
regard them as explaining the supposed immediate 
reference to David and (the then) present circum- 
stances ; but it is plain that, according to the above 
view of Psalm ii, and indeed to the usage of the 
New Testament in applying this passage to our 
Lord, we want another and a higher sense in 
which both words, γεγέννηκα (1 have begotten) 
and σήμερον (this day,) may be applicable to him: 
a sense in which I should be disposed to say that 
the words must in their fulness of meaning 
be taken, to the neglect and almost the obliteration 
of that their supposed lower reference. For, grant- 
ing the applicatiin of such sayings to our Lord, 
then must the terms of them, suggested by the 
Holy Spirit of prophecy, which is his testimony, 
(Rev. xix, 10,) bear adequate interpretations as re- 
gards his person and office. It has not, therefore, 
been without reason that the Fathers, and so many 
modern divines, have found in this word γεγέννηκα 
the doctrine of the generation of the Son of God, 
and have endeavoured, in accordance with such 
reference, to assign a fitting sense to σήμερον. As the 
subject is exceedingly important, and has been gen- 
erally passed over slightly by (most of) our English 
expositors, I shall need no apology for gathering 
from Bleek and Suicer the opinions and testimo- 
nies concerning it. 

[‘ 1. One view refers σήμερον to the eternal gener- 
ation of the Son, and regards it as an expression of 
the ‘zune slans, (ETERNAL NOW, as they call it,’ 
(Owen,) of eternity. Thus Origen, Athanasius, 
Basil, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and a succession 
of the most distinguished names, coming down to 
our own times. 

[‘‘2. A second view refers it to the generation, in 
time, of the incarnate Son of man, when Jesus, on 
the side of his manhood, assumed the divine nature. 
So Chrysostom, Eusebius, Cyril of Alexandria, 
Gregory-Nazianzen, and a like succession, including 
among moderns no less an authority than Stuart of 
Andover. 

[““8. A third view refers these words to the 
period when Jesus was manifested to men as the 
Son of God, that is, (by most,) to the time of his 
resurrection, with reference to Acts xiii, 33, where 
St. Paul alleges this citation. as thus applying. 
(See Delitzsch.) By some, the ascension is made the 
point of time when he was set at the right hand of 
God, and entered on (the final stage of) his heavenly 


the very apostle who applies the prediction of the | high priesthood; so Hilary, Calvin, Owen, Heng- 


395 


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HEBRE 


God’s word accredited by signs 
and wonders. 


WS. 


CHAPTER II. 
HEREFORE we ought to give the more 
earnest heed to the things which we have 
heard, lest at any time we should «let them 
slip. 2 For if the word *spoken by angels 
was steadfast, and «every transgression and 
disobedience received a just recompense of re- 


ward; % ον shall we escape, if we ne- 
glect so great salvation; ewhich at the first 
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was f con- 
firmed unto us by them that heard him ; 
4 *God also bearing them witness, ἃ both with 
signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, 
and '* gifts of the Holy Ghost, 1 according to 


aGr. run out as leaking vessels.—b Deut. 33. ὃ; Psa. 68, 
17; Acts 7. 53; Gal. 3. 19. cNum. 15. 30, 31; Deut. 4.3; 17. 
2, δ. 12% 27. 36d Chap. 10, 28, 29; 12. 35.——e Matt, 4. 17; 


Mark 1, 14; chap. 1. 2.—/Luke 1. 2.—mg Mark 16. 20; Acts 
14.3; 19. 11: Rom, 1d. 18, 19; 1 Cor. 2. 4.—h Acts 2. 22, 43.—— 
ὦ Or, distributions.—k 1 Cor, 12. 4, 7, 11.—d Eph. 1. 4,9. 


stenberg, ete. This is the view generally adopted 
by the better class of Socinians. 

“Of these interpretations I agree with Bleek, that 
the first (that of an efernal filiation) is that which 
best agrees with the context. The former verses 
represent to us the Son of God as standing in this 
relation to the Father before the worlds; and 
verse 6, which plainly forms a contrast to this 
(verse 5) as to time, treats distinctly of the period 
of the incarnation. It is natural, then, to suppose 
that this verse is to be referred to a time prior to 
that event. And he (Bleek) also remarks that 
the sense of σήμερον, thus adopted, is by no means 
foreign to the Alexandrian theology. 

[‘‘ The second clause of the verse, * I will be to him 
a Father, and he shall be to me a Son,’ oceurs in 
the prophecy of Nathan to David, (2 Samuel vii, 14,) 
respecting David’s offspring who should come after 
him. The direct, primary reference of the words 
to Solomon (1 Chronicles xxii, 7-10) does not in 
any way preclude the view which I have taken of 
their finding their higher and only worthy fulfil- 
ment in the greater Son of David who should 
build the only” temple in which God would really 
dwell.” (See Bleek, iz /oco, who fully recognises 
this further and Messianic reference.) | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER ILI. 

1. Therefore—Because God has spoken to us 
by his Son; and because that Son is so great and 
glorious a personage; and because the subject 
which is addressed to us is of such infinite import- 
ance to ourselves. We ought to give the more 
earnest heed—[‘Hyac, we, the writer including 
himself with those whom he is addressing. | We 
should hear the doctrine of Christ with care, can- 
dour, and deep concern. [Προσέχειν, to hold, (τοῦ 
νοῦν, {the mind,) being understood) to the things 
heard.] Lest at any “time we should let them 
slip—M7 ποτὲ παραρυῶμεν. “Lest at any time 
we should leak out.” This is a metaphor taken 
from unstanch vessels; the staves not being close 
together, the fluid put into them leaks through the 
chinks and crevices, [Παραρυῶμεν is frequently 
applied to things that glide or pass away from the 
mind, but usu ally as applied to things and not to 
persons, to the object and not to the subject, but 
here it is applied to persons and not to things. See 
Stuart.] Superficial hearers lose the benefit of the 
word preached, as the unseasoned vessel does its 
fluid ; nor can any one hear to the saving of his soul 
unless he give most earnest heed, which he will not 
do unless he consider the dignity of the speaker, 
the importance of the subject, and the absolute 
necessity of the salvation of his soul. 

2. If the word spoken by angels—The Jaw 
(according to some) which was delivered by the 
mediation of angels, God frequently employing 
these to communicate his will to men, (See Acts 


vii, 53; Gal. iii, 19.) But the apostle probably 


by angels, as in the case of Lot, (Gen. xix,) and 
such like. [The giving of the law is not ascribed to 
angels by Moses, and, therefore, some have under- 
stood the word ἀγγέλων in a more generic sense, so 
as to include all kinds of created mediaries. | Was 
steadfast — [γένετο βέβαιος, was ratified, made 


jirm and stable.| Was so confirmed by the divine 


authority, and so strict, that it would not tolerate 
any offence, but inflicted punishment on every act 
of transgression, every case in which the bounds 
laid down by the law were passed over ; and every 
act of disobedience in respect to the duties en- 
joined. Received a just recompense—That 
kind and degree of punishment which the law pre- 
seribed for those who broke it. [Μισθαποδοσίαν 
designates the reward of retributive justice, whether 
good or bad.] 

8. How shall we escape—[That is, the rec- 
ompense of our own wrong and disobedience. ] 
[Τηλικαύτης σωτηρίας, that is the Christian religion, 
for so the words sometimes signify. (See Rom. xi, 
11; Heb. vi, 9; Jude 3.) It is, however, the 
Christian religion with all its promised blessings 
and tremendous threats which is here designated. 
—Stuart.| Those who neglect it, ἀμελήσαντες, are 
not only they who oppose or persecute it, but they who 
pay no regard to it ; who do not concern themselves 
about it, do not lay it to heart. Now these cannot 
*“ escape” the coming judgnients of God ; not merely 
because they oppose his will and commandment, 
but because they sin against the very cause and 
means of their deliverance. As there is but one 
remedy by which their diseased souls can be saved, 
so, by refusing to apply that one remedy they must 
necessarily perish. Which at the first began to 
be spoken—Though John the Baptist went before 
our Lord to prepare his way, yet he could not be 
properly said to preach the Gospel; and even 
Christ’s preaching was only a beginning of the 
great proclamation; it was his own Spirit in the 
apostles and ev angelists, the men who heard him 
preach, that opened the whole mystery of the king- 
dom of heaven. And all this testimony had been 
so confirmed as to render it induljitable; and con- 
sequently there was no excuse for their unbelief, 
and no prospect of their escape if they should con- 
tinue to ‘‘ neglect”? it. 

4, God also bearing them witness—He did 
not leave the confirmation of these great truths to 
the testimony of men; he bore his own testimony to 
them by signs, wonders, divers miracles, and 
distributions of the Holy Ghost, Πνεύματος ‘Ayiov 
μερισμοῖς. And all these were proved to come from 
himself ; for no man could do those miracles at his 
own pleasure, but the power to work at was 
given according to God’s own will, [Zneiov, ( sign,) 
as used often in the New Testament and in the 
Septuagint, means any extraordinary sign or mirac- 
ulous event, designed to show the certainty that 
something that had been promised or predicted 


means those particular messages which God sent | should take place, or that a prophet was what he 


006 


All dominion subjected to 
Jesus Christ. 


his own will? 5 For unto the angels hath he 
not put in subjection ™the world to come, 
whereof we speak. 6 But one in a certain 
place testified, saying, ® What is man, that thou 
art mindful of him? or the son of man, that 
thou visitest him? % Thou madest him °a 


m Chap. 6. 5; 2 Peter 3, 13.—n Job 7,17; Psalm 8.4; 144. 3.— 
o Or, a little while inferior to. 


professed to be. Tépac, portentwm, miracle, has 
nearly the same meaning, and is very commonly 
joined with it in the New Testament.—Stuart. | 

5. The world to come—That “the world to 
come” meant the days of the Messiah among the 
Jews, is evident. [Here it is equivalent to the 
Christian dispensation, the time and affairs of 
Christ’s kingdom on earth, the militant Church. ] 
The administration of this kingdom has not been 
intrusted to angels, (who were frequently employed 
under the law,) for the government is on the 
shoulder of Jesus Christ; he alone has the keys 
of death and hell; he alone shuts, and no man 
opens ; opens, and no man shuts; he alone has the 
residue of the Spirit; he alone is the Governor of 
the universe, the Spirit, Soul, Heart, and Head of 
the Church; all is in his authority, and under sub- 
jection to him. [The word μέλλουσαν ( future) 
has by some been supposed to be used in reference 
to Old Testament views of New Testament things, 
and not to indicate something still in the future; 
as Bengel says, “It is called future, not because it 
is so now, but because it was before predicted.” 
It seems to be used in this place as a well-known 
and well-understood designation of the latter (the 
Christian) dispensation. A// reference to the future 
need not, however, be excluded, for the chief things 
of the Gospel are stillin the future. Weare saved 
by hope. See Alford. ] 

6. But one in a certain place—This “one” is 
David; and the “certain place ” is Psa. viii, 4, 5, 6. 
This mode of quotation is sometimes used when 
speaking of very eminent persons who are well 
known; not through ignorance, but reverence. 
What is man—This quotation is verbatim from the 
Septuagint ; and the Hebrew is still more emphatic: 
What is miserable man, (Bnosh,) that thow remem- 
berest him? and the son of Adam, that thow visitest 
him? The variation of the terms in the original 
is very emphatic. Adam is the name given to 
man at his creation, and expresses his origin, and 
generic distinction from all other animals. nosh, 
which signifies sick, weak, wretched, was never 
given to the man till after his fall. The son of 
Adam [not son of man, in any such sense as it is 
used as a name for our Lord] means here, any one or 
allof the fallen posterity of the first man. That God 
should remember in the way of mercy these wretched 
beings, is great condescension; that he should 
visit them, manifest himself to them, yea, even 
dwell among them, and at last assume their nature, 
and [in that nature] give up his life to ransom 
them from the bitter pains of eternal death, is 
mercy and love indescribable and eternal. 

7, 8. Thou madest him a little lower than 
the angels—If this be spoken of man as he came 
out of the hands of his Maker, it places him at the 
head of all God’s works ; for, literally translated, it 
is, Thou hast made him less than God. And this 
is shown by his being made in the image and like- 
ness of God, which is spoken of no other creature 
either in heaven or earth, 


CHAPTER II. 


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little lower than the angels; thou crownedst 
him with glory and honour, and didst set him 
over the works of thy hands: ΚΒ ? Thou hast 
put all things in subjection under his feet. For 
in that he put all in subjection under him, he 
left nothing that is not put under him. But 


p Matthew 28, 18; 1 Corinthians 15. 27; Ephesians 1. 22; 
ter 1. 13, 


chap- 


If we take the words as referring to Jesus 
Christ, then they must be understood as pointing 
out the time of his humiliation, (verse 9;) and the 
“little lower” βραχί" τι, in both verses, must mean 


fora short time, ov a little while, as is very properly 


Adam was 
angels, [by virtue 
was created,| but 
and subjected to 


inserted among our marginal readings. 
originally made higher than the 
of the divine image in which he 
by sin he is now brought low, 
death. Thus, taking the words in their common 
acceptation, man in his present state may be said 
to be lessened below the angels. Jesus Christ, as the 
eternal Logos, God with God, could not die, but a 
body was prepared for him; and thus βραχύ; τι, 
for a short while, he was made “lower than the 
angels,” that he might be capable of suffering 
death. And indeed the whole of the passage suits 
him better than it does any of the children of men, 
or than even Adam himself in a state of innocence ; 
for it is only under the fect of Jesus that all things 
are put in subjection, and it was in consequence of 
his humiliation that he had a name above every 
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should 
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and 
things under the earth. (Phil. ii, 9-11.) Therefore 
he must be infinitely Aigher than the angels, for 
they, as well as all the things in heaven, bow in 
subjection to him. Thou crownedst him with 
glory and honour—This was strictly true of 
Adam in his state of innocence, for he was set over 
all things in this lower world; all sheep and oxen, 
the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of 
the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of 
the seas. (Psa. viii, 7, 8.) So far all this perfectly 
applies to Adam ; but it is evident the apostle takes 
all things in a higher sense, that of universal 
dominion; and hence he says, he left nothing that is 
not put under him. These verses, and the above 
passage from the epistle to the Philippians, mutu- 
ally illustrate each other. And the crowning 
Christ “ with glory and honour” must refer to his 
exaltation after his resurrection, in which, as the 
victorious Messiah, he had all power given to him 
in heaven and earth. And although we see not 
yet all things put under him, for evil men and 
evil spirits are only under the subjection of control, 
yet we look forward to that time when the whole 
world shall bow to his sway, and when the stone 
cut out of the mountain without hands shall be- 
come great, and fill the whole earth. [Bpayo τι 
(a little) may relate to either time or rank, or 
degree. The object of the writer of the epistle 
seems to be to show, that although Christ possessed 
a nature truly human, still in that nature he was 
exalted above the angels. The making less, ex- 
pressed by the word ἠλάττωσας, designates man’s 
estate as being in itself but little inferior to that 
of the angels, because he was made in the image 
of God. (Gen. i, 26, 27; ix, 6.) It is plainly the 
dignity of man that the Psalmist is intending to 
designate. As compared with the greatness of the 
material universe, man in his physical being is a 
397 


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now 4 we see not yet all things put under him. 
9 But we see Jesus, "who was made a little 
lower than the angels sfor the suffering of 
death, tcrowned with glory and honour; that 
he by the grace of God should taste death * for 
every man. 10 vFor it became him, ~ for 
whom are all things, and by whom are all 
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to 
make *the captain of their salvation ἡ perfect 


HEBREWS. 


Because of Jesus Christ’s humiliation 
he is highly exalted. 


through sufferings. I For zboth he that 
sanctitieth and they who are sanctified «are ali 
of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to 
call them brethren, 12 Saying, “1 will declare 
thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the 
church will I sing praise unto thee. 13 And 
again, 41 will put my trust in him. And again, 
¢ Behold I and the children ‘which God hath 
given me. 4&4 Forasmuch then as the chil- 


@1Cor. 15: 25. ? Phil. 2. 7, 8, 9.—s Or, by.—\+ Acts 2. 33. 

w John 3. 16: 12. 32; Kom. 5. 18; 8.32; 2 Cor. 5. 15; 1 Tim. 

2 6; 1 John 2. 2; Rev. 5. 9.—v Luke 24. 46.—w Rom, 11. 36. 
2x Acts 3. 15; 4. 31; chap. 12. 2. 


y Luke 13. 32; chap. 5. 9. —z#Chap. 10. 10, 14. «a Acts 
17. 26. ᾧ Matt. 28. 10: John 20. 17; Rom. 8, 29 -----ο Isa. 22. 
22, 25.—d Psa. 18. 2; Isa. 12. 2.—elIsa. 8. 18,—/ John 10. 
29; 17. 6, 9, 11, 12. 


very insignificant thing, apparently quite unworthy 
of the divine regard; but in contrast with this 
stands forth man’s spiritual nature, and the won- 
derful purposes of God respecting him, as is seen 
especially and eminently in the incarnation. See 
Stuart. } 

9. But we see Jesus, ete.—[Christ effectuates 
the salvation of our sinful race by himself becom- 
ing mysteriously of it, man with men in his human 
nature, as he is God with God in his essential 
divinity. The place assumed by him in his inear- 
nation was in the common plane of humanity, which 
was ‘a little lower than the angels.” But even in 
his humiliation he was not simply a man—one of 
the race like other individuals—but eminently and 
superlatively the head of the race, the “second 
Adam,” the ‘Son of man.” The world into which 
he thus came was lying in ruin, and called for re- 
demption, which could be accomplished only by his 
own subjection to death, which was indeed included 
in the work designated to him in his incarnation, 
and through this lay the way to his own eternal 
glory. (Luke xxiv, 26.) Thus it is seen that the 
redemption of our race is inseparably implicated 
with the humiliation (7AdatTwoac) of the Son of God ; 
and also that the way to the eternal glorification of 
the incarnate Word is through his suffering unto 
death; and also, that so suffering for us and for his 
own glorification, he will cause us to be glorified 
with him. (Rom. viii, 17.)] 

10. For it became him—lIt was suitable to the 
divine wisdom, the requisitions of justice, and the 
economy of grace, to offer Jesus as a sacrifice, in 
order to bring many sons and daughters [that is, 
in respect to the divine purposes of grace, “ every 
man,” (verse 9)| to glory. For whom . 
and by whom—God is the cause of all things, 
and he is the object or end of them. Perfect 
through sufferings—Without sufferings he could 
not have made an atonement forsin. The sacrifice 
must be consummated in order that he might be 
qualified to be the Captain or Leader of the salva- 
tion of men, and lead all those who become chil- 
dren of God through faith in him into eternal 
glory. This is the sufficient answer to the grand 
objection of the Jews: “The Messiah is never to 
be conquered, or die; but will be victorious, and 
endure forever.” Now the apostle shows that this 
is not the counsel of God; on the contrary, that it 
was entirely congruous to the will and nature of 
God, “by whom and for whom are all things,” to 
bring men to eternal glory through the suffering 
and death of the Messiah. This is the decision of 
the Spirit of God against their prejudices; and on 
the divine authority this must be our conclusion : 
Without the passion and death of Christ the salva- 
tion of man would have been impossible. [The per- 
fecting of Christ for his mediatorial work included 

398 


three things — merit, power, and sympathy; and 
all these were in him the results of his sufferings. 
The first is secured to him by his sacrificial death, 
“the merits of his passion;” the second was given 
to him by the Father, (Matt. xxviii, 18,) but with 
the accompanying conditions of sufferings and vic- 
tory; the third was wrought in him, swhjectively, 
by the things that he suffered. (Chapter v, 9.)| 

11. For both he that sanctifieth—The word 
ἁγιάζων does not merely signify one who sancti- 
fies or makes holy, but one who makes atonement 
or reconciliation to God. He that sanctifies is he 
that makes atonement; and they who are sanctified 
are all they [for whom atonement is made, (chapter 
x, 29,) and all those] who receive that atonement, 
and are reconciled unto God—become his children 
by adoption through grace. In this sense our Lord 
uses the word, (John xvii, 19:) “ For their sakes I 
sanctify myself;” ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐγὼ ἁγιάζω ἐμαυτόν, 
on their account I consecrate myself to be ἃ sacri- 
fice. This is the sense in which this word is used 
generally through this epistle. Are all of one— 
"EE ἑνὸς πάντες, both the Sanctifier and the sanetz- 
jfied—both Christ and his followers, are all of the 
same nature; for as the children were partakers of 
flesh and blood, that is, of human nature, he par- 
took of the same, and thus he was qualified to be- 
come a sacrifice for man. [Because Christ in the 
incarnation became ‘‘ very man,” and head of the 
race in its solidarity. (See verse 14.)] He is 
not ashamed to call them brethren—Though, 
as to his Godhead, he is infinitely raised above men 
and angels; yet as he has become incarnate, not- 
withstanding his dignity, he blushes not to acknowl- . 
edge all his true followers as his brethren. [Pleased 
as man with men to appear.—C. Wesley. | 

12. I will declare thy name—tSee Psalm 
xxii, 22. The apostle certainly quotes this psalm 
as referring to Jesus Christ, and these words as 
spoken by Christ unto the Father in reference to 
his incarnation. [That Psalm “xxii relates to the 
Messiah the Jews themselves confess, and the his- 
tory of his death seems, indeed, to be a kind of 
practical commentary upon it. . . . The whole ob- 
ject of the present quotation is merely to show that 
Christ is exhibited in the Jewish Scriptures as 
having recognised men (all mankind) as_ his 
brethren. (See Luke x, 21, 22; John i, 18.)— 
Stuart. | 

13. I will put my trust in him—It is not 
clear to what express place of Scripture the apostle 
refers ; words to this effect frequently occur; but 
the place most probably is Psalm xviii, 2, several 
parts of which psalm seem to belong to the Mes- 
siah. Behold I and the children which God 
hath given me—This is taken from Isa. viii, 18. 
The apostle does not intend to say that the por- 
tions which he has quoted have any particular 


The Lord Christ took on him 
the seed of Abraham. 


dren are partakers of flesh and blood, he ¢ also 
himself likewise took part of the same; "that 
through death he might destroy him that had 
the power of death, that is, the devil; 16 And 


CHAPTER II. 


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deliver them, who ‘through fear of death were 
all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For 
verily ‘he took not on him the nature of an- 
gels; but he took on him the seed of Abra- 


g John 1. 14; Rom. 8. 3; Phil. 2. 7.—/1 Cor, 15, d4, 55; Col. 
2. 15; 2 Tim. 1. 10.—?¢ Luke 1, 74; Rom. 8, 15; 2 Tim, 1.7. 


reference, taken by themselves, to the subject in 
question; they are only ecatchwords of whole para- 
graphs, which, taken together, are fully to the point ; 
because they are prophecies of the Messiah, and 
are fulfilled in him. The principal part of it, (the 
18th Psalm,) seems to refer to Christ’s sufferings ; 
and the miracles which were wrought at his cruci- 
fixion, the destruction of the Jewish state and 
polity, the calling of the Gentiles, and the estab- 
lishment of the Christian Church, appear also to 
be intended. A principal design of the apostle is 
to show that such scriptures are prophecies of the 
Messiah; that they plainly refer to his appearing 
in the flesh in Israel; and that they have all been 
fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and the calling of the Gen- 
tiles to the privileges of the Gospel. To establish 
these points was of great importance. [The pro- 
phetic import of these quoted passages should be 
noticed as illustrative of a great principle of inter- 
pretation.] The psalm (xxii) was originally the 
expression of a suffering saint, in all probability 
David, communing with his God, laying forth to 
him his anguish, and finally triumphing in confi- 
dence of his gracious help and deliverance. But 
by the mouth of such servants of God did the pro- 
phetie Spirit speak forth his intimations respecting 
the Redeemer to come. No word prompted by the 
Holy Ghost had reference to the utterer only. A// 
Israel was a type: all spiritual Israel set forth 
the second Man, the quickening spirit. All the 
groanings of God’s suffering people prefigured, and 
found their fullest meaning in, His groans who was 
the chief in suffering. The maxim cannot be too 
firmly held, nor too widely applied, that all the 
Old Testament utterances of the Spirit anticipate 
Christ, just as all his New Testament utterances 
set forth and expand Christ—that Christ is every- 
where involved in the Old Testament, as he is 
ee evolved in the New Testament.—Al- 
ford. 

14. The children are partakers of flesh and 
blood—Since those children of God who have fallen 
and are to be redeemed are human beings; in order 
to be qualified to redeem them by suffering and 
dying in their stead, he also himself likewise 
took part of the same, he became incarnate ; 
and thus He who was God with God became man 
with men. By the “children,” here, we are to 
understand not only the disciples and all genuine 
Christians, (as in verse 13,) but indeed the whole 
human race; so John xi, 51, 52: “ He [Caiaphas] 
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation ; 
and not for that nation only, but that also he should 
gather together in one the children of God that 
were scattered abroad.” [“ The children ” (παιδία) 
here mentioned are the same that are described in 
the preceding verse, namely, the disciples, the 
spiritual children of the Messiah.—Stwart.] [With 
this agree Alford, Lange, and most others, either 
expressly or by implication.] That through 
death—That by the merit of his own death, mak- 
ing atonement for sin and procuring the almighty 
energy of the Holy Spirit, he might counterwork, 
(καταργήσῃ,) or render useless and ineffectual, all 
the operations of him who had the power (κράτος) 


k Gr. he tuketh not hold of angels, hut of the seed of Abra- 
ham he taketh hold. 


or influence to bring death into the world; so that 
death, which was intended by him who was a mur- 
derer from the beginning to be the final ruin of 
mankind, becomes the instrument of man’s exalta- 
tion and endless glory ; and thus the death brought 
in by Satan is cownterworked and rendered ineffec- 
tual by the death of Christ. Him that had the 
power of death—[Him having a deadly power. 
So I understand τὸν τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου ἔχοντα, 
and this renders all the speculations about the 
power of the devil to inflict the sentence of zatural 
death upon men unnecessary; and equally so all 
the efforts to show what the rabbins have taught 
about Samael, the angel of death. That deadly 
power, that is, a power of leading men to sin, and 
consequently bringing them under sentence of spir- 
itual death, is ascribed to Satan (in many places) in 
the New Testament. Zo render null the deadly 
power of Satan, is to prevent the effects of it as 
bringing men to incur the sentence of spiritual 
death. . . . Thus interpreted, we have a plain sense 
of the passage, and one analogous to numerous 
other parts of Scripture.—Stuart.] [To destroy a 
power is the same as rendering it ineffectual; the 
power of death is that which procures it, and if 
the death here named be spiritual death, then is sin 
that power, though the devil may be its inciting 
cause, and its destruction is accomplished by the 
spiritual agencies of the Gospel, all of which are 
provided through the death of Christ. ] 

15. And deliver them, who through fear of 
death—It is very likely that the apostle has the 
Gentiles here principally in view. As they had no 
revelation, and no certainty of immortality, they 
were continually in bondage to the fear of death. 
They preferred life in any state, with the most 
grievous evils, to death, because they had no hope 
beyond the grave. But it is also true that all men 
naturally fear death; even those that have the 
fullest persuasion and certainty of a future state 
dread it; genuine Christians, who know that if 
the earthly house of their tabernacle were dis- 
solved they have a house not made with hands, 
a building of God, eternal in the heavens, only 
they fear it not. In the assurance they have 
of God’s love the fear of death is removed ; and by 
the purification of their hearts through faith the 
sting of death is taken away. 

16. For verily he took not on him the nature 
of angels—Ov γὰρ δή που ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, 
ἀλλὰ σπέρματος ᾿Αβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται, Moreover, 
he doth not at all take hold of angels; but of the 
seed of Abraham he taketh hold. This is the mar- 
ginal reading, and is greatly to be preferred to 
that in the text. Jesus Christ, intending not to 
redeem angels but to redeem man, did not assume 
the angelic nature, but was made man, coming di- 
rectly by the seed or posterity of Abraham, with 
whom the original covenant was made, that in his 
seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; 
and it is on this account that the apostle men- 
tioned the seed of Abraham and not the seed of 
Adam. By assuming the nature of man, Christ 
prevented the final and irrecoverable fall of man ; 
and by making an atonement in human nature, he 

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ham. 8% Wherefore in all things it behooved 
him ! to be made like unto δὲ brethren, that he 
might be ™a merciful and faithful high priest 
in things pertaining to God, to make reconcili- 
ation for the sins of the people. 28 »For in 
that he himself hath suffered being tempted, 
he is able to succour them that are tempted. 


 ZPhil. 2. 7,—m Chap, 4, 15: ὅ. 1, 2.—n Chap. 4. 15, 1625 5. 
9, 25. ——@ Rom. 1. 7; 1 Cor. 1. 25 Eph, 4 1; Phil, 3. 14; D Phece 
1. 11: 2 Tim, 1. 9; 2 Peter 1. 10. 


made a provision for its restoration to its forfeited 
blessedness. This is a fine thought and beauti- 
fully expressed. [The Revised Version (1881) 
reads, ‘‘ For verily not to angels doth he give help, 
but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham,” ren- 
dering ἐπιλαμβάνεται, he gives help, but the ordi- 
nary classical sense of to appropriate to one’s own 
use, which is very nearly that of the common ver- 
sion, is to be preferred. This preference of the 
seed of Abraham—that is, human nature—argues 
nothing in respect to its relative excellence, for 
because man was the object to be affected by 
the divine manifestation, it was requisite that it 
should take place in the sphere of humanity. (See 
next verse.) | 

17. Wherefore in all things—Because he thus 
laid hold on man in order to redeem him, it was 
necessary that he should in all things become like 
to man, that he might suffer in his stead, and 
make an atonement in his nature. That he 
might be a merciful and faithful high priest— 
"Iva ἐλεήμων γένηται καὶ πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς, and a 
fuithful high priest that he might be merciful. 
[λεήμων, merciful, sympathizing with those who 
are in distress. As those are best adapted to 
do this who have themselves been sufferers, so 
Jesus took on him our nature in order that he 
might suffer in it. Πιστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς, a faithful 
high priest, (answering to all the requirements of 
the assumed office.) Jesus assumed our nature 
that (so) he might qualify himself in a peculiar 
manner to exercise compassion toward us, τὰ πρὸς 
Tov Θεόν, as to things pertaining to God, that is, 
to make atonement for man’s sin, which so fatally 
affected his relations to God, his Maker, and his 
Judge. Christ, as a high priest, was faithful 
(adapted in his person) to perform the peculiar 
duties of that office, which (like that of the Jewish 
priest on the great day of atonement, Lev. iv, 35) 
were especially to make atonement for the sins of 
the people. How he did this is shown in the 
sequel of this epistle. See Stuart. ] 

18. For in that he himself hath suffered— 
A state of suffering disposes persons to be com- 
passionate; and those who endure most afflictions 
are they who feel most for others. The apostle 
argues, that, among other causes, it was necessary 
that Jesus Christ should partake of human nature, 
and so be exposed to trials, persecutions, and vari- 
ous sufferings, that he might the better feel for 
and be led to suecour those who are afflicted and 
sorely tried. (See Virgil’s dined, i, v, 632-634.) 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

[The first two chapters may be regarded as a 
distinct section, in which the dignity of Christ, both 
in his original divinity and chiefly in his glorified 
incarnate condition is represented and proved... . 
The author now proceeds to compare him with 
Moses, and to point out his superiority as the 


founder of a divine system of religion.—7Z'wner.] | a martyr to his faithfulness, 


400 


HEBREWS. 


Having himself suffered, Jesus Christ 
is fitted to succour others. 


CHAPTER III. 
Wee holy brethren, partakers 
of *the heavenly calling, consider 'the 
Apostle and High Priest of our profession, 
Christ Jesus; Ὁ. Who was faithful to him 
that ©appointed him, as also 4 Moses was 
Jaithful in all his house. % For this man 
6 Rom. 15. 8; chap. 2.17; 4. 14; 5. 5; 6. 20: % 1; 9. 


10. 21. —e¢Greek, made, 1 Sam. 12. 6. — ὦ Nun, 12. 
verse a. 


11; 
7: 


1. Wherefore—["O0ev, a note of transition and 
inference, or deduction from what has been before 
affirmed respecting Christ.| Holy brethren— 
Persons consecrated to God, called to be holy in 
heart and life, and useful in the world. So the 
Israelites are often called a holy people, saints, 
etc., because consecrated to God, and because they 
were bound by their calling to be holy; although 
these appellations are given to them in numberless 
instances where they were personally wrholy. For 
the sense in which ἄγεοι is here used, see chapter 

, 11; x, 29.] Heavenly calling—The Israelites 
had an earthly calling—they were called out of 
Egypt to go into the Promised Land: Christians 
have a heavenly calling—they are called to leave 
the bondage of sin, and to enter the kingdom of 
God; and those who obey are made partakers of 
this calling by embracing the Gospel, and are thus 
brought intoa state of salvation, Consider—Kura- 
νοήσατε, observe well, and this in order that they 
might not be tempted to swerve from their fidelity 
to Christ out of excessive regard to the Mosaic in- 
stitutes ; for Christ, as the writer proceeds to show, 
was in all respects superior to Moses. — Stuart. ] 
Apostle and High Priest of our profession— 
Among the Jews the high priest was considered to 
be also the apostle of God. Here then is a clear 
intimation that the Mosaic economy was at an end, 
and the priesthood changed. By τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν, 
our profession, the apostle undoubtedly means the 
Christian religion. Jesus was the Apostle of the 
Father, and has given to mankind the new cove- 
nant; and we are to consider the whole system of 
Christianity as coming immediately from him. [Two 
reasons may be given for calling Christ the “ High 
Priest of our profession : ᾽ 1) Because he is so 
named in prophecy, (see Psa. ex, 4 ;) and, 2) Because 
he is compared (but by way of eminence) with the 
Jewish high priests, making atonement for all men 
by the offering of himself a propitiation for the 
Ἐν: of the whole world. (1 John ii, aM 

Who was faithful to him—In Num. ΣΧ]. ἡ, 
God gives this testimony to Moses: “ Jy servant 
Moses... is faithful in all my house.” The whole 
congregation of Israel was the house or family of 
God, and God is represented as dwelling among 
them ; with Moses as his steward, who was faithful 
in the discharge of his office. So Jesus Christ has 
his house, the whole great family of mankind, for 
all of whom he offered his sacrificial blood to God ; 
and the Christian Church, which is especially his 
own household, is composed of his own children 
and servants, among and in whom he lives and con- 
stantly resides. As apostle and high priest he has 
been “faithful” to the trust reposed in him; he 
has faithfully proclaimed the will of the Most 
High; vindicated the divine honour against the 
corrupters of God’s worship ; testified against them 
at the continual hazard of his life; and, at last, 
not only died as a victim to cancel sin, but also as 
[In chapter ii, 17, the 


Christ Jesus counted worthy of 
more hvnour than Moses, 


was counted worthy of inore glory than Moses, 
inasmuch as *he who hath builded the house 
hath more honour than the house. 4 For 
every house is builded by some man ; but ‘he 
that built all things is God. 5 ¢ And Moses 
verily was faithful in all his house as "a ser- 


CHAPTER III. 


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vant, 'for a testimony of those things which 
were to be spoken after; 6 But Christ as «a 
son over his own house; ! whose house are we, 
"if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoic- 
ing of the hope firm unto the end. 7. Where- 
fore ds "the Holy Ghost saith, °To day if ye 


eZech. 6. 12; Matt. 16. 18.—S Eph. 2. 10: 3. 9; chap. 1. 2.— 
Verse 2.— A Exod. 14. 31: Num, 12.7; Deut. 3. 24: Josh. 1. 2; 
. 31.—Z Deut. 15. 15. 18, 19.——A Chap. 1. 3.---ἰ ] Cor. 3. 16; 
epithet πίστος ( faithful) is applied to Christ in re- 
spect to his personal (subjective) adaptation to his 
priestly office work; here the same word is used to 
indicate his fidelity in the performance of that 
work. | 

3. For this man was counted, ete.—[II7e/ovoc 
yap οὗτος δόξης παρὰ Μωυσῆν ἠξίωται, for of greater 
glory than (in comparison with) Moses was he es- 
teemed worthy. In the former chapters Christ’s 
personal superiority over ange/s is demonstrated ; 
now the superiority of his work over that of Moses 
is declared.] He who hath builded the house 
—[The same sense must here be given to οἴκου 
(house) as in the preceding verse—a household or a 
family, rather than an edifice. Christ (as God in- 
carnate) was the founder of the family of the 
faithful, of which family Moses was only a member, 
though an eminent and honoured one. } 

4. For every house is builded by some (one) 
—-The word “house,” here, is still taken in a meta- 
phorical sense, signifying family or Church. Every 
family has a head and governor, A man may found 
a family, a civil or religious community, and be the 
head of it; but God alone is the Head, Author, and 
Governor of [the one great family that comprises] 
all the families of the earth; he is the Governor of 
the universe. But the apostle has a more restricted 
meaning in the word πάντα, all things; and as he 
has been treating of the Jewish and Christian 
Churches, so he appears to have them in view here. 
But as Jesus is the Founder of the Church, and 
the Head of it, he is here evidently referred to by the 
word Gop, thus incidentally proving the Deity of 
Christ. “ This, then, (says Dr. Owen,) is that which 
the apostle intends to declare; namely, the ground 
and reason whence it is that the house was or could 
be, in that glorious manner, built by Christ, even 
because he is Gop, and so able to effect it; and 
by this effect of his power he is manifested so to 
be.” [The amount of the reasoning (of verse 4) 
Seems to be: “ Consider that Christ as Θεός, (God,) 
or the former of all things, must be the author also 
of the Jewish and Christian dispensations ; which 
(fact) shows that a glory belongs to him, not only 
in his mediatorial office, and as being at the head 
of the new dispensation, but also as the founder of 
both this and the Jewish dispensation in his divine 
character, while Moses is to be honoured only as the 
head of the Jewish dispensation in the quality of 
ἃ commissioned superintendent, but not as author 
or founder.—Stuart. | 

5. As a servant—The fidelity of Moses was the 
fidelity of a “servant ;” he was not the founder of 
that Church, or house; he was employed, under 
God, to arrange and order it; he was steward to 
the great Supreme Householder, Fora testimony 
of those things—Every ordinance under the law 
Was typical, and bore a testimony to the things 
which were to be afterward manifested, that is, to 
Jesus Christ, his suffering, death, and the glory 
Which should follow; and to his Gospel in all its 
parts. The faithfulness of Moses consisted in his 

Vox. 11.--ῶθ 


6. 19; 2 Cor. 6. 16; Eph, 2, 21, 22; 1 Tim. 3. 15: 1 Peter 2, 5—— 
m Matt. 10, 22; 24. 13; Rom, 5. 2; Col, 1. 23; verse 14: chap. 6. 
11; 10. 35.——m 2 Sam, 23. 2: Acts 1. 16. Ὁ Psa. 95. 7; Verse 15. 


scrupulous attention to every ordinance of God; 
his framing every thing according to the pattern 
showed him by the Lord; and his referring all to 
that Christ of whom he spoke as the prophet who 
should come after him, and should be raised up 
from among themselves ; whom they should atten- 
tively hear and obey, on pain of being cut off from 
being the people of the Lord. Hence our Lord 
told the Jews, (John v, 46,) “Had ye believed 
Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of 
me;” namely, says Dr. Macknight, “in the figures, 
but especially in the prophecies, of the law, where 
the gospel dispensation, the coming of its Author, 
and his character as Messiah, are all described with 
a precision which adds the greatest lustre of evi- 
dence to Jesus and to his Gospel.” 

6. But Christ as a son over his own house 
—Moses was faithful as a servant 1n the house ; 
Jesus was faithful as the firstborn Son over the 
house of which he is the Heir and Governor. 
Moses did not found the houce or family, Christ 
did ; Moses was in the house as one of the family, 
Christ was over the house as its Head; Moses was 
a servant in the house, Christ was the Son and 
Heir; Moses was in the house of another, Christ in 
his own house. Whose house are we—We 
Christians are his Church and family; he is our 
Father, Governor, and Head. If we hold fast 
the confidence—We are now (of) his Church, and 
shall continue to be such, and be acknowledged by 
him, IF WE maintain our Christian profession, τὴν 
παρρησίαν, that liberty of access to God which we 
now have, and the rejoicing of the hope, that is, of 
eternal life, which we shall receive at the resurrec- 
tion of the dead. [The confidence and joyful hope 
here mentivned is that which the Christian religion 
inspires. This must be held, βεβαίαν, firm, stead- 
fast, εὶς τέλους, to the end, that is, of life. We 
must persevere to the last in maintaining our 
Christian profession; we must never abandon the 
confidence and joyful hope which it inspires if we 
mean to be considered as belonging to the family 
of Christ.—Stuart.] [It should be noticed that 
the condition of continuance in God’s family is a 
steady maintenance of Christian character and per- 
severance in Christian confiding hope to the end of 
life. (See Rom, xi, 20 )—Zwurner.] 

7. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To 
day—tThese words are quoted from Psa. xev, 7; 
they were written by David, but are attributed 
here to the Holy Ghost, because David wrote them 
by his inspiration. They were originally a warning 
to the Israelites not to provoke God, lest they 
should be excluded from that rest which he had 
promised them; and they are used here to persuade 
Christians to hold fast their religious privileges 
and the grace they had received, lest they should 
come short of that state of future glory which 
Christ had prepared for them, The words strongly 
imply, as indeed does the whole epistle. the possi- 
bility of falling from the grace of God and perish- 
ing everlastingly; and without this supposition 
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will hear his voice, $ Harden not your hearts, 
as in the provocation, in the day of tempta- 
tion in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers 
tempted me, proved ie, and saw my works 
forty years. Ὁ. Wherefore I was grieved 
with that generation, and said, They do always 
err in their heart; and they have not known 
mny ways. HE So I sware in my wrath, rp They 
shall not enter into my rest. 4&2 Take heed, 


p Gr. Tf they shall enter. 


HEBREWS. 


Admonition not to harden the 
heart against God. 


brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil 
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living 
God. 43 But exhort one another daily, while 
it is called To day; lest any of you be hard- 
ened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For 
we are made partakers of Christ, 4if we hold 
the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto 
the end; 4 While it is said, "To day if ye 
will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as 


q Verse 6.—-? Verse 7. 


these words, and all such like, would have neither 
_Sense nor appositeness. 

8. Harden not your hearts—Which ye will in- 
fallibly do if ye will not hear his voice. [The 
hardening of the heart, that is, the making or con- 
tinuing of the soul in a state of insensibility to 
things spiritual, is the natural and inevitable result 
of inattention to the voice of God as uttered in his 
word, and by his Spirit and providence.] Provo- 
cation — Παραπικρασμῶ, [This word corresponds 
here to the Hebrew rendered strife, contention. The 
meaning of it is, exacerbation, provocation, embitter- 
ing, from πεκραίνω, to embitter or be bitter. It is 
here applied to designate the act of the Israelites 
who provoked the displeasure of God: in particular 
as to their unbelief and murmuring at Massah, or 
Meribah, (Exod. xvii, 7,) and afterward at other 
places —Stuwart.| Although the Israelites provoked 
God to wrath in the wilderness from the day they 
came out of the land of Egypt until their arrival at 
Canaan, as Moses told them, (Deut. ix, 7,) their great- 
est “ provocation,” the “provocation” in which they 
showed the greatest degree of evil disposition, un 
doubtedly was their refusing to go into Canaan from 
Kadesh. It was therefore very properly termed the 
bitter provocation and the day of temptation, by way 
ofeminence ; andit justly brought onthem the wrath 
of God, excluding them from his rest in Canaan. To 
distinguish this from the ‘provocation ” at Rephi- 
dim, it is called Weribah-Kadesh. (Deut. xxxii, 51.) 
[This is a reference to what happened at Meribah, 
or Massah, a place so named from the undutiful 
conduct of the Israelites toward Jehovah while 
dwelling there. (Exod. xvii, 2,7.) This was the 
beginning of a series of temptations and provoca- 
tions which extended all through the forty years 
of their abode in the desert, which with few excep- 
tions individually ended only in their death before 
entering into the promised rest. See Brown. ] 

9. When your fathers tempted me—It would 
be better to translate οὗ where than when, as the 
Vulgate has done in its whi; and this translation 
has been followed by Wiclif, Coverdale, Tindal, and 
our first translators in general. [᾿Επείρασαν οἱ 
πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ, your fathers tempted 
(me) by way of TRIAL, (proof.) These words refer 
to (these) men as it were (unconsciously) making 
experiments, whether indeed he were the powerful, 
holy, just, and faithful God he had declared himself 
to be.—Brown. | 

10. Wherefore I was grieved —God repre- 
sents himself as the Father of this great Israelitish 
family, for whose comfort and support he had made 
every necessary provision, and to whom he had 
given every proof of tenderness and fatherly affec- 
tion; and because they disobeyed him, and walked 
in that way in which they could not but be miser- 
able, therefore he represents himself as grieved 
and exceedingly displeased with them. [Διὸ zpo- 
σώχθισα, for that reason, that is, theiz disobedience, 

402 


Iwas indignant, offended at, ti γενεᾷ ταύτῃ, the men 
of that age or race. They do always err—They 
are continually departing from the right way. Igno- 
rance of God’s ways, and consequent disregard of 
his commandments, are here given as the certain 
procuring causes of his displeasure and punitive 
visitations. ] 

11. Solsware in my wrath—God’s grief at 
their continued disobedience became wrath at their 
final impenitence, and therefore he excluded them 
from the promised rest. 


[And they, at length, who scorn thy love, 
Shall find thee a consuming fire, 
Breithaupt, waus ated by J. Wesley.] 


12. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in 
any of you—Take warning by those disobedient 
Israelites. They were brought out of the house of 
bondage, and had the fullest promise of a land of 
prosperity and rest: by taeir disobedience they 
came short of it, and fell in the wilderness. Ye 
have been brought from the bondage of sin, and 
have a most gracious promise of an everlasting in- 
heritance among the saints in light; but as through 
unbelief and disobedience they lost their rest, so 
through the same ye may lose yours. An evil heart Ὁ 
of unbelief will lead away from the living God. 
What was possible in ¢hei case is possible in 
yours. 

3. But exhort one another daily—This sup- 
poses a state of close church fellowship, without 
which they could not have had access to each other. 
While it is called To day—[This fo day will not 
last forever. The day of life will end soon, and 
perhaps the day of grace yet sooner.— HW es/ey. | 

14. For we are made partakers of Christ— 
Having believed in Christ, and embraced the whole 
Christian system, they were already partakers of 
its benefits in this life, and entitled to the fulfil- 
ment of all its exceeding great and precious prom- 
ises relative to the glories of the eternal world. 
The former they actually possessed; the latter was 
promised, but conditioned on their perseverance ; 
therefore the apostle says: If we hold fast the 
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end, 
that is, of our life. For our participation of glory 
depends on our continuing steadfast in vhe faith to 
the end of our Christian race. [And this conditioning 
implies the possibility of failure. (See chapter ii, 1.) 
Τὴν ἀρχὴν, the beginning, οὐ the origin, (probably 
meaning the former, or their first faith in Christ.)] 
The word ὑπόστασις, which we here translate confi- 
dence, signifies properly a basis or foundation. If 
this were not held fast to the end, Christ, in his 
saving influences, could not be held fast; and no 
Christ, no heaven. He who has Christ in him has 
the well-founded hope of glory: and he who is 
found in the great day with Christ in his heart will 
receive an abundant entrance into eternal glory. 

15, While it is said, To day—[This is said to 


Tsraelites rejected from entering 
Canaan by unbelief. 


in the provocation. 16 * For some, when they 
had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that 
came out of Egypt by Moses. 417 But with 
whom was he grieved forty years? was it not 


with them that had sinned, ‘whose carcasses 


a Numbers 14. 2, 4, 11, 24, 30; Deuteronomy 1, 34, 36, 38.— 
t Numbers 14. 22, 29; 26. 65; Psalm 106. 26; 1 Corinthians 10. δὲ 


remind the reader of what has just been cited from 
the Old Testament, a part only of which is now re- 
peated, and the rest is left to be supplied by the 
reader’s recollection. — Stwart.]| See on verses 7, 
8, 9, and 12. 

16. For some, when they had heard, did 
provoke—There is a various reading here, which 
consists merely in the different placing of an accent, 
and yet gives the whole passage a different turn. 
[The latest and best authorities agree in writing it, 
τίνες yap ἀκούσαντες παρεπίκραναν ; ἀλλ᾽ ov πάντες 
οἱ ἐξελθόντες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ Μουσέως, for who hear- 
ing, tempted? was it not all that came out of Egypt 
by (through) Moses? This makes τίνες interroga- 
tive, and resolves the whole into two questions, of 
which the latter, though in form a negative, is 


clearly an affirmative answer to the former. He 
was grieved with all that came out of Egypt. The 


few exceptions, that is, Caleb and Joshua, because 
they were solitary exceptions out of so great a 
mass, are not taken account of.] Should it be said 
that all did not provoke, for Joshua and Caleb are 
expressly excepted, it may be answered that the 
term “all” may be with great propriety used when 
out of many hundreds of thousands only two per- 
sons were found who continued faithful. Should 
it be still said our version appears to be most 
proper, because αὐ did not provoke, it may be an- 
swered, that the common reading, τινές, some, is 
too contracted in its meaning to comprehend the 
hundreds of thousands who did rebel. 

17. But with whom was he grieved forty 
years—|Here (and so in the next verse) the con- 
struction is the same as in the preceding verse—first 
a question is asked, and then its answer is given in 
the form of a negative question, which is clearly 
equivalent to an affirmative of what is asked. (See 
an example of this form, Luke xvii, 8.)] Whose 
carcasses ξ6]] --- Ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν, whose mem- 
bers fell; τὰ κῶλα properly signifies the members 
ofthe body. and here may be an allusion to the 
seattered, bleached bones of this people, that were 
a long time apparent in the wilderness, continuing 
there as a proof of their crimes, and of the judg- 
ments of God. 

18. To whom sware he—God never acts by 
any kind of caprice ; whenever he pours out his 
judgments there are the most positive reasons to 
vindicate his conduct. Those whose carcasses fell 
in the wilderness were they who had sinned. And 
those who did not enter into his rest were those 
who believed not. God is represented here as 
swearing that they should not enter in, in order to 
show the determinate nature of his purpose, the 
reason on which it was founded, and the height of 
the aggravation which occasioned it. 

19. So we see that they could not enter in 
—It was no arbitrary decree of God that prevented 
them, it was no want of necessary strength to en- 
able them, it was through no deficiency of divine 
counsel to instruct them; all these they had in 
abundance: but their unbelief produced disobedi- 
ence, and disobedience produced hardness of heart 


CHAPTER III. 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


fell in the wilderness? 18 And +to whom 
sware he that they should-not enter into his 
rest, but to them that believed not? 19 80 
we see that they could not enter in because of 
unbelief. 


Jude 5.—vw Numbers 14. 30; 32. 11, 12, 13; Deuteronomy 1. 
34, 35.—v Chapter 4. 6. 


and blindness of mind; and all these drew down 
the judgments of God, and wrath came upon them 
to the uttermost. 


1, This whole chapter, as the epistle in general, 
reads a most awful lesson against backsliders, tri- 
flers, and loiterers in the way of salvation. Every 
believer in Christ is in danger of apostasy while 
any remains of the “evil heart of unbelief” are 
found in him. [That is, while he is still on proba- 
tion for heaven, for the promise is that they (and 
of course only they) who endure to the end shall 
be saved. } 

2. No man should defer his salvation to any fu- 
ture time. If God speaks to day, it is to day that 
he should be heard and obeyed. Τὸ defer recon- 
ciliation to God to any future period is the most 
reprehensible and destructive presumption. It sup- 
poses that God will indulge us in our sensual pro- 
pensities, and cause his mercy to tarry for us till 
we have consummated our iniquitous purposes. [Ὁ 
shows that we prefer, at least for the present, the 
devil to Christ, sin to holiness, and earth to heaven. 
And can we suppose that God will be thus mocked ? 
Can we suppose that it can at all consist with his 
righteousness to extend forgiveness to such abom- 
inable provocation? What a man sows that shall 
he reap. If he sows to the flesh, he shall of the 
flesh reap corruption. Reader, it is a dreadful 
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

3. Unbelief is rightly considered the most dam- 
ning of all sins. And what is this unbelief that 
damns and ruins mankind? Is it not the not per- 
mitting the mind and heart to be persuaded of the 
truths which God speaks? ᾿Απίέστια signifies faith- 
less, or being without faith. And this is an effect 
from another cause. In chapter iv, 11, these very 
people are cautioned against falling through unbe- 
lief; but there the word is ἀπειθεία, indisposition to 
be persuaded. They heard the divine instructions; 
they saw God’s stupendous miracles; but they 
would not suffer themselves to be persuaded that 
He who said and did such things would perform 
those other things which he had either threatened 
or promised. Hence they had no faith, because 
they were unpersuaded ; and their unbelief was the 
effect of their unpersuaded or unpersuadable mind. 
And their minds were not persuaded of God’s truth, 
because they had ears open only to the dictates of 
the flesh. (See on chapter iv, 2.) Here, then, is the 
damning sin: the not inferring, from what God has 
said and done, that he will do those other things 
which he has either threatened or promised. And 
how few are there who are not committing this sin 
daily! Reader, dost ¢how in this state dream of 
heaven? Awake out of sleep! 

4. Where there are so many snares and dangers 
it is impossible to be too watchful and circumspect. 
Satan, as a roaring lion, as a subtle serpent, or in 
the guise of an angel of light, is momentarily going 
about seeking whom he may deceive, blind, and de- 
vour; and when it is considered that the human 
heart, till entirely renewed, is on his side, it is a 

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CHAPTER IV. 

ET «us therefore fear, lest, a promise be- 

4 ing left ws of entering into his rest, any 
of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For 
unto us was the gospel preached, as well as 
unto them: but "the word preached did not 
profit them, “ποῦ being mixed with faith in 
them that heard Zt. 3 4For we which have 
believed do enter into rest, as he said, 5.45.1 


HEBREWS. 


God’s promise of rest ineffectual 
unless believed. 


have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter 
into my rest: although the works were fin- 
ished from the foundation of the world. 
4 For he spake in acertain place of the seventh 
day on this wise, ‘And God did rest the 
seventh day from all his works. & And in 
this place again, If they shall enter into my 
rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that 
some must enter therein, and they to whom 


a Chap. 12. 15.—» Gr. the word of hearing. ὁ Or, because 


they were not united by saith to. 


miracle of mercy that any soul escapes perdition. 
No man is safe any longer than he maintains the 
spirit of watchfulness and prayer; and to maintain 
such a spirit he has need of all the means of grace. 
He who neglects any of them which the mercy of 
God has placed in his power tempts the devil to 
tempt him. 

5. As a preventive of blacksliding and apostasy, 
the apostle recommends mutual exhortation. No 
Christian should live for himself alone; he should 
consider his fellow Christian as a member of the 
same body, and feel for him accordingly, and love, 
succour, and protect him. When this is carefully 
attended to in religious society, Satan finds it very 
difficult to make an inroad on the Church; but w hen 
coldness, distance, and a want of brotherly love 
takes place, Satan can attack each singly, and, by 
successive victories over individuals, soon make an 
easy conquest of the whole. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Let us therefore fear—Seeing the Israelites 
Jost the rest of Canaan through obstinacy and un- 
belief, let us be afraid lest we come short of the 
heavenly rest through the same cause. Should 
seem to come short of it—Jest any of us should 
actually come short of it; that is, miss it. (See 
Luke vili, 18.) What the apostle had said before 
relative to the rest might be considered as an alle- 
gory; here he explains and applies that allegory, 
showing that Canaan was a type of the blessed 
privileges of the Gospel of Christ, and of the glo- 
rious eternity to which they lead. [Aoxy (should 
seem) is, as so many both of ancients and moderns 
have taken it, a mild term conveying, indeed, a 
stronger intimation behind it— Alford. | Come 
short—The verb ὑστερεῖν [literally means to come 
afterward —too late. In the secondary sense it 
means fo fail, to come short; as he must fail of ob- 
taining a thing who comes too /ate for it, perhaps 
with a reference to σήμερον, to day. But I prefer 
the more simple (and direct) lest ye fail of obtain- 
ing the promised blessing.—Stuart. | 

2. For unto us was the gospel preached— 
Καὶ yap ἐσμεν εὐηγγελισμένοι, for we are “ gos- 
pelled.” They had a gracious promise of entering 
into an earthly rest; we have a gracious promise 
of entering into a heavenly rest. God gave them 
every requisite advantage; he has done the same 
to us. Moses and the elders spoke the word of 
God plainly and forcibly to them; Christ and his 
apostles have done the same tous. They might 
have persevered; so may we: they disbelieved, 
disobeyed, and fell; and so may we. But the 
word preached did not profit them— Αλλ᾽ οὐκ 
ὠφέλησεν ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐκείνους, 
hearing did not profit them. 
debased by their Egyptian bondage, and they 
scarcely ever arose to a state of mental nobility. 

404 


but the word of 
Their minds had been | 


d Chap. 3. 14.—e Psa. 95. 11; chap. 3. 11 ae 2.2 
20. 115 31.17. ἘΞ Chap. Bol! 


; Exod. 


Not being mixed with faith in them that 
heard—The word συνκεκερασμένους, mixed, is a met- 
aphor taken from the nutrition of the human body 
by mixing the aliment taken into the stomach with 
the saliva and gastric juices, so that it is digested 
and absorbed into the blood, and so hecomes the 
means of supporting the body. Should the most 
nutritive aliment be received into the stomach, if 
not “mixed” with these juices it would be rather 
the means of death than of life; certainly it would 
“not profit.” So faith in the word preached [ἃ 
gracious spirit of receptivity] is the grand means 
of its becoming the power of God to the salvation 
of the soul. He who does not credit a threatening 
will not be deterred by it from repeating the sin 
against which it is levelled; nor can he derive 
comfort from a promise who does not believe it as 
a pledge of God’s veracity and goodness. Faith, 
therefore, must be “mixed ” ΠΝ all that we hear 
in order to make the word of God effectual to our 
salvation. 

3. For we which have believed do enter 
into rest—The great spiritual blessings, the fore- 
runners of eternal glory, which were all typified by 
that earthly rest promised to the ancient Israelites, 
we Christians do, by believing in Christ Jesus, 
actually possess. We have peace of conscience 
and joy in the Holy Ghost; are saved from the 
euilt and power of sin; and thus enjoy an inward 
rest. [But God has said concerning the unbelieving 
Israelites] in the wilderness, I have sworn in my 
wrath that they shall not enter into my rest, not- 
withstanding the works of creation were finished, 
and the seventh day’s rest [which was also a type 
and a prophecy of the rest of Canaan] was institu- 
ted from the foundation of the world. [So, in 
the provisions of the Gospel the work is finished, 
and a redeemed world is invited to enter into them ; 
which, however, can be done only through faith.] 

4. For he spake in a certain place—Namely 
in Gen. ii, 2, which refers to the completion of the 
work of creation, and the settingeapart the seventh 
day as a day of “rest” for man and a type of 
everlasting felicity. 

5. And in this ‘place again—Sce Psalm χουν, 11. 
This was a second rest which the Lord pr omised to 
the believing, obedient seed of Abraham ; and as it 
was spoken of in the days of David, when the Jews 
actually possessed this long-promised Canaan, 
therefore it is evident that that was not the rest 
which God intended, as the next verse shows. 

6. It remaineth that some must (will) enter 
therein— Exel οὖν ἀπολείπεται τινὰς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς 
αὐτήν, seeing then it remaineth for some to enter into 
it; or, whereas therefore it remaineth that some 
enter into it, which is Dr. Owen’s translation, and 
they to whom it was first preached (οἱ = ρότερον 
εὐ αγγελισθέντες, they to whom the promise was given; 
they ‘who first received the good tidings, that is, the 


The rest promised to the Hebrews 
a type of the heavenly rest. 


CHAPTER IV. 


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it "was first preached entered not in because 
of unbelief: 7% Again, he limiteth a certain 
day, saying in David, To day, after so long a 
time; as itis said, 'To day if ye will lear his 
voice, harden not your hearts. & For if «Je- 
sus had given them rest, then would he not 
afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There 
remaineth therefore a 'rest to the people of 


| God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, 
he also hath ceased from his own works, as God 
did from his. Ε1 Let us labour therefore to 
enter into that rest, lest any man fall "after 
the same example of "unbelief. 12 For the 
word of God is °quick, and powerful, and 
psharper than any 4twoedged sword, piercing 
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 


h Or, the gospel was first preached.—i Psa. 95, 7: chap. 
3. 7.—& That is, Joshua.——l Or, keeping of a sablath.— 
m Chap. 3. 12, 18, 19. 


Israelites, to whom was given the promise of en- 
tering into the rest of Canaan) did not enter in be- 
cause of their unbelief, and the promise still con- 
tinued to be repeated even in the days of David — 
therefore, some other ‘ rest’’ must be intended. 

7. He limiteth (defines) a certain day—Day, 
ἡμέραν, here seems to have the same meaning as rest 
in some other parts in this place. The day or time 
of rest relative to the ancient Jews being over and 
past, and a long time having elapsed between God’s 
displeasure shown to the disobedient Israelites in 
the wilderness and the days of David, and the true 
rest not having been enjoyed, God in his mercy has 
instituted another day—has given another dispensa- 
tion of mercy and goodness by Christ Jesus; and 
now it may be said, as formerly, 70 day, if ye will 
hear his voice, harden not your hearts. God speaks 
now as he spoke before; his voice is in the Gospel 
as it was in the Law. Believe, love, obey, and ye 
shall enter into this rest. In David (Psa. exv, 7)— 
As we say “in Isaiah,” meaning the book of Isaiah, 
After (the lapse of) so long a time—-(Namely, the 
time between Joshua and David.) [The reference is 
clearly backward to what has been already cited, 
not forward to the words which follow.—A/ford. | 

8. For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them 
rest — The apostle shows, that although Joshua 
did bring the children of Israel into the Promised 
Land, yet this could not be the intended rest, be- 
cause long after this time the Holy Spirit, by David, 
speaks of this rest; the apostle, therefore, con- 
cludes— 

9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the 
people of God—[2a33aricwoc, a keeping of sab- 
bath.]| The “rest” was not, 1) The rest of the Jew- 
ish sabbath; nor, 2) The rest of the Promised Land, 
‘(for the psalmist wrote long after the days of 
Joshua ;) therefore there is another rest—a state of 
blessedness—for the people of God; and this is the 
Gospel ; the blessings it procures and communicates, 
and the eternal glory which it prepares for, and has 
promised to, genuine believers. There are two words 
in this chapter which we indifferently translate 
“rest,” κατέπαυσεν and σαββατισμὸς, the first sig- 
nifying a cessation from labour, so that the weary 
body is rested and refreshed ; the second meaning, 
not only a rest from labour, but a religious rest; 
sabbatismus, a rest of a sacred kind, of which both 
soul and body partake. This is true, whether we 
understand the rest as referring to gospel bless- 
ings or to eternal felicity, or to both. 

10. For he that is entered into his rest— 
The man who has believed in Christ Jesus has en- 
tered into his rest; the state of happiness which he 
has provided, and which is the forerunner of eter- 
nal glory. Hath ceased from his own works— 
No longer depends on the observance of Mosaic 
rites and ceremonies for his justification and final 
happiness. He rests from all these works of the 


n Or, disoledience.—o Isa, 49, 2; Jer, 23. 29; 2 Cor. 10. 4, 
ὅ: Peter 1. 33.---: Prov. 5. 4.—q Eph. 6. 17; Rev. 1. 16; 
2. 16. 


law as fully as God has rested from his works of 
creation. Those who restrain the word “rest” to 
the signification of eternal glory, say that ceasing 
from our own works relates to the sufferings, trib- 
ulations, afflictions, etc., of this life; as in Rey. 
xiv, 13. I understand it as including both. In 
speaking of the sabbath, as typifying a state of 
blessedness in the other world, the apostle follows 
the opinions of the Jews of his own and after times, 
who think that where the plural number is used, 
(as in Lev. xix, 30, Ye shall keep my sabbaths,) that 
the lower and higher sabbaths ave intended, and that 
the one is prefigured by the other. 

11. Let us labour therefore—The word σπου- 
δάσωμεν implies every exertion of body and mind 
which can be made in reference to the subject. 
All things else omitted, this one thing let us do. 
We receive grace, improve grace, retain grace, that 
we may obtain eternal glory. Lest any man fall— 
Lest he fall off from the grace of God, from the Gos- 
pel and its blessings, and perish everlastingly. This 
is the meaning of the writer, who seems never to sup- 
pose that a man might not make final shipwreck 
of faith and of a good conscience as long as he was 
in a state of probation. 

12. For the word of God is quick, and 
powerful—| By the phrase 6 λόγος Tov Θεοῦ, we ave 
certainly to understand, not the divine Λόγος, (John 
i, 1,) but the truths and doctrines of the Gospel, as 
they come to us in the Holy Scriptures, are 
preached among men, and made life-giving by the 
accompanying energy of the Holy Spirit.] [Zov 
yap ὁ λόγος Θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς, for God's living uord 
is powerful ; or, God's word is enduring, and jull of 
energy, thatis, has an ever-during force. The mean- 
ing, according to the latter interpretation, is, that 
the commination uttered in ancient days against 
unbelievers (and which had been repeated above 
by the writer) has abated nothing from its force 
or efficacy down to the present time. It still 
lives; unbelievers are still subject to its power. 
This is suitable to the relation of these words to 
what precedes them. The other interpretation 
makes ζῶν mean aetive, (living,) a sense which is 
common to this word and its Hebrew equivalent. 
I understand both terms as conveying the idea of 
active and mighty energy, which is altogether appro- 
priate to the writer’s purpose that God’s word, with 
its fearful threatenings uttered against unbelievers 
in former days, is still in force, and has a dreadful 
power at which thev ought to shudder. Kai τομώ- 
τερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον. and sharper 
than any two-edged sword. The efficacy of the 
divine commination is often compared to a sharp 
sword. (Isa. xlix, 2; xi, 4; Rev. i, 16; ii, 12,16; 
xix, 15,21.) Language of reproof, threats, or con- 
demnation, is by the sacred writers called the 
sword, or rod, of his mouth. So in our text the 
divine commination is represented as terribly effi- 

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and of the joints and marrow, and és "a dis- 
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 


r1 Cor. 14, 24, 25. 


cacious. Kai δμκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς Kai 
πνεύματος, piercing so as to separate life and spirit. 
Φυχή, when used as here, in distinction from 
πνεῦμα, means the animal soul, or principle of 
animal life in man, as πνεῦμα, in such a case, means 
the rational soul. ... In the phrase under consid- 
eration the terms used plainly mean, inflicting a 
wound so deep as shall prove deadly. We may 
paraphrase both expressions thus: @ sharp sword 
that inflicts deadly wounds. ‘Apyov te καὶ μυελῶν, 
joints and marrow, that is, so as to divide the 
limbs from the body, a tremendous image of the 
sharpness of the sword, and of the deadly punitive 
efficacy of the divine judgments.—Stwart. ] 

[Calmet interprets these words with especial 
reference to the life-giving power of the divine 
word. He explains and applies the text in this 
wise: 

[‘‘ And this mode of speech is exactly conform- 
able to that of the Prophet Isaiah, (lv, 10, 11,) 
where, to the word of God spoken by his prophets, 
the same kind of powers are attributed as those 
mentioned here. For as the rain cometh down and 
the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but 
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and 
bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to 
the eater; so shall my worp BE that GOETH FORTH 
our or My MouTH; it shal! not return unto me 
void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and 
it shall prosper in the thing whereto 1 sent it. The 
centurion seems to speak a similar language, (Luke 
vii, 7:) But say in a word, (ἀλλὰ εἰπὲ λόγῳ, speak 
thy word,) and my servant shall be healed.” | 

In Dr. Dodd’s collections we find the following: 

[‘‘ The word of God, which promises to the faith- 
ful an entrance into God’s rest in David’s time, and 
now to us, is not a thing which died or was for- 
gotten as soon as it was uttered, but it continwes 
one and the same to all generations; it is ζῶν, 
quick, οὐ living. So Isaiah says: The word of our 
God shall stand for ever. (Chapter xl, 8; compare 
chapter li, 6; lv, 11; 1 Esdras iv, 38; Johniii, 34; 
1 Peter i, 23.) And powerful, ἐνεργῆς, efficacious, 
active ; sufficient, if it be not actually hindered, 
to produce its effects; effectual. (Philem. 6 
2 Cor. x, 4; 1 Thess. ii, 13;) “and sharper than 
any two-edged sword; ” τομώτερος ὑπὲρ, more eut- 
ting than.. The word of God penetrates deeper into 
aman than any sword; it enters into the soul and 
spirit, into all our sensations, passions, appetites, 
nay, to our very thoughts; and sits as judge of the 
most secret intentions, contrivances, and sentiments 
of the heart. | 

[Mr. Wesley’s note on this verse is expressed 
with his usual precision and accuracy: “‘ For 
the word of God’ — preached, (verse 2,) and 
armed with threatenings, (verse 3,) is living and 
powerful—attended with the power of the living 
God, and conveying either life or death to the 
hearers; ‘sharper than any twoedged sword ’— 
penetrating the heart more than this does the body ; 
piercing quite through, and laying open ‘the soul 
and spirit, joints and marrow’—the inmost re- 
cesses of the mind, which the apostle beautifully 
and strongly expresses by this heap of figurative 
words ; ‘and isa discerner, not only of the thoughts,’ 
but also of the intentions.”] Is a discerner of 

406 


HEBREWS. 


; see | 


Nature and properties of the 
word of God. 


13 ‘Neither is there any creature that is not 
mnanifest in his sight: but all things are naked 


8 Psa. 33. 13, 14; 90. 8: 139. 11, 12. 


the thoughts—Kai κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν 
καρδίας. is a critic of the propensities and sugges- 
tions of the heart. How many have felt this prop- 
erty of God’s word where it has been faithfully 
preached! How often has it happened that a man 
has seen the whole of his character, and some of 
the most private transactions of his life, held up as 
it were to public view by the preacher; and yet the 
parties absolutely unknown to each other! But 
while this effect of the word or true doctrine of 
God is acknowledged, let it not be supposed that 
it, of itself, can produce such effects. The word of 
God is compared to a hammer that breaks the rock 
in pieces, (Jer. xxiii, 29;) but will a hammer break 
a stone unless it is applied by the skill and strength 
of some powerful agent? It is here compared to a 
twoedged sword; but will a sword so cut or pierce 
unless some hand push and direct it? Neither can 
the words and doctrine of God produce any effect 
but as directed by the teacher and applied by the 
Spirit of God. It is an instrwment the most apt for 
the accomplishing of its work; but it will do noth- 
ing but as used by the heavenly Workman. 

13. Neither is there any creature that is 
not manifest—God, from whom this word comes, 
and by whom it has all its efficacy, is infinitely 
wise. He well knew how to construct his word so 
as to suit it to the state of all hearts; and he has 
given it that infinite fulness of meaning so as to 
suit it to all cases. And so complete is he in his 
knowledge, and so omnipresent is he, that the 
whole creation is constantly exposed to his view; 
nor is there a creature of the affections, mind, or 
imagination, that is not constantly under his eye. 
He marks every rising thought, every budding de- 
sire; and such as these are supposed to be the 
creatures to which the apostle particularly refers, 
and which are called, in the preceding verse, the 
propensities and suggestions of the heart. But-all 
things are naked and opened—lIlavta δὲ γυμνὰ 
καὶ τετραχηλισμένα. The verb τραχηλίζω, from 
which the apostle’s τετρα χηλισμένα comes, signifies 
to have the neck bent back so as to expose the face 
to full view, that every feature might be seen; and 
this was often done with eriminals, in order that 
they might be the better recognised and ascertained. 
To this custom Pliny refers in the very elegant and 
important panegyric which he delivered on the 
Emperor Trajan, about A. D. 103, when the em- 
peror had made him consul; where, speaking of 
the great attention which Trajan paid to the public 
morals, and the care he took to extirpate informers, 
ete., he says: “There is nothing, however, in this 
age which affects us more pleasingly, nothing more 
deservedly, than to behold from above the supine 
faces and reverted necks of the informers. We 
thus knew them, and were gratified when, as ex- 
piatory victims of the public disquietude, they were 
led away to lingering punishments and sufferings 
more terrible than even the blood of the guilty.” 
[ Alford, after considering the various renderings of 
this figure, accepts as most probable nearly this 
view of the subject. “1 would therefore,” he says, 
“aecept this metaphorical sense here, and regard 
the word as signifying entire prostration and sub- 
jugation under the eye of God; not only naked, 
stripped of all covering and concealment—but also 


Believers in Christ have in him 
a great high priest. 


and topened unto the eyes of him with whom 
we have todo. 14 Seeing then that we have 
a “great high priest, Ythat is passed into the 
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, “let us hold 
fast our profession. 165 For * we have not a 


tJob 26. 6; 34. 21; Prov. 15. 11.—zw Chap. 3. 1.—~7 Chap. 7. 
26; 9. 12, 24.—w Chap. 10 23.—a Isa. 53.3; chap. 2. 18. 


CHAPTER IV. 


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high priest which cannot be touched with the 
feeling of our infirmities; but Y¥was in all 
points tempted like as we are, 7 yet without 
sin. 16 *Let us therefore come boldly unto 
the throne of grace, that we may obtain 


21; chap. 7. 26; 1 Pet. 2. 22; 1 John 


y Luke 22, 98, --- ὃ Cor. 
ῦ : 8. 12; chap. 10. 19, 21, 22. 


5. 
ὃ. 5.— a Eph. 2. 18 


laid prostrate in their exposure before him.” } 
With whom we have to ἀο--ΠΠρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ 
λόγος, to whom we must give an account. He is our 
judge, and is well qualified to be so, as all our 
hearts and actions are naked and open to him. 
This is the true meaning of λόγος in this place ; and 
it is used in precisely the same meaning in Matt. 
xii, 36; xviii, 23; Luke xvi, 2. Rom. xiv, 12: So 
then every one of us (λόγον δώσει) shall give an ac- 
count of himself to God. And Heb. xiii, 17: They 
watch for your souls (ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσοντες) as those 
who must give account. We translate the words, 
“ With whom we have to do;” of which, though 
the phraseology is obsolete, yet the meaning is nearly 
the same. 170 whom a worde to us, is the render- 
ing of my old MS. Of whom we speake, is the ver- 
sion of Wiclif. 

14. Seeing then that we havea great high 
priest—It is contended, and very properly, that 
the particle οὖν, which we translate seeing, as if 
what followed was an immediate inference from 
what had preceded, should be translated now; for 
though Christ had before been mentioned as the 
high priest of our profession, (chapter iii, 1.) and 
as the high priest who made reconciliation for the 
sins of the people, (chapter ii, 17,) the writer does not 
attempt to prove this in any of the preceding chap- 
‘ters, but now enters upon that point, and discusses 
it at great length to the end of chapter x. After 
all, it is possible that this may be a resumption of 
the discourse from chapter iii, 6; the rest of that 
chapter, and the preceding thirteen verses of this, 
being considered as a parenthesis. These parts 
left out, the discourse runs on with perfect con- 
nexion. It is very likely that the words are here 
spoken to meet an objection of those Jews who 
wished the Hebrew Christians to apostatize: “ You 
have no tabernacle—no temple—no high priest— 
no sacrifice for sin. Without these there can be 
no religion; return therefore to us, who have the 
perfect temple service appointed by God.” To 
these the writer answers; We have a high priest 
who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God; 
therefore /et us hold fast our profession. (See on 
chapter iii, 1.) 

Three things the writer professes to prove in this 
epistle: 1) That Christ is greater than the angels. 
2) That he is greater than JJoses. 3) That he is 
greater than Aaron and all high priests. The two 
former arguments, with their applications and illus- 
trations, he has already despatched; and now he 
enters on the third: 1) That we have a high priest: 
2) That this high priest is Jesus, the Son of God; 
not a son or descendant of Aaron, nor coming in 
that way, but in a more transcendent tine: 8) Aaron 
and his suceessors could pass only into the holy of 
holies, and that but once a year; but our high priest 
has passed into the heavens, of which that was only 
the type. 

15. For we have not a high priest—To the 
objection, ‘Your high priest, if entered into the 
heavens, can have no participation with you, and no 


man feelings and infirmities,” he answers: We have 
not a high priest who cannot sympathize with our 
weakness. Though he be the Son of God, and equal 
in his divine nature with God; yet, having partaken 
of human nature, and having submitted to all its 
trials and distresses, and being in all points tempted 
like as we are, without feeling or consenting to sin; 
he is able to succour them that are tempted. (See 
chapter ii, 18.) [Καθ' ὁμοιότητα, scil. ἡμῶν͵, that is, 
who was tempted like us; παραπλησίως ἡμῶν, says 
Theophylact ; ὁμοίως ἡμῖν, Origen. This surely does 
not imply that temptations had, in all respects, 
the same influence upon him as upon us; but 
only that hé was exposed to be attacked by them, 
in like manner as we are. He possessed a na- 
ture truly human, (chapter ii, 14, 17;) he was 
therefore susceptible of being excited by the pow- 
er of temptations, although he never yielded to 
them. Χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, without sin; that is, al- 
though assailed by temptations of every kind, he 
never yielded, in any case, to their influence. He 
remained sinless. But why is this here asserted ? 
Principally, 1 apprehend, to guard against any mis- 
take in respect to what the writer had just said. 
To show the Hebrews that they might depend on 
the sympathy and compassion of their high priest 
(comp. ii, 17, 18) to help them, in all the trials and 
difficulties to which an unshaken adherence to 
Christianity would subject them, he declares that 
Jesus was himself subject to the like trials in all 
respects. But when he had so said, as if fearing 
they might draw the conclusion that in some cases, 
at least, he was (like others) overcome by them, the 
author immediately adds, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. It may 
be, that the expression implies an exhortation thus, 
namely, “ Jesus when tried did not sin; Christian 
brethren, follow his example.” I prefer, however, 
the former explanation.—Stuar7. | 

16. Let us therefore come boldly unto 
the throne of grace—The allusion to the high 
priest, and his office on the day of atonement, is 
here kept up. The approach mentioned here is to 
the ἱλαστήριον, the propitiatory, or mercy seat. This 
was the covering of the ark of the testimony or 
covenant, at each end of which was a cherub, and 
between them the shechinah, or symbol of the 
divine Majesty, which appeared to and conversed 
with the high priest. Heve the apostle shows the 
great superiority of the privileges of the new cove- 
nant above those of the old; for ¢Aere the high 
priest on/y, and he with fear and trembling, was 
permitted to approach; and that not without the 
blood of the victim; and if in any thing he trans- 
eressed he might expect to be struck with death. 
The throne of grace in heaven answers to this pro- 
pitiatory, but to (Ais aLL may approach who feel 
their need of salvation; and they may approach 
(μετὰ Tappyaiac) with freedom, confidence, liberty of 
speech, in opposition to the fear and trembling of 
the Jewish high priest. Here nothing is to be 
feared provided the heart be right with God, truly 
sincere, and trusting alone in the sacrificial blood. 


Sympathy for you, because out of the reach of hu-| That we may obtain mercy —‘Iva λάωμεν 


407 


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mercy, and find grace to help in time of 
need, 
CHAPTER V. 
OR every high priest taken from among 
men *is ordained for men 'in things per- 
taining to God, «that he may offer both gifts 
and sacrifices for sins: 2 4Who ecan have 


nt ( peo &. 3.— 2b Chap. 2. 17.—e Chap. %. 3, 4; 9. 9; 10. 11; 


4. ——d Chap. 2. 18; 4, ae 
with. — Chap. 7. 98. 


ἔλεος, that we may take mercy ; that we may receive 
the pardon of all our sins: there is mercy for the 
taking. As Jesus Christ “tasted death for every 
man,” so every man may go to that propitiatory, 
and take the mercy that is suited to his offences. 
And find grace—“ Mercy ” refers to the pardon 
of sin, and being brought into the favour of God; 
sierace 1s that by which the soul is supported 
after it has received this merey, and by which it is 
purified from all unrighteousness, and upheld in all 
trials and difficulties, and enabled to prove faithful 
unto death. To help in time of need—Eic εὔκαι- 
pov βοήθειαν, for a seasonable support, that is, sup- 
port when necessary, and as necessary, and in due 
proportion to the necessity. And yet even at the 
throne of grace, or great propitiatory, no help can 
be expected where there is no cvy, since where there 
is no cry there is no fe/t necessity ; for he that feels 
that he is perishing will ery aloud for help, and to 
such a cry the compassionate high priest will run; 
and the “time of need” is the time in which God 
will show mercy; nor will he ever delay it when 
it is necessary. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

[That which has before ee by anticipation 
hinted at, (chapter ii, 17; iii, 1; iv, 14, 15,) is now 
taken up and thoroughly discussed, (extending to 
chapter x, 18.)— Alford. | 

1. For every high priest taken from among 
men—This seems to refer to Ley. xxi, 10, where it 
is intimated that the high priest shall be taken 
from his brethren; that is, he shall be of the tribe 
of Levi and of the family of Aaron, [Taken from 
among men:” because so taken, they must be or- 
dained for men with only a human ordination, and 
this world office and power in contrast with the 
work indicated in verse 7.] Is ordained for men 
-͵Ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν: is 
appointed to preside over the divine worship in 
those things which relate to the former dispensa- 
tion. That he may offer both gifts and sacri- 
fices for sins—God ever appeared to all his fol- 
lowers in two points of view: 1) As the author and 
dispenser of all ca i good. 2) As their law- 
giver and judge. In reference to this twofold view 
of the divine Being, his worship was composed of 
two different parts: 1) Offerings, or gifts ; 2) Sacri- 
Jices. (1) As the creator and dispenser of all good, 
he had offerings by which his bounty and _provi- 
denee were acknowledged. (2) As the lawgiver and 
judge, against whose injunctions offences had been 
committed, he had sacrifices offered to him to make 
atonement for sin. The δῶρα, or gifts, mentioned 
here by the apostle, included every kind of eucha- 
vistical offering. The θυσίαι, sacrifices, included vic- 
tims of every sort, or animals whose lives were to 
be offered in sacrifice, and their blood poured out 
before God, as an atonement for sins. The high 
priest was the mediator between God and the peo- 
ple; and it was his office, when the people had 

408 


HEBREWS. 


Sehian ss epee to a Jewish 
priest. 


compassion on the ignorant, and on them that 
are out of the way; for that ‘he himself also 
is compassed with infirmity. % And by rea- 
son hereof he ought, as for the people, so also 
for himself, to offer for sins. 4 "And'no man 
taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is 
called of God, as ‘was Aaron. & So also 


g Lev. 4. 3; 9.73 16. 6, 15, 16,17: chap 7. 27; 9. 7.---- 2 Chron. 
ἘΠ 18; John 3. 97. --- ὁ ὕχυα. 25, 1; Num, 16. d, 40; 1 Chron. 
3. 10. ἘΞ John 8. 54 


brought these gifts and sacrifices, to offer them to 
God in their behalf. The people could not legiti- 
mately offer their own offerings, they must be all 
brought to the priest, and he alone could present 
them to God. As we have a high priest over the 
house of God to offer all our gifts and his own sac- 
rifice, therefore we may come with boldness to the 
throne of grace. 

2. Who can have (being able to have) compas- 
sion on the ignorant. —The word μετριοπαθεῖν sig- 
nifies, not merely to “ have compassion,” but to act 
with moderation, and to bear with each in propor- 
tion to his ignorance, weakness, and untoward cir- 
cumstances ; to pity, feel for, and excuse, as far as 
possible; and, when the provocation is at the high- 
est, to moderate one’s passion toward the culprit, 
and be ready to pardon; and, when punishment 
must be administered, to do it in the gentlest man- 
ner. The reason given why the high priest should 
be slow to punish and prone to forgive is, that he 
himself is also compassed with weakness; περί- 
κειται ἀσθένειαν, weakness lies all around him, it is 
his clothing; and as he feels his clothing, so should 
he feel it; and as he feels it, so he should deplore 
it and compassionate others. 

3. And by reason hereof—[O¢ei/e1, he ought.] 
As he is also a transgressor of the commands of 
God, and unable to observe the law in its spirit- 
uality, he must [as occasion to] offer sacrifices for 
sin, not only for the people, but for himself also: 
this must teach him to have a fellow feeling for 
others 

4. This honour — Τὴν τιμήν undoubtedly sig- 
nifies here the office, honour, authority. It is an 
honourable office, hecause the man is the high priest 
of God, and is appointed by God himself to that 
office. But he that is called of God, as was 
Aaron—As God alone had the right to appoint his 
own priest for the Jewish nation, and man had no 
authority here, so God alone could provide and 
appoint a high priest for the whole human race, 
Aaron was thus appointed (in a lower sense) for 
the Jewish people; Christ (in the highest and most. 
complete) for all mankind. It is’ great folly to in- 
fer from this text the uninterrupted succession of 
popes or bishops, through whom alone any can 
have power to execute the office of the ministry of 
the Gospel. It is a silly fable, invented by eccle- 
siastical tyrants and supported by clerical cox- 
combs. But were it even true, it has nothing to do 
with the text, which speaks only of the appoint- 
ment of a high priest, the succession to be pre- 
served in the tribe of Levi and in the family of 
Aaron. But even this succession was interrupted 
and broken off, and the office itself was to cease on 
the coming of Christ, after whom there could be no 
high priest; nor can Christ have any successor ; 
and therefore he is said to be ἃ priest for ever. 
The verse, therefore, has nothing to do with the 
office of the Christian ministry ; [nor are Christian 
ministers ever called priests in the New Testament. ] 


Jesns Christ is appointed of God 
the high priest of his people. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4067. A.D. 68, 


Year of Rome, $16. 


Christ glorified not himself to be made a high 
priest; but he that said unto him, !Thou 
art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 
6 As he saith also in another place, "Thou art 


Psa, 2. 7: chap. 1. 5. ——m Psa. 110. 4; chap. 7. 17, 21. — 
nm Matt. 26, 39, 42, 44; Mark 14. 36, 89; John 17. 1. 


a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. 
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had 
“offered up prayers and supplications ° with 
strong crying and tears unto him Pthat was 


22. 1; Matt. 27. 4, 50; Mark 15. 34, 37. —- p Matt. 
26. 53; Mark 14. 36. 


ο Psa, 


5. Christ glorified not himself—{It was wholly 
by the power and authority of God that] Jesus 
Christ was also appointed to this most awful and 
yet glorious office of being the high priest of the 
human race. The Jewish high priest represented 
this by the sacrifices of beasts which he offered ; 
the Christian high priest must offer his own life. 
Jesus Christ did so; and, rising from the dead, he 
ascended to heaven, and there ever appeareth in 
the presence of God for us, Thus he holds in per- 
petuity the sacerdotal office; and therefore he can 
never have a suecessor. He can have no vicars, 
either in heaven or upon earth; those who pretend 
to be such are impostors, and are worthy neither 
of respect norcredit. Thou art my Son—See on 
chapter i, 5. And thus it appears that God can 
have no high priest but his Son; and to that office 
none can now pretend without blasphemy, for the 
Son of God is still the high priest in his temple. 

6. He saith also in another place, (Psa. cx, 4,) 
Thou arta priest for ever—Jesus must continue 
to be high priest to all the successive generations of 
men, as he was also the lamb slain from the founda- 
tion of the world. If he be a priest for ever, there 
can be no succession of priests; and if he have all 
power in heaven and in earth? and if he be present 
wherever two or three are gathered together in his 
name, he can have no vicars; nor can the Church 
need one to actin /iis place, when he, from his essen- 
tial nature, fills all places, and is everywhere present. 
This one consideration nullifies all the pretensions 
of the Romish pontiff, and proves the whole to be 
a tissue of imposture. After the order of Mel- 
chisedec—Who this person was must still remain 
a secret. We know nothing more of him than is 
written in Gen. xiv, 18, ete. [He is here (as in Psa. 
ex, 4) shown to have been an illustrious person.] 
[Εἷς τὸν αἰῶνα (forever) must be taken in a qual- 
ified sense, as doubtless the priesthood of Christ will 
continue no longer than his mediatorial reign; 
when his reign as mediator shall cease, his work, 
both as mediator and priest, will have been accom- 
plished. Κατὰ τὴν τάξιν, x. τ. 2., he in whom all 
the theocratic promises find their fulfilment, in 
whom the true kingdom of God comes and is 
summed up, was to be (Zech. vi, 12) “ἃ priest 
upon his throne,” and such a priest as should be 
after the order of Melchisedee.—Stuart. | 

7. Who (Christ) in the days of his flesh— 
The time of his incarnation, during which he took 
all the infirmities of human nature upon him, and 
was afflicted in his body and soul just as other 
men are, irregular and sinful passions excepted. 
Offered up prayers and supplications—The 
Redeemer of the world appears here in his proper 
humanity ; but he is the representative of the whole 
human race. He must, as such, make expiation for 
sin by suffering. Suffering was as necessary as 
death ; for man, because he has sinned, must suffer, 
and because he has broken the law, should die. 
Jesus took upon himself the nature of man, subject 
toall the trials and distresses of human nature. 
He is now making atonement; and he begins with 
sufferings, as sufferings commence with human 


life; and he terminates with death, as that is the 
end of human existence in this world. Though he 
was the Son of God, conceived and born without sin, 
or any thing that could render him liable to suffering 
or death, and only suffered and died through infi- 
nite condescension; yet, to constitute him a com- 
plete Saviour, he must submit to whatever the law 
required; and therefore he is stated to have 
learned OBEDIENCE by the things which he suffered, 
(verse 8,) that is, swbjection to all the requisitions 
of the law; and being made perfect, that is, having 


Jinished the whole by dying, he, by these means, 


became the author of eernal salvation to all them 
who obey him, (verse 9;) that is, who repent and 
believe the Gospel, and walk in holiness of life. 
“But he appears to be under the most dreadful 
apprehension of death; for he offered up prayers 
and supplications, with strong crying and tears, 
unto him that was able to save him from death.” 
(Verse 7.) This fear of death was in Christ a 
widely different thing from what it is in men; they 
fear death because of what lies Jeyond the grave ; 
they have sinned, and they are afraid to meet their 
judge. Jesus could have no fear on these grounds ; 
he was now suffering for man, and he felt as their 
expiatory victim; and God only can tell, and per- 
haps neither men nor angels can conceive, how 
great the sufferings and agony must have been 
which, in the sight of infinite justice, were requisite 
to make this atonement. Death, temporal and 
eternal, was the portion of man; and now Christ is 
to destroy death by agonizing and dying! The 
tortures and torments necessary to effect this de- 
struction Jesus Christ alone could feel, Jesus 
Christ alone could sustain, Jesus Christ alone can 
comprehend. We are referred to them in this 
most solemn verse; but the apostle himself only 
drops hints, he does not attempt to explain them; 
he prayed; he supplicated with strong crying and 
tears; and he was heard in reference to that 
which he feared. His prayers, as our mediator, 
were answered ; and his sufferings and death were 
complete and effectual as our sacrifice. Thisis the 
glorious sum of what the apostle here states; and 
itisenough. Wemay hear of it with awful wonder ; 
and we adore Him with silence whose grief had 
nothing common in it to that of other men, and is 
not to be estimated according to the measure of 
human miseries. It was 


A weight of woe, more than whole worlds could bear. 


Prayers and supplications, ete.—There may be 
an allusion here to the manner in which the Jews 
speak of prayer, ete. “Rabbi Yehudah said: All 
human things depend on repentance and the prayers 
which men make to the holy blessed God ; espee- 
ially if tears be poured out with the prayers. There 
is no gate which tears will not pass through.” 
(Sohar, Exod., fol. 5.) 

The word ἱκετηρίας (translated supplications) is 
found in no other part of the New Testament. 
᾿κέτης signifies a supplicant, and is so used in this 
connexion by the purest Greek writers. Nearly 
the same words are found in Isocrates, De Pace: 

409 


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Year of Rome, $16. 


TIEBREWS. 


Jesus Christ the author of eternal 
salvation to all who obey him. 


able to save him from death, and was heard 
«τίη that he feared; $ *Though he were a 
Son, yet learned he tobedience by the things 


which he suffered; 9. And "being made per- 
fect, he became the author of eternal salvation 
unto all them that obey him; 40 Called of 


gOr, for his piety. 7 Matthew 26. 37; Mark 14. 33; 
Luke 22. 433 Jolin 12, 27. 


s Chapter 3. Saale 2. 8.—w Chapter 2. 10; 


‘Iketypiag πόλλας καὶ δεήσεις ποιόμενοι, making 
many supplications and prayers. Jesus Christ, the 
representative of and substitute for the whole 
human race, which was oppressed and ruined by 
Satan and sin, with the hiketeria, or ensign of a 
most distressed suppliant, presents himself before 
the throne of God with strong crying and tears, 
and prays against death and his ravages in behalf 
of those whose representative he was; and he ‘‘ was 
heard in that he feared ””—the evils were removed 
and the oppressor cast down. Satan was bound, 
he was spoiled of his dominion, and is reserved in 
chains of darkness to the judgment of the great 
day. To save him from death—I have already 
observed that Jesus Christ was the representative 
of the human race; and have made some observa- 
tions on the peculiarity of his sufferings, following 
the common acceptation of the words in the text, 
which things are true, howsoever the text may be 
interpreted. But here we may consider the pro- 
noun αὐτόν, “him,” as implying the collective body 
of mankind; the children who were partakers of 
flesh and blood, (chapter ii, 143) the seed of Abra- 
ham, (verse 16,) who through fear of death were all 
their life subject to bondage. So he made supplica- 
tion with strong erying and tears to him who was 
able to save tHEM from death; for I consider the 
τούτους, them, of chapter ii, 15, the same, or im- 
plying the same thing, as αὐτὸν, “him,” in this 
verse ; and, thus understood, all the difficulty van- 
ishes away. On this interpretation I shall give a 
paraphrase of the whole verse: Jesus Christ, in 
the days of his flesh, (for he was incarnated that he 
might redeem the seed of Abraham, the tallen race 
of man,) and in his expiatory sufferings, when rep- 
resenting the whole human race, offercd up prayers 
and supplications, with strong crying and tears, to 
him who was able to save tHEm from death; the in- 
tercession was prevalent, the passion and sacrifice 
were accepted, the sting of death was extracted, 
and Satan was dethroned. The words, (verse 8,) 
Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by 
the things which he suffered, 1 consider as belonging, 
not only to Christ considered in his human nature, 
but also to him in his collective capacity; that is, 
belonging to all the sons and daughters of God, 
who, by means of suffering and various chastise- 
ments, learn submission, obedience, and righteous- 
ness; and this very subject is soon after treated 
in considerable detail. (See chapter xii, 2-11.) 

9. And being made perfect—Kai τελειωθεὶς, 
and having finished all—having died and risen again. 
Τελειωθῆναι signifies to have obtained the goal; to 
have ended one’s labour, and enjoyed the fruits of 
it: (chapter xii, 23:) the spirits of just men made 
perfect. Uveruace δικαίων τετελειωμένων means the 
souls of those who have gained the goal and ob- 
tained the prize. So, when Christ had finished his 
course of tremendous sufferings, and consummated 
the whole by his death and resurrection, he became 
αἵτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου, the cause of eternal salva- 
tion unto all them who obey him. He was conse- 
erated both high priest and sacrifice by his offering 
upon the cross. 

“In this verse,” says Dr. Macknight, ‘three 
things are clearly stated: 1) That obedience to 

410 


Christ is equally necessary to salvation with be- 
lieving on him. 2) That he was made perfect as 
a high priest by offering himself a sacrifice for sin. 
(Chapter viii, 8.) 3) That, by the merit of that 
sacrifice, he hath obtaied pardon and eternal life 
for them who obey him.” He tasted death for 
every man, but he is the author and cause of eter- 
nal salvation only to them who obey him. Christ 
has bought all men by his blood; and by the infinite 
merit of his death he has purchased for them an 
endless glory; but, in order to secure it, the sinner 
must, through that grace which God withholds from 
no man, repent, turn from sin, believe on Jesus as 
being a sufficient ransom and sacrifice for his soul, 
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and himself be- 
come a worker together with him. walk in conform- 
ity to the divine will through this divine aid, and 
continue faithful unto death through him out of 
whose fulness he may receive grace upon grace, 
[There is here an intimation that Christ’s very suf- 
ferings stand in intimate and necessary connexion 
with his exaltation to the kingly office. (See Luke 
xxiv, 26.)—Stuart. | 

10. Called of God a high priest—IIpoca- 
yopevdeic, being constituted, acknowledged, a high 
priest. On this verse Dr. Macknight has the fol- 
lowing note: ‘‘As our Lord, in his conversation 
with the Pharisees, (Matt. xxii, 43,) spake of it as 
a thing certain of itself, and universally known and 
acknowledged by the Jews, that David wrote the 
110th Psalm by inspiration, concerning the Christ 
or Messiah; the apostle was warranted in apply- 
ing the whole of that psalm to Jesus. Where- 
fore, having quoted the fourth verse, Zhow art a 
priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec, as 
‘directed to Messiah, David’s Lord, he justly termed 
that speech of the Father a salutation to Jesus. 
Now, that the deep meaning of this salutation may 
be understood, I observe, First, that, by the testi- 
mony of the inspired writers, Jesus sat down at the 
right hand of God when he returned to heaven, 
after having finished his ministry upon earth. 
(Mark xvi, 19; Acts vii, 56; Heb. i, 3; viii, 1; 
1 Pet. iii, 22.) Not, however, immediately, but 
after he had offered the sacrifice of himself in 
heaven by presenting his crucified body before the 
presence of God. (Heb. i, 3; x, 10.) Secondly, 
[ observe, that God’s saluting Messiah a priest 
after the order of Melchisedec, being mentioned 
in the psalm after God is said to have invited him 
to sit at his right hand, it is reasonable to think the 
salutation was given him after he had offered the 
sacrifice of himself, and had taken his seat at God’s 
right hand. [Or in anticipation of that accom- 
plished sacrifice.] | Considered in this order, the 
salutation of Jesus as a priest after the order of 
Melchisedee was a public declaration on the part 
of God that he accepted the sacrifice of himself 
which Jesus then offered, as a sufficient atonement 
for the sin of the world, and approved of the whole 
of his ministrations on earth, and confirmed all] the 
effects of that meritorious sacritice. And whereas 
we are informed, in the psalm, that after God had 
invited his Son, in the human nature, to sit at his 
right hand as governor of the world, and foretold 
the blessed fruits of his government, he published 


Weak Christians should be fed 
with the more simple truths, 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4067. A. D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


God a high priest ἡ after the order of Melchis- 
edec. 11 Of whom “we have many things 
to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are 
xdull of hearing. 1.2 For when for the time 
ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one 


oVerse6: chap. 6. 20.— 7 Jolin 16, 12; 2 Peter 3, 16.—a Matt. 
13. 15.—y Chap. 6. 1. 


the oath by which he made him a priest for ever, 
before he sent him into the world to accomplish 
the salvation of mankind; and declared that he 
would never repent of that oath. It was, in effect, 
a solemn publication of the method in which God 
would pardon sinners; and a promise that the 
effects of his Son’s government as a king, and of 
his ministrations as a priest, should be eternal. 
(See chapter vi, 20.) Moreover, as this solemn dec- 
laration of the dignity of the Son of God, as a king 
and a priest for ever in the human nature, was 
made in the hearing of the angelic hosts, it was de- 
signed for their instruction, that they might under- 
stand their subordination to God’s Son, and pay 
him that homage that is due to him as Governor of 
the world and as Saviour of the human race. 
(Phil. ii, 9, 10; Heb. i, 6.) The above explanation 
of the import of God’s saluting Jesus a priest for 
ever is founded on the apostle’s reasonings in the 
seventh and following chapters, where he enters 
into the deep meaning of the oath by which that 
salutation was conferred. [Rather far fetched !] 
11. Of whom—[IIepi οὗ, concerning whom, that 
is, Melchisedee.] We have many things to say 
—(Having introduced the subject of Christ’s exal- 
tation as priest, the nature of the comparison intro- 
duced—namely, the comparison of Christ’s priest- 
hood with that of Melchisedee—ocecasions the 
writer (of the epistle) to stop short, in order to 
comment on this, and also to give utterance, in the 
first place, to his emotions of concern for those 
whom he addressed. The difficulty and obscurity 
of the subject which he is about to discuss are, in 
his view; oceasioned principally by the low state of 
religious knowledge in those whom he addresses. 
This he tells them very plainly, in order to re- 
prove them for the little progress they had made 
in Christian knowledge, as well as to guard them 
against objecting to what he is about to advance, 
—Stuart.| [It is of no consequence, as regards the 
general sense, whether this be rendered ‘“‘ concern- 
ing which”—that is, the analogy of the priesthood 
of Christ to that of Melchisedec — or, ‘‘ concern- 
ing whom”’—meaning either of these personages. 
I should prefer the latter, understanding of Christ 
as the prominent and most important subject of 
discourse. The particular characteristic of Christ 
is, of course, his priesthood as analogous to that of 
Melchisedee.— Turner.] Hard to be uttered— 
Δυσερμήνευτος, difficult to be interpreted, because 
Melchisedee was a typical person. Or, if it refer to 
the priesthood of Christ, that is still more difficult 
to be explained, as it implies his being constituted 
a priest after this typical order, and his paying 
down the ransom for the sins of the whole world, 
and also his satisfying the divine justice by this 
sacrifice, thereby opening the kingdom of heaven 
to all believers, and giving the whole world an 
entrance to the holy of holies by his blood. Dull 
of hearing—Nw/poi ταῖς axoaic; your souls do not 
keep pace with the doctrines and exhortations de- 
livered to you. As νωθρός signities little speed, it is 
here elegantly applied to those who are called to 
the Christian race, have the road laid down plain 


teach you again which Je ¥ the first principles 
of the oracles of God; and are become such as 
have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 
13 For every one that useth milk *7s unskilful 
in the word of righteousness: for he is "a babe. 


2 1 Cor. 3.1, 9, 3. a Gr. hath no experience.—b1 Cor. 13. 
11; 14. 20: Eph. 4. 14; | Peter 2. 2. 


before them, and the blessings to be obtained 
enumerated, and yet who make no exertions to get 
on, but are always lagging by the way. 

12. For when for the time—They had heard 
the Gospel for many years, and had professed to be 
Christians for a long time; on these accounts they 
ought to have been well instructed in divine things, 
and able to instruct others. Which be the first 
principles—Twa τὰ στοιχεῖα, certain first princi- 
ples ov elements.. The word τινά is not the nomina- 
tive plural, as our translators have supposed, but 
the accusative case, governed by διδάσκειν, and there- 
fore the literal translation of the passage is this: 
Ye have need that one teach you a second time 
(πάλιν) certain elements of the doctrines of Christ, 
or oracles of God; that is, the notices which the 
prophets gave concerning the pries/hood of Jesus 
Christ. (Psalm ex, and Isaiah 1111.) By the oracles 
of God, τῶν λογίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, the writings of the 
Old Testament are undoubtedly meant. And are 
become such—The words seem to intimate that 
they had once been better instructed, and had now 
forgotten that teaching; and this was occasioned 
by their being “dull of hearing:” either they had 
not continued to hear, or they had heard so care- 
lessly that they were not profited by what they 
heard. They had probably totally omitted the 
preaching of the Gospel, and consequently for- 
gotten all they had learned. Indeed, it seems to 
have been to reclaim those Hebrews from backslid- 
ing, and preserve them from total apostasy, that this 
epistle was written. Such as have need of milk— 
“ Milk ” is a metaphor by which many authors, both 
sacred and profane, express the first principles of 


religion and science; and they apply sucking to 
learning ; and every student in his novitiate, or 


commencement of his studies, was likened to an 
infant that derives all its nourishment from the 
breast of its mother, not being able to digest any 
other kind of food. On the contrary, those who 
had well learned all the first principles of religion 
and science, and knew how to apply them, were 
considered as adults who were capable of receiving 
solid food; that is, the more difficult and sublime 
doctrines. But all these are to derive their nour- 
ishment, or spiritual instruction, ἐκ τῶν λογίων Tod 
Θεοῦ, from the oracles of God. The word “ oracle,” 
by which we translate the λογίων of the apostle, is 
used by the best Greek writers to signify a divine 
speech, or answer of a deity to a question pro- 
posed. It always implied a speech or declaration 
purely ce/estia/, in which man had no part; and it 
is thus used wherever it oecurs in the New Testa- 
ment. 1) It signifies the Law received from God 
by Moses, (Acts vii, 38.) 2) The Old Testament 
in general; the holy men of old having spoken by 
the inspiration of the divine Spirit. (Rom. iii, 2. 
3) Divine revelation in general, because delivered 
immediately from God. (1 Thess. ii, 13; 1 Pet. iv, 11.) 
When we consider what respect was paid by the 
heathens to their “ oracles,” we may learn what re- 
spect is due to the true oracles of God. 

13. For every one that useth milk—lIt is very 
likely that the apostle, by using this term, refers to 

411 


A. Μ. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 810. 


HEBREWS. 


Believers exhorted to go on 
unto perfection, 


14 But strong meat belongeth to them that 
are * of full age, even those who by reason of use 
have their senses exercised ¢ to discern both good 
and evil. 
ih CHAPTER VI. 
HEREFORE ‘leaving 'the principles of 
x Or. perfect ; 1 Cor. 2. 6; Eph. 4, Be | Phil. Ὁ; 15. τεῦ Ory of 


a halit, or, perfection. ais Weald ἡ ΟΣ, Ἢ 
dé Phil. 3. 12, 13, 14; chap. 5. 12. 


the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto per- 
fection; not laying again the foundation of 
repentance efrom dead works, and of faith 
toward God, 2 4Of the doctrine of baptisms, 
eand of laying on of hands, ‘and of resurree- 
tion of the dead, ¢and of eternal judgment. 


b Or, the word of the beginning of Christ.—ce Chap. 9. 14. 
——d Acts 19. 4.5 é Acts 8. 14, 15, 16, 17; 19. 6.7 Acts 17. 
31, 32.—g Acts 24. 25; Rom, 2. 16. 


the doctrines of the law, which were only the rudi- 
ments of religion, and were intended to lead us to 
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The 
word of righteousness — Λόγον δικαιοσύνης, the 
doctrine of justification. I believe this to be the 
apostle’s meaning. He that uses “ milk,” rests in 
the ceremonies and observances of the law, is wn- 
skilful in the doctrine of justification; for this re- 
quires faith in the sacrificial death of the promised 
Messiah. 

14. But strong meat—The high and sublime 
doctrines of Christianity ; the atonement, justifica- 
tion by faith, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Tul- 
ness of Christ dw elling in the souls of men, 
triumph in and over death, and eternal glory in the 
realms of the blessed and endless union with Christ 
in the throne of his glory. This is the ‘strong 
meat” which the genuine Christian understands, 
receives, digests, and by which he grows. By 
reason of use—W za, by constant hearing, believ- 
ing, praying, and obedience, use all the graces of 
God’s Spirit ; and, in the faithful use of them, find 
every one improved, so that they daily grow in grace, 
and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Have their senses exercised-——The word αἰσθη- 
τήρια signifies the different organs of sense, as the 
eyes, ears, tongue, palate, etc., and the nervous sur- 
face in general, through which we gain our sensa- 
tions, ‘These organs of sense, being frequently 
“exercised” or employed on a variety of subjects, 
acquire the power to discern the various objects of 
sense; namely, colours, sounds, tastes or savours, 
odours or smelling, hardness, softness, and all 
other tangible qualit es. There is something in the 
soul that answers to all these senses in the body. 
And as universal nature presents to the other 
senses their different and appropriate objects, so 
religion presents to these interior senses the ob- 
jects which are suited to them. Hence in Scripture 
we are said, even in spiritual things, to see, hear, 
taste, and feel. These are the means by which the 
soul is rendered comfortable, and through which it 
derives its happiness and perfection. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 
1. Therefore—[Av0. Since you have for so long 
a time enjoyed su many advanté ages and opportuni- 
ties to become adepts in the truth, and yet have so 
signally failed, and are still babes and not adults in 
Christian knowledge and experience, it is high time 
to leave these merely elementary things, and pro- 


ceed toward higher truths and to a more matured 
Christian state.] | The words τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ 


Χριστοῦ λόγον might be translated the discourse of 


the beginning of Chr ist, as in the margin, that is, 
the account of his incarnation, and the different 
types and ceremonies in the law by which his ad- 
vent, nature, office, and miracles were pointed out. 
The whole law of Moses pointed out Christ, and 
therefore the words of the apostle may be under- 
stood thus: Leave the Law, and come to the Gos- 
pel ; cease from Moses, and come to the Messiah. 
412 


Let us go on unto perfection — The original 
words, ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα φερώμεθα, [are capable of 
either of the two senses—1) “Quitting the mere 
initial stage of pupilage (do ye) advance forward 
to a more mature state of instruction and knowl- 
edge ;” or, 2) “Omitting not to insist on the first 
elements of Christian doctrines, let us proceed 
(φερώμεθα, bear ourselves) toward the more difficult 
principles (elements) of religion,’ the writer thus 
intimating his further purpose in addressing his 
readers. Both senses are worthy of the occasion, 
and each has been accepted and sustained by the 
very best authorities. See Stuart.] Laying 
again the foundation of repentance—Nexpov 
ἔργων, dead works, are the works of those who were 
dead in trespasses and dead in sins; and who were 
dead by sentence of the law. Repentance may be 
properly called the foundation of the work of God 
in the soul, because by it we forsake sin and turn 
to God to find mercy. Faith toward God—Is 
also a primary and fundamental principle, without 
which it is impossible to please God, and without 
which we cannot be saved. In ‘‘repentance” we 
feel the need of God’s mercy ; by “ faith” we find 
that mercy. 

2. Of the doctrine of baptisms—[‘ Baptism,” 
as agreeable to the Lord’s appointment, became 
the rite of initiation into the Christian Church, and 
its administration was usually followed with the 
imposition of hands; and accordingly, because these 
were iitiatory services, they were now to be left 
behind.] ‘ Baptisms,” or immersions of the body 
in water, sprinklings, and washings, were frequent 
as religious rites among the Hebrews, and were all 
emblematical of that purity which a holy God re- 
quires in his worshippers, and without which they 
cannot be happy here, nor glorified in heaven. 
Laying on of hands—Was also frequent, espec- 
ially in sacrifices; the person bringing the victim 
laid his hand on its head, confessed his sins over it, 
and then gave it to the priest to be offered to God, 
that it might make atonement for his transgressions. 
This also had respect to Jesus Christ, that Lamb of 
God which taketh away the sin of the world. The 
doctrine also of the resurrection of the dead 
[that is, of the future life] and of eternal judg- 
ment, were also fundamental Christian doctrines 
only partially revealed in the Old Testament, and 
then referred to the Gospel. (See Isa. xxvi, 19; 
xii, ¥.) Now the foundation of all these doctrines 
was laid in the Old Testament, and they were vari- 
ously represented under the Law, but they were all 
referred to the Gospel for their proof and illustra- 
tion. The apostle, therefore, wishes them to consider 
the Gospel as holding forth these in their full spirit 
and power. It preaches, 1) Repentance unto life. 
2) Faith in God through Christ, by whom we re- 
ceive the atonement. 3) The baptism by water, in 
the name of the Holy Trinity, and the baptism of 
the Holy Ghost. 4) The imposition of hands, the 
true sacrificial system ; and, by and through it, the 
communication of the various gifts of the Holy 


Fearful warnings against 
apostasy. 


8 And this will we do, *if God permit. 4 For 
‘it is impossible for those * who were once en- 
lightened, and have tasted of !the heavenly 
git, and ™were made partakers of the Holy 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4067. A. Ὁ, 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


Ghost, 4 And have tasted the good word of 
God, and the powers of "the world to come, 
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again 
unto repentance; °seeing they crucify to them- 


hAc Acts 18. 91. 1 ὉΠ 
2 2 Pet. 2 . Qi), 


. 19.----ἰ Matt. 12. 31, 32; ae 10. 26; 
Ὁ 1 John 5. 16,—-k Chap. 10. : 

Spirit for the instruction of mankind and the edi- 
fication of the Church. 5) The resurrection of the 
. dead, which is both proved and illustrated by the 
resurrection of Christ. 6) The doctrine of the 
eternal or future judgment, which is to take place 
at the bar of Christ himself, God having committed 
all judgment to his Son, called here κρίμα αἰώνιον, 
eternal or ever-during judgment, because the sen- 
tences then pronounced shall be irreversible. The 
Hebrew Christians had already received these; but 
should they now mingle the Gospel with the Law 
they would thereby cut themselves off from Christ ; 
and should they be ever again admitted, they must 
come through the same gate, or lay a second time 
πάλιν) this foundation. But should they persist- 
ently apostatize from Christ, and finally reject him, 
then it would be impossible to renew them again to 
vepentance—they could no more be received into 
the Christian Church, nor have any right to any 
blessing of the Gospel; and, finally rejecting the 
Lord who had bought them, would bring on them- 
selves and their land swift destruction. (See the 
4th and following verses, and particularly the notes 
on verses 8 and 9.) 

5. And this will we do — God being my 
helper, I will teach you all the sublime truths of 
the Gospel; and show you how all its excellences 
were typified by the law, and particularly by its 
sacrificial system. [If God spare my life and 
give me an opportunity, and if your apostasy, of 
which I am fearful, does not unhappily make it un- 
necessary, I shall be glad to give you such expli- 
cations; but Iam afraid that in reference to some 
of you, they may come too late.’”—Brown.| 

4. For it is aaron for those who were 
once enlightened—[Iap ( for) refers to the lead- 
ing exhortation of verse 3, τοῦτο ποιήσομεν, which 
looks back to the exhortation (verse 1) to strive 
after perfection. To weaken down ἀδύνατον, (impos- 
sible,) into perdifficile (very difficult) under the plea 
of an oratorical exaggeration, is purely arbitrary. 
Neither are we to supply παρ᾽ avépazore, (with men,) 
according to Matt. xix, 26. The author evidently 
designs to set before the eyes of the readers the 
magnitude of the danger, and the fearful gravity of 
the. crisis to which they have come.—oll/ in Lange. | 
[The author of the epistle considered the persons 
whom he was addressing, although true Christians, 
as in imminent danger of falling away, and there- 
fore employs every effort to prevent such an issue. 
—Turner.| No man believing in the Lord Jesus 
as the great sacrifice for sin, and acknowledging 
Christianity as a divine revelation, is here intended, 
though he may have unfortunately backslidden 
from j any degree of the salvation of God. The design 
of these solemn words is evidently, first, to show 
the Hebrews [and through them to Christians 
in all after times] that apostasy from the highest 
degrees of grace was possible ; and that those who 
were highest i in the favour of God might sin against 
him, lose it, and perish ev erlastingly. Secondly, 
to warn them against such an awful state of per- 
dition, that they, might not be led away by either 
the persuasions or persecutions of their countrymen 
from the truth of the heavenly doctrine which had 


ZJohn 4, 10; 6. 32; Eph. 2. 8§.—-m Gal. 3. 2. i chap. 2. 4.— 
n Chap. 2. 5.—o Chap. 10, 2 


been delivered to them. And, thirdly, to point 
out the destruction which was shortly to come upon 
the Jewish nation. Once enlightened — Thor- 
oughly instructed in the nature and design of the 
Christian religion, having received the knowledge 
of the truth, (chapter x, 32;) and being convinced 
of sin, righteousness, and judgment ; “and led to 
Jesus the Saviour of sinners. Tasted of the 
heavenly gift—Having received the knowledge of 
salvation by the remission of sins, through the Day- 
spring which from on high had visited them ; ; such 
having received Christ, the heavenly gift of God’s 
infinite love, (John iii, 16;) the living bread that 
came down from heaven, (John vi, 51;) and thus 
tasting that the Lord is gracious, (1 Pet. ii, 38,) and 
witnessing the full effects of the Christian religion. 
Partakers of the Holy Ghost—The Spirit him- 
self witnessing with their spirits that they were the 
children of God, and thus assuring them of God’s 
mercy toward them, and of the efficacy of the atone- 
ment through which they had received such blessings. 

5. And have tasted the good word of God— 
Have had this proof of the excellence of the promise 
of God in sending the Gospel, the Gospel being it- 
self the good word of a good God, the reading and 
preaching of which they find. sweet to the taste of 
their souls. Genuine believers have an appetite 
for the word of God; they taste it, and then their 
relish for it is the more abundantly increased. 
The powers of the world to come—Avviweic τὲ 
μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. These words are understood two 
ways: 1) “The powers of the world to come” may 
refer to the stupendous miracles wrought in confir- 
mation of the Gospel, the Gospel dispensation being 
“the world to come ” in the Jewish phraseology, as 
we have often seen. All these miracles Jesus 
Christ did in the sight of this very people; and 
thus they had the highest evidence they could have 
that Jesus was this promised Messiah, and could 
have no pretence to doubt his mission, or aposta- 
tize from the Christian faith which they had re- 
ceived ; and hence it is no wonder that the apostle 
denounces the most awful judgments of God against 
those who had apostatized from the faith which 
they had seen thus confirmed. 2) The words have 
been supposed to apply to those communications 
and foretastes of eternal blessedness, or of the joys 
‘of the world to come,” which they who are justi- 
fied through the blood of the covenant, and walk 
faithfully with their God, experience; and to this 
sense the word yevoauévouc, have tasted, is thought 
more properly to apply. But yevoua, to taste, 
signifies to experience or have full proof of a thing. 
To taste that the Lord is gracious, (1 Pet. ii, 3,) is 
to experience God’s graciousness thoroughly, in 
being made living stones, built up into a spiritual 
house, constituted holy priests to offer spiritual 
sacrifices acceptable to God. 

6. If they shall fall away—Kai παραπεσόντας, 
and having fallen away. I can express my own 
mind on this translation nearly in-the words of Dr. 
Maecknight: “ The participles φωτεσθέντας, who were 
enlightened, γευσαμένους, have tasted, and γενηθέντας, 
were made partakers, being aorists, are properly 
rendered by our translators in the past time; 

413 


A. M. 4,61. A.D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


selves the Son of God afresh, and put him to 
an open shame. ΖΦ For the earth which drink- 
eth in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and 
bringeth forth herbs meet for them P by whom 
it is dressed, 4receiveth blessing from God: 


HEBREWS. 


The apostle warns the Hebrews 
against tinal apostasy. 


® 'But that which beareth thorns and briers 
is rejected, and 15. nigh unto cursing; whose 
end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are 
persuaded better things of you, and things that 
accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 


p Or, for.—dq Psa. 6a. 10, 


r Isaiah 5. 6. 


wherefore παραπεσόντας, being an aorist, ought 
likewise to have been translated in the past time, 
HAVE fallen away.” [There is nothing at all in the 
original answering to the conditional “if” of the 
text; literally rendered it would read, having fallen 
away, and it is absurd to assume that an impossible 
condition is here supposed.] It appears, then, that 
there is a fearful possibility of falling away from 
the grace of God, and if this scripture did not say 
so, there are many others that do. And were 
there no scripture express on this subject, the 
nature of the present state of man, which is a state 
of probation or trial, must necessarily imply it. 
Let him who most assuredly standeth take heed 
lest he fall. To renew them again unto re- 
pentance—As “repentance ” is the first step that 
a sinner must take in order to return to God, and 
as sorrow for sin must be useless in itself unless 
there be a proper sacrificial offering, these having 
rejected [and continuing to reject] the only avail- 
able sacrifice, their repentance for sin, had they 
any, would be nugatory, and their salvation impos- 
sible on this simple account, and this is the very 
reason which the apostle immediately subjoins. 
Seeing they crucify [ἀνασταυροῦντας, they are 
recrucifying| to themselves the Son of God— 
They reject him as the ground of their hope and 
salvation, and thus they are said to erucify him 
unto themselves; they do that in their present apos- 
tasy which the Jews did; and they show thereby 
that they are in spirit joined with his murderers. 
And put him to an open shame—Ilapadevypari- 
Covrac, and have made him a publie example; or 
erucifying unto themselves and making the Son of 
God «a public ecample. That is, they show openly 
that they judge Jesus Christ to have been worthy 
of the death which he suffered, and was justly 
made a public example by being crucified. This 
shows that it is final apostasy, by the total rejec- 
tion of the Gospel, and blasphemy of the Saviour 
of men, that the apostle has in view. [The hav- 
ing been enlightened, having tasted, been made par- 
takers, and the having fallen away, are all in past 
time; the recrucifying, and the putting to shame, 
are present. The former show what the persons 
referred to had been before their apostasy, the lat- 
ter what they are now doing, on account of which 
they cannot be restored while so continuing in sin. ] 
[Every apostate from a good cause gives new occa- 
sion, by the act of apostasy, for the enemies of that 
cause to utter all the malignity of their hearts 
against it. In this sense apostates expose the 
Saviour to public infamy when they renounce all 
regard for him, and join with those who view him 
as an impostor and malefactor.—Stwart.] See the 
note on verse 4. 

7. For the earth which drinketh in the rain— 
As much as if he had said: In giving up such apos- 
tates as utterly incurable we act as men do in dealing 
with their fields; for as the ground which drinketh 
in the rain by which the providence of God waters 
it, brings forth fruit to compensate the toil of the 
tiller, and continues to be cultivated, God granting 
his blessing to the labours of the husbandman, so— 

414 


8. That which beareth thorns and briers 
(thistles) is rejected—That is: The land which, 
notwithstanding the most careful cultivation, re- 
ceiving also in due times the early and latter rain, 
produces nothing but thorns and briers, or noxious 
weeds of different kinds, is rejected, ἀδόκιμος, 
(reprobate,) is given up as unimprovable; its briers, 
thorns, and brushwood burnt down; and itself left 
to be trodden down by the beasts of the field. The na- 
ture of the case prevents us from supposing that he 
alludes to the custom of pushing and burning, in 
order to further fertilization. Is nigh unto curs- 
ing—|This is probably a prophetic reference to the 
then impending destruction of Jerusalem, though 
the writer may not have clearly understood the 
manner in which the “cursing” was to be executed. | 
There is a good sense in which al! these things may 
be applied to the Jewish people, who were favoured 
by our Lord’s ministry and miracles. They were 
enlightened by his preaching ; tasted of the benefits 
of the heavenly gift—the Christian religion estab- 
lished among them; saw many of their children 
and relatives made partakers of the Holy Ghost; 
tasted the good word of God, by the fulfilment of 
the promise made to Abraham; and saw the 
almighty power of God exerted in working a great 
variety of miracles. [It is also evident, that for a 
considerable time after the day of pentecost the 
Gospel was well received at Jerusalem, even among 
the priests and scribes, and that the subsequent 
defection took place when it was found that the 
Levitical system was to be superseded, and the 
Gentiles admitted to the Church on the same terms 
as the Jews. (Acts vi, 7; ix, 31; xxi, 20.)] Then 
they fell away from all this, ctucified Him who, 
even in his sufferings, as well as his resurrection, 
was demonstrated by miracles to be the Son of 
God ; and, to vindicate their unparalleled wickedness, 
endeavoured to make him a public example by re- 
proaches and blasphemies. Therefore their state, 
which had received much moral cultivation from 
Moses, the prophets, Christ and his apostles, and 
now bore nothing but the most vicious fruits, 
pride, unbelief, hardness of heart, contempt of 
God’s word and ordinances, blasphemy, and rebel- 
lion; was rejected — reprobated —of God; was 
“nigh unto cursing,” about to bécast off from the 
divine protection ; and their city and temple were 
shortly to be burnt wp by the Roman armies. Thus 
the apostle, under the case of individuals, points out 
the destruction that was to come upon this people 
in general, and which actually took place soon after 
the writing of this epistle! And this appears to be 
the very subject which the apostle has in view in 
the parallel solemn passages, (chapter x, 26-31,) 
and, viewed in this light, much of their obscurity 
and difficulty vanishes away. 

9. But, beloved—Here the writer softens what 
he had before said; having given them the most 
solemn warning against apostasy, he now encour- 
ages them to persevere, commends the good that is 
in them, and excites them to watchfulness and 
activity. Better things of you—Than that you 
shall resemble that unfruitful ground that can be 


Those who persevere in faith and 
love shall be saved. 


10 ‘For ‘God ἐᾷ not unrighteous to forget 
“your work and labour of love, which ye have 
showed toward his name, in that ye have ἡ min- 
istered to the saints, and do minister. ΕΠ And 
we desire that ἡ every one of you do show the 
same diligence *to the full assurance of hope 


& Proy. 14. 31; Matt. 10, 42; 25. 40; John 13. 20.—-t Rom. 3. 
4: 2'Lhess. 1. 6, 7.+—w 1 Thess. 1. 3.—v Rom, 15. 25; 2 Cor. 8. 


improved by no tillage, and is thrown into waste, 
and is fit only for the beasts of the forests to roam 
in. [Περὶ ὑμῶν, concerning you. Those immedi- 
ately addressed are separated in thought from those 
before described, for in the greatest apostasy of 
Israel there was still a faithful “remnant.” (See 
Rom. xi.)] Things that accompany salvation 
—Kai ἐχόμενα σωτηρίας, things that are suitable to 
a state of salvation; you give proofs still that you 
have not, whatever others have done, departed 
from the living God. Many of your brethren have 
already apostatized, and the whole nation is in a 
state of rebellion against God ; and, in consequence 
of their final rejection of Christ and his Gospel are 
about to be finally rejected by God. They must 
meet with destruction; they have the things that are 
suitable to and indicative of a state of reprobation; 
the wrath of God has come upon them to the wfter- 
most; but, while they meet with destruction, you 
shall meet with salvation. According to their own 
imprecation, His blood be on us and on our 
children, God visited and avenged the innocent 
blood of Christ upon them and upon their posterity ; 
and they continue to be monuments of his dis- 
pleasure to the present day. 

10. God is not unrighteous—[(od’s faithful- 
ness in respect to rendering compensation for any 
possible sacrifice or devotion of his people is 
brought into view to support them in holy confi- 
dence in any and all their trials.] [The Revised 
Version renders this verse, God is not unrighteous 
to forget your work, and the love ye showed toward 
his name, ete.| Every good work must spring from 
faith in the name, being, and goodness of God ; and 
every work that is truly good must have love for 
its motive, as it has God for its end. The words 
τοῦ κόπου, labour, prefixed to /ove, are wanting in al- 
most every MS. and Version of importance. Mlinis- 
tered to the saints—As they had thus ministered, 
and were s/i// ministering, they gave full proof that 
they made common cause with the “saints;” and 
this was one of the ¢hings that proved them to be in 
a state of salvation. | Διακονήσαντες, having per- 
formed kind offices, not merely supplying the want 
of others, (roi¢ ἁγίοις, Christians,) by pecuniary 
aid, but also to assist them in any way by offices of 
humanity and kindness.—S/wart. | 

11. We desire—'Ezifvuoipyer, we earnestly wish 
that each person among you may continue évdeik- 
vuctai, to manifest, exercise, the same diligence. 
{Continuance in Christian work is the best safe- 
guard against temptations to apostasy.] The 
same diligence—They had an active faith and a 
labouring love, and the apostle wishes them to per- 
severe in both. They were diligent, and he desires 
them to continue so. To the full assurance of 
hope—IIpd¢ τὴν πληροφορίαν τὴς ἐλπίδος. “ The full 
assurance of faith,’ says Mr. Wesley, ‘relates to 
present pardon ; the full assurance of hope, to future 
glory; the former is the highest degree of divine 
evidence that God is reconciled to me in the Son of 
his love; the latter is the same degree of divine 
evidence, wrought in the soul by the same imme- 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


unto the end: U2 That ye be not slothful, 
but followers of them who through faith and 
patience ¥ inherit the promises. 23 For when 
God made promise to Abraham, because he 
could swear by no greater, *he sware by him- 
self, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless 


4; 9. 1,12: 2 Tim. 1. 18.—+o Chap. 3. 6, 14.—za Col, 2, 2,—— 
y Chap. 10, 36.—2 Gen. 22. 16,17; Psa. 105. 9: Luke 1. 73. 


diate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, of persevering 
grace and of eternal glory. So much as faith 
every moment beholds with open face, so much, and 
no more, does hope see to all eternity. But this 
assurance of faith and hope is not an opinion, not 
a bare construction of Scripture, but is given 
immediately by the power of the Holy Ghost, and 
what no one can have for another, but for himself 
only.” All this, however, must be understood as 
still implying the absolute necessity of continuing 
in the same degree of grace from which this full 
assurance of hope is derived. This full assurance, 
therefore, does not imply that the man will abso- 
lutely persevere to the end; but that, if he do per- 
severe in this same grace, he shall infallibly have 
an eternal glory. There is no unconditional perse- 
verance in the Scripture, nor [from the very nature 
of the case] can there be such ina state of probation. 

12. That ye be not slothful—This shows how 
the full assurance of hope is to be regulated and 
maintained. They must be diligent; slothfulness 
will deprive them both of faith and hope. Only the 
faith which works by love will maintain hope in 
its full and due exercise. Followers of them— 
Μιμηταὶ δὲ . . κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, that 
ye be mimics, or imitators, of them who are inheri- 
ting the promises. And they inherited these prom- 
ises by faith in Him who is invisible, and who, 
they knew, could not lie; and they patiently endured, 
through difficulties and adversities of every kind, 
and persevered unto death. The persons here 
alluded to were the saints of the older dispensation, 
of whom Abraham, immediately referred to, was an 
illustrious example. [The promises — [Επαγγε- 
diac, the things promised.) spoken of in the plural 
in order to indicate promises of various kinds, in 
respect to both temporal and spiritual blessings. } 
These “ promises” may be considered as referring 
to the rest of faith here, and the rest of glory here- 
after. 

13. When God made promise to Abraham 
—The promise referred to is that made to Abraham 
when he had offered bis son Isaac on the altar, 
(Gen. xxii, 16-18:) ‘“ By myself have I sworn, saith 
the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, 
and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that 
in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I 
will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, 
and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and 
thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies ; and 
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
blessed.” Of this “promise” the apostle only 
quotes a part, as is generally the case, because he 
knew that his readers were well acquainted with the 
Seriptures of the Old Testament, and particularly 
with the law. He sware by himself — He 
pledged his own faithfulness and his eternal power 
and Godhead for the fulfilment of the promise ; 
there was no being superior to himself to whom he 
could make appeal, or by whom he could be bound ; 
therefore he appeals to and pledges his immutable 
truth and Godhead. 

14. Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee 

415 


A. M. 4067. A. D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 516. 


HEBREWS. 


God, t» confirm his promise, binds 
himself by an oath, 


thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he 
obtained the promise. £6 For men verily 


swear by the greater: and *an oath for con- 
firmation 7s to them an end of all strife. 


ΕἼ Wherein God, willing more abundantly to 
show unto "the heirs of promise © the immuta- 


a Exodus 22. 11.— Chapter 11. 9.—c Romans 11. 29, 


bility of his counsel, 4 confirmed ἐξ by an oath: 
28 That by two immutable things, in which 
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have 
a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge 
to lay hold upon the hope eset before us: 
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the 
soul, both sure and steadfast, ‘and which en- 


αἱ Gr. interposed HE by an oath. — eChap. 12. 1.—- 


Lev. 16. 15; chap. 9. 7 


—I will continue to bless thee. [I will greatly 
bless thee.| Multiplying I will multiply thee 
—I will continue to increase thy posterity. In the 
most literal manner God continues to fulfil this 
promise; genuine Christians are Abraham’s seed, 
and God is increasing their number daily. 

15. He obtained the promise — Isaac was 
supernaturally born; and in his birth God began to 
fulfil the promise; while he lived, he saw a pro- 
vision made for the multiplication of his seed ; and, 
having continued steadfast in the faith, he received 
the end of all the promises in the enjoyment of an 
eternal glory. [These blessings Abraham did not 
obtain, indeed, by actual possession; but by antici- 
pation, confident hope, and wiswerving faith in the 
promises of God. (See John viii, 56.:] The infer- 
ence from all this is: If we believe, and prove faith- 
ful unto death, we shall also inherit the promises. 

16. Men verily swear by the greater—One 
who has greater authority; who can take cogni- 
zance of the obligation, and punish the breach of 
it. Anoath for confirmation—“ This observa- 
tion teaches us,” says Dr. Macknight, ‘that both 
promissory oaths concerning things lawful and in 
our power, and oaths for the confirmation of things 
doubtful, when required by proper authority and 
taken religiously, are allowable under the Gospel.” 

The heirs of promise—All the believing 
posterity of Abraham, and the nations of the earth, 
or Gentiles, in general. The immutability of 
his counsel—His unchangeable purpose to call the 
Gentiles to salvation by Jesus Christ; to justify 
every penitent by faith; to accept faith in Christ 
for justification in place of personal righteousness ; 
and finally to bring every persevering believer, 
whether Jew or Gentile, to eternal glory. Con- 
firmed it by an oath—[’Eweoitevoev ὅρκῳ, inter- 
posed by an oath. He made a μεσίτης, (mediator,) 
by an oath, interposed between himself and the heirs 
of promise, the means of removing all doubt or 
question, on their part, whether he would faith- 
fully perform what he had promised.—Stwart.] 

18. That by two immutable things —The 
promise and oath of God; the promise pledged his 
faithfulness and justice; the oath, all the infinite 
perfections of his Godhead, for he sware by him- 
self. [Commentators, both ancient and modern, 
have been greatly perplexed to determine what 
these dio πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων (two immutable 
things) may have been. The interpretation given 
above, namely, that the promise was one and the 
oath the other, is the one commonly given; and 
is evidently accepted only for want of a better. 
Stuart finds the two things in the two oaths, one to 
Abraham (Gen. xxii, 15-18) and one to the Mes- 
siah, (Psa. ex, 4,) which oaths had been adverted to 
by the writer in the preceding part of his epistle, 
(v, 6, 10,) and seem to be referred to again vi, 20, 
where the order of Christ’s high priesthood is again 
spoken of. To this Alford objects as not in ac- 
cord with the tenor of the context. The “ two im- 

416 


mutable things,” says Cowles, “‘can be none other 


than his immutable counsel (0vA7) and his super- 
added oath.” Whedon makes the two things God’s 
partyship and his mediatorship, his positions as 
promiser and juror, in respect to which view of the 
case Stuart remarks, on the preceding verse, that 
while, by classical usage, ecvtevw means to act the 
part of a mediator, (so making God the mediator 
in a transaction in which he was a chief party,) 
‘here this sense is impossible, for God is not (can- 
not be) a mediator between himself and the heirs 
of the promise.” The traditional interpretation 
must stand, at least for the present; not so much 
because it is satisfactory as because no other can 
be substituted.] We might have a strong con- 
solation—There appears to be an allusion here to 
the cities of refuge, and to the persons who fled to 
them for safety. As the person who killed his 
neighbour unawares was sure, if he gained the city 
of refuge, he should be safe, and had strong conso- 
lation in the hope that he should reach it, this hope 
animated him in his race to the city; he ran, he 
fled, knowing that, though in danger the most im- 
minent of losing his life, yet, as he was now acting 
according to an ordinance of God, he was certain of 
safety provided he got to the place. It is easy to 
apply this to the case of a truly penitent sinner 
[who has fled (not simply és fleeing) from the curse 
of the law, and who finds in Christ (σχυρὰν παρά- 
κλησιν) strong consolation, because he (Christ) is a 
sufficient refuge—the hope set before us in the 
Gospel. | 

19. Which hope we have as an anchor—The 
apostle here changes: the figure, and represents the 
state of the followers of God as that of a vessel 
striving to perform her voyage through a trouble- 
some, tempestuous, dangerous ὃ sea, Atlast she gets 
near the port ; but the tempest continues, the water 
is shallow, broken, and dangerous, and she cannot 
σοῦ ἴῃ. In order to prevent her being driven to sea 
again she heaves out her sheet anchor, which she 
has been able to get within the pier head by means 
of her boat, though she could not herself get in; 
then, swinging at ‘the length of her cable, she rides 
out the storm in confidence, knowing that her 
anchor is sound, the ground ‘good in which it is 
fastened, and the cable strong. Though agitated, 
she is safe; though buffeted by wind and tide, she 
does not drive. By and by the storm ceases, the 
tide flows in, her sailors take to the capstan, wear 
the ship against the anchor, which still keeps its 
bite or hold,and she gets safely into port. (See on 
verse 20.) Which entereth into that within the 
veil—[That is, heaven, corresponding with the holy 
of holies. — Turner. ] The hope of eternal life is here 
represented as the soul’s anchor; the world is the 
boisterous, dangerous sea; the Christian course, the 
voyage; the port, the everlasting felicity; and the 
veil or inner road, the royal dock where the anchor 
i was cast. The storms of life continue but a short 
time; the anchor, hope, if fixed by faith in the eter- 


Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec, 
priest of the most high God. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A. M. 4067. A. D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816, 


tereth into that within the veil; 20% Whither 
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, 
hmade a high priest for ever after the order of 


Melchisedec. 
CHAPTER VII. 
OR this* Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest 
of the most high God, who met Abra- 


gChap. 4. 14; 8, 1; 9. 24.—A Chap. 3.1; 5. 6,10; 7. 17. 


nal world, will infallibly prevent all shipwreck ; the 
soul may be strongly tossed by various temptations, 
but will not drive, because the anchor is in sure 
ground, and itself is steadfast; it does not drag 
and it does not break; faith, like the cable, is the 
connecting medium between the ship and the an- 
chor, or the soul and its hope of heaven ; faith sees 
the haven, hope desires and anticipates the rest; 
faith works, and hope holds fast; and, at length, 
the soul enters into the haven of eternal safety. 

20. Whither the forerunner—The word πρό- 
δρομος (“forerunner”) does not merely signify 
one that goes or runs before another, but also one 
who shows the way, he who first does a particular 
thing to show another how to copy the action. 
From this we may at once perceive the meaning of 
the phrase ; Jesus is the first that in human nature 
has entered into the heavenly kingdom. And he is 
entered for ws, as the firstfruits of all who have 
found redemption in his blood. (Compare John 
xiv, 2; 1 Cor. xv, 20, 23.) The metaphorical al- 
lusion is to the person who carries the anchor within 
the pier head, because there is not yet water suf 
ficient to carry the ship in; [so making the ship 
itself and all on board secure from destruction. ] 
After the order of Melchisedec—After a long 
digression the apostle resumes his explanation of 
Psa. ex, 4, which he had produced (chap. v, 6, 10) 
in order to prove the permanency of the high 
priesthood of Christ. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VII. 

1. For this Melchisedec, king of Salem— 
See the whole of this history largely explained in 
the notes on Gen. xiv, 18, ete., and the concluding 
observations at the end of that chapter. The name 
Melchisedee is expounded “the Justifier of those 
who dwell in him;” and this is sufficiently true of 
Christ, but not so of Jerusalem, to which the rab- 
bins apply it. Salem is generally understood to be 
Jerusalem ; but some (among them St. Jerome) think 
that it was that city of Shechem, mentioned Josh. 
ἜΧΟΝ. 

2. Gave a tenth part of all—It was an ancient 
custom among all the nations of the earth to con- 
secrate a tithe or tenth of the spoils taken in war 
to the objects of their worship. Many examples of 
this kind occur. This, however, was not according 
to any provision in law, but merely a free gift, and 
as a eucharistic offering to those to whom they 
imagined they owed the victory. But neither Abra- 
ham’s decimation nor theirs had any thing to do 
either with tithes as prescribed under the Mosaic 
dispensation or as claimed under the Christian. 

3. Without father, without mother—The ob- 
ject of the apostle in thus producing the example 
of Melchisedec was to show, 1) That Jesus was the 
person prophesied of in the 110th Psalm; which 
psalm the Jews uniformly understood as predicting 
the Messiah. 2) To answer the objections of the 
Jews against the legitimacy of the priesthood of 
Christ, taken from the stock from which he pro- 

Vou. I.—27 


ham returning from the slaughter of the 
kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also 
Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first be- 
ing by interpretation King of righteousness, 
and after that also King of Salem, which is, 
King of peace; 8% Without father, without 
mother, » without descent, having neither be- 


a Gen, 14. 18, ete. —bd Gr. without pedigree. 


ceeded. It is assumed that it was not necessary 
for the priest to come from a particular stock, 
since Melchisedee was a priest of the most high 
God, and yet was not of the stock either of Aaron 
or Abraham, but a Canaanite. It is well known 
that the ancient Hebrews were exceedingly scrupu- 
lous in choosing their high priest; partly by divine 
command, and partly from the traditition of their 
ancestors, who always considered this office to be 
of the highest dignity. 1) God had commanded 
(Lev. xxi, 10) that the high priest should be chosen 
from among his brethren, that is, from the family 
of Aaron; and that he should marry a virgin not of 
another nation. He who was found to have acted 
contrary to these requisitions was excluded from the 
high priesthood. On the contrary, it was necessary 
that he who might be called to this honour should 
be able to prove his descent from the family of 
Aaron; and if he could not, though even in the 
priesthood, he was cast out. (See Ezra ii, 62; 
Neh. vii, 63.) He who could not support his pre- 
tentions by just genealogical evidences was said by 
the Jews to be without father. In this way both 
Christ and Melchisedec were without father and 
without mother; that is, were not descended from 
the original Jewish sacerdotal stock. Yet Melchis- 
edec, who was a’ Canaanite, was a priest of the 
most high God. This sense Suidas confirms under 
the word Melchisedec, where, after having stated 
that having reigned in Salem 113 years he died a 
righteous man and a bachelor, he adds, “He is, 
therefore, said to be without descent ov genealogy, 
because he was not of the seed of Abraham but of 
Canaanitish origin, and sprung from an accursed 
seed; therefore he is without the honour of a 
genealogy.” And he further adds, “That because 
it would have been highly improper for him who 
was the most righteous of men to be joined in 
affinity to the most unrighteous of nations, he is 
said to be ἀπάτωρ καὶ ἀμήτωρ, without father and 
without mother.” This sort of phraseology was not 
uncommon when the genealogy of a person was un- 
known or obscure; and it only signifies that the 
parents were either unknown or obscure. © I will, 
in order to give the reader full information on the 
subject, add a few observations from Dr. Owen. 
“Tt is said of Melchisedec, in the first place, that 
he was ἀπάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, without father and without 
mother, whereon part of the latter clause, namely, 
‘without beginning of days,’ doth depend. The 
next word declares he was ἀγενεαλόγητος, ‘ without 
descent, say we. But yeveadoyia is a generation, a 
descent. a pedigree, not absolutely, but rehearsed, 
described, recorded. Τενεαλόγητος is he whose stock 
and descent is entered on record. And so, on the 
contrary, ἀγενεαλόγητος is. not he who has no de- 
scent. (ancestry,) no genealogy, but he whose de- 
scent and pedigree is nowhere entered or reckoned 
up. ‘ihus the apostle himself plainly expresses 
this word, verse 6: 6 δὲ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν, 
‘whose descent is not counted ;’ that is, reckoned 
up in record. Thus was Melchisedee without fa- 
417 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


MEBREWS. 


No cessation of Melchisedec’s 
priesthood made known, 


ginning of days, nor end of life; but made like 


ther or mother in that the Spirit of God, who so 
strictly and exactly recorded the genealogies of 
other patriarchs and types of Christ, and that for 
no less an end than to manifest the truth and faith- 
fulness of God in his promises, speaks nothing to 
this purpose concerning him. He is introduced as 
it were one falling from heaven, appearing on a 
sudden, reigning in Salem, and officiating in the 
office of priesthood to the high God. On the 
same account is he said to be μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν 
pare ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, not having beginning of days 
or end of life. And yet he was assuredly born, 
and did no less certainly die than other men. But 
we have no more to do with him to learn from 
him, nor are concerned in him but only as he is 
described in the Scripture; and there isno mention 
therein of the beginning of his days or the end of 
his life. Whatever therefore he might have in 
himself, he had none to us. _ Consider all the other 
patriarchs mentioned in the writings of Moses, and 
you shall find their descent recorded, who was 
their father, and so up to the first man; and not 
only so, but the time of their birth, the beginning 
of their days, and the end of their life, are exactly 
recorded. But concerning Melchisedec none of 
these things are spoken. No mention is made of 
father or mother; no genealogy is recorded of what 
stock or progeny he was; nor is there any account 
of his birth or death. So that all these things are 
wanting to him in his historical narration, wherein 
our faith and knowledge are alone concerned.” 
[ Here, too, may be added Professor Stuart’s remarks 
on the subject in hand, which are both learned and 
judicious: “᾿Απάτωρ, ἀμήτωρ, having neither father 
nor mother, that is, none recorded in the sacred 
genealogies; or, perhaps, whose father and mother 
were not of kingly rank. These words were ap- 
plied literally, by the Greeks, to some of their 
gods; then figuratively, to those who were orphans, 
and to those whose parents were obscure and of 
low origin. In such a sense the apostle appears 
to call Melchisedec ¢ ἀπάτωρ and ἀμήτωρ. The ex- 
planation of these terms is to be found. (as one will 
easily believe,) in the word ἀγενεαλόγητος, without 
genealogy, namely, of whose genealogy no mention 
is made in Scripture. Μήτε ἀρχὴν. ἔχων͵ hav- 
ing neither beginning of days nor end of life, that 
is, either, ‘whose time of birth or death is not re- 
lated ;’ or, ‘who, as high priest, has no limited time 
assigned for the commencement and expiration of 
his office;’ for so the following clause leads us to 
interpret this expression. The meaning of the 
writer, then, is, that Melchisedec’s priesthood was 
limited to no definite time, that is, he was sacerdos 
perpetuus, a priest without limitation of office. So 
the Latins say Dictator perpetwus, ete. ᾿Αφωμοιω- 
μένος dé... . διηνεκές, being like to the Son of God, 
remaineth a priest perpetually. The sacred writer 
(Psa. ex, 4) says of the Messiah, that he is ‘after 
the order of Melchisedec.’ First, then, Christ is 
asserted by the psalmist to be a perpetual priest ; 
and next, to confirm or explain this assertion, it is 
added, that he is so according to the order of Mel- 
chisedee. The implication is, of course, that Mel- 
chisedee is perpetual priest; for this is a special 
point of the comparison. In respect to the object 
of this assertion, I apprehend nothing more is 
intended than that the priesthood of Christ and 


unto the Son of God; abideth a priest contin- 


Aaron, limited to any definite period. In the ahso- 
lute sense, εἰς τὸ διηνεκές (forever) clearly is not to 
be understood. Melchisedec’s priesthood termi- 
nated with his life ; so Christ’s priestly and kingly 
offices both will cease when the work of redemp- 
tion is fully accomplished. (1 Cor. xy, 24-28.) 
But in neither case is there any statute which 
limits the specific time of accession to office, and 
of egress from it. Of course, the order of Christ’s 
pr iesthood, and that of Melchisedec, differed great- 
ly in this respect from that of the sons of Aar on, 
and was, as the writer goes on to declare, oreatly 
superior to it. Dictator perpetuus among the Ro- 
mans, for example, was surely a higher, or at least 
a more honourable, office, than that of ordinary 
dictator. Our English version of ἀφωμοιωμένος, 
made like to, does not seem to give the true sense 
of the passage. The apostle is not labouring to 
show that Melchisedee, in respect to his priesthood, 
was made like to Christ : but vice versa. He is 
seeking to illustrate and establish the perpetuity of 
Christ’s priesthood, by comparing it with the well- 
known priesthood of Melchisedee. ᾿Αφωμοιωμένος 
means, then, not made like to, but like to, possibly 
likened to, that ἢ is, being compared to. 

[‘‘ The whole passage, from ὁ συναντήσας (who met) 
in verse 1, to τῷ ‘Yi@ τοῦ Θεοῦ (the Son of God) in 
verse 3, is plainly a parenthetic explanation, (a very 
common occurrence in the writings of Paul,) thrown 
in for the sake of suggesting to the reader’s mind 
some considerations respecting the character and 
dignity of Melchisedee, which would be very useful, 
in regard to a right understanding of the compari- 
son that was to be made out in the sequel. Οὗτος 
yap ὁ Μελχιζεδέκ, (for this IMelchisedec,) ete., in 
verse 1, is the immediate nominative to μένει ἱερεὺς 
εἰς τὸ διηνεκές in verse 8, the whole sense being: 
This Melchisedee .... remains a priest forever.” | 
|Our opinion is, that Melchisedee was nobody but 
himself; himself as simply narrated in Genesis 
xiv, 18-20; in which narrative both David, (in 
Psa. ex,) and our author after him, find every 
point they specify in making him a king-priest, 
typical of the king-priesthood of Christ. Yet it is 
not in the person of Melchisedee alone, but in the 
grouping, also, of circumstances in and around his 
person, that the inspired imagination of the psalm- 
ist finds the shadowing points. Melchisedec, in 
Genesis, suddenly appears upon the historic stage, 
without antecedents or consequents. He is a king- 
priest, not of Judaism, but of Gentilism, univer- 
sally. He appears an "unlineal priest, without fa- 
ther or mother or pedigree. He is preceded and 
succeeded by an everlasting silence, so as to pre- 
sent neither beginning nor end of life. And he is, 
as an historic picture, forever there divinely sus- 
pended, the very image of a perpetual king-priest. 
It is thus, not in his actual unknown reality, but 
in the Scripture presentation, that the group of 
shadowings appears. It is by optical truth only, 
not by corporeal facts, that he becomes a picture, 
and, with his surroundings, a visible tableau, into 
which the psalmist first reads the conception of an 
adumbration of the eternal priesthood of the Mes- 
siah; and all our author does is to develop the 
particulars which are, in the mass, presupposed by 
the psalmist.— Whedon.] Made like unto the 
Son of God—Melchisedee was without father and 


of Melchisedec was not, like that of the sons of | mother, having neither beginning of days nor end 


418 


hisedec declared toh A.M. 4967, A.D 63, 
ἐπε alge hen Abreiincs. oes CHAPTER ΙΗ: Year of Rome, #16. 
vally. 4 Now. consider how great this man | blessed shim that had the promises. 7 And 


was, ©unto whom even the patriarch Abraham 
gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily 
4they that are of the sons of Levi, who re- 
ceive the office of the priesthood, have a coin- 
mandment to take tithes of the people accord- 
ing to the law, that is, of their brethren, 
though they come out of the loins of Abra- 
ham: 6 But he whose “ descent is not counted 
from them received tithes of Abraham, ‘and 


c Gen, 14. 20,—d Num. 12. ay ES Or, pedigree. erica! 


of life. His genealogy is not recorded: when he 
was born and when he died is unknown. His 
priesthood, therefore, may be considered as_per- 
petual. In these respects he was like to Jesus 
Christ, who, as to his priesthood, had neither fa- 
ther nor mother, beginning of time nor end of 
days. The priesthood of Melchisedee is to abide 
continually on the same ground that he is said to be 
without father and mother; that is, there is no 
record of the end of his priesthood or life, no more 
than there is any account of his ancestry. 

4. Consider how great this man was—This 
unheralded king of Salem seems to have been a 
sort of universal priest, having none superior to 
him in all that region; and confessedly superior 
even to Abraham himself, [who was then only a 
stranger in the land, while the other was king of 
one of its chief cities, though he was by promise] 
the father of the faithful, and the source of the 
Jewish race. (See verse 7.) The patriarch 
Abraham—‘0 πατριάρχης, a father, a chief, or, 
head of a family. But the title is here applied, by 
way of eminence, to him who was the head or 
chief of all the fathers—or patriarch of the patri- 
archs, and father of the faithful. The character 
and conduct of Abraham place him, as a man, de- 
servedly at the head of the human race. [But his 
eminence was, that he was the “Friend” of God.] 

5. They that are of the sons of Levi—The 
priests, who are of the posterity of the Levites, and 
recetve the priesthood in virtue of their descent 
from Aaron, [in whom was centred the whole 
priestly dignity of Israel, derived by inheritance 
from Abraham,] have authority from the law of 
God to receive tithes from the people. Accord- 
ing to the law—That is, the Levites received a 
tenth from the people. The priests received a 
tenth of this tenth from the Levites, who are here 
called their brethren, because they were of the 
same tribe, and were also employed in sacred work 
The apostle is proceeding to show that Melchisedec 
Was greater even than Abraham, the head of the 
fathers, for to him Abraham gave tithes ; and as 
the Levites were the posterity of Abraham, [and 
derived all their dignity from him,] they are repre- 
sented here as paying tithes to Melchisedee through 
him. Yet Melchisedee was not of this family, and 
therefore must be considered as having a more 
honourable priesthood than even Aaron himself ; 
for he took the tenth from Abraham, not for his 
maintenance, for he was a king, but in virtue of his 
office, [as a kind of priestly suzerain of all that 
region, to whom even Abraham paid tithes. } 

6. Blessed him that had the ne pegaltsd tae 
is a continuation of the same argument, namely, 
show the superiority of Melchisedec ; and, in conse- 
quence, to prove the superiority of the priesthood of 
Christ over that of Aaron. As in the seed of Abra- 


without all contradiction the less is blessed of 
the better. S& And here men that die receive 
tithes; but there he receiveth them, *of whoin 
it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And as I may 
so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid 
tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the 
loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. 
Ε1 ‘If therefore perfection were by the Le- 
vitical priesthood, (for under it the people re- 


g Rom. 4 13; Gal. 3. 16. i Chap, 5. 6; 6, 20.— 7 Gal. 2. 21; 
verses 18, 19; chap. 8, 7. 


ham all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, 
Abraham received a sacerdotal blessing from Mel- 
chisedec, who was the representative ‘of the Mes- 
siah, the promised seed, to show that it was through 
him as the high priest of the human race that this 
blessing was to be conferred on all mankind. 

7. The less is blessed of the better—That the 
superior blesses the inferior is a general proposi- 
tion; but Abraham was blessed of Melchisedec, 
therefore Melchisedec was greater than Abraham. 
“ The blessing here spoken of,” says Dr. Macknight, 
“is not the simple wishing of good to others, which 
may be done by inferiors to superiors ; but it is 
the action of a person authorized to declare God’s 
intention to bestow good things on another. In this 
manner Isaac and Jacob blessed their children 
under a prophetic impulse; in this manner the 
priests under the law blessed the people; in this 
manner, likewise, Melchisedec, the priest of the 
most high God, blessed Abraham.” 

8. Here men that die receive tithes—The 
apostle is speaking of the ecclesiastical constitu- 
tion of the Jews, which was standing at the time 
this epistle was written. Under the Jewish dis- 
pensation, though the priests were successively re- 
moved by death, yet they were as duly replaced by 
others ap pointed from the same family, and the 
payment of tithes was never interrupted. But as 
there is ro account of Melchisedee ceasing to be a 
priest, ov of his dying, he is represented as still 
living, the better to point him out as a type of 
Christ, and to show his priesthood to be more ex- 
cellent than that which was according to the law, 
as an unchangirg priesthood must be more excel- 
lent than that which was continually changing. 
But there he receiveth them—The «de, here, in 
the first clause of this verse, refers to Mosaical in- 
stitutions as then existing; the ἐκεὶ, there, in this 
clause refers to the place in Genesis (chap. xiv, 20) 
where it is related that Abraham gave tithes to Mel- 
chisedee, who is still considered as being alive, or 
without a successor, because there is no account of 
his death, nor of any termination of his priesthood. 

9. And as I may so say—Kai ὡς ἔπος ELTELY, 
and so to speak a word. This form of speech, 
which is very frequent among the purest Greek 
writers, is generally used to soften some harsh ex- 
pression, or to limit the meaning when the proposi- 
tion might otherwise appear to be too general. It 
answers fully to our so to speak—as one would say 
—in a certain sense. Paid tithes in Abraham 
—The Levites, who were descendants of Abraham, 
paid tithes to Melchisedee διὰ, through, Abraham, 
their progenitor and representative. 

10. For he was yet in the loins of his 
father—That is, Levi was seminally included in 
Abraham, his forefather. 

11. If therefore perfection were by the Le- 
419 


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Year of Rome, 816, 


HEBREWS. 


Jesus of a more ancient order of 
priesthood than was Aaron. 


ceived the law,) what further need was there 
that another priest should rise after the order of 
Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of 
Aaron? 42 For the priesthood being changed, 
there is made of necessity a change also of the 
law. 4&8 For he of whom these things are 
spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which 
no man gave attendance at the altar. 14 For 


it is evident that *our Lord sprang out of 
Judea; of which tribe Moses spake nothing 
concerning priesthood. 18 And it is yet far 
more evident: for that after the similitude 
of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 
16 Who is made, not after the law of a car- 
nal commandment, but after the power of an 
endless life. ἘΦ For he testifieth,! Thou art 


‘Isa. 11. 1; Matt. 1.3; Luke 8. 33; Rom.1. 3; Rev. 5. 5. 


2 Psa. 110. 4; chap. 5. 6, 10; 6. 20. 


vitical priesthood—The word τελείωσις, as we 
have before seen, signifies the completing or finish- 
ing of any thing, so as to leave nothing imperfect 
and nothing wanting. Applied here to the Levit- 
ical priesthood, it signifies the accomplishment of 
tliat for which a priesthood is established, namely, 
giving to God an acceptable service, enlightening 
and instructing the people, pardoning all offences, 
purging the conscience from guilt, purifying the 
soul and preparing it for heaven, and regulating the 
conduct of the people according to the precepts of 
the moral law. This perfection never came, and 
never could come, by the Levitical law ; it was the 
shadow of good things to come, but not the sub- 
stance. It represented a perfect system, but was 
imperfect in itself. It showed that there was guilt, 
and that there was an absolute need fora sacrificial 
offering to atone for sin, and it typified that sacri- 
fice ; but every sacrificial act under that law most 
forcibly proved that it was impossible for the blood 
of bulls and goats to take away sin. For under 
it the people received the law— That is, as most 
interpret this place, under the priesthood, ἱερωσύνης, 
being understood; because on the priesthood the 
whole Mosaical law and the Jewish economy de- 
pended: but it is much better to render ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ, 
on account of it, rather than “under it ;” for the law 
was given before any priesthood was established, 
for Aaron and his sons were not called nor sepa- 
rated to this office till Moses came down the second 
time from the mount with the tables renewed after 
he had broken the former. (Exod. x], 12-14.) But 
it was in reference to the great sacrificial system 
that the law was given, and on that law the priest- 
hood was established; for why was a priesthood 
necessary, but because that law was broken and 
must be fulfilled ? That another priest should 
rise—The law was given that the offence might 
abound, and sin appear exceeding sinful; and to 
show the absolute necessity of the sacrifice and 
mediation of the great Messiah: but it was neither 
perfect in itself, nor could it confer perfection, nor 
did it contain the original priesthood. Melchisedec 
had a priesthood more than fowr hundred years 
(four hundred and twenty-two) before the law was 
given; and David prophesied (Psa. ex, 4) that 
another priest should arise after the order of Mel- 
chisedee, nearly five hundred years (four hundred 
and seventy-six) after the law was given. The law, 
therefore, did not contain the original priesthood ; 
that existed typically in Melchisedec, and really in 
Jesus Christ. 

12. The priesthood being changed—That is, 
the order of Aaron being now abrogated, to make 
way for that which had preceded it, the order of 
Melchisedee. There is made of necessity a 
change also of the law—The very essence of the 
Leyvitical law consisting in its sacrificial offerings ; 
and as these could not confer perfection—could not 


consequently it must be abolished, according to the 
order of God himself; for he said, Sacrifice and 
offering, and burnt offering and sacrifice for sin, he 
would not. (See Psa. xl, 6, 7; Heb. x, 5-10.) The 
priesthood, therefore, being changed, Jesus coming 
in the place of Aaron, the law of ordinances and 
ceremonies, which served only to point out the 
Messiah, must of necessity be changed also. 

13. For he of whom these things are 
spoken—That is, Jesus the Messiah, spoken of in 
Psa. ex, 4, who came, not from the tribe of Levi 
but from the tribe of Judah, of which tribe no 
priest ever ministered at a Jewish altar, nor could, 
according to the law, so minister. 

14. For it is evident—As the apostle speaks 
here with so much confidence, it follows that our 
Lord’s descent from the tribe of Judah was incon- 
trovertible. The genealogical tables, both in Mat- 
thew and Luke, establish this point ; and whatever 
difficulties we may findin them now, there were 
none apprehended in those days, else the enemies 
of the Gospel would have urged these as a chief 
and unanswerable argument against Christ and his 
Gospel. 

15. And it is yet far more evident—Kai 
περισσότερον ἔτι κατάδηλόν ἐστιν, and besides, it is 
more abundantly manifest. It is very difficult to 
translate these words, but the apostle’s meaning is 
plain, namely, that God designed the Levitical 
priesthood to be changed, because of the oath in 
Psa. ex, where, addressing the Messiah, he says: 
“Thou art a priest for ever after the order, or 
ὁμοιότητα, similitude, of Melchisedec, who was not 
only a priest, but also a king. None of the Levit- 
ical priests sustained this dowble office ; but they 
both, with that of prophet, appeared and were exer- 
cised in the person of our Lord, who is the priest 
to which the apostle alludes. 

16. Who is made—Appointed to this high office 
by God himself, not succeeding one that was dis- 
abled or dead, according to that Jaw or ordinance 
directed to weak and perishing men, who could not 
continue by reason of death. This is probably all 
that the apostle intends by the words carnal com- 
mandment, ἐντολῆς σαρκικῆς, for “ carnal” does 
not always mean sinful or corrupt, but feeble, frail, or 
what may be said of or concerning man in his present 
dying condition. But after the power of an 
endless life—Not dying, or ceasing, through weak- 
ness, to be a priest ; but properly immortal himself, 
and having the power to confer life and immortal- 
ity on others. He ever lives, as priest, to make in- 
tercession for men; and they who believe on him 
shall never perish, but have everlasting life. 

17. For he testifieth — That is, either the 
scripture, in the place so often quoted, or God by 
that scripture. Thou art a priest forever—This 
is the proof that he was not appointed according 
to the carnal commandment, but according to the 


reconcile God to man, purify the unholy heart, nor} power of an endless life, because he is a priest 
open the kingdom of heaven to the souls of men—| “forever,” that is, one that never dies, and is 


420 


— 


The priesthood of Jesus Christ 
is unchangeable. 


a priest for ever after the order of Melchise- 
dec. US For there is verily a disannulling of 
the commandment going before for "the weak- 
ness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For 
the "law made nothing perfect, ° but the bring- 
ing in of Pa better hope did; by the which 
4we draw nigh unto God. 20 And inasmuch 
as not without an oath he was made priest: 
421 (For those priests were made * without an 


m Rom, & 3; Gal. 4. 9.—n Acts 13. 39; Rom, 3. 20, 21, 28: 
& 3; Gal. 2 163 chap. 9. 9.—o Or, but it was the bringing 
in, Gal, 3, 24.—p Chap. 6, 18; 8. 6. 


never disabled from performing the important 
functions of his office; for if he be a priest for- 
ever, he ever lives. 

18. For there is verily a disannulling— 
There is a total abrogation, προαγούσης ἐντολῆς, of 
the former law, relative to the Levitical priesthood. 
(See verse 19.) For the weakness and unprof- 
itableness — [᾿Ασθενὲς καὶ ἀνωφελές, insufficiency 
and uselessness. It represented a sin-offering, and 
in so doing it confessed the need of an atonement, 
which, however, it could not make. | 

19. For the law made nothing perfect— 
[The “commandment” (verse 18) and “the law,” 
here named, are the same thing, that is, the Levit- 
ical or ceremonial law, which, because it was only 
typical and prophetical, perfected nothing.] See 
on verse 11. But the bringing in of a better 
hope—The original is very emphatic, ἐπεισαγωγὴ, 
the superintroduction or the after introduction; and 
this seems to be put in opposition to the tpoayoica 
ἐντολή, the preceding commandment, or former Levit- 
ical law. (Verse 18.) This went before to prepare the 
way of the Lord—to show the sinfulness of sin and 
the strict justice of God. The “ better hope,” which 
referred not to earthly but to spiritual good—not to 
temporal but eternal felicity, founded on the priest- 
hood and atonement of Christ—was afterward in- 
troduced for the purpose of doing what “the law” 
could not do, and giving privileges and advantages 
which “the law” would not afford. One of these 
privileges immediately follows: By the which 
we draw nigh unto God—This is a sacerdotal 
phrase ; the high priest alone could approach to 
the divine presence in the holy of holies; but not 
without the blood of the sacrifice, and that only 
once in the year. But through Christ, as. our high 
priest, all believers have an entrance to the holiest 
by his blood; and through him perform aéceptable 
service to God. The “better hope” means, in this 
place, Jesus Christ, who is the author and object 
of the hope of eternal life, which all his genuine 
followers possess. (1 Tim. i, 1; Col. i, 27.) 
[Κρείττονος ἐλπίδος, a better hope, brought in by 
the revelation of the better and all-sufficient sacri- 
fice of Christ. What before stood forth in the 
incompleteness of symbols and prophecies was 
now completed in the reality of the atonement by 
Christ. ] ; 

20. Not without an oath — “The apostle’s 
reasoning here is founded on this, that God never 
interposed his ‘oath,’ except to show the certainty 
and immutability of the thing sworn. Thus he 
Sware to Abraham, (Gen. xxii, 16-18,) that in his 
seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; 
and to the rebellious Israelites, (Deut. i, 34, 35,) that 
they should not enter into his rest; and to Moses, 
(Deut. iv, 21,) that he should not go into Canaan; 
and to David, (Psa. Ixxxix, 4.) that his seed should 
endure for ever, and his throne unto all generations. 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. M. 4967. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


oath: but this with an oath by him that said 
unto him, :The Lord sware and will not re- 
pent, Thou art a priest forever after the order 
of Melchisedec:) 22 By so much ἃ was Jesus 
made a surety of a better testament. 23 And 
they truly were many priests, because they 
were not suffered to continue by reason of 
death: 24 But this man, because he con- 
tinueth ever, hath “an unchangeable priest- 


Wherefore, since Christ was made a priest, ‘ not 
without an oath’ that he should be a@ priest for 
ever after the similitude of Melchisedee, that cir- 
cumstance showed God’s immutable purpose never 
to change or abolish his priesthood, nor to change 
or abolish the covenant which was established on 
his priesthood; whereas the Levitical priesthood 
and the law of Moses, being established without an 
oath, were thereby declared to be changeable at 
God’s pleasure.” —Dacknight. 

21. Those priests — The Levitical Were 
made without an oath—To show that the whole 
system was temporary, and soon to be abolished. 
But this—['O dé, but tis one, (that is, this priest,) 
Jesus Christ, was constituted a priest.] Wath an 
oath—To show that the gospel dispensation should 
never change and never be abolished. By him— 
God the Father. That said unto him—That is, 
to the promised Messiah. (Psa. οχ, 4) The Lord 
sware—To show the immutability of his counsel. 
And will not repent—Never change his mind nor 
purpose. Thou art a priest forever — [Εἰς 
τὸν αἰῶνα, throughout the gospel age or dispen- 
sation.] ΤῊ] the necessity of the mediatorial king- 
dom be superseded by the fixed state of eternity— 
till this kingdom be delivered up unto the Father 
and God shall be all in all—shall this priesthood 
of Christ endure. (1 Cor. xv, 28.) 

22. By so much—By this solemn, unchange- 
able oath of God. Was Jesus made a surety— 
ἜἜγγυος, a mediator, (sponsor,) one who brings the 
two parties together, witnesses the contract, and 
offers the covenant sacrifice on the occasion. See 
at the end of the chapter. A better testament 
- Κρείττονος διαθήκης, a better covenant; called, in 
the title to the sacred books, which contain the 
whole Christian code, Ἢ Kam Διαθήκη, THE NEW 
COVENANT, thus contradistinguished from the Mo- 
saic, which was Ἢ Παλαιὰ Δεαθήκη, the Old Covenant. 
The new covenant is befter than the o/d, for [the 
old referred to earthly and temporal blessings, “a 
land flowing with milk and honey,” (see Deut, 
xxviii, 1-13,) the new, to things spiritual in their 
nature, and eternal in duration. (Jeremiah xxxi, 
31-84.)] 

23. And they truly were many priests— 
Under the Mosaic law it was necessary there 
should be a succession of priests, because, being 
mortal, they were not suffered to continue always 
by reason of death. [The perpetual changes in the 
personnel of the Levitical priesthood were signifi- 
cant of its weakness and insufficiency. ] 

24. But this—'O δὲ, [this priest, that is, Christ. 
See verse 21.] Because he continueth ever— 
Is eternal. Hath an unchangeable priesthood 
—ArapaBarov ἱερωσύνην, a priesthood that passeth 
not away; he lives for ever, [and his priesthood is 
as enduring (ἀπαράβατον) as himselt, unchanging 
since he does not change. ] 

421 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


hood. 24 Wherefore he is able also to save 
them ἡ to the uttermost that come unto God by 
him, seeing he ever liveth * to make interces- 
sion for them. 26 For such a high priest be- 
came us, *who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 


HEBREWS. 


Suitableness of Jesus Christ as high 
priest of the human race, 


separate from sinners, ¥and made higher than 
the heavens; 2% Who needeth not daily, as 
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, ¢ first 
for his own sins, «and then for the people’s: 
for 'this he did once, when he offered up 


υ Or, evermore. ——w Rom. 8. 34; 1 Tim. 2. 5: chap. 9. 24; 
1 John 2. 1.— «a Chap. 4. 15.—y Eph. 1. 20; 4. 10; chap. 8, 1. 


zLev. 9. 7; 16. 6, 11; chap. 5. 3; 9. 7.—alLev. 16. 15. — 
b Rom. 6. 10; chap. 9. 12, 23; 10. 12. 


25. Wherefore—Because he is an everlasting 
priest, with an unchanging tenure of office. He 
is able to save to the uttermost—Hic τὸ παντελὲς, 
to all intents, degrees, and purposes; and in and 
through all times, because he ever liveth to make 
intercession for them. As Jesus was the Lamb 
of God slain from the foundation of the world—has 
an everlasting priesthood—and is a continual inter- 
cessor, it is in virtue of this that all who were 
saved from the beginning of the world’s history 
were saved through him, and all that shall be saved 
to the end of time will be saved through him. He 
ever was and ever will be the High Priest, Sacri- 
fice, Intercessor, and Mediator for the human race. 
All successive generations of men are equally in- 
terested in him, and may claim the same privi- 
leges. But none can be saved by his grace that 
do not come unto God through him. (Verse 19.) 

“The nature of the apostle’s arguments,” says 
Dr. Macknight, “requires that, by Christ’s always 
living, we understand his always living in the body, 
(in his dual nature;) for it is thus that he is a 
sympathizing high priest, who, in his intercession, 
pleads the merit of his death to procure the salva- 
tion of all who come unto God through him. 
Agreeably to this account of Christ’s intercession, 
the apostle (in verse 27) mentions the sacrifice of 
himself which Christ offered for the sins of the 
people as the foundation of his intercession. 
Now, as he offers that sacrifice in heaven (chap- 
ter vili, 2, 3) by presenting his crucified body 
there, (see chapter viii, 5, note,) and as he contin- 
ually resides there in the body, some of the ancients 
were of opinion that his continual intercession 
consists in the continual presentation of his humanity 
before his Father, because it is a continual declara- 
tion of his earnest desire for the salvation of men, 
and of his having, in obedience to his Father’s will, 
made himself flesh, and suffered death to accom- 
plish it. (See Romans viii, 34.) This opinion is 
confirmed by the manner in which the Jewish high 
priest made intercession for the people on the day 
of atonement, and which was a type of Christ’s 
intercession in heaven. He made it, not by offer- 
ing of prayers for them in the most holy place, but 
by sprinkling the blood of the sacrifices on the 
mercy scat, in token of their death. And as, by 
that action, he opened the earthly holy places to 
the prayers and worship of the Israelites during the 
ensuing year; so Jesus, by presenting his humanity 
continually before the presence of his Father, 
opens heaven to the prayers of his people in the 
present life, and to their persons after the resur- 
rection.” [The proper meaning of ἐντυγχάνειν, 
“to intercede,” is, to go to any one, to approach, to 
meet him, for the sake of accusing or defending, 
convicting or delivering, any person, or for trans- 
acting any business which has respect to him. 
Ilere, it is plainly in the sense of aiding, defend- 
ing, ov delivering. . But to intercede, in the 
sense of making supplication, is not appropriate to 
any part of the priest’s office under the Levitical 
law. 

422 


. . We must, therefore, understand it, as 
Η 


here used, in a more general sense, and refer it to 
any aid which Christ, as high priest, extends to 
those who approach God in him. (Chapter iv, 16.) 
He is able to save them, because he is a perpetual 
priest to interpose in their behalf, to procure for 
them such aid as they may need.—Stuart. | 

26. Sucha high priest became us—|*Ezpezev, 
was suitable for us, we must have, implying necessity 
on- our part.] Such a high priest was in every re- 
spect switable to us, every way qualified to aeccom- 
plish the end for which he came into the world. 
All these things suit our Lord in a sense in which 
they cannot be applied to the high priest of the 
Jews: 1) He was holy—Infinitely so; and mer- 
ciful, witness his shedding his blood for the sins of 
mankind. 2) Harmless—Perfectly without sin 
in his humanity, as well as his divinity. 3) Un- 
defiled—Contracted no sinful infirmity in conse- 
quence of his dwelling among men. 4) Separate 
from sinners—Absolutely unblamable in the whole 
of his conduct, so that he could challenge the most 
inveterate of his enemies with, Which of you con- 
victeth me of sin? Who of you can show in my 
conduct the slightest deviation from truth and 
righteousness? 5) Higher than the heavens— 
More exalted than all the angels of God, than all 
created beings. All these were created by him and 
for him, and derive their continued subsistence 
from his infinite energy. But how was a person of 
such infinite dignity switable to us? His greatness is 
put in opposition to our meanness. HE was “ holy ;” 
we, unholy. He was “harmless;” we, harmful, 
injuring both ourselves and others. He was “ un- 
defiled;” we, defiled, most sinfully spotted and im- 
pure. He was “separate from sinners ;’’ WE were 
joined to sinners, companions of the vile, the worth- 
less, the profane, and the wicked. Hr was 
“higher than the heavens;” we, daser, and lower 
than the earth, totally unworthy to be called the crea- 
tures of God. And had we not had such a Saviour, 
and had we not been redeemed at an infinite price, 
we should, to use the nervous language of Milton 
on another occasion, ‘after a shameful life and end 
in this world, have been thrown down eternally 
into the darkest and deepest gulf of heli, where, 
under the despiteful control, the trample and spurn, 
of all the other damned,” who “in the anguish 
of their torture’ should have no other ease than to 
exercise a raving and bestial tyranny over us as 
their slaves, we must have remained in that plight 
for ever, the basest, the lowermost, the most de- 
jected, most underfoot and downtrodden vassals 
of perdition.”—MILTon on Reformation, in fine. 

27. Who needeth not daily—Though the high 
priest offered the great atonement only once in the 
year, yet in the Jewish services there was a daily 
acknowledgment of sin, and a daily sacrifice offered 
by the priests, at whose head was the high priest, 
for their own sins as wellas for the sins of the 
people. For this he did once—For himself Je- 
sus offered no sacrifice; and the apostle gives the 
reason—he needed none; and for the peop/e he 
offered himself once for all, when he expired upon 


Jesus Christ made high priest 
by the oath of Jehovah, 


CHAPTER VII. 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


himself. 28 For the law maketh «men high 
priests which have infirmity ; but the word of 


cChap. ὅ. 1, 2.—d Chap. 2. 10; 5. 9. 


the cross. It has been very properly remarked, 
that the sacrifice offered by Christ differed in four 
essential respects from those offered by the Jewish 
priests: 1) He offered no sacrifice for himself, but 
only for the people. 2) He did not offer that sac- 
rifice frequently, (‘‘ continually,” chapter x, 1,) but 
once for all. 3) The sacrifice which he offered was 
not of calves and goats, but of himself. 4) This 
sacrifice he offered, not for one people, but for the 
whole human race; for “he tasted death for every 
man.” j 

28. For the (Levitical) law maketh men high 
priests—The Jewish priests have need of these 
repeated offerings and sacrifices, because they are 
fallible, sinful men; but the word of the oath 
(still referring to Psa. ex, 4) which was (given) since 
the law; for David, who mentions this, lived nearly 
five hundred years after the giving of the law, and 
consequently that oath, constituting another priest- 
hood, abrogates the law; and by this the Son és 
consecrated, τετελειωμένον, is perfected for evermore. 
Being a high priest without blemish, immaculately 
holy, every way perfect, immortal, and eternal, ΗΕ 
is ὦ priest, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, to ETERNITY. 


As the word surety, éyyvoc, in verse 22, has been 
often abused, or used in an unscriptural and dan- 
gerous sense, it may not be amiss to inquire a little 
further into [the whole subject that it involves. 
The suretiship of Christ is not in all its details 
analogous to that which is sometimes seen in mer- 
cantile transactions.] Were it once to be supposed 
that the surety undertook absolutely to pay the debt, 
he would become himself the debtor; and the real 
debtor be no longer bound. Thus the nature of the 
transaction would become entirely changed, and we 
should find nothing but debtor and creditor in the 
case. In this sense, therefore, the word éyyvoc, which 
we translate swrefy, cannot be applied in the above 
ease, for Christ never became surety that, if men 
did not fulfil the conditions of this better covenant, 
that is, repent of sin, turn from it, believe on the 
Son of God, and, having received grace, walk as 
children of the light, and be faithful unto death, 
he would do all these things for them himself ! 
This would be to make Christ “the minister of 
sin;’’ and hence the gloss of some here is both 
absurd and dangerous, namely, “ That Christ was 
the surety of the first covenant to pay the debt; of 
the second, to perform the duty.” That it cannot 
have this meaning in the passage in question is 
sufficiently proved by the following note of Dr. 
Macknight. “The Greek commentators explain this 
word éyyvog (verse 22) very properly by μεσίτης, a 
mediator, which is its etymological meaning; for it 
comes from éyyic¢, near, and signifies one who draws 
hear, or who causes another to draw near. Now, 
as in this passage a comparison is stated between 
Jesus as a high priest and the Levitical high 
priests; and as these were justly considered by the 
apostle as the mediators of the Sinaitic covenant, 
because through their mediation the Israelites wor- 
shipped God with sacrifices, and received from him, 
as their king, a political pardon, in consequence 
of the sacrifices offered by the high priest on the 
day of atonement; it is evident that the apostle in 
this passage calls Jesus the high priest, or medi- 


the oath, which was since the law, maketh the 
Son, ¢who is ¢consecrated for evermore. 


eGr. perfected, 


ator of the better covenant, because through his 
mediation, that is, through the sacrifice of himself 
which he offered to God, believers receive all the 
blessings of the better covenant. And as the apos- 
tle has said, (verse 19,) that by the introduction of a 
better hope, ἐγγίζομεν, we draw near to God; he in 
this verse very properly calls Jesus éyyvoc, rather 
than μεσίτης, to denote the effect of his mediation. 
(See verse 25.) Our translators, indeed, following 
the Vulgate and Beza, have rendered ἔγγυος by the 
word surety, a sense which it has Ecclus. xxix, 16, 
and which naturally enough follows from its ety- 
mological meaning; for the person who becomes 
surety for the good behaviour of another, or for 
his performing something stipulated, brings that 
other near to the party to whom he gives the se- 
curity by which he reconciles the two. But in this 
sense the word éyyvoc¢ is not applicable to the Jew- 
ish high priests; for, to be a proper surety, one 
must either have power to compel the party to per- 
form that for which he has become his surety; or, 
in case of his not performing it, he must be able to 
perform it himself. This being the case, will any 
one say that the Jewish high priests were sureties 
to God for the Israelites performing their part of 
the covenant of the law? Or to the people for 
God’s performing his part of the covenant? As 
little is the appellation, surety of the new covenant, 
applicable to Jesus. For since the new covenant 
does not require perfect obedience, but only the 
obedience of faith, if the obedience of faith be not 
given by men themselves it cannot be given by an- 
other in their room, unless we suppose that men 
can be saved without personal faith. I must there- 
fore infer that those who speak of Jesus as the 
surety of the new covenant must hold that it re- 
quires perfect obedience; which, not being in the 
power of believers to give, Jesus has performed 
for them. But is not this to make the covenant of 
grace a covenant of works, contrary to the whole 
tenor of Scripture? For these reasons I think the 
Greek commentators have given the true meaning 
of the word éyyvo¢ in this passage when they ex- 
plain it by μεσίτης, mediator.” [The justification 
of sinful men through the mediation of Christ is 
not the same, as to its conditions, with the ap- 
proval of guiltless persons; nor is any Christian 
justified before God by the terms of the Sinaitic 
covenant, for by the deeds of that law shall no 
flesh be justified. It is not a vicarious ethical 
righteousness that Christ has purchased for men, 
but free pardon and gracious acceptance through 
the merits of his sacrifice. It is thus that he is 
the mediator of “a better covenant.” The first was 
faulty only because of its want of adaptation to the 
demands of the case; the second was belter, (not in- 
trinsically, for “the law was holy, and the com- 
mandment holy ;” but,) because it answered to 
those demands. } 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. 

[The writer of the epistle comes now (in chap- 
ters viii-x) to the consideration of the duties them- 
selves, namely, the nature of the sacrifice which 
Jesus offers; the place where it is offered; the 
efficacy which it alone has for sin; the difference 
in regard to all these points between the sacrifice 

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Year of Rome, 510. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

OW of the things which we have spoken 

this is the sum: We have such a high 
priest, *who is set on the right hand of the 
throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A 
minister "of the sanctuary, and of ‘the true 
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not 
man. 8. For ¢every high priest is ordained to 
offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore ‘7 is of 
necessity that this man have somewhat also to 


HEBREWS. 


Jesus Christ sits on the right 
hand of God’s throne, 


offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he should 
not be a priest, seeing that there are priests 
that offer gifts according to the law: ᾧ Who 
serve unto the example and "shadow of heay- 
enly things, as Moses was admonished of God 
when he was about to make the tabernacle: 
‘for, See, saith he, that thou make all things 
according to the pattern showed to thee in the 
mount. 6 But now " hath he obtained a more 
excellent ministry, by how much also he is the 


Or, of 
é Chap. 


3; 10. 12; 12. 2. 


a Eph. 1. 20's Cal..3. 13 chan: τ 
α Chap. 9. 11. 


LONE things.—e ‘Chap, 9. ips a. 
— Eph. 5. 2; chap. 9. 14, 


SECU oo LT he pik tas 
ὦ Exod. 25. 40; BU; : Nu 


3. 6, 8, 9; chap. 7 "22, 


= 


1, 2.17: chap. 
m,. 8, 4; Acts 7. 4 


offered by Christ and that which was presented by 
the Jewish priests. Κεφάλαιον, therefore, does not 
mean a recapitulation, (but the principal thing.)\— 
Stuart. | 

1. Of the things which we have spoken this 
is the sum—The word κεφάλαιον, which we trans- 
late swim, signifies the chief, the pr ineipal, or head; 
or, as St. Chrysostom explains it, κεφάλαιον ἀεὶ τὸ 
μεγίστον λέγεται, “that which is createst is always 
called kephalaion,” that is, the head ov chief. Who 
is set on the right hand of the throne—This 
is what the apostle states to be the chief or most 
important point of all that he had yet discussed— 
his sitting down at the right hand of the throne of 
God. He did not, like the Jewish high priest, de- 
part out of the holy of holies, after having offered 
the atonement; but abides there at the throne of 
God, as a continual priest, in the permanent act of 
offering his crucified body unto God in behalf of all 
the succeeding generations of mankind. It is no 
wonder the apostle should call this sitting down 
at the right hand of the throne of the divine Ma)j- 
esty the chief or head of all that he had before 
spoken. 

2. A minister of the sanctuary—Tov ἁγίων 
λειτουργὺς, a public minister of the holy ines or 
places. The word λειτουργὸς means a person who 
officiated for the public, a public officer; in whom 
and his work all the people had a common right: 
hence our word Jiturgy, the public work of prayer 
and praise, designed for the people at large; all 
having a right to attend it, and each having an 
equal interest in it. The Jewish priest was the 
servant of the public, who transacted the business 
of the people with God. Jesus Christ is also the 
same kind of public officer; both as priest and 
mediator he transacts the business of the whole 
human race. He performs the holy things or acts 
in the true tabernacle, HEAVEN, of which the Jewish 
tabernacle was the fype. The tabernacle was the 
place among the Jews where God dwelt by the 
symbol of his presence. This could only typify 
heaven, where God, in his essential g glory, dwells, 
and hence heaven is here called the true (or real) 
tabernacle, to distinguish it from the type. Which 
the Lord pitched—The Jewish tabernacle was 
man’s work, though made by God’s direction; the 
heavens, this true tabernacle, the work of God alone, 
and infinitely more glorious than that of the Jews. 
The tabernacle was also a type of the human na- 
ture of Christ, (John i, 14:) And the word was 
made flesh, and dwelt among us, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν 
ἡμῖν, and tabernacled among us ; for as the divine 
presence dwelt in the taber nacle, so the fulness of 
the Godhead, bodily, dwelt in the man Christ Je- 
sus. And this human body was the peculiar work of 


3. Every high priest is ordained—Ka6iora- 
ται, is set apart, for this especial work. Gifts and 
sacrifices—A@pda τε καὶ θυσίας, eucharistic offer- 
ings and sacrifices for sin. By the former, God’s 
government of the universe, and his benevolence to 
his creatures in providing for their support, were 
acknowledged. By the latter, the destructive and 
ruinous Sune of sin, and "the necessity of an 
atonement, were confessed (and guarded against.) 
Wherefore... of necessity—If Christ be a high 
priest, and it be essential to the office of a high 
priest to offer atoning sacrifices to God, Jesus must 
offer such. Now it is manifest that as he is the 
public minister, officiating in the true tabernacle as 
high priest, he must make an atonement; and his 
being at the right hand of the throne shows that he 
has offered, and continues to offer, such atonement. 

4. For if he were on earth—As the Jewish 
temple was standing when this epistle was written, 
the whole temple service continued to be performed 
by the legal priests; therefore if Christ had heen 
then on earth he could not have performed the office 
of a priest, being of the tribe of Judah, to which 
tribe the office of the priesthood did not appertain, 
There are priests that offer gifts—This is an 
additional proof that this epistle was written before 
the destruction of Jerusalem. That the word 
θυσίας, sacrifices, is not added here, as in verse 8, is 
no evidence that bloody sacrifices had then ceased 
to be offered. Perhaps both kinds are included in 
the word δῶρα, gifts. 

5. Who serve—Oitivec Aatpeiovow; who per- 
form divine worship. Unto the example and 
shadow—Yrodeiyywart καὶ σκιᾷ, win the repiesen- 
tation and shadow. The whole Levitical service 
was a representation and shadow of heavenly 
things; the priests did not, therefore, serve UNTO 
an example or representation of heavenly things; 
they served rather unto the substance of those 
things, WITH appropriate representations and shad- 
ows. As Moses was admonished—Kalic ke- 
χρημάτισται Μωυσῆς, as Moses was divinely warned 
or admonished of God. According to the pat- 
tern—Kara τὸν τύπον, according to the type, plan, 
or form. (See Exod. xxv, 40.) [We need not 
assume an actual temple as archetype of the taber- 
nacle which Moses, from Sinai, may be supposed to 
have beheld standing in heaven; nor an original 
structure which God himself had reared as a model 
upon Sinai, where, according to the later rabbins, 
it was to stand forever, but a pattern structure, 
which was shown to Moses in prophetic vision, 
(subjectively ;) and is described in the words of 
God. (Exod. xxvi, 26-80.)—J/oll in Lange. | 

6. Now hath he obtained a more excellent 
ministry—Christ’s office of priesthood is more ex- 


God, as it came not in the way of natural generation. | cellent than the Levitical, because the covenant is 


424 


The excellence of the priesthood 
of Jesus Christ. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A. M. 4067, A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Komme, 816. 


mediator of a better 1 covenant, which was es- 
tablished upon better promises. 7% ™For if 
that first covenant had been faultless, then 
should no place have been sought for the 
second. 8 For finding fault with them, he 
saith, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, 


ZOr, testament.—m Chap. 7. 11, 18. 


better, and established on better promises ; the old 
covenant referred primarily to earthly things ; the 
new covenant to heavenly. The old covenant had 
promises of secular good, the new covenant of 
spiritual and eternal blessings. As far as Chris- 
tianity is preferable to Judaism, as far as Christ is 
preferable to Moses, as far as spiritual blessings 
are preferable to earthly blessings, [as far as holi- 
ness is preferable to convenience,] and as far as 
the enjoyment of God to eternity is preferable to 
the communication of earthly good during time, 
so far does the new covenant exceed the old. [Tie 
office with which Christ is invested as a priest, or 
his priestly function, is as much superior to that 
of the Levitical priests as the covenant under which 
he holds his office excels, in the blessings which 
it promises, the covenant introduced by Moses.— 
Stuart. | 

7. If that first... had been faultless—If the 
first covenant had made a provision for, and actu- 
ally conferred, pardon and purity, and given a title 
to eternal life, then there could have been no need 
for a second; but the first covenant did not give 
these things, therefore a second was necessary ; 
and the covenant that gives these things is the 
Christian covenant. 

8. For finding fault with (to) them (that is, 
the Jsraelites)—God, in order to show that the first 
covenant was inefficient, saith to the Israelites, Be- 
hold, the days come... when I will makea 
new covenant, etc. He found “fault” with the 
“covenant,” and addressed the people concerning 
his purpose of giving another covenant, that should 
be such as the necessities of mankind required. 
[The faultiness of the first covenant was negative 
rather than positive in what it did not possess, and 
not in any thing really contained in it.] With the 
house of Israel and with the house of Judah 
—That is, with all the descendants of the twelve 
sons of Jacob. [Israel was made the custodian of 
the divine oracles, or covenant, (see Rom. iii, 2,) 
not, however, for the exclusive benefit of that one 
people, but for all mankind. ] 

9. Not according to the covenant—[0i κατὰ 
τὴν διαθήκην. This clause is explanatory of the word 
καινῆν (new) in the preceding verse. The meaning 
is: “The covenant which I will make at a future 
period with the Jewish nation (that is, the dis- 
pensation under which I will place them) shall be 
different from that which I made when I brought 
them out of Egypt.”—Stuart.] [Thisis quoted from 
the Septuagint of Jer. xxxi, 32, which, however, 
differs somewhat from the reading of the Hebrew. 
The former, says Stuart, “appears to have pre- 
served an ancient meaning of the word used, the cor- 
rectness of which (later use) the Arabic is a pledge 
for at the present time. ... The disregarding or 
treating with neglect (juéAnoa) here spoken of, has 
reference to the various punishments inflicted on 
Israel for their wickedness.”] They continued 
not in my covenant—lIt should be observed that 
the word διαθήκη, which we translate covenant, often 
means religion itself, and its various precepts. The 


when I will make a new covenant with the 
house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 
9 Not according to the covenant that I made 
with their fathers, in the day when I took 
them by the hand to lead them out of the land 
of Egypt; because they continued not in my 


m Jer. 31. 31, 32, 33, 34. 


old covenant in general stated, on God’s side, 7 
will be your God; on the Israelites’ side, We will 
be thy people. This covenant they brake; they 
served other gods, and neglected the precepts of 
that holy religion which God had delivered to them. 
And I regarded them not — Kayo ἠμέλησα 
αὐτῶν͵ and I neglected them ov despised them. 
[Διεαθήκην is commonly employed by the Seventy in 
order to translate M72. The general idea of dia- 


θήκη is, disposition or arrangement of any kind, or in 
regard to any matter ; from the verb δεατίθημι, to dis- 
pose of, to arrange. Hence, it is sometimes employed 
by classie writers in the sense of foedus, compact 
or covenant between two parties; but not so in the 
New Testament. Like the Hebrew p93, (to which, 


according to the usus loguendi of the New Testa- 
ment, it generally corresponds,) it often means /azw, 
precept; even particular precept, as in Acts vii, 8, 
the precept of circumcision; in Rom. ix, 4, αἱ 
διαθῆκαι, the tables of the law, that is, the ten com- 
mandments ; compare Deut. iv, 13, where n° is 


explained by D337 γῶν, the ten commandments; 


compare also Deut. ix, 9,11. So Heb. ix, 4, κεβω- 
τὸν τῆς διαθήκης, the ark which contained the διαθή- 
ayy, that is, the two tables of the ten command. 
ments, (i. φ. ninvna fins, Num. x, 33,) and 


afterward, in the same verse, ai πλάκες τῆς διαθήκης, 
the [stone] tablets containing the ten cominandments. 
The general idea of law, precept, statute, is very 
commonly annexed to 4°95 in Hebrew, where the 


Septuagint render it by διαθήκη, for example, Exod. 
xix, 5, et al. saepe. Both in classic authors and in 
the New Testament it has also the meaning of Jast 
will, testament; for example, Gal. iii, 15; Heb. ix, 
16, 17. 

Most frequently of all is AD in the Old Testa- 


ment, and διαθήκη in the New, employed to desig- 
nate a promise, compact, or agreement on the part 
of God with his people, that on condition of doing 
thus and so, blessings of such and such a nature 
shall be bestowed upon them. It comes, in this 
way, very commonly to designate the whole Jewish 
economy, (as we call it,) with its conditions and 
promises: and by the writers of the New Testa- 
ment it is employed, in a similar way, to designate 
the new economy or dispensation of Christ, with all 
its conditions and promised blessings. Thus, 7 
παλαιά or πρώτη διαθήκη means the Jewish dispen- 
sation; and ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη means the Christaun 
dispensation. The idea often annexed by readers 
to the word covenant, namely, mutual compact, and 
a quid pro quo in respect to each of the parties, is 
not the scriptural one. The meaning altogether 
predominant is, av arrangement on the part of God 
in respect to men, in consequence of which certain 
blessings are secured to them by his promise on 
condition that they comply with the demands which 
he makes, that is, obey his precepts. Διαθήκη, then, 
embraces both precept and promise; and may be 
425 


A.M, 4067, A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the 
Lord. 40 For °this zs the covenant that I 
will make with the house of Israel after those 
days, saith the Lord; I will P put my laws into 
their mind, and write them 4in their hearts: 
and 'I will be to them a God, and they shall 
be to me a people: ΕΗ And ‘they shall not 
teach every man his neighbour, and every man 
his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all 
shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 


- HEBREWS. 


The naturegand perfection of 
the new covenant, 


82 For I will be merciful to their unrighteons- 
ness, 'and their sins and their iniquities will I 
remember no more. 48 "In that he saith, A 
new covenant, he hath made the first old. 
Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is 
ready to vanish away. 


CHAPTER IX. 
ΓΓΊΠΕΝ verily the first covenant had also * or- 
dinances of divine service, and "ἃ worldly 


oChap. 10. 16.—-p Gr. give.—dg Or, upon. Yr Zech. 8. 8. 
—s Isa, 54. 13; John 6. 45: 1 John 2. 27. 


used for either or for both at the same time, pro 
re nata; and it is often so used in the Old Testa- 
ment and also in the New. In our text διαθήκην 
KaLvyy means a new arrangement or disposition made 
by Christ, that is, one which has, in some respects, 
new conditions and new promises.—Stwart. | 

10. This is the covenant—This is the nature 
of that glorious system of religion which I shall 
publish among them after those days, that is, in 
the times of the Gospel. I will put my laws 
into their mind—TI will possess their hearts with 
the principles of truth and holiness, and their un- 
derstandings shall be fully enlightened to apprehend 
them. And write them in their hearts —All 
their affections, passions, and appetites shall be 
purified and filled with holiness and love to God and 
man; so that they shall willingly obey, and feel 
that love is the fulfilling of the law: instead of being 


written on tables of stone, they shall be written on | 


the fleshly tables of their hearts. [The superiority 
of these promises consists in the fact that the divine 
will is no longer as a bare command to come into 
mere outward contact with the people, but is ἐο live 
and work in its heart ; that in consequence of this a 
living knowledge of God is to be the common bless- 
ing of all the members of the covenant, and that 
the distinction between prophets and non-prophets, 
priests and non-priests, (is to) fall away.—Lange. | 
I will be to them a God—As the object of every 
man’s religious adoration is that Being from whom 
he expects light, direction, defence, support, and 
happiness ; so God, promising to be their God, prom- 
ises in effect to give them all these great and good 
things. To be God’s people implies that they 
should give God their whole hearts, serve him with 
all their light and strength, and have no other 
object of worship or dependence but himself. 

11 They shall not teach every man his 
neighbour—Tov πολίτην αὐτοῦ, his fellow citizen. 
[The universal spread of the knowledge of God (fol- 
lowing after that before promised) constitutes the 
better covenant there promised. Under the old 
covenant, the priests’ lips were to keep knowledge, 
and they were to teach the people God’s ways; 
under the new, there is no more need for the be- 
liever to have recourse to man for teaching in the 
knowledge of God, for the Holy Spirit, which is 
given to all that ask, reveals the things of Christ to 
each, according to the measure of his spiritual at- 
tainment and strength of faith—A/lford.] [The 
right, duty, and responsibility of the exercise of 
private judgment are by these words secured to 
every one; and, as a consequence, the bringing of 
the means of religious knowledge within the reach 
of all is clearly devolved upon the Church—the 
associate body of believers. ] 

12. I will be merciful to their unrighteous- 
ness—In order that they should become his people, 

426 


tRom, 11. 27; chap. 10. 17.—72 Cor. 5. 17.—a Or, ceremo- 
24e8.—b Exod. 25. 8. 


as mentioned under the preceding verse, it is req- 
uisite that their iniquity should be pardoned; this is 
provided for in Christ as the covenant sacrifice. By 
his blood, redemption has been purchased, and all 
who with penitent hearts believe on the Lord Jesus 
receive remission of sins, and God remembers their 
iniquities no more against them so as to punish 
them on that account. All spiritual evil against 
the nature and law of God is represented here 
under the following terms: 1) ‘t Unrighteousness,” 
ἀδικία, injustice or wrong: against God, his 
neighbour, and himself. 2) “Sin,” ἁμαρτία, devi- 
ation, all wrong-doing. 8) ‘ Iniquity,” ἀνομία, 
lawlessness. [This word is rejected by the best 
critics. It adds nothing to the sense.] All these 
are to be removed by God’s mercy; and this is to 
be understood of his mercy in Christ Jesus. 

18. He hath made the first old—That is, he 
has considered it as antiquated, and as being no 
longer of any force. That which decayeth and 
waxeth old—Here is an allusion to the ancient 
laws, which either had perished through old age, 
from the ¢ables on which they were written, or were 
fallen into disuse, or were abrogated. Is ready to 
vanish away—'Eyyic ἀφανίσμου, is about to dis- 
appear. The apostle intimates that the old cove- 
nant was just about to be abolished; but he ex- 
presses himself cautiously and tenderly, that he 
might not give unnecessary offence. [The circum- 
stance is of special importance, that not without, 
but within, the old covenant itself, and indeed only 
by undoubted words of God, was declared that cap- 
ital defect of the covenant mediated by Moses, 
which consisted in its want of provision for effect- 
ing a real forgiveness of sin and genuine conmunion 
with God, and that by the promise of a ew cove- 
nant, the existing covenant was already, in the time 
of Jeremiah, stamped as an institution no longer 
satisfactory, and destined to pass away. To Christ- 
ians, then, the mere continued outward existence of 
Judaism ean have no such import as to engender 
doubts of that abrogation of¢the old covenant which 
has historically taken place. Decay and superannua- 
tion, clear to utter extinction, are the inevitable 
destiny of that covenant, allotted to it by the de- 
cision of God on the ground of its intrinsic nature. 
— Lange. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. 


1. The first covenant had also ordinances 
—Our translators have introduced the word “ cove- 
nant,” as if διαθήκη had been, if not originally in 
the text, yet in the apostle’s mind. Several MSS., 
but not of good note, have σκηνῇ, tabernacle; but 
the whole context shows that “covenant” is that 
to which the apostle refers, as that was the subject 
in the preceding chapter, and this is a continu- 
ation of the same discourse. Ordinances — 


The appurtenances of the holy 
place in the tabernacle. 


CHAPTER. IX. 


A. M. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


sanctuary. 2 ¢For there was a tabernacle’ 
made; the first, ἃ wherein was *the candle- 
stick, and ‘the table, and the showbread; 
which is called ¢the sanctuary. 8% "And after 
the second vail, the tabernacle which is called 
the holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden 
censer, and 'the ark of the covenant overlaid 
round about with gold, wherein was * the gold- 
en pot that had manna, and ! Aaron’s rod that 


budded, and ™the tables of the covenant; 
® And "over it the cherubim of glory shadow- 
ing the inerey seat; of which we cannot now 
speak particularly. 6 Now when these things 
were thus ordained, °the priests went always 
into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the 
service of God. @% But into the second went 
the high priest alone ronce every year, not 
without blood, 4 which he offered for himself, 


ec Exod. 26. 1.—d Exod. 26. 33; 40. 4. 6 Exod, 25, 31. 
F χοῦ. 25. 23, 3); Lev. 24. ὃ; 6. g Or, holy. h Exod. 26. 
81, 33; 40. 3, 21; chap. 6. 19:5. Ὁ Exod. 85. 1U; 26. 33; 40. 3, 21. 
—k Exod. 16, 33, 34.—/ Num. 17. 10. 


m Exod, 95. 16, 21; 84 29; 40. 20: Deut. 10. 2,5: 1 Kings 8, 9, 
21; 2 Chron. 5. 10. nm Exod. 25, 1&, 22; Lev. 10. ἃ: 1 Kings 8. 
6, 7.— —o Num, 28, 3;-Dan. 8. 11. p Exod. 30. 10; Lev. 16. 2, 
11, 12, 13, 84; verse 25. Οἱ Chap. 5. 3; 7, 27. 


Δικαιώματα, rites and ceremonies; [arranged ser- 
vices.| A worldly sanctuary—"Ayiwv κοσμικόν. 
It is supposed that the term ‘‘ worldly,” here, is op- 
posed to the term heavenly, chapter viii, 5; and that 
the whole should be referred to the secular [this 
world] nature of the tabernacle service.  [‘ The 
sanctuary ” is most probably a general term, com- 
prehending the holy place and the most holy, the 
temple, or rather, in this connexion, the tabernacle, 
properly so called, exclusive of the outer courts.— 
Turner. | 

2. For there was a tabernacle made; the 
first, wherein—To have a proper understanding 
of what the apostle relates here, we should en- 
deavour to take a concise view of the tabernacle 
erected by Moses in the wilderness. It comprised, 
1) The court, which the people might enter. 2) In 
this was contained the altar of burnt-offerings, on 
which were offered the sacrifices in general, besides 
offerings of bread, wine, and other things. 8) At 
the bottom or lower end of this court was the der 
of the covenant. The two principal parts of the 
tabernacle were, the holy place and the holy of 
holies. In the temple built by Solomon there was 
a court for the Levites different from that of the 
people; and at the entrance of the holy place, a 
vestibule: but in the tabernacle built by Moses 
these parts were not found, nor does the apostle 
mention them here. In the holy place were the 
golden candlestick of seven branches, the golden 
altar, or altar of incense, and the altar or table of 
the showbread, where the twelve loaves, represent- 
ing the twelve tribes, were laid before the Lord. 
The whole of this may be seen in all its details in 
the book of Exodus, from chapter xxxv to xl. 
Which is called the sanctuary— Hrvc λέγεται 
ἅγια, this is called holy place. [This first taber- 
nacle, ox7v4 was the holy place, in contradistinction 
to the second, which was the Most HoLy, ἅγια 
aylwv, 

3. And after the second veil—The first veil, 
of which the apostle has not yet spoken, was at the 
entrance of the holy place, and separated the tab- 
ernacle from the court, and prevented the people, 
and even the Levites, from seeing what was in the 
holy place. The second veil, of which the apostle 
Speaks here, separated the holy place from the 
holy of holies. The tabernacle which is 
called the holiest of all—That is, that part of 
the tabernacle which is called the holy of holies. 

4. Which had the golden censer—It is evident 
that the apostle speaks here of the tabernacle 
built by Moses, and of the state and contents of 
that tabernacle as they were during the lifetime of 
Moses. The apostle says that the golden censer 
was in the holy of holies; but this is nowhere men- 
tioned by Moses. But he tells us that the high priest 
went in once every year, with the golden censer, 


to burn incense ; and it has been conjectured that 
this censer was /eft there all the year, and that its 
place was supplied by a new one, brought in by the 
priest the year following. The ark of the cove- 
nant—This was a sort of chest overlaid with plates 
of gold, in which the two tables of the law, Aaron’s 
rod, the pot of manna, ete., were deposited. Its 
top, or lid, was the propitiatory or mercy seat. 

5. And over it the cherubim of glory— 
Cherubiin is the plural of cherub, and it is absurd 
to add our plural termination (s) to the plural ter- 
mination of the Hebrew. The “ glory” here sig- 
nifies the shechinah, or symbol of the divine 
presence. Shadowing the mercy seat—One at 
each end of the ark, with their faces turned 
toward each other, but looking down on the cover 
or propitiatory, ἱλαστήριον, here called “ the merey 
seat.” Of which we cannot now speak par- 
ticularly—tThe apostle did not judge any further 
account of these to be necessary; and I may be 
excused from considering them particularly here, 
having said so much on each in the places where 
they occur in the Pentateuch. [Respecting the 
significance of these several objects St. Cyril has 
said, briefly, but aptly, “ Although Christ be but 
one, yet he 1s understood by us under a variety of 
forms. He is the tabernacle, on account of the 
human body in which he dwelt. He is the ¢adle, 
because he is our bread of life. He is the ark 
which has the law of God enclosed within, because 
he is the Word of the Father. He is the candle- 
stick, because he is our spiritual light. He is the 
altar of incense, because he is the sweetsmelling 
odour of sanctification. He is the altar of burnt- 
offering, because he is the victim, by death on the 
cross, for the sin of the whole world.” 

6. When these things were thus ordained 
—When the tabernacle was made, and its furni- 
ture placed in it, according to the divine direction. 
The priests went always into the first taber- 
nacle—That is, into the first part of the taber- 
nacle, or holy place, into which they went every day 
twice, accomplishing the services, τὰς λατρείας ἐπιτε- 
Aovvrec, which included his burning the incense at 
the morning and evening sacrifice, dressing the 
lamps, sprinkling the blood of the sin offerings 
before the veil, (Lev. iv, 6,) and removing the old 
showbread and laying on the new each sabbath, 
(Lev. xxiv, 8,) and for these works they must have 
constant access to the place. 

7. But into the second—That is, the holy of 
holies, or second part of the tabernacle, the high 
priest alone, once every year, that is, on one 
day in the year only, which was the day on which 
the general atonement was made. The high priest 
could enter into this place only on one day in the 
year, but on that day he might enter several 
times. (See Lev. xvi.) Not without blood— 

427 


A. M. 4967. A, Ὁ. 63, ip The way into the holiest not made 
Year of Rome, $16. HEBRE W S. ρὲ τὴ: προ τς he 
and for the errors of the people: 9. The} gifts and sacrifices, ‘that could not make him 


Holy Ghost this signifying, that sthe way into 
the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, 
while as the first tabernacle was yet stand- 
ing: 9 Which was a figure for the time 
then present, in which were offered both 


r Chap. 10. 19, 20. s John 14, 6.-—7# Gal. 3. 21; chap. 7. 18, 19; 
10. 1, 11.—~w Lev. 11. 2; Col. 2. 16. 


that did the service perfect, as pertaining to 
the conscience; 49. Which stood only in 
“meats and drinks, and ¥ divers washings, * and 
carnal * ordinances, imposed on them until the 
time of reformation. Ik But Christ being 


9 


Num, 19. 7, etc.—vw Eph. 2. 15; Col. 2. 20; chap. 7. 16.— 
a Or, rites, or, ceremonies, 


The day prescribed by the law for this great 
solemnity was the tenth of the month Tisri, in 
which the high priest brought in the incense or 
perfumes which he placed on the golden censer; 
he brought also the blood of the bullock, and 
sprinkled some portion of it seven times before the 
ark and the veil which separated the holy place 
from the holy of holies. (See Lev. xvi, 14.) He 
then came out, and, taking some of the blood of 
the goat which had been sacrificed, he sprinkled it 
between the veil and the ark of the covenant. 
(Verse 15.) Which he offered for himself, and 
for the errors of the people—Yrép τῶν τοῦ 
λαοῦ ayvonuatwv; for transgressions of which 
they were not conscious. There were so many 
niceties in the ritual worship of the Jews, and so 
many ways in which they might offend against the 
law and incur guilt, that it was found necessary to 
institute sacrifices to atone for these sins of igno- 
rance. And as the high priest was also clothed 
with infirmity, he required to have an interest in 
the same sacrifice, on the same account. This was 
a national sacrifice; and by it the people under- 
stood that they were absolved from all the errors of 
the past year, and that they now had a renewed 
right of access to the mercy seat. 

8. The Holy Ghost this signifying—These 
services were divinely appointed, and by each of 
them the Holy Spirit of God is supposed to speak. 
The way into the holiest—That full access to 
God was not the common privilege of the people, 
while the Mosaic economy subsisted. That the 
apostle means that it is only by Christ that any 
man and every man can approach God is evident 
from chapter x, 19-22; and it is about this, and 
not about the tabernacle of this world, that he is 
here discoursing. I have already observed that the 
apostle appears to use the word σκηνῇ, or taber- 
nacle, in the general sense of a dwelling place; and 
therefore applies it to the temple, which was re- 
puted the house or dwelling place of God, as well 
as the ancient tabernacle. Therefore, what he 
speaks here concerning the first tabernacle may be 
understood as applying with propriety to the then 
Jewish temple as well as to the ancient tabernacle, 
which, even with all their sacrifices and ceremonies, 
could not make the way of holiness plain, nor the 
way to God’s favour possible. 

9. Which—[“Hric, the which, namely, the first 
or anterior tabernacle, (as representing the former 
dispensation,) and that especially considered as 
obstructing, by its yet remaining, the way into the 
holiest. — Alford.| The tabernacle and its ser- 
vices were ὦ figure, παραβολῇ, a dark enigmatical 
representation, for the time then present; for 
that age and dispensation, and for all those who 
lived under it. In which (καθ᾽ ὃν, during which 
time or dispensation) were offered both gifts 
and sacrifices—Eucharistic offerings and victims 
for sin, that could not make him that did the 
service, whether the priest who made the offering 
or the person who brought it in the behalf of his 

428 


i 


soul, perfect, as pertaining to the conscience: 
could not take away guilt from the mind, nor 
purify the conscience from dead works. The whole 
was a “figure,” or dark representation, of a spirit- 
ual and more glorious system; and although a sin- 
ner who made these offerings and sacrifices ac- 
cording to the law might be considered as having 
done his duty, and thus he would be exempted 
from many ecclesiastical and legal disabilities and 
punishments, yet his “conscience” would ever tell 
him that the guilt of sin was still remaining, and 
that it was impossible for the blood of bulls and 
goats to take it away. That even he that did the 
service best continued to be dmnperfect—had a 
guilty conscience and an unholy heart. [The ma- 
terial offerings of animals are only parables refer- 
ring to the time when that which is parabolically 
set forth becomes actual and passes into reality. 
They are considered of themselves incapable of 
any action on the conscience, or the inner part 
of man.—Delitzsch.| The words καθ᾽ ὃν, in which, 
referred in the above paraphrase to τὸν καιρὸν, the 
time, are read καθ᾽ ἦν by ABD, and several others, 
one copy of the Slavonic, the Vulgate, and some of 
the Fathers, and thus refer to τὴν σκηνήν, the taber- 
nacle; and this is the reading which our translators 
appear to have followed. Griesbach places it in 
his margin, as a very probable reading ; but I pre- 
fer the other. [Modern critics have very generally 
adopted the reading xa jv; making not σκηνή, but 
παραβολῇ, the antecedent, or thing referred to. ] 

10. In meats and drinks, and divers wash- 
ings—He had already mentioned eucharistic and 
sacrificial offerings, and nothing properly remained 
but the different kinds of clean and unclean animals 
which were used, or forbidden to be used, as arti- 
cles of food; together with the different kinds of 
drinks, washings, βαπτιίσμοῖς, baptisms, immersions, 
sprinklings and washings of the body and the 
clothes, and carnal ordinances, or things which had 
respect merely to the body, and could have no 
moral influence upon the soul, unless considered in 
reference to that of which they were the similitudes 
or figures. [A form of object-teaching, in the use 
of which the law was our schoolmaster, to bring us 
to Christ.] Carnal ordinances—Arxataara cap- 
Koc, rites and ceremonies pertaining merely to the 
body. The word “carnal” is not here used [in any 
ethical sense, but simply to express the negatively 
opposite of spiritual.] Imposed on them until 
the time of reformation—Kaspod διορθώσεως, the 
time of rectifying, signifies the gospel dispensa- 
tion, under which every thing is set straight ; every 
thing referred to its proper purpose and end; the 
ceremonial law, having been fulfilled, was to be ab- 
rogated ; the moral law exhibited and more strictly 
enjoined ; (see our Lord’s sermon upon the mount :) 
and the spiritual nature of God’s worship taught, 
and grace promised to purify the heart; so that, 
through the power of the eternal Spirit, all that 
was wrong in the soul is rectified ; the affections, 
passions, and appetites purified ; the understanding 


Christ declared to be a high priest 
of good things to come. 


come Ya high priest τ οὐ good things to come, 
«by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not 
made with hands, that is to say, not of this 
building; 42 Neither "by the blood of goats 
and calves, but © by his own blood he entered 
in ὁ once into the holy place, * having obtained 
~y Chap. 3. 1. ——-zChap. 10, 1.-—a@Chap. 8. 2. —/ Chap. 


p. 3. 1. 
10, 4.— Acts 20. 28; Eph. 1. 7: Col. 1. 14; 1 Pet. 1. 19; Rev. 1. 
δ: 5. 9.—d Zech. 3. 9; verses 26, 28; chap. 10. 10. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4061. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


eternal redemption for ws. 18 For if ‘the 
blood of bulls and of goats, and ¢the ashes of 
a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to 
the purifying of the flesh; 284 How much 
more "shall the blood of Christ, ‘who through 
the eternal Spirit « offered himself without! spot 


Al Pet. 1. 19; 1 John 1. 7; Rev. 1. 5. —zdRom. 1. 4; 1 Pet. 
3. 18.—A Eph. 5d. 2; Tit. 2. 14; chap. 7. 27.— Or, χα. 


enlightened ; the judgment corrected; the will re- 
newed; in a word, all things made new. [ Until the 
season of rectification; when all these things would 
be better arranged, the substance put where the 
shadow was before, the sufficient grace where (was) 
the insufficient type —A//ord. | 

11. But Christ being come a high priest of 
good things—I think this and the succeeding 
verses not happily translated; indeed, the division 
of them has led to a wrong translation; therefore 
they must be taken together, thus: Butthe Christ, 
the high priest of those good things (or services) 
which were to come, through a greater and more 
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not 
of the same workmanship, entered once for all into 
the sanctuary; having obtained eternal redemption 
for us, not by the blood of goats and eulves, but by 
his own blood. (Verse 13.) For if the blood of 
Goats, and bulls, and calves, and a heifers ashes, 
sprinkled on the unclean, sanctifieth to the cleansing 
of the flesh, (verse 14,) how much more shall the 
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit 
offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your con- 
sciences from dead works, in order to worship (or 
that ye may worship) the living God? In the fore- 
going translation, I have added, (in verse 13,) τράγων, 
of goats, on the authority of ABDE, three others, 
the Syriac, the Arabic of Erpen, Coptic, Vulgate, 
two copies of the Itala, and Theodoret. [Now gen- 
erally accepted.]| And I have rendered εἰς τὸ Aa- 
τρεύειν, (verse 14,) IN ORDER to worship, or THAT YE 
MAY worship; for this is the meaning of these 
particles εἰς τὸ in many parts of the New Testa- 
ment. [The rendering of this passage (verses 11, 
12) in the Revised Version, (1881,) which is also 
literally correct, forms a very satisfactory exposi- 
tion of its sense: “But Christ having come a 
high priest of the good things to come, (the good 
things that are come—margin,) through the greater 
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, 
that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through 
the blood of goats and calves, but through his 
own blood, entered in once for all into the holy 
place, having obtained eternal redemption.” ] High 
priest of good things—Or services. To come 
—Tov μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν. [This is the (formerly) 
accepted reading, to which Alford gives the pref- 
erence; but Westcott and Hort have inserted the 
alternative reading, γενομένων, which the New Re- 
Visionists have placed in the margin. The sense 
is not essentially changed by it, as to any doc- 
trinal matter.] He is the high priest of Chris- 
tianity; he officiates in the behalf of all mankind ; 
for by him are all the prayers, praises, and services 
of mankind offered to God; and he ever appears 
in the presence of God for us. A greater and 
more perfect tabernacle—This appears to mean 
our Lord’s Auman nature. That in which dwelt all 


_ the fulness of the Godhead bodily, was fitly typified 


by the tabernacle and temple, in both of which the 
Majesty of God dwelt. Not made with hands— 
Though our Lord’s body was a perfect human body, 


yet it did not come in the way of natural genera- 
tion; his miraculous conception will sufficiently 
justify the expressions used here by the apostle. 
[The possession of infinite dignity, glory, and bliss 
is the idea (intended to be) conveyed by all these 
expressions, not merely elevation to some special 
locality. Still, as the word “tabernacle” is just 
before used for the Mosaic holy place, the outer 
room alone, (verses 2, 6, 8,) with which ‘the more 
perfect” one here mentioned is contrasted—and 
since in connexion with the train of thought Christ 
is soon afterward said to “appear for us in heaven” 
—the analogy as before represented {making the 
““oreater and more perfect tabernacle” the same 
with heaven, verse 24,] is preferable— Turner. ] 

12. But by his own blcoc—Here the redemp- 
tion of man is attributed to the blood of Christ; 
and this blood is stated to be shed in a sacrificial 
way, precisely as the blcod of bulls, goats, and 
calves was shed under the law. [We have redemp- 
tion through his blood, Eph. i, 7; Col. i, 14.] Once 
—Once for all, ἐξάποξ, in opposition to the annual 
entering of the high priest into the holiest with the 
blood of the axxuval victim. The holy place— 
Or sanctuary, τὰ ayia, signifies heaven, into which 
Jesus entered with his own blood, as the high 
priest entered into the holy of holies with the 
blood of the victims which he had_ sacrificed. 
Eternal redemption—Aiwriavy 7izpwow, a re- 
demption price which should stand good for ever, 
when once offered; and an endless redemption 
from sin, in reference to the pardon of which, and 
reconciliation to God, there needs no other sacrifice ; 
it is eternal in its merit and efficacy. 

13. Sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh 
—Answers the end proposed by the law; namely, 
to remove legal uncleanness and disabilities. [As 
this epistle was evidently written while the temple 
services were still continued, the writer speaks of 
these services, using the present tense. The legal 
purification is alone here spoken of.] 

14. Who through the eternal §pirit—This 
expression is understood two ways: 1) Of the Holy 
Ghost himself. As Christ’s miraculous conception 
was by the Holy Spirit, and he wrought all his mir- 
acles by the Spirit of God, so his death or final 
offering was made through or by the eternal 
Spirit; and by that Spirit he was raised from the 
dead. (1 Pet. iii, 18.) Indeed, through the whole 
of his life he was justified by the Spirit; and we 
find that in this great work of human redemption 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were con- 
tinually employed; therefore the words may be 
understood of the Holy Spirit. 2) Of the eternal 
Logos, or deity which dwelt in the man Christ 
Jesus, through the energy of which the offer- 
ing of his humanity became an infinitely merito- 
rious victim; therefore the deity of Christ is here 
intended. But we cannot well consider one of 
these distinct from the other. We must still say, 
that the Holy Spirit, with the eternal Logos, and 
the almighty Father, equally concurred in offering 

429 


A.M, 4001. A.D. 02. 
Year of Rome, ¢16. 


HEBREWS. 


The blood of Christ purifies the 


conscience from dead works, 


to God, "purge your conscience from "dead 
works °to serve the living God? 15 » And for 


this cause 4 he is the mediator of the new test- 
ament, ‘that by means of death, for the re- 
demption of the transgressions that were under 
the first testament, *they which are called 


. 1.—o Luke 1. 
5. —  q Chap. 7. 22; 


74; Rom. 
8.63 


m Chap. 1 33 ἵν 99 --- ee 
63) 13; 235 1 Pet) 4.2 .——p1'Tim, 


might receive the promise of eternal inheri- 
tunce. ὦ For where a testament is, there 
must also of necessity ‘be the death of the tes- 
tator. 2% For "a testament zs of force after 
men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength 
at all while the testator liveth. 18 νυ" Where- 


12. 24.—r Rom. 3. 25: 5. 6: 1 Pet. 8. 18, —s Chap. 3 


i a 
t Or, be brought in.—vw Gal. 3, 15.—v Exod, 24. 6, ete, 


up the sacrifice of the incarnated Christ, in or- 
der to make atonement for the sin of the world. 
[Christ offered himself, with his own consent assist- 
ing and empowering the sacrifice —the consenting 
act of his divine personality, his πνεῦμα αἰωνίου, his 
Godhead, which from before time acquiesced in and 


wrought with the redemption-purpose of the 
Father.—A/ford.] Purge your conscience — 
Καθαριεῖ τὴν συνείδησιν, purify your conscience. 


The term purify should be everywhere, both in the 
translation of the Scriptures and in preaching the 
Gospel, preferred to the word “ purge,” which at 
present is scarcely ever used in the sense in which 
our translators have employed it. Dead works 
—Sin in general, or acts to which the penalty of 
death is annexed by the law. (See on chap. vi, 1.) 
To serve the living God—[LEi¢ τὸ λατρεύειν Θεῷ 
ζῶντι, so that they may serve, etc. Before persons, 
under the ancient dispensation, could present them- 
selves in the presence of the Lord acceptably, they 
must have been subjected to ceremonial purifica- 
tion. What this grefigured, the blood of Christ 
effects. —Stuart.] 

15. And for this caus2—Ava τοῦτο, on account 
of this. [As Jewish sacrifices rendered the offerer 
externally clean, so the blool of Christ purifies 
the moral or internal man, and removes the conse- 
quences of sin. On this account, (dca τοῦτο.) that 
is, because the sacrifice of Christ produces an 
effect such as the Jewish sacrifices did not, he may 
be justly called the Mediator of a new covenant, dif- 
fering greatly from the old. (Comp. Heb. viii, 6-8, 
13; vii, 15-19.)—Stwart.| He is the mediator of 
the new testament—There is no proper reason 
why our translators should render διαθήκη by “ test- 
ament ” here, when in almost every other case they 
render it covenant, which is its proper ecclesiastical 
meaning, as answering to the Hebrew berith, which 
see largely explained Gen. xv, 10, and in other places 
of the Pentateuch. (See on chapter vii, 9.) Very 
few persons are satisfied with the translation of the 
following verses to the 20th, particularly the 16th 
and 17th ; at all events the word covenant must be 
retained, ‘“ He,” Jesus Christ, is Mediator. The 
μεσίτης, or umpire, was the person who witnessed the 
contract made betw een the two contracting parties, 
slew the victim, and sprinkled each with its blood. 
“The new testament” —The new dispensation οὐ- 
dained by God for the whole human race, through 
Christ Jesus the Mediator, distinguished here from 
the old covenant between God and the Israelites, in 
which Moses was the mediator. That by means 
of death—His own death upon the cross. For the 
redemption of the transgressions—To make 
atonement for the transgressions which were com- 
mitted under the old covenant, which the blood of 
bulls and calves could not do; so the death of 
Jesus had respect to all the time antecedent to it, 
as well as to all the time afterward till the conclu. 
sion of the world. They which are called— 
The Gentites. Might receive the promise— 
Might, by being brought into covenant with God, 

490 


have an equal right with the Jews not merely to 
an inheritance such as the Promised Land, but to 
an eternal inheritance infinitely superior to that of 
the Jews; and therefore the new covenant is supe- 
rior in every point of view to the old. How fre- 
quently the Gentiles are termed οἱ κλητοί and οἱ 
κεκλημένοι, the called, all St. Paul’s writings show. 
And they were thus termed because they were called 
and elected to equal rights with the Jews, the an- 
cient called and elect, who were now divorced as a 
nation and reprobated because of their disobedience. 

16. For where a testament is—A learned and 
judicious friend furnishes me with the following 
translation of this and the 17th verse :— 

“For where there is a covenant, it is necessary 
that the death of the appointed victim should be 
exhibited, because a covenant is confirmed over 
dead victims, since it is not at all valid while the 
appointed victim is alive.” [Later commentators 
have pretty generally preferr ed the rendering of the 
text as in the English Version to that which gives 
to the word διαθήκη the strictest sense of federal 
compact, and to the things here named the nature 
ef contracting ceremonies. Dr. Cowles paraphrases 
verses 16, 17, in this way: ‘‘ Now that the death 
of one party to a covenant sometimes brings it into 
force you may see in that special form of covenant 
which men ¢all a ‘last will or testament ;’ a case 
which bears an analogy to the death of Christ so 
striking that you will allow me to allude to it. In 
the case of a Jast wil] and testament, (verse 16,) the 
death of the testator must necessarily be involved, 
for (verse 17) this last will goes into effect, assumes 
its vital force, in the case of the dead, inasmuch as 
it cannot take effect, (has no force,) so long as the 
testator lives. In the light of this analogy, you will 
see how the called people of God come by Christ’s 
death into the possession of the promised eternal 
inheritance.” With these views, which may ap- 
pear to some to be rather forced, or not fully sus- 
tained, many (not all) of our best critics and ex- 
positors agree substantially, such as Stuart, Alford, 
Moll, (in Lange, ) Ripley, Whedon. The rendering of 
the evised Version, which may be assumed to 
largely embody the consensus‘of modern critics, is 
to the same effect: ‘‘ For where a testament is, 
there must of necessity be the death of him that 
made it. For a testament is of force where there 
has been death, (over the dead—margin,) for it 
doth not avail while he that made it liveth.”’] 

Mr. Wakefield has thus translated the passage, 
(verses 16-17:) ‘For where a covenant is, there 
must be necessarily introduced the death of that 
which establisheth the covenant; because a cove- 
nant is confirmed over dead things, and is of no force 
at all whilst that which establisheth the covenant is 
alive.’ This is undoubtedly the meaning of this 
passage ; and we should endeavour to forget that 
“testament” and “ testator” were ever introduced, 
as they totally change the apostle’s meaning. (See 
the observations at the end of this chapter.) 

18. Whereupon—'Oéev, wherefore, as a victim 


The necessity of the shedding 
of Christ's blood. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4067, A. Ὁ. 68, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


upon neither the first testament was * dedi- 
cated without blood. 19 For when Moses 
had spoken every precept to all the people 
according to the law, *he took the blood 
of calves and of goats, ¥ with water, and 5 scar- 
let wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the 
book and all the people, 20 Saying, «This is 
the blood of the testament which God hath 


enjoined unto you. 2% Moreover *he sprinkled 
likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and 
all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost 
all things are by the law purged with blood; 
and © without shedding of blood is no remission. 
23 Jt was therefore necessary that ¢the pat- 
terns of things in the heavens should be puri- 
fied with these; but the heavenly things them- 


aw Or, purified. —a Exod, 24, 5, 6, 8; Lev, 16. 14, 15, 18. 
— -y Lev. 14. 4, ὃ, 7, 49, dl, 52. σου, purple. — u Exod. 


was required for the ratification of every covenant, 
the first covenant made between God and the He- 
‘brews, by the mediation of Moses, was not dedi- 
cated (ἐνκεκαίνισται, renewed or solemnized) with- 
out blood, without the death of a victim, and the 
aspersion of its blood, ["O@ev, whence, that is, see- 
ing that a διαθήκη (covenant or testament) per con- 
tra must be ratified by the death of the testator, 
and that the new διαθήκη has been ratified by the 
death of Christ, so as to make sure the inheritance 
to believers, (verse 15,) therefore ἡ πρώτη, (the 
Jirst,) was dedicated with (Christ’s) blood. ] 

19. When Moses had spokenevery precept 
—(See Exod. xxiv, 4-8.) And sprinkled both 
the book—The sprinkling of the “book” is not 
mentioned in the place to which the apostle refers, 
(see above,) nor did it in fact take place. The 
words αὐτό τε τὸ βιβλίον, and the book itself, should 
be referred to λαβὼν, having taken, and not to épav- 
τισεν, he sprinkled. [This construction avoids a 
slighe difficulty ; but it is foreed, and grammatically 
impossible. See Alford.] The verse should there- 
fore be read thus: Mor after every commandment 
of the law had been recited by Moses to all the 
people, he took the blood of the calves, and of the 
goats, with water and scarlet wool, and the book it- 
self, and sprinkled all the people. The rite was 
performed thus: Having received the blood of the 
calves and goats into basins, and mingled it with 
water to prevent it from coagulating, he then took 
a bunch of hyssop, and having bound it together with 
thread made of scarlet wool he dipped this in the 
- basin, and sprinkled the blood and water upon the 
people who were nearest to him, and who might be 
considered on this occasion the representatives of 
all the rest; for it is impossible that he should 
have had blood enough to have sprinkled the whole 
of the congregition. 

20, This is the blood of the testament— 
Covenant. Our Lord refers to the conduct of 
Moses here, and partly quotes his words, in the in- 
stitution of the eucharist: This is my blood of the 
new testament, which is shed for many for the remis- 
sion of sins. (Matt. xxvi, 28.) And by thus using 
the words and applying them, he shows that his 
sacrificial blood was intended by the blood shed and 
sprinkled on this occasion, and that by it alone the 
remission of sins is obtained. 

2). He sprinkled... with blood... all 
the vessels of the ministry — Τῆς λειτουργίας, 
service: to intimate that every thing used by sinful 
man is polluted, and that nothing can be acceptable 
in the sight of a holy God that has not, in effect, 
the sprinkling of the atoning blood. 

22. And almost all things are... purged 
with blood—The apostle says “almost,” because 
in some cases certain vessels were purified by water, 
some by jive, (Num. xxxi, 23,) and some with the 
ashes of the ved heifer, (Num, xix, 2-10,) but it was 
always understood that every thing was at first 


24.8; Matt. 26. 28.—4 Exod. 29. 12, 36; Lev. 8. 15, 19; 16. 14, 
15, 16, 18, 19.—e Lev. 17. 11.—d Chap. &. ὃ. 


consecrated by the blood of the victim. And 
without shedding of blood is no remission— 
The apostle shows fully here what is one of his 
great objects in the whole of this epistle, namely, 
that thereis no salvation but through the sacrificial 
death of Christ, and to prefigure this the law itself 
would not grant any remission of sin without the 
blood of a victim. It was a maxim, even among 
the Jews themselves, that there is no expiation but 
by blood. Every sinner having forfeited his life 
by transgression, the law of God requires his 
death; the blood of the victim, which is its fife, is 
shed as a substitute for the life of the sinner By 
these victims the sacrifice of Christ was typified. 
He gave his life for the life of the world; human 
life for human life, but a life infinitely dignified by 
its union with God. [The life of the God-man, (not 
simply a man,) for the sin and the redemption of ag- 
gregate humanity, as well as every individual man. 


[How guiltless blood for guilty men was shed,—Burns,] 


23. The patterns of things in the heavens— 
That is, the tabernacle and all its utensils, services, 
etc., [because they were “patterns,” παραβολαί, 
symbols, of the one great and only real sacrifice, | must 
be purified by these. They are called “ patterns,” 
ὑποδείγματα, exemplars, earthly things which were 
the representatives of heavenly things. Perhaps 
every thing in the tabernacle—its parts, divisions, 
utensils, ministry, as appointed by God—were rep- 
resentations of celestial matters. Purification im- 
plies, not only cleansing from defilement, but also 
dedication or consecration. All the utensils employed 
in the tabernacle service were thus “purified,” 
though incapable of any moral pollution. But the 
heavenly things themselves — As entrance to 
the holy of holies must be obtained by the spiink- 
ling of the blood of the sacrifice, and as that loly 
of holies represented heaven, the apostle’s meaning 
seems to be, that there was and could be no en- 
trance to the holiest but through that blood; and 
therefore when, by a more perfect tabernacle, 
(verses 11, 12,) Jesus passed into the heavens, not 
with blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood, 
he thus purified or laid open the entrance to the 
holiest by a more valuable sacrifice than those re- 
auired to open the entrance of the (earthly) holy 
of holies. It was therefore necessary, for God 
had appointed it so, that the tabernacle and its 
parts, ete., which were “patterns of things in the 
heavens,” should be consecrated and entered with 
such sacrifices as have already been mentioned; 
but the heaven of heavens, into which Jesus 
entered, and whither he will bring all his faithful 
followers, must be propitiated, consecrated, and 
entered, by the infinitely bet/er sacrifice of his own 
body and blood. That this is the meaning appears 
from the following verse. [God permits sinners to 
hope for pardon, and (to) approach to him, only 
when they are sprinkled with the atoning blood of 

431 


A. Μ. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63. 7 It is appointed to men to die, 
Year of Rome, 516, ΠΕΡΙ S. and ἐλ τον ἢ to be judged. 
selves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For} the world: but now ionce Fin the end of the 


eChrist is not entered into the holy places 
made with hands, which are the figures of ‘the 
true; but into heaven itself, now &to appear 
in the presence of God for us: 28 Nor yet 
that he should offer himself often, as » the high 
priest entereth into the holy place every year 
with blood of others; 26 For then must he 
often have suffered since the foundation of 


world hath he appeared to put away sin by 
the sacrifice of himself. 27 ! And as it is 
appointed unto men once to die, ™but after 
this the judgment: 28% So "Christ was once 
° offered to bear the sins Pof many; and unto 
them that @look for him shall he appear 
the second time without sin unto salva- 
tion. 


6 Chap. 6. 20.— Chap. 8 2.——g Rom. 8. 81: chap. 95; 
ngobn 2 1. h Verse 7. ——7 Verse 12 τς rf at 1. 10; 
1 Pet. 3. 18. —1 Cor. 10. 11; Gal. 4.4; Eph. 1 


5. 
2. 


7Gen. 3. 19; Eccles. 3. 20.— 2 Cor. 
——7n Kom. 6. 10; 1 Pet. 3. 18. ΟἹ Pet. 
Pp Matt. 26. 28; Rom. 5. 15. —q Tit. 2.13; “Spot. 


10: ΒΒ ev. 20, 12, 18. 
1 John 3. 5.— 
3, 12, 


Jesus ; and what was done on earth as a symbol 
must be done in the heavenly world as a reality, 
that is, so as actually to procure spiritual pardon 
and restoration to the divine favour.—Stuwart. | 

24. Christ is not entered into the holy 
‘places made with hands—[Christ’s priesthood 
was altogether another than that of Aaron and his 
sons, and so in the performance of his priestly 
work he entirely avoided the place and the con- 
ditions*of their ministrations. Their services con- 
sisted of types and symbols; his was rea/, in respect 
to both the place and the works done. The high 
priest, on the great day of expiation, entered the 
holy of holies, which was the type of heaven, and 
where was (originally) the shekinah, which symbol- 
ized the divine presence, to sprinkle the blood of 
the covenant before the mercyseat. All these 
things were symbolical and prophetic of the work 
of Christ, as an eternal priest, ever living to make 
intercession for us. ] 

25. Nor yet that he should offer himself 
often—The sacrifice of Christ is not like that of 
the Jewish high priest; his must be offered every 
year, Christ has offered himself once for all; and 
this sacrificial act has ever the same efficacy, being 
still an efficacious and infinitely meritorious sacri- 
fice before the throne. 

26. ΕΟΥ then must he often have suffered— 
In the counsel of God Christ was considered the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, (Rev. 
xiii, 8,) so that all believers before his advent had 
an equal interest in his sacrificial death with those 
who have lived since his coming. The atonement 
under the law had to be repeated every year; Christ’s 
sacrifice is ever the same; his life’s blood is still 
considered as in the act of being continually poured 
out. (See Rev. v, 6.) The end of the world— 
The conclusion of the Jewish dispensation, the 
Christian dispensation being that which shall con- 
tinue till the end of time. [In these last days. | 
To put away sin—Eic ἀθέτησιν ἁμαρτίας, to 
abolish the sin offerings; that is, to put an end to the 
Mosaic economy by his one offering of himself. 
It is certain that after Christ had offered himself 
the value of the typical sin offerings of the law 
ceased; and this was expressly foretold by the 
prophet Daniel. (Chapter ix, 24.) Some think 
that the expression should be applied to the putting 
away the guilt, power, and being of sin from the 
souls of believers. [The πεφανέρωται (hath he 
appeared) refers, not to his appearance in heaven 
before God, but to his Re eee in the flesh. 
(tim 10: ΠΡ, 205° v, 4: 1 John. im, 28) 
iii, 5, 8.) Ava tHe bese expresses the end for 
which Christ was manifested, namely, ¢o take away 
sin, Which gives the object of Christ's appearance 
on the world’s theatre of action, the doing away, 
absolutely and beyond the need ‘of being “supple. 

432 


5, 


ἘΞ 


mented with any second similar manifestation, of 
all that is sinful.— Moll, in Lange. | 

27. As it is appointed— ᾿Απόκειται, it is laid 
before them by the divine decree: ‘ Dust thou art, 
and unto dust thou shalt return.’ Unto men— 
[To pass from the present state, and to appear 
before God after death, is the destiny of all of 
the race of aaa] But after this the judg- 
ment—They shall die but once, and be judged but 
once ; judgment succeeds to dying; [which assumes 
that there is to be a life after death. ] 

28. So Christ was once offered—He shall die 
no more; he has borne away the sins of many, and 
what he has done “once” shall stand good for 
ever. Yet he will appear a second time without sin, 
χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, without a sin offering ; THAT he has 
already made. Unto salvation—To deliver those 
who sleep in him from the empire of death, and 
bring them into his eternal glory. This is sal- 
vation, and the very highest of which the human 
being is capable. [Christ’s first coming was in 
order to redeem men by his death; his second com- 
ing is to practically redeem “those that believe,” 
by the power of the Holy Spirit, effectuating in 
them a real, personal, and elernal salvation. This 
spiritual redemption, wrought in those that believe, 
is evidently the only proper meaning of the assur- 
ance here given. ] 


1. In the preceding notes I have given my reasons 
for dissenting from our translation of the 15th, 16th, 
and 17th verses of this chapter. Many learned 
men are of the same opinion; but I have not met 
with one who appears to have treated the whole in 
a more satisfactory manner than Dr. Macknight, 
and for the edification of my readers, I shall here 
subjoin the substance of what he has written on 
this point. 

“15. Mediator of the new covenant—(See Heb. 
viii, 7.) The word διαθήκη, here translated cove- 
nant, answers to the Hebrew word berith, which 
all the translators of the Jewish Scriptures have 
understood to signify a covenant. The same signi- 
fication our translators have affixed to the word 
διαθήκη, as often as it occurs in the writings of the 
evangelists and apostles, except in Heb. vii, 22, the 
history of the institution of the supper, in 2 Cor. 
iii, 6, and in the passage under consideration; in 
which places, copying the Vulgate Version, they 
have rendered διαθήκη by the word testament. Beza, 
following the Syriac Version, translates διαθήκη 
everywhere by the words fedus, pactwm, except in 
the 16th, 17th, and 20th verses of this chapter, 
where, likewise following the Syriac Version,she has 
testamentum. Now, if καινῇ διαθηκη, the new testa- 
ment, in the passages above mentioned, means the 
gospel covenant, as all interpreters acknowledge, 

παλαιὰ διαθήκη, the old testament, (2 Cor. iii, 14,) 


Additional observations on matters 
embrace! in the ninth chapter, 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4067. A.D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


and πρώτη διαθήκη, the first testament, (Heb. ix, 15,) 
must certainly be the Sinaitic covenant or law of 
Moses, as is evident also from Heb. ix, 20. Since, 
then, in the verses under consideration διαθήκη may 
be translated @ covenant ; and since, when so trans- 
lated, these verses make a better sense, and agree 
better with the scope of the apostle’s reasoning 
than if it were translated a testament, we can be at 
no loss to know which translation of διαθήκη in these 
verses ought to be preferred. Nevertheless, the 
absurdity of a phraseology to which readers have 
been long accustomed without attending distinctly 
to its meaning, does not soon appear. 

“ He is the mediator.—Here it is remarkable that 
Jesus is not called διαθέμενος, the testator, but 
μεσίτης, the mediator, of the new covenant; first, 
because he procured the new covenant for mankind, 
in which the pardon of sin is promised; for, as the 
apostle tells us, his death as a sacrifice for sin is 
the consideration on account of which the pardon 
of the transgressions of the first covenant is 
granted. Secondly, because the new covenant 
having been ratified as well as procured by the death 
of Christ, he is fitly called the mediator of that 
covenant in the same sense that God’s oath is called 
(Heb. vi, 17) the mediator, or confirmer, of his 
promise. Thirdly, Jesus, who died to procure the 
covenant, being appointed by God the high priest 
thereof, to dispense his blessings, he is on that ac- 
count also called (Heb. viii, 6) the mediator of that 
better covenant. 

“16. For where a covenant [is made by sacri- 
fice,] there is a necessity that the death of the ap- 
pointed sacrifice be produced. This elliptical ex- 
pression must be completed, if, as is probable, the 
apostle had now in mind the covenant which 
God made with Noah and Abraham. This covenant 
is recorded Gen. viii, 20, where we are told that on 
coming out of the ark Nowh offered a burnt offer- 
ing of every clean beast and fowl. And the Lord 
smelled a sweet savour. And the Lord said in his 
heart, I will not again curse the ground, neither will 
I again smite any more every living thing as I have 
done. This promise or declaration God called his 
covenant with men, and with every living creature. 
(Gen. ix, 9,10.) In like manner God made a cove- 
nant with Abraham by sacrifice, (Gen. xv, 9, 18,) 
and with the Israelites at Sinai. (Exod. xxiv, 8.) 
By making his covenants with men in this manner, 
God taught them that his intercourses with them 
were all founded on an expiation afterward to be 
made for their sins by the sacrifice of the Seed of 
the Woman, the bruising of whose heel, that is, his 
death, was foretold at the fall. On the authority of 
these examples, the practice of making covenants 
by sacrifice prevailed among the Jews, (Jer. xxxiv, 
18, Zech. ix, 11,) and also among the heathens. 
Hence the phrases, fwdus ferire and percutere, to 
strike ov kill the covenant. 

“ There is a necessity for the death (τοῦ διαθεμένου) 
of the appointed.—Here we may supply either the 
word θύματος, sacrifice, or ζῷον, animal, which 
might be either a calf, a goat, a bull, or any other 
animal which the parties making the covenant 
chose. Διαθεμένου is the participle of the second 
aorist of the middle voice of the verb διατεθήμι, 
constituo, I appoint. Wherefore its primary and 
literal signification is, of the appointed. Our trans- 
lators have given the word this sense Luke xxii, 29: 
Kayo διατίθεμαι ὑμῖν, καθὼς διέθετό μοι ὁ Πατήρ μου 
βασιλείαν, and I appoint to you a kingdom, as my 
Father hath appointed to me a kingdom. 

Vox. I1.—28 


“ Be brouglit in ; Θάνατον ἀνάγκη φέρεσθαι τοῦ 
διαθεμένον, The word φέρεσθαι is sometimes used 
in a forensic sense for what is produced, or proved, 
or made apparent in a court of judicature. Where- 
fore the apostle’s meaning is, that it is necessary the 
death of the appointed sacrifice be brought in, or 
produced, at the making of the covenant. In the 
margin of our Bibles this clause is rightly trans- 
lated, be brought in. (See Acts xxv, 7.) 

“17, A covenant is firm over dead sacrifices— 
"Ext νεκροῖς. Νεκροῖς being an adjective, it must 
have a substantive agreeing with it, either expressed 
or understood. The substantive understood in this 
place, { think, is θυμάσι, sacrifices ; for which reason 
I have supplied it in the translation. Perhaps the 
word Cwoic, animals, may be equally proper ; espec- 
ially as, in the following clause, διαθέμενος is in the 
gender of the animals appointed for the sacrifice. 
Our translators have supplied the word ἀνθρώποις, 
men, and have translated ἐπὶ νεκροῖς, after men are 
dead, contrary to the propriety of the phrase. 

“ Tt never hath force whilst the appointed liveth ; 
Ὅτε ζῇ ὁ διαθέμενος. Supply μόσχος, or τράγος, or 
ταῦρος, whilst the calf, or goat, or bull, appointed for 
the sacrifice of ratification, liveth. The apostle 
having, in verse 15, showed that Christ’s death 
was necessary as ὁ μεσίτης, the mediator, that is, 
the procurer and ratifier of the new covenant, he 
in the 16th and 17th verses observes that, since 
God’s covenants with men were all ratified by sac- 
rifice to show that his intercourses with men are 
founded on the sacrifice of his Son, it was necessary 
that the new covenant itself should be ratified by 
his Son’s actually dying as a sacrifice. 

“The faultiness of the common translation of 
the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 20th verses of this 
chapter having been already shown in the notes, 
nothing needs be added here, except to call the 
reader’s attention to the propriety and strength of 
the apostle’s reasoning, as it appears in the trans- 
lation of these verses which I have given, com- 
pared with his reasoning as represented in the 
common version.” 

2. It is supposed that in verse 28 the apostle, in 
speaking about Christ’s bearing the sins of many, 
alludes to the ceremony of the scapeyoat. This 
mysterious sacrifice was to be presented to God, 
(Lev. xvi, 7,) and the sins of the people were to be 
confessed over the head of it, (verse 21,) and after 
this the goat was dismissed into a land uninhabited, 
laden, as the institution implied, with the sins of 
the people; and this the word ἀνενεγκεῖν, to bear or 
carry away, seems to imply. So truly as the goat 
did metaphorically bear away the sins of the many, 
so truly did Christ vea//y bear the punishment due 
to our sins; and in reference to every believer, has 
so borne them away that they shall never more rise 
in judgment against him. 

8. In Christ’s coming, or appearing the second 
time, it is very probable, as Dr. Doddridge and 
others have conjectured, that there is an allusion to 
the return of the high priest from the inner taber- 
nacle; for, after appearing there in the presence of 
God, and making atonement for the people in the 
plain dress of an ordinary priest, (Lev. xvi, 28, 24,) 
he came out arrayed in his magnificent robes, to 
bless the people, who waited for him in the court 
of the tabernacle of the congregation. “ But there 
will be this difference,” says Dr. Macknight, “ be- 
tween the return of Christ to bless his people, and 
the return of the high priest to bless the congrega- 
tion. The latter, after coming out of the most 

433 


A. Μ. 4067, A. D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


CHAPTER X. 
NOR the law having *a shadow 'of good 
things to come, and not the very image of 
the things, °can never with those sacrifices, 
which they offered year by year continually, 
make the comers thereunto “perfect. 2 For 
then ὁ would they not have ceased to be of- 


HEBREWS. 


The law was only the shadow 
of future good things, 


fered? because that the worshippers once 
purged should have lad no more conscience of 
sins. 8% ‘But in those sacrifices there is a re- 
membrance again made of sins every year. 
4 For sit is not possible that the blood of 
bulls and of goats should take away sins. 
δ᾽ Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, 


a Col. 2. 17; chap. 8. 5; 9. 23. ——6 Chap. 9. 11.——c Chap. 
9. 9. —d Verse 14. —e Or, they would have ceased to be 


offered, because, etc. —jf Ley. 7.—-g Micah 


16. 21; chap. 9. 
6. 6,7; chap. 9. 13; verse 11. 


holy place, made a new atonement in his pontifical 
robes for himself and forthe people, (Lev. xvi, 24,) 
which showed that the former atonement was not 
real, but typical. Whereas Jesus, after having 
made atonement, [and presented himself in heaven, 
before God,] will not return to the earth for the 
purpose of making himself a sacrifice the second 
time; but having procured an eternal redemption 
for us, by the sacrifice of himself once offered, he 
will return for the purpose of declaring to them 
who wait for him that they are accepted, and of 
bestowing on them the great blessing of eternal 
life. This reward he, being surrounded with the 
clory of the Father, (ML: itt. xvi, 27,) will give them 
in the presence of an assembled universe, both as 
their King and their Priest. This is the great sal- 
vation which Christ came to preach, and which was 
confirmed to the world by those who heard him. 
(Heb. ii, 3.)” 

4. The form in which the high priest and the 
ordinary priests were to bless the people, after 
burning the incense in the tabernacle, is prescribed, 
Num. vi, 23-26. Literally translated from the 
Hebrew it is as follows, and consists of three parts 
or benedictions: 1) May Jehovah bless thee, and 
preserve thee! 2) May Jehovah cause his face 
to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee! 
8) May Jehovah lift up his face upon thee, and 
may he put prosperity unto thee ! 

We may therefore say that Christ, our high 
priest, came to b/ess each of us, by turning us away 
from our iniquity. And let no one ever expect to 
see him at his second coming with joy, unless he 
have, in this life, been turned away from fis iniq- 
uity, and obtained remission of all his sins, and that 
holiness without which none can see God. Reader, 
the time of his reappearing is, to thee, at hand! 
Prepare to meet thy God! 


NOTES ON CHAPTER X. 

1. The law [ὁ νόμος, the law, that is, the sacri- 
ficial or ritual law, which was before spoken of | 
having a shadow of good things to come— 
A shadow, σκιὰν, signifies, metaphorically, any faint 
adumbration, symbolical expression, imperfect. or 
obscure image of a thing; and is opposed to σῶμα, 
body, or the thing intended to be thereby defined. 
[Σκιὰν, εἰκόνα. The former is an imperfect sketch, 
the latter is a picture or image filled out and com- 
pleted. —Stuart.| [Good things to come,” τῶν 
μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν. (See chapter ix, 11.)]| And 
not the very image—Eywr, image, signifies the 
perfect image of a thing as opposed to a “faint rep- 
resentation ; metaphorically, a similitude, agreement, 
or conformity. The (Levitical) law, with all its 
ceremonies and sacrifices, was only a “shadow ” of 
spiritual and eternal good. The Gospel is the 
“image,” or true presentation, as including every 
spiritual and eternal good. Such is the Gospel, 
when compared with the Law; such is Christ, when 


compared with Aaron; such is his sacrifice, when. 


434 


compared with the Levitical offerings; such is the 
gospel remission of sins and purification, when 
compared with those afforded by the law; such is 
the Holy Ghost, ministered by the Gospel, when 
compared with the types and shadows of the Le. 
vitical service ; such the heavenly rest, when com- 
pared with the earthly Canaan. Well, therefore, 
might the apostle say, 7he law was only the shadow 
of good things to come. Can never... make the 
comers thereunto perfect—Cannot remove guilt 
from the conscience nor impurity from the heart. 
[Τοὺς προσερχομένους, the worshippers who approach 
the altar. (See chapter ix, 9,10.) Τελειῶσαι, make 
complete. (See chapter vii, 11; ix, 9.)—Sluart.] 

2. Would they not have ceased to be of- 
fered—No Jew pietended to believe that even the 
annual atonement cancelled bis sin before God; he 
therefore continued to make his offerings, the law 
of God having so enjoined, because these sacrifices 
pointed out that which was to come. They were 
offered, therefore, not in consideration of their own 
efficacy, but as referring to Christ. (See on chap- 
ter ix, 9.) 

8. But in those . . . is aremembrance— [Aan 
ἐν αὐταῖς ἀνάμνησις. πε the day of annual atone- 
ment, the sacrifices that were offered being of an 
expiatory nature, and being designed as propitia- 
tory offerings, they were of course adapted to re- 
mind the Hebrews of the ill desert of sin. As they 
continued to be offered yearly, so those who brought 
them must be reminded, through their whole lives, 
of new desert of punishment. The writer means, 
however, that a yearly remembrance of sin in a 
spiritual respect, not merely in a civil or ecclesias- 
tical one, was made; for in this latter sense the 
yearly atonement procured pardon. In the other 
it did not; as he now proceeds to assert. ‘Adv- 
varov yap... ἁμαρτίας, it is, indeed, impossible 
that the blood of bulls and goats should remove the 
penalty due to sin. ’Agaipeiv ἁμαρτίας means, ἕο 
take away sin, in the sense of removing the penalty 
or consequences of sin; for this is the subject of 
which the writer is now treating. That the author 
has reference to the consequences of sin in a future 
world, or to the punishment of it which God 
inflicts as the spiritual judge of men, is evident 
from the whole tenor of his discussion. One so 
profoundly versed as he was in all the Jewish ritual 
law surely was not ignorant of the fact that civil 
and ecclesiastical pardon for offences of various 
kinds was every day procured by the blood of bulls 
and goats, and this, too, agreeably to divine ap- 
pointment.—S/uart. | 

4, For itis not possible—Common sense must 
have taught them that shedding the blood of bulls 
and goats could never satisfy divine justice nor 
take away guilt from the conscience; and God in- 
tended that they should understand the matter so ; 
and this the following quotation from the psalmist 
sufficiently proves. 

5. When he (the Messiah) cometh into the 


The purpose of God relative to 
the redemption of man, 


he saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest 
not, but a body ‘hast thou prepared me: 6 In 
burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast 
had no pleasure. % Then said I, Lo, I come 
(in the volume of the book it is written of me) 
to do thy will, Ὁ God. & Above when he 
said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings 


hPsa, 40. 6, etc.; 50. 8, sta | Isa, 1, 11; Jer. 6. 20; Amos 5. 


world—Was about to be incarnated. He saith, 
(to God the Father,) Sacrifice and offering thou 
wouldest not—It was never thy will and design 
that the sacrifices under thy own law should be 
considered aS making atonement for sin, (in its 
spiritual nature ;) they were only designed. to point 
out my incarnation and consequent sacrificial death, 
and therefore a body hast thou prepared me, by 
a miraculous, conception in the womb of a virgin, 
according to thy word, Zhe seed of the woman shall 
bruise the head of the serpent. A body hast thou 
prepared me—The quotation in this and the 
two following verses is from Psalm xl, 6th, 7th, 
and 8th verses, as they stand now in the Septua- 
gint, with scarcely any variety of reading; but, 
although the general meaning is the same, they 
widely differ in verbal expression from the Hebrew, 
My ears hast thou opened; they might be more 
properly rendered, My ears hast thou bored, that is, 
thou hast made me thy servant for ever, to dwell 
in thine own house; for the allusion is evidently to 
the custom mentioned Exod. xxi, 2, ete. [But the 
Hebrew word here used is not the same as that of 
the command referred to. It means fo dig out, and 
thus remove any obstruction which might impede a 
ready perception of and obedience to precept... . 
And further, the law limited the operation to one 
ear, but the psalmist speaks of both.— Turner. | 
[The reference to Exod. xxi, 2, ete., is evidently 
harsh and farfetched, while the notion of opening 
the ears of one who is to be instructed is direct and 
natural; and this is clearly the view of the sense 
of the passage (Psa. xl, 6) held by our translators. | 
But how is it possible that the Septuagint and the 
apostle should take a meaning so totally different 
from the sense of the Hebrew? Dr. Kennicott 
has a very ingenious conjecture here; he supposes 
that the Septuagint and apostle express the mean- 
ing of the words as they stood in the copy from 
which the Greek translation was made; and that 
the present Hebrew text is corrupted in the word 
oznayim, “ears,” which has been written through 
carelessness for az gevah, THEN A BODY. On this 
supposition the ancient copy, translated by the 
Septuagint, and followed by the apostle, must 
have read the text thus: az gevah caritha li, 
σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι, then a body thou hast pre- 
pared me; thus the Hebrew text, the version of 
the Septuagint, and the apostle, will agree in what 
is known to be an indisputable fact in Christianity, 
namely, that Christ was incarnated for the sin of 
the world. [Every explanation hitherto attempted 
of the difficulties presented by this passage must 
fail to satisfy all who depend on their own con- 
Victions rather than the opinions of others. The 
decision of Alford may therefore be accepted as 
the best possible in the present state of the case: 
“T would leave the difficulty an unsolved one, not 
being satisfied with any of the explanations offered, 
and having no other to propound. As Christian 
believers our course is plain, How the word σῶμα 


CHAPTER X. 


deemed, 


A, Μ. 4067, A. Ὁ. 63, 
Yeur of Rome, $16, 


and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither 
hadst pleasure therein ; which are offered by 
the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do 
thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, 
that he may establish the second. 10 «By 
the which will we are sanctified ' through the 
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once jor 


i Or, thou hast fitted me, —— ‘John 17. 19; chap. 13, 12.— 


“Chap. 9. 12. 


came into the LXX we cannot say; but being 
there, it is now sanctioned for us by the citation 
here, ‘not as the (or even a) proper rendering of the 
Hebrew, but as a prophetic utterance equivalent 
to and representing that other.] It is remarkable 
that’all the offerings and sacrifices which were con- 
sidered to be of an atoning or cleansing nature, 
offered under the law, [namely, sacr ifices, θυσία, 
offering, προσφορά, burnt offering, ὁλοκαύτωμα, and 
περὶ ἁμαρτίας, that is, sacrifices for sin,| are here 
enumerated by the psalmist and the apostle to show 
that none of them, nor a// of them, could take 
away sin, and that the grand sacrifice of Christ was 
that alone which could do it. 

6. Thou hast had no pleasure—[(od’s pleas- 
ure in any of the sacrifices of the patriarchs, or of 
the Jewish priests, was not for the sake of such 
offerings in themselves, but only for their symbol- 
ical and prophetical character. They were accept- 
able only as “‘shadaws of good things to come.’’| 

ἡ. In the volume (roll) of the book— The 
“book”? mentioned here must be the pentateuch, 
or five books of Moses. This whole book speaks 
about Christ, and his accomplishing the wi// of 
God: not only in “the seed of the woman shall 
bruise the head of the serpent,” and “ In thy seed 
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” but in all 
the sacrifices and sacrificial rites mentioned in the 
law. To do thy will—God wi/led not the sacrifices 
under the law, but he wi//ed that a divine-human 
victim of infinite merit should be offered for the 
redemption of mankind. That there might be such 
a victim a body was prepared for the eternal Lo- 
gos; and in that body he came to do the will of 
God, that is, to suffer and die for the sins of the 
world. [It is very certainly the passive rather than 
active obedience of Christ that is here spoken of. 
That he should suffer, and thereby redeem men 
from sin, was preeminently the will of the Father, 
which Christ came to do.] 

9. He taketh away the first—The offerings, 


sacrifices, burnt offerings, and sacrifices for sin, 
which were prescribed by the /aw, That he may 


establish the second—The offering of the body 
of Jesus once for all. It will make little odds in 
the meaning if we say, he taketh away the first 
covenant, that he may establish the second covenant; 
he takes away the first dispensation, that he may 
establish the second; he takes away the /aw, that 
he may establish the Gospel. In all these cases 
the sense is nearly the same. 

10. By the which will we are sanctified— 
Closing in with this so solemnly declared wit of 
God, that there is no name given under heaven 
among men by which we can be saved but Jesus 
the Christ, we believe in him, find redemption in 
his blood, and are sanctified unto God through the 
sacrificial offering of his body. [Ἔν ᾧ θελήματ L 
ἡγιασμένοι éopév, in which will (of God, realized in 
the offering of Christ) we are expiated jor, re- 
set apart for God’s service, and purposed 

435 


A. M, 4067. A. Ὁ. 63, 
Year of Rome, 516. 


HEBREWS. 


The nature of the new covenant 
made between God and man, 


all, 
ininistering and offering oftentimes the same 
sacrifices, "which can never take away sins: 
£2 ° But this man, after he had offered one 
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the 
right hand of God; 18 From henceforth ex- 
pecting P till his enemies be made his footstool. 
44 For by one offering 4he hath perfected 
forever them that are sanctified. 14 Whereof 


fi <And every priest standeth ™daily | the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for 


after that he had said before, 16 τ This zs the 
covenant that I will make with them after 
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws 
into their hearts, and in their minds will I 
write them; 4&7 ‘And their sins and iniqui- 
ties will I remember no more. 18 Now where 
remission of these is, there is no more offer- 
ing for sin. 89 Having therefore, brethren, 


mm Num, 28. 3: chap. 7. 27. 
1. 3. p Psa. 110.1; Acts 2. 


n Verse 4.—o Col. 3. 1; chap. 
39; 1 Cor. 15. 25; chap. 1. 18, 


to be eternally saved. By Christ’s death, all they 
for whom he died (that is, αὐ men, chapter ii, 9) 
are, ipso facto, sanctified, (chapter x, 29,) that is, 
designed by God’s grace for eternal life. The wii/ 
of God, here spoken of, is the objective thing willed, 
rather than the subjective action of the divine 
mind. | 

11, 12. Every priest standeth—The office of 
the Jewish priest is here contrasted with the office 
of our high priest. The Jewish priest “ standeth ” 
daily at the altar, like a servant ministering, 
repeating the same sacrifices; our high priest of- 
fered himself once for all, and sat down at the 
right hand of God, as the only begotten Son and 
Heir of all things. (Verse 12.) Their continual 
offering argued the imperfection of their sacrifices. 
Our Lord’s once offering, proves his was complete. 

13, Till his enemies be made his footstool 
Till all that oppose his high priesthood and sacri- 
ficial offering shall be defeated, routed, and con- 
founded; and acknowledge, in their punishment, 
the supremacy of his power as universal and eternal 
king, who refused to receive him as their atoning 
and sanctifying priest. [There is here a manifest 
reference to Psa. ex, 1, where the Messiah is called 
to sit down at the right hand of the Father till he 
(the Father) shall make his (Christ’s) enemies his 
footstool. What is there announced as ἃ proph- 
ecy is here spoken of as a realized fact.] [The 
idea is, the Messiah is seated on his throne, quietly 
(but not inactively) expecting that his enemies will, 
in due time, be all subdued. (See 1 Cor. xv, 25.) 
— Stuart.} 

14. For by one offering—His death upon the 
cross. He hath perfected forever—Jesus has 
procured remission of sins and holiness; for it is 
well observed here, and in several parts of this epis- 
tle, that τετελείωκεν, to make perfect, is the same as 
ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιξω, to procure remission of sins. 
Them that are sanctified — Τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους, 
them that have received the sprinkling of the blood 
of this offering. These, therefore, receiving re- 
demption through that blood, have no need of any 
other offering; as this was a complete atonement, 
purification, and title to eternal glory. [This com- 
pletion (perfecting) here refers to what Christ has 
done for us, rather than 77 us;. and so, also, τοὺς 
ἀγιαζομένους (them that are sanctified) is to be 
understood, not of persons made subjectively holy, 
but as objectively redeemed, and so devoted, in 
the purposes of the divine grace, to be personally 
redeemed, ‘‘ through sanctification of the Spirit, and 
the renewing of the Holy Ghost.” ] 

15. The Holy Ghost...is a witness to us 
— The words are quoted from Jer. xxxi, 33, 34, 
and here we are assured that Jeremiah spoke by 
the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Had said 
before—See chapter viii, 10, 12, and the notes 
there. 

436 


4 Verse 1.—7 Jer. 31. 33, 34; chap. 8. 10, 12.—s Some copies 
have, Then he said, And their. 


18. Now where remission of these is—In 
any case, where sin is once pardoned, there is no 
further need of asin offering; but every believer 
on Christ has his sin blotted out, and therefore 
needs no other offering for that sin. “If,” says 
Dr. Macknight, ‘after remission is granted to the 
sinner, there is no need of any more sacrifice for 
sin; and if Christ, by offering himself once, has 
perfected forever the sanctified, (verse 14,) the sae- 
vifice of the mags, as it is called, about which the 
Romish clergy employ themselves so incessantly, and 
to which the papists trust for the pardon of their 
sins, has no foundation in Scripture. Nay, it is an 
evident impiety, as it proceeds upon the supposi- 
tion that the offering of the body of Christ once is 
not sufficient to procure the pardon of sin, but 
must be frequently repeated. If they reply that 
their mass is only the representation and com- 
memoration of the sacrifice of Christ, they give up 
the cause, and renounce an article of their faith, 
established by the Council of Trent. The repre- 
sentation and commemoration of a sacrifice is not a 
sacrifice. Further, it cannot be affirmed that the 
body of Christ is offered in the mass, unless it can 
be said that, as often as it is offered, Christ suffers 
death ; for the apostle says expressly, (Heb. ix, 
25, 26,) that if Christ offered himself often, he 
must often have suffered since the foundation of the 
world.” 

19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness— 
The apostle, having now finished the doctrinal part 
of his epistle, and fully shown the superiority of 
Christ to all men and angels, and the superiority 
of his priesthood to that of Aaron and his succes- 
sors, the absolute inefficacy of the Jewish sacrifices 
to make atonement for sin, and the absolute effi- 
cacy of that of Christ to make reconciliation of 
man to God, proceeds now to show what influence 
these doctrines should have on the hearts and lives 
of those who believe in his merits and death. [The 
practical application which follows is designed to 
excite those addressed to constan¢y and persever- 
ance in their Christian profession, to dehort them 
from apostasy, and to warn them against its tremen- 
dous consequences. With his warnings are also in- 
termingled a great deal of encouragement and 
promise, in order to excite in them an earnest de- 
sire to obtain the rewards which would be bestowed 
on all who remained faithful to the end of their 
course.—Stuart.| Boldness to enter—Ilappyciav 
εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον, Liberty, full access to the entrance of 
the holy place, Tov ἁγίων. This is an allusion to 
the case of the high priest going into the holy of 
holies. He went with fear and trembling, because, 
if he had neglected the smallest item prescribed by 
the law, he could expect nothing but death. Gen- 
uine believers can come even to the throne of God 
with confidence, as they carry into the divine pres- 
ence the infinitely meritorious blood of the great 


ra 


A way to God having been Ree 
we should use it in faith, 


‘boidness "to enter vinto the holiest by the 
blood of Jesus, 20 By “a new and living 
way, which he hath *consecrated for us, 
¥ythrough the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 
21 And having‘a high priest over *the house 


t Or, Liberty.—u Rom. 5, 2; Eph. 2. 18; 3. 12.—v» Chap. 9. 
8, 12.—w John 10, 9; 14. 6; chap. 9, 8.—r Or, new made, 
—y Chap. 9. 3. 
atonement ; and, being justified through that blood, 
they have a right to all the blessings of the eternal 
kingdom. 

20. By a new and living way—lIt isa “new” 
way; no human being had ever before entered in- 
to the heaven of heavens; Jesus in human nature 
was the first, and thus he has opened the way to 
heaven to mankind, his own resurrection and ascen- 
sion to glory being the proof and pledge of ours. 
The way is called ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν, new, or 
Fresh and living. This is evidently an allusion to 
the bluod of the victim newly shed, uncoagulated, 
and consequently proper to be used for sprinkling. 
The blood of the Jewish victims was fit for sacri- 
ficial purposes only so long as it was warm and fluid, 
and might be considered as yet possessing its vi- 
tality; but when it grew cold it coagulated, lost its 
vitality, and was no longer proper to be used sacri- 
ficially. Christ is here, in the allusion, represented 
as newly slain, and yet living; the blood ever con- 
sidered as flowing and giving life to the world. 
[Ὁδὸν mpdcdarov, a new way. None before him 
(Christ) trod this way; no believer under the Old 
Testament dared or could, though under a dispen- 
sation of preparatory grace, approach God so freely 
and openly, so fearlessly and joyfully, so closely 
and intimately, as we now, who come to the Father 
by the blood of Jesus, his Son.—WStier.] [Kai ζῶ. 
σαν, and living, as contrasted with the mere dead 
ceremony of entrance into the earthly holy place. 
This entrance is a real, living and working, en- 
trance; the animated substance of what is im- 
ported, not the dead shadow.—d/ford.| [Many 
commentators understand ζῶσαν as equivalent to 
ζωοκοιοῦσον, life producing, which though a good 
sense, is scarcely that here intended.| Through 
the veil—As the high priest lifted up or drew aside 
the veil that separated the holy from the most holy 
place in order that he might have access to the 
divine presence; and as the veil of the temple was 
rent from the top to the bottom at the crucifixion 
of Christ, to show that the way to the holiest was 
then laid open; so we must approach the throne 
through the mediation of Christ, and through his 
sacrificial death. [We enter through the veil, 
locally, and through the flesh, that is, Christ’s eru- 
cified body, instrumentally.—Aendrick, in Lange. ] 

21. A high priest over the house of God— 
The “house” or family of God is the Christian 
Church, made up of all true believers in the Lord 
Jesus. Over this Church, house, or family, Christ 
is the high priest —in their behalf he offers his 
own blood, and their prayers and praises; and as 
the high priest had the ordering of all things that 
pertained to the house and worship of God, so has 
Christ in the government of his Church. This 
government he never gave into other hands. As 
none can govern and preserve the world but God, 
So none can govern and save the Church but the 
Lord Jesus: he is over the house; he is its presi- 
dent; he instructs, protects, guides, feeds, defends, 
and saves the flock. Those who have such a presi- 
dent may well have confidence; for with him is 


CHAPTER X. 


A.M. 4067. A.D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816, 


of God; 22 *Let us draw near with a true 
heart cin full assurance of faith, having our 
hearts sprinkled ¢from an evil conscience, and 
© our bodies washed with pure water. 23 ¢ Let 
us hold fast the profession of owr 


22. Let us draw near—Let us come with the 
blood of our sacrifice to the throne of God; the 
expression is sacrificial. With a true heart— 
Deeply convinced of our need of help, and truly in 
earnest to obtain it. In full assurance of faith 
—Being fully persuaded that God will accept us 
for the sake of his Son, and that the sacrificial 
death of Christ gives us full authority to expect 
every blessing we need. Having our hearts 
sprinkled — Not our bodies, as was the case 
among the Hebrews, when they had contracted any 
pollution, for they were to be sprinkled with the 
water of separation, (see Num. xix, 2-10,) but our 
hearts, sprinkled by the cleansing efficacy of the 
blood of Christ, without which we cannot draw 
nigh to God. From an evil conscience—Hav- 
ing that deep sense of guilt which our conscience 
felt taken all away, and the peace and love of God 
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given 
unto us. Our bodies washed with pure water 
—The high priest, before he entered into the in- 
ner tabernacle, or put on his holy garments, was 
to wash his flesh in water, (Lev. xvi, 4,) and the 
Levites were to be cleansed the same way. (Num. 
vili, 7.) The apostle probably alludes to this in 
what he says here. [The Jews were sprinkled 
with blood in order that they might be purified, so 
as to have access to God; Christians are internally 
sprinkled, that is, purified, by the blood of Jesus. 
The Jews were washed with water in order to be 
ceremonially purified, so as to come before God; 
Christians have been washed by the purifying water 
of baptism. (See Acts xxii, 16.)—Stuart. | 

25. Let us hold fast the profession of our 
faith — The word ὁμολογία implies that general 
consent that was among Christians on all the im- 
portant articles of their faith and practice; par- 
ticularly their acknowledgment of the truth of the 
Gospel, and of Jesus Christ as the only sacrifice 
for sin, and the only Saviour from it. If the above 
word washed refer to Christian baptism in the case 
of adults, then the profession is that which the 
baptized then made of their faith in the Gospel, 
and of their determination to live and die in that 
faith. The various readings on this clause are 
many in the MSS., ete. Ὁμολογίαν τῆς πίστεως, the 
confession of FAITH, is the reading which our trans- 
lators have followed ; but it is of very little author- 
ity. Τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ὁμολογίας, the HOPE of our 
PROFESSION [is the reading now generally received. ] 
Now as among the primitive Christians the hope 
which they professed was that of the resurrection, 
including unending life ; so every thing among these 
Christians was done and believed in reference to a 
future state; and for the joy that this set before 
them, they, like their Master, endured every cross 
and despised all shame; they expected to be with 
God, through Christ; this hope they professed to 
have; and they confessed boldly and publicly the 
faith on which this hope was built. The apostle 
exhorts them to “hold fast” this confession with- 

45 


A. Μ. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


HEBREWS. 


Believers should incite each other 
to love and good works. 


out wavering; for she ds faithful that prom- 
ised; 24 And let us consider one another 
to provoke unto love and to good works: 
25 Not forsaking the assembling of our- 
selves together, as the manner of some és ; but 
exhorting one another: and ‘so much the 
more, as ye see * the day approaching. 26 For 
‘if we sin wilfully "after that we have re- 


ceived the knowledge of the truth, there re- 
maineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 Buta 
certain fearful looking for of judgment and 
"fiery indignation, which shall devour the ad- 
versaries, 28% ° He that despised Moses’s law 
died without mercy Punder two or three wit- 
nesses: 29 «Οἱ how much sorer punishment, 


g1 Cor, 1.9: 10. 13; 1 Thess. 5, 24; 2 Thess. 3.3; chap. 11. 11. 
ἢ Acts 2, 42; Jude 19. ~Rom. 13. 11. Kk Phil. 4. 5; 
2 Pet. 3. 9,1], 14. —-2Z Num. 1d. 30; chap. 6. 4. — 72 Pet. 2. 


out wavering; never to doubt the declarations 
made to them by their Redeemer, but having the 
full assurance of faith that their hearts were 
sprinkled from an evil conscience, that they had 
found redemption in the blood of the Lamb, they 
might expect to be glorified with their living Head 
in the kingdom of their Father. He is faithful 
that promised—The eternal life which is the ob- 
ject of your hope, is promised to you by Him who 
cannot lie; as he then is “faithful” who has given 
you this “promise,” hold fast the profession of your 
hope.” 

24. And let us consider one another—Kara- 
vowpev, let us consider each other’s trials, difficul- 
ties, and weaknesses; feel for each other, and 
excite each other to an increase of love to God and 
man; and, as the proof of it, to be fruitful in good 
works. The words εἰς παροξυσμὸν, to the provoca- 
tion, are often taken in a good sense, and signify 
excitement—stirring up to do any thing laudable, 
useful, honourable, or necessary. (See on Acts 
Xv, 39.) 

25. Not forsaking the assembling of our- 
selves—'Exiovvaywy7v ἑαυτῶν. Whether this 
means public or private worship is hard to say; but 
as the word is but once more used in the New Test- 
ament, (2 Thess. ii, 1,) and there means the gather- 
ing together of the redeemed of the Lord at the 
day of judgment, it is as likely that it means here 
private religious meetings for the purpose of mu- 
tual exhortation; and this sense appears the more 
natural here, because it is evident that the Church 
was now in a state of persecution, and therefore 
their meetings were most probably held in private. 
For fear of persecution, it seems as if some had 
deserted these meetings, καθὼς ἔθος τισίν, as the 
custom of certain persons is. They had given up 
these strengthening and instructive means, and the 
others were in danger of following their example. 
The day approaching—Tyv ἡμέραν, that “ day,” 
the time in which God would come and pour out 
his judgments on the Jewish nation. We may also 
apply it to the day of death and the day of judg- 
ment, [though it does not seem probable that there 
is any such allusion in the text.] Both of these are 
approaching to every human being. He who wishes 
to be found ready will carefully use every means of 
grace, and particularly the communion of saints, if 
there be even but two or three in the place where 
he lives, who may meet together in the name of 
Christ. Those who willingly relinquish Christian 
communion are in a backsliding state; those who 
backslide are in danger of apostasy. To prevent 
this latter, the apostle speaks the awful words fol- 
lowing 

26. For if we sin wilfully—[‘Exovotwe, delib- 
erately, with forethought, with settled intention, and 
not by merely sudden and violent impulse or by 
oversight.—Stwart.] If we deliberately, or from 

438 


20, 21.—n Ezek. 36. 5; Zeph. 1. 18: 3. 8: Ss 
12. 29.—o Chap. 2. 2.— 7) Deut. 17. 2,4: 19. 15; Matt. 18. 163 
John 8, 17; 2 Cor, 13, 1.—g Chap. 2. 3; 12. 24. 


any motive, renounce the profession of the Gospel 
and the Author of that Gospel, after having received 
the knowledge of the truth so as to be convinced 
that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and that he had 
sprinkled our hearts from an evil conscience,—for 
such there remaineth no sacrifice for sins ; for as 
the Jewish sacrifices are abolished, and Jesus being 
now the only sacrifice which God will accept, those 
who reject him have none other; therefore their 
case must be utterly without remedy. This is the 
meaning of thé apostle, and the case is that of a 
deliberate apostate—one who has utterly rejected 
Jesus Christ and his atonement, and renounced the 
whole gospel system. It has nothing to do with 
backsliders in our common use of that term. A man 
may be overtaken ina fault, and yet neither re- 
nounce the Gospel nor deny the Lord that bought 
him. His ease is dreary and dangerous, but it is not 
hopeless, [if he shall make haste to repent, and 
seek the renewal of his acceptance ;] no case is hope- 
less but that of the persistent apostate, who rejects 
the Gospel after having been saved by grace, or 
convinced of the truth. To him there remaineth 
no more/sacrifice for sin ; for there was but the onr, 
Jesus, and this he has utterly rejected. [Tap 
ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν, if we be found wilfully sinning, 
that is, at that day. Itis not of an act, nor any 
number of acts of sin, of which the writer is 
speaking, which might be repented of and blotted 
out, but of a state of sin, in which a man is found 
when that day shallcome; (which day to each one 
is the end of his probation, and is probably in most 
cases, at least, the end of his life.)}—A/7ord. | 

27. A certain fearful looking for of judg- 
ment—[®oBepa dé τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως, a kind of 
fearful awaiting of judgment: τις, a certain, a kind 
of, is used both to intensify the force of φοβερά, 
( fearful,) and to render indefinite the form of the 
anticipated κρίσεως, (Judgment.) In the apostate 
state the guilty conscience awaits, with painful but 
undefined forebodings, a fearful doom of destrue- 
tion, the revelation of the intense and righteous in- 
dignation of insulted majesty and outraged love. 
The certainty of that doom, so often declared, is 
here again affirmed.] And fiery indignation— 
Kai πυρὸς ζῆλος, a zeal or fervour of fire. [The 
fire of God’s presence identified with himself, . . . 
the zeal, the fervour, the excandescence of this 
consuming fire, which awaits the apostate from 
Christ. —A/jord. | 

28. He that despised Moses’s law— Αθετήσας. 
He that rejected it, threw it aside, and denied its 
divine authority by presumptuous sinning, died 
without mercy—without any extenuation or mit- 
igation of punishment. (Num. xv, 30.) Under 
two or three witnesses—That is, when convicted 
by the testimony of two or three respectable wit- 
nesses. (See Deut. xvii, 6.) 

29. Of how much sorer punishment—Such 


=e 


The awful state of apostates 
from faith in Jesus Christ. 


hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and 
rhath counted the blood of the covenant, 
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, 
sand hath done despite unto the Spirit of 
grace? $80 For we know him that hath said, 
‘Vengeance belongeth unto me, | will recorm- 
pense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord 


7r1Cor. 11. 29; chap. 13. 20.—s Matt. 12, 31,32: Eph. 4. 30. 
—t Deut. 32. 35; Rom. 12. 19. ὦ Deut. 32. 36; Psa. 50. 4; 


offences were trifling in comparison of this, and in 
justice the punishment should be proportioned to 
the offence. Trodden under foot the Son of 
God—Treated him with the utmost contempt and 
blasphemy. [Son of God.’ The higher title of 
the Mediator of the new covenant is used, to 
heighten the enormity of the crime.— Alford. The 
blood of the covenant . . . an unholy thing— 
“The blood of the covenant” means here the saeri- 
ficial death of Christ, by which the new covenant 
between God and man was ratified, sealed, and con 
firmed. And counting this “unholy,” or common, 
(κοινὸν, intimates that they expected nothing from 
it. How near to these persons, and how near to their 
destruction, do they come in the present day who 
reject the atoning blood, and say, ‘ that they expect 
no more benefit from the blood of Christ than they 
do from that of a cow or a sheep!” Is not this 
precisely the crime of which the apostle speaks 
here, and to which he tells us God would show no 
merey? And accounted common (κοινὸν) the blood 
of the covenant, αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης, the τέμεον αἷμα (the 
precious blood) of Christ himself, far above all blood 
of sprinkling under the old covenant. Even that 
had hallowing power; how much more this !—<4/- 
ford.| Wherewith he was sanctified—[Ev ᾧ 
ἡγιάσθη. 1) Every soul, purchased by Christ’s 
blood, is thereby devoted to a holy life and to sal- 
vation. 2) The eallings of the word and of the 
Spirit operate as practical designations of those so 
called for salvation. 3) In the case of apostates, a 
real spiritual sanctification had taken place in their 
inward conversion by regenerating grace.} | De- 
spite unto the Spirit of grace—[Kai τὸ πνεῦμα 
τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρίσας. *Evu3picac designates the 
idea of treating with spite, or malignity, or con- 
tempt; and is nearly equivalent to καταπατῆσας, 
trodden under foot, above. Πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος 
means, either the gracious Spirit, or the Spirit who 
bestows grace, that is, religious, spiritual favours 
and gifts. (Comp. 1 Cor. xii, 4-11.) But many 
commentators interpret πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος, as 
meaning simply grace or gospel blessings. But this 
does not accord with the idiom of our epistle, 
(comp. vi, 4,) where apostates are described as 
having been μετόχους πνεύματος ἁγίου, (partakers 
of the Holy Ghost.) The question, however, 
whether πνεῦμα here means agent or influence, is 
not so easily settled; for the sense is good and ap- 
posite interpreted in either way. I incline to 
adopt the former meaning.—Stuart.] 

30, Vengeance belongeth unto me—This is 
the saying of God (Deut. xxxii, 35) in reference to 
the idolatrous Gentiles, who were the enemies of 
his people; and is here with propriety applied to 
apostates, enemies to (or neglecters of) God’s ordi- 
nances, and Christ’s ministry and merits, and who 
must also he enemies to Christ’s people ; and labour 
for the destruction of them, and the cause in which 
they are engaged. The. Lord shall judge his 
people—That is, he shall execute judgment for 


CHAPTER X. 


forever can punish forever. 


“A. Μ. 4061. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


shall judge his people. 38 ¥J¢ és a fearful 
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 
32 But » call to remembrance the former days, 
in which, * after ye were illuminated, ye en- 
dured ¥a great fight of afflictions; 33 Partly, 
whilst ye were made7a gazingstock both by 
reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst 


13d. 14. —— » Luke 12. 5. —— 0 Gal. 3, 4; 2 John 8. — a Chap. 
6. 4.——y Phil. 1. 29, 30; Col. 2. 1. 21 Cor. 4. 9. 


them ; for this is evidently the sense in which the 
word is used in the place from which the apostle 
quotes, (Deut. xxxii, 36,) For the Lord shall judge 
his people, and repent himself for his servants, when 
he seeth that their power is gone. So God will avenge 
and vindicate the cause of Christianity by destroy- 
ing its enemies, as he did in the case of the Jewish 
people, whom he destroyed from being a nation, 
and made them a proverb of reproach and monu- 
ments of his wrathful indignation to the present day. 
[The word κρινεῖ, here used, may indicate cither the 
judgment of vindication or of condemnation, and 
the general sense of the passage would seem in 
this case to require the latter sense. The apostates 
here referred to may be styled the Lord’s people, on 
account of their peculiar relations to him and his 
cause. See Alford.] 

31. A fearful thing to fall into the hands of 
the living God—To “ fall into the hands of God” 
is to fall under his displeasure; and he who Jives 
How dreadful to have 
the displeasure of an eternal, almighty Being to rest 
on the soul forever! Apostates, and all the perse- 
cutors and enemies of God’s cause and people, may 
expect the heaviest judgments of an incensed 
deity ; and these not for a time, but through efer- 
nity. [Vengeance is a prerogative of the divine 
Majesty, which he reserves sacredly to himself. 
No man, therefore, may presume to execute it upon 
any offender. But he is careful to assure us that 
he possesses that prerogative and will certainly ex- 
ercise it, in righteousness, in his own good time. 
(See 2 Thess. i, 8.)] 

32. But call to remembrance — It appears 
from this, and indeed from some parts of the gos- 
pel history, that the first believers in Judea were 
greatly persecuted; our Lord’s crucifixion, Ste- 
phen’s martyrdom, the persecution that arose after 
the death of Stephen, (Acts viii, 1,) Herod’s perse- 
cution, (Acts xii, 1,) in which James was killed, and 
the various persecutions of St. Paul, sufficiently 
show that this disposition was predominant among 
that bad people. After ye were illuminated 
—[Pwriobévrec, having been enlightened, denotes 
conversion to Christianity as a translation from the 
power of darkness into the realm of light; (after 
ye were converted, or became Christians, )}—J/o/7 in 
Lange.] A great fight of afflictions—Ilo//ij 
abAnow παθημάτων, a great combat or contention of 
sufferings. Possibly an allusion to the combats 
of the gladiators at the public spectacles; and 
certainly an intimation how honourable it was to 
contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, 
and to overcome through the blood of the Lamb. 

33. Ye were made a gazingstock — Θεατρι- 
Couevot; ye were exhibited as wild beasts and 
other shows at the theatres. (See on 1 Cor. iv, 9.) 
Companions of them that were so used—It 
appears from 1 Thess. ii, 14, 15, that the Churches 
of God in Judea were greatly persecuted, and that 
they behaved with courage and constancy in their 
439 


A. M. 4067, A.D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


aye became companions of them that were so 
used. 4 For ye had compassion of me ἢ] my 
bonds, and «took joyfully the spoiling of your 
goods, knowing 4in yourselves that eye have 
in heaven a better and an enduring substance. 
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, 
fwhich hath great recompense of reward. 
36 «For ye have need of patience, that, after 


HEBREWS. 


Paul commends their benevolence, 
exhorts to patience and stability. 


ye have done the will of God, " ye might receive 
the promise. %% For ‘yet a little while, and 
Khe that shall come will come, and will not 
tarry. 88 Now 'the just shall live by faith: 
but if any man draw back, my soul shall have 
no pleasure in him. 89% But we are not of 
them ™who draw back unto perdition; but of 
them that 5 believe to the saving of the soul. 


@Phil. 1. 7; 4. 14; 1 Thess. 2. 14. -----ὦ Phil. 1. 7; 2 Tim, 1. 16. 
—c Matt. 5.12; Acts 5. 41: James 1. 2 Or, that ye have 
in yourselves, or, for yourselves. ft. 6. 20; 19. 21; 


Luke 12. 33; 1 Tim, 6. 19. Ff Matt. δ. 12; 10. 32. 


persecutions. When any victim of persecuting 
rage was marked out, the rest were prompt to take 
his part, and acknowledge themselves believers in 
the same doctrine for which he suffered. 

34. We had compassion of me in my bonds 
—Xvverabgoate, ye sympathized with me, when 
bound for the testimony of Jesus. This may refer 
to the sympathy they showed toward him, and the 
help they afforded him during his long imprison- 
ment in Cesarea and Jerusalem. But instead of 
τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, my bonds, τοῖς δεσμίοις, the prison- 
ers, is the reading now generally received, which 
shows that there had been, and perhaps were then, 
several bound for the testimony of Jesus, and that 
the Church in Judea had shown its attachment to 
Christ by openly acknowledging these prisoners, 
and ministering to them. [This reading takes 
away one of the supposed evidences of the Pauline 
authorship of this epistle.] Took joyfully the 
spoiling of your goods— They were deprived 
of their inheritances, turned out of their houses, 
and plundered of their goods ; they wandered about 
in sheepskins and coatskins, being destitute, af- 
flicted, tormented. (Chapter xi, 87.) To suffer 
such persecution patiently was great; to endure it 
Without a murmur was greater; to rejoice in it was 
greatest of all. But how could they do all this? 
The next clause informs us. Knowing in your- 
selves — They had the fullest evidence that 
they were the children of God, the Spirit itself 
bearing this witness to their spirits; and if chil- 
dren then heir: s, heirs of God and joint heirs with 
Christ. They knew that heaven was their portion, 
and that to it they had ἃ sure right and indefeas- 
ible title by Jesus Christ. This accounts, and this 
alone can account, for their taking joyfully the 
spoiling of their goods ; they had Christ in their 
hearts; they knew that they were his children, and 
that they hada kingdom, but that kingdom was 
not of this world. 

35. Cast not away therefore your confi- 
dence—Tyv παρρησίαν ὑμῶν, your liberty of access 
to God; your ¢itle and right to approach his throne. 
Do not then throw away, μὴ ἀποβάλητε, so great a 
privilege ; neither men nor devils can take it from 
you, and God will never deprive you of it if you 
continue faithful. There may be a reference here 
to cowardly soldiers, who throw away their shields, 
and run away from the battle. Which hath (both 
present and in reversion) great recompense of 
reward—Now God’scontinual approbation and the 
peace that passeth all understanding ruling the 
heart here; and in the future, the glories of heaven 
as an eternal portion. Conscientiously keep the 
shield, and all these shall be thine. This will be 
thy reward; but remember that it is the mercy of 
God that gives it, and your faith that keeps it. 

36. Ye have need of patience—[‘Yroovje, 
a spirit of steadfast endwrance.] Having so great 


g Luke 21. 19; Gal. 6.9; chap. 12. ΣῈ ταν Col. 8. 243 chap. 8, 


153 1 Pet. 1. 9. i Luke 18 8; 2 Pet..3. 9:——# Hab. : BE Ξ 
7Rom. |. 17; Gal. 3, 11.—m 2 Pet. 2: 26, 21.—xn Acts 16. 30, 
31; 1 Thess. 5. 9; 2 Thess, 2. 14. 


a fight of sufferings to pass through, and they of so 
long continuance. Have done the will of God 
—By keeping the faith, and patiently suffering for 
it. 

37. For yet a little while—Et: γὰρ μικρὸν 
ὅσον, for yet a very litile time. In a very short 
space of time the Messiah will come and execute 
judgment upon your rebellious country. This is 
determined, because they have filled up the measure 
of their iniquity, and their destruction slumbereth 
not. The apostle seems to refer to Hab. ii, 3, 4, 
and accommodates the words to his own purpose. 
{The immediate reference is clearly to the then 
nearly approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and 
the complete subversion of the Jewish State and 
Church; in a more general sense it is universally 
applicable in human affairs. God will avenge 
“his own elect,” speedily. Here is certainly no 
reference to what is called the Second Advent.] 

38. Now the just (my just one) shall live by 
faith—'0 dé δίκαιός [μου] ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται, but the 
just by faith, that is, he who is justified by faith, 
shall live—shall be preserved when this overflow- 
ing scourge shall come. [Iliorvc, ( faith,) like its 
English equivalent, has two distinct though closely 
related meanings : first, its usual evangelical sense, 
belief, (in the special New Testament sense ;) and, 
second, a moral or ethical sense, equivalent to 
faithfulness or fidelity. Here the latter sense 
seems to be the ruling one, (not, however, entirely 
excluding the former one,) since jidelity to their 
Christian calling is the thing specially insisted 
upon, and is placed in contrast with drawing 
back.| But if any man draw back — Kai ἐὰν 
ὑποστείληται, but if he draw back ; he, the man who 
is justified by faith, (or has hitherto been faith- 
ful;) for it is of him, and none other, that the text 
speaks. The insertion of the words “any man” is 
a perversion of the plain sense of the original. My 
soul shall have no pleasure in him—My very 
heart shall be opposed to him who makes ship- 
wreck of faith and a good conscience. The word 
ὑποστέλλειν signifies, not only to “draw back,” but 
to slink away and hide through fear. As dastards 
and cowards are hated by all men, so those that 
slink away from Christ and his cause for fear of 
persecution or secular loss, God must despise ; in 
them he cannot delight; and his Spirit, grieved 
with their conduct, must desert their hearts, and 
leave them to darkness and hardness. 

39. But we are not of them who draw back 
Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑποστολῆς. . . ἀλλὰ πίστεως. “ We are 
not the cowards, but the courageous.” TI have no 
doubt of this being the meaning of the apostle, 
and the form of speech requires such a translation ; 
it occurs more than once in the New Testament. 
So, Gal. iii, 7, Οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, they who are of the 
faith, rather, the faithful, the believers ; Rom. iii, 
26, Ὁ ἐκ πίστεως, the believer ; Rom. ii, 8, Οἱ ἐξ 


Presentation of faith and 
of its effects. 


CHAPTER XI. 
OW faith is the *substance of things hoped 
for, the evidence of things not seen. 
2 For ‘by it the elders obtained a good re- 
port. 8 Through faith we understand that 


a Or, ground, or, confidence.—H Rom. 8, 24,25; 2 Cor. 4. 18; 
5. 1.---- Verse 39. 


ἐριθίας, the contentious ; in all which places the 
learned reader will find that the form of speech is 
the same. We are not cowards who slink away, 
and, notwithstangling, meet destruction ; but we are 
Faithful, and have our souls saved alive. The words 
περιποίησιν ψυχῆς signify the preservation of the 
life. (See Eph. i, 14.) He intimates that, not- 
withstanding the persecution was hot, yet. they 
should escape with their lives. [The soul (ψυχῆ) 
is the subject of life and salvation. Faith saves 
the soul by linking it to God, the living One. The 
unbelieving man loses his soul; for, not being 
God’s, neither is he his own; all that his person- 
ality has in itself and around itself is fallen under 
wrath and the power of wrath.—Delitzsch. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. 

1. Faith is the substance of things hoped 
for—[The faith here brought into view, and ad- 
verted to throughout chapter xi, is not specifically 
that which theologians call saving faith, as is seen 
by the examples subjoined. It is belief or confi- 
dence generally in divine declarations of whatever 
nature, either of the past or the future. ... It 
is confidence in God, and therefore the writer ex- 
cites the Hebrews to persevere in their Christian 
faith by the examples of the ancient worthies. 
See Stuart.] “Eorw δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστα- 
σις, faith is the suBSISTENCE of things hoped for ; 
πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος ov βλεπομένων, the DEMONSTRA- 
TION of things not seen. The word ὑπόστασις, which 
we translate “substance,” signifies subsistence, (sub- 
structure,) that which becomes a foundation for 
another thing to stand on. And ἔλεγχος signifies 
such a conviction as is produced in the mind 
by the demonstration of a problem, after which 
demonstration no doubt can remain, because we 
see from it that the thing is; that it cannot 
but be; and that it cannot be otherwise than 
as it is and is proved to be. Such is the 
faith by which the soul is justified; or, rather, 
such are the effects of justifying faith ; on it sub- 
sists the peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing; and the love of God is shed abroad in 
the heart where it lives by the Holy Ghost. [The 
faith here described by its direct results is essen- 
tially the subjective state of the spiritual man when 
truly quickened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. 
Then the objects of the soul’s hopes, which to natural 
reason rest on a shadowy basis, are seen to be 
built upon a swe foundation ; the unseen things of 
the spirit world are made known, beyond the pos- 
sibility of doubt, to the interior consciousness.] 
Things hoped for—[The things future which are 
the objects of “ hope,” (of which are the rewards be- 
fore spoken of.)] Things not seen—[The whole 
spiritual world, the supernatural, which is unseen 
alike by sense and reason.] [As far as the sense is 


concerned both (these clauses) come to the same in 


the end. It is faith—an act of the mind—which is 
this demonstration ; it is therefore subjective in its 
effect—is the demonstration to him that believes of 
matters not seen.— Alford. } 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. M. 4067. A. D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816, 


4the worlds were framed by the word of God, 
so that things which are seen were not made 
of things which do appear. 4 By faith ¢ Abel 
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice 
than Cain, by which he obtained witness that 


@dGen. 1. 1; Psa. 833. 6: John 1. 3; chap. 1. 
eGen, 4.4; 1 John 3. 12. 


2; 2 Pet. 3, 5.— 


[Faith lends its realizing light, 
. . » ‘Lhe invisible appears in sight.] 

2. For by it the elders obtained a good 
report — By the “elders” are meant ancecstors, 
forefathers, such as the patriarchs and prophets, 
several of whom are afterward particularly named, 
and some facts produced from the history of 
their lives. [Because of their faith the elders be- 
came renowned.| The word ἐμαρτυρήθησαν, which 
we translate “obtained a good report,” literally 
signifies, were witnessed of ; and thus leads us nat- 
urally to Gop, who by his word, as the succeeding 
parts of the chapter show, bore testiinony to the 
faith and holiness of his servants. The apostle 
does not mention one of whom an account is not 
given in the Old Testament. This, therefore, is 
God’s witness or testimony concerning them. 

3. Through faith we understand... the 
worlds were framed—[Our minds accept the 
fact as true.— Cowles.] By “ worlds,” τοὺς αἰῶνας, 
we are to understand the material fabric of the 
universe ; for αἰών can have no reference here to 
age, or any measurement of time, for the writer 
speaks of the things which are SEEN not being made 
out of the things which do arprar; this, therefore, 
must refer to the material creation ; and as the 
word is used in the plural number, it may compre- 
hend not only the earth and visible heavens, but 
the whole planetary system; the different worlds 
which, in our system at least, revolve around the 
sun. ‘‘ Were framed.”—Karypricéar. This Greek 
word signifies set in order, rather than brought 
into being from no preexisting matter.— Cowles. | 
[Nothing can be legitimately decided from this pas- 
sage on either side of the question ef the creation 
of the material universe, whether from preexisting 
materials or by an original act of creation at this 
point of time. It simply asserts that the existing 
αἰῶνες, universe, came into being from the “un- 
seen ” chaos, or nonexistence. } 

4. By faith Abel offered ... a more ex- 
cellent sacrifice — Πλείονα θυσίαν; more sacri- 
jice; as if he bad said: Abel, by faith, made more 
than one offering ; and hence it is said, God testi- 
fied of his G1rrs, τοῖς δώροις. The plain state of 
the case seems to have been this: Cain and Abel 
both brought offerings to the altar of God, prob- 
ably the altar erected for the family worship. As 
Cain was a hushbandman, he brought a minecha, or 
eucharistic offering, of the fruits of the ground, by 
which he acknowledged the being and providence 
of God. Abel, being a shepherd, or a feeder of 
cattle, brought not only the eucharistic offering. but 
also of the produce of his flock as a sin offering to 
God, by which he acknowledged his own sinfuliess, 
God’s justice and mercy, as well as his being and 
providence, Cain, not at all apprehensive of the 
demerit of sin, or God’s holiness, contented him- 
self with the mincha, or thank offering: this God 
could not, consistently with his holiness and jus- 
tice, receive with complacency; the other, as re- 
ferring to Him who was the Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world, God could receive, and of 

441 


A. M. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: 
and by it he being dead ΓΕ yet speaketh. 5 By 
faith ἡ Enoch was translated that he should not 
see death; aud was not found, because God 
had translated him: for before his translation 
he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 
6 But without faith ἐξ 7s impossible to please 
him: for he that cometh to God must believe 
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 


HEBREWS. 


The faith of Abel, of Enoch, and 
of Noab illustrated, 


that diligently seek him. 7 By faith ' Noah, 
being warned of God of things not seen as 
yet, ‘moved with fear, ! prepared an ark to 
the saving of his house; by the which he 
condenmed the world, and became heir of 
the righteousness which is by faith. & By 
faith "Abraham, when he was called to go 
out into a place which he should after re- 
ceive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and he went 


F Gen. 4. 10: Matt. 23. 35; chap. 12. 
4Γ7---ἢ Gen. 5. 22, 24. i Gen. 


oo tee is yet spoken 


k Or, being wary. —/1 Pet. 3, 20. —— 1 Rom. 3. 22; 4. 13; 
Phil. 3. ¥.-—n Gen. 12. 1,4; Acts 7. 2, 3, 4. 


it did particularly testify his approbation. [The 
greater excellence of Abel’s offering was not in his 
“faith,” but in the kind of offering (θυσία) which his 
“faith” taught him to make, which faith was dis- 
tinctively obedient to God’s revealed will. The in- 
stitution of sacrifice was already an established ordi- 
nance in the family of Adam, which affords a strong 
presumption that it had been appointed by God 
himself very soon after the first transgression, and 
in connexion with the earliest promise of a Sav- 
iour who should redeem by suffering, of which the 
bloody sacrifice was the divinely appointed type and 


prophecy. Hence the superiority of Abel's offer- 
ing of “the firstling of his flock” over Cain’s 


“fruit of the ground” (Gen. iv, 3, 4) consisted, 
1) in its conformity to God’s appointment; 2) its 
confession of sin; and, 3) its apprehension (dis- 
tant and dimly, indeed, but still really) of a suffer- 
ing and atoning Lamb of God.| [By which he 
obtained witness that he was righteous—Ai ἧς 
ἐμαρτυρήθη εἶναι δίκαιος ; through (not by) which, that 
is, through his faz¢h as an intermediary. “ Obtained 
witness ”—was witnessed—(declared) to be, that is, 
by, God himself, as shown in the next clause. Most 
probably it was by fire sent from heaven, which 
consumed the sacrifice. (See Gen. xv, 17; Lev. 
x, 24, ete.)—Stuart.| “ Righteous,” δίκαιος, not in 
himself, for he confessed himself a sinner by mak- 
ing a sin offering, but justified by God through 
Christ, of whose offering of himself for the sin of 
the world Abel’s offering was a type, and his faith 
the ordained condition of its effective action. [Kai 
Ov αὐτῆς ἀποθανὼν ἔτι λαλεῖ, and through this he, be- 
ing dead, yet speaks. The for m of expression seems 
to be borrowed from the thought in Gen. iv, 10, 
(where Abel’s blood is said to speak from the 
ground,) for here the faith of Abel makes him 
speak after death to those that should come after 
him. ... His example of faith (with its results) 
affords admonition and instruction to succeeding 
ages, (pointing out the way of salvation by faith.) 
—Stuart. | 

5. By faith Enoch was translated —It is 
said, in Gen. v, 24, that Enoch walked with God, 
and ‘“‘he was not, for God took him.” Here the 
apostle explains what God’s taking him means, by 
saying that he ““was translated ” that he should 
not see death; from which we learn that he did 
not die, and that God took him to a state of blessed- 
ness without obliging him to pass through death. 
[The original, (Gen. v, 24,) says nothing respecting 
the point whether Enoch was translated alive or 
after death. Kai oy ηὑρίσκετο (he was not found) 
is the Septuagint Version. The idea of both is 
simply that he was no more eatant among men. 
But all the Targumists understand Enoch to have 
been translated without dying. So probably the 
son of Sirach. (Chapter xlix, 14.) Rosenmiiller 
supposes that the apostle, in his account of Enoch’s 

442 


΄» 
removal, has accommodated himself to the Jewish 
traditionary opinions, but the opinion that he did 
not die is not contrary to the original account. 
See Stuart. ] 

6. He that cometh to God—To worship God 
implies the conviction that there is such a Being, 
by whose energy, bounty, and providence all other 
beings exist, and that he rewards them that dili- 
gently seek him; that he is not indifferent abont his 
own worship; and that he especially protects and 
saves those who in simplicity and upiightness of 
heart seek and serve him. This requires faith, 
—such a faith as is mentioned above; a faith by 
which we can please God; and now that we have 
an abundant revelation, a faith according to that 
revelation; a faith in God through Christ the great 
sin offering, without which a man can no more 
please him, or be accepted of him, than Cain was. 
[In this statement the essential points of an ac- 
ceptable creed are reduced to a minimum. They 
cannot be made less. This creed has nothing su- 
perfluous ; not a doctrine, however minute, can be 
spared. Many creeds embrace more than this. In 
the nature of the case none can possibly have less, 
and yet lay any foundation for a faith that pleases 
God and that can save men’s souls. — Cowles.] 
[‘‘ Enoch walked with God ”—which implies that 
he both came to God and received intimation of 
God’s favour—and since this could not be unless he 
believed in both the being of God and his placa- 
bility and benevolence, it is plain that Enoch had 
faith in God, and that through its influence in his 
life and actions he was able to serve God accept- 
ably. | 

7. By faith Noah—See ihe whole of this his- 
tory, Gen. vi, 18. Warned of God—Xpypatic- 
θεὶς. In this sense the word is used in various 
parts of the New Testament; it signifies to after 
oracles, to gine divine warning. Moved with 
fear— εὐλαβηθεὶς ; influenced by religious fear, or 
reverence toward God. This is mentioned to show 
that he acted not from a fear of losing his life, but 
from the fear of God; and hence that fear is here 
properly attributed to faith. He condemned the 
world—He credited God, they did not; he walked 
in the way God had commanded, they did not; he 
repeatedly admonished them, (1 Pet. iii, 20,) they 
regarded it not; this aggravated their crimes, while 
it exalted his faith and righteousness. ‘ His faith 
and obedience condemned the world, that is, the 
unbelievers, in the same sense in which every good 
man’s virtues and exhortations condemn such as 
will not attend to and imitate them.”—Dodd. Be- 
came heir of the righteousness—[Noah was de- 
clared to be a just man, (Gen. vi, 9, and vii, 1,) and 
his whole history shows that he had abiding faith 
in God’s word, from which it is inferred that he 
presents an example of the righteousness of faith. | 

8. Abraham, when he was called—see Gen. 


The faith of Abraham, of Sarah, 
and of others, coummended. 


out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By 
faith hé sojourned in the land of promise, 
as in a strange country, °dwelling in taber- 
nacles with Isaac and Jacob, pthe heirs with 
him of the same promise: 40 For he iooked 
for 4a city which hath foundations, * whose 
builder and maker 7s God. 11 Through faith 
also *Sarah herself received strength to con- 
ceive seed, and twas delivered of a child when 
she was past age, because she judged hiin " faith- 
ful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang 
there even of one, and ¥ him as good as dead, ν᾽ so 
many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and 


CHAPTER XI. 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


as the sand which is by the seashore innumer- 
able. 1:8 These all died *in faith, Σ not having 
received the promises, but *having seen them 
afar off, and were persuaded of them, and 
embraced them, and *confessed that they were 
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 84 For 
they that say such things 'declare plainly that 
they seek a country. ἈΦ And truly, if they 
had been mindful cf that country from whence 
they came out, they might have had oppor- 
tunity to have returned. ἘΦ But now they 
desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: 
wherefore God is not ashamed *to be called 


“otéen 1). 8; 13. 3, 13; 18. 1, 9.—p Chap. 6, 17.—d Chap. 
12, 22; 13. 14.—--7 Chup. ὃ. 4; Rev. 21. 2, 10.—sGen. 17. 19; 
18. 11, 14: 21. 2.——fSee Luke 1. 46.—+~Rom. 4. 21; chap. 
10, 23. —v Rom, 4. 19.— ve Gen, 22. 17; Rom. 4. 18, 

xii, 1-4. Abraham’s obedience afforded proof of 
the completeness of his faith. Not knowing 
whither he went—He obeyed, and went out from 
his own country, having no other assurance of sue- 
cess but what his implicit faith led him to expect 
from God, as the rewarder of them that diligently 
seek him. In all the preceding cases, and in all 
that follow, the apostle keeps this maxim fully in 
view. 

9. By faith he sojourned in the land of 
promise—lIt is remarkable that Abraham did not 
acquire any right in Canaan, except that of a bury- 
ing place; nor did he build any house in it; his 
faith showed him that it was only a type and 
pledge of a better country, and he kept that better 
country continually in view; he, with Isaac and 
Jacob, who were heirs of the same promise, were 
contented to dwell in tents, without any jixed habi- 
tation. 

10. For he looked for a city which hath 
foundations —He knew that earth could afford no 
permanent residence for an immortal soul, and he 
looked for that heavenly building of which God is 
the architect and owner; in a word, he lost sight 
of earth that he might keep heaven in view. And 
all who are partakers of his faith possess the same 
spirit, walk by the same rule, and mind the same 
thing. Whose builder and maker is God—The 
word τεχνίτης signifies an architect, one who plans, 
calculates, and constructs a building. The word 
δημιουργὸς signifies the governor of a people; one 
who forms them by institutions and laws; the 
framer of a political constitution. God is here rep- 
resented to be the Maker or Father of all the 
heavenly inhabitants, and the planner of their 
citizenship in that heavenly country. See Mac- 
knight. 

11. Through faith also Sarah—Her history, as 
far as the event here is concerned, may be seen 
Gen. xvii, 19, and xxi, 2. Sarah at first treated the 
divine message with ridicule, judging it to be abso- 
lutely impossible, not knowing then that it was 
from God; and this her age and circumstances 
justified, for, humanly speaking, such an event was 
impossible; but, when she knew that it was God 
who said this, it does not appear that she doubted 
any more, but implicitly believed that what God 
had promised he was able to perform. 

12. Him as good as dead—According to na- 
ture, long past the time of the procreation of chil- 
dren. The birth of Isaac, the circumstances of the 
father and mother considered, was entirely super- 
natural; and the people who proceeded from this 
birth were a supernatural people; and were and 


a Gr. aecording to faith. —  y Verse 39. —— 2 Verse 27; 
John 8, 56. a Gen, 23. 4: 47. 9: 1 Chron, 29. 15; Psa. 89. 12; 
119. 19; 1 Pet. 1. 17; 2, 11. ——O Chap. 13. 14, —c Exod. 3. 


6, 15; Matt. 22, 32; Acts 7. 32. 


are most strikingly singular through every period 
of their history to the present day. 

13. These all died in faith—That is, Abraham, 
Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob continued to believe, to 
the end of their lives, that God would fulfil this prom 
ise ; but they neither saw the numerous seed nor did 
they get the promised rest in Canaan. Strangers 
and pilgrims — Strangers, ξένοι, persons who are 
out of their own country, who are in a foreign land: 
pilgrims, παρεπίδημοι, (alien residents,) sojourners 
only for a time; not intending to take up their 
abode in that place, nor to get naturalized in that 
country. [The religious idea commonly attached 
to the word “ pilgrim ” is not found in the original. ] 

14. Declare plainly that they seek a coun- 
try—aA man’s “country” is that in which he has 
constitutional rights and privileges ; no stranger or 
sojourner has any such rights in the country where 
he sojourns. These, by declaring that they felt 
themselves strangers and sojourners, professed 
their faith in a heavenly country and state, and 
looked beyond the grave for a place of happiness. 
No (spiritually) intelligent Jew could suppose that 
Canaan was all the rest which God had promised to 
his people. 

15. If they had been mindful of that coun- 
try—They considered their right to the promises 
of God as dependent on their utter renunciation of 
Chaldea; and it was this that induced Abraham to 
cause his steward Eliezer to swear that he would 
not carry his son Isaae to Chaldea. (See Gen. 
xxiv, 5-8.) There idolatry reigned; and God had 
called them to be the patriarchs and progenitors of 
a people among whom the knowledge of the true God, 
and the worship required by him, should be estab- 
lished and preserved. 

16. But now they desire a better—They all 
expected spiritual blessings, and a heavenly inherit- 
ance ; they sought God as their portion, and in such 
a way and on such principles that he is not ashamed 
to be called their God ; and he shows his affection 
for them by preparing for them a city, to wit, 
heaven, as themselves [because of their faith in 
him] would seek no city on earth. And from this 
it is evident that the patriarchs had a proper notion 
of the immortality of the soul, and expected a place 
of residence widely different from Canaan. Though 
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the promises were 
made in which Canaan was so particularly included, 
yet God did not give them any inheritance in that 
country, 70, not so much as lo set a foot on. (Acts 
vii, 5.) Therefore, if they had not understood the 
promises to belong to spiritual things, far from 
enduring as seeing Him who is invisible, they 

443 


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Year of Rome, 816. 


HEBREWS. 


The faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
Moses, in God’s promises. 


/ 
their God: for 4he hath prepared for them a 
city. ἈΦ By faith eAbraham, when he was 
tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had re- 
ceived the promises ‘offered up his only be- 
gotten son, BS ΕΟ whom it was said, " That 
in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Ac- 
counting that God ‘was able to raise him up, 
even from the dead; from whence also he re- 
ceived him in a figure. 20 By faith Isaac 
blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to 
come. 28 By faith Jacob, when he was a 


d Phil. 3. 20; chap. 13. 14. —e Gen. 22. 1, 9._—/James 2. 21, 
gOr, To. ——hGen. 21. 12; Rom. 9. 7.—@#Rom. 4. 17, 
19, 21. ‘et Gen. 27. 27, 39.—/ Gen. 48. 5, 16, 20. 


must have considered themselves deceived and 
mocked. The apostle therefore, with the highest 
propriety, attributes their whole conduct and ex- 
pectation to faith. 

17. Abraham, when he was tried—See on 
Gen. xxii, 1-9. Offered up his only begotten— 
Abraham did, in effect, offer up Isaac ; he built an 
altar, bound his son, laid him upon the altar, had 
ready the incense, took the knife, and would im- 
mediately have slain him had he not been prevented 
by the same authority by which the sacrifice was 
enjoined. Isaac is here called his “ only begotten,” 
as he was the only son he had by his legitimate 
wife, who was heir to his property, and heir of the 
promises of God. The man who proved faithful in 
such a trial deserved to have his faith and obe- 
dience recorded throughout the world. 

18. In (after) Isaac shall thy seed be called 
—[Neither Ishmael nor the sons of Abraham by 
Keturah could be progenitors of the promised off- 
spring, and give name to them.—Stuart. | 

19. To raise him up, even from the dead— 
Abraham staggered not at the promise through un- 
belief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. 
The resurrection of the dead (that is, life after 
death) must have been a doctrine of the patriarchs ; 
they expected a heavenly inheritance, they saw they 
died as did other men, and they must have known 
that they could not enjoy it but in consequence of 
a resurrection from the dead. He received him 
in a figure— Ev παραβολῇ. | Comparatively, (in a 
figure, as it were.) It may be made a question 
whether ἐκομίσατο (‘“‘he received”) refers here to 
Abraham’s having obtained Isaac from the altar of 
burnt offering, where he was, as it were, dead; or 
whether the word referred to Abraham’s having 
originally obtained him, namely, at his birth. (See 
verse 12.) It may be applied to either, but the 
latter is far more significant, and accords alto- 
gether with the context. — Stwart.]| This clause 
may be thus translated: “ Accounting that God 
was able to raise him up from the dead, from 
whence he had received him, after he had been de- 
voted to death.” It is not, therefore, the natural 
deadness of Abraham and Sarah to which the 
apostle alludes, but the death to which Isaac on 
this occasion was devoted, and which he escaped 
by the immediate interference of God. 

20. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau 
—He believed that God would fulfil his promise to 
his posterity ; and God gave him to see what would 
befall them in their future generations. The 
apostle does not seem to intimate that one should 
be an object of the divine hatred and the other of 
divine love, in reference to their eternal states. 
[Jacob is named before Esau as the worthier and 

444 


dying, ' blessed both the sons of Joseph; and 
™ worshipped, /eaning upon the top of his staff. 
22 By faith "Joseph, when he died, °made 
mention of the departing of the children of 
Israel; and gave commandment concerning his 
bones. 28 By faith r Moses, when he was 
born, was hid three months of his parents, be- 
cause they saw he was a proper child; «nd 
they were not afraid of the king’s 4 command- 
ment. 4 By faith Moses, when he was 
ceme to years, refused to be called the son of 


m Gen. 47. 31. ——2 Gen. 50. 24, 25; Exod. 13. 19. —o Or, 
remembered. p Exod, 2. 2; Acts 7. 20,—dg Exod. 1. 16, 22. 
- Exod. 2. 10, 11. 


more important in the theocratic sense; perhaps, 
also, as having gained the greater portion of the 
blessing.—Alford.| (See Gen. xxvii.) 

21. Blessed both the sons of Joseph—That 
is, Ephraim and Manasseh. (See Gen. xlviii, 5, 
etc.) [The blessing of the two sons of Joseph 
(and also their adoption by their grandfather as his 
own sons) was prophetic, but those prophetic vis- 
ions rested on his faith in God.—Cowles.| Wor- 
shipped, leaning upon the top of his staff— 
(See Gen. xlvii, 31.) It appears that at the time 
Joseph visited his father Jacob was very weak, 
and generally confined to his couch, having at hand 
his ‘“staff;” either that with which he usually 
supported his feeble body, or that which was the 
ensign of his office, as patriarch or chief of a very 
numerous family. It is said (Gen. xlviii, 2) that 
when Joseph came to see his father Jacob, who 
was then in his last sickness, Jsrael strengthened 
himself, and sat upon the bed. Still, I conceive, he 
had his staff or sceptre at hand; and while sitting 
upon the bed, [or couch,] with his feet upon the 
floor, he supported himself with his staff. When 
Joseph sware to him that he should be carried up 
from Egypt, he bowed himself on his bed’s head, 
still supporting himself with his staff, which prob- 
ably with this last act he laid aside, gathered up his 
feet, and reclined wholly on his couch. It was 
therefore indifferent to say that he worshipped, or 
bowed himself, on his staff or on his bed’s head. 
[Ilpocexivyce designates, as it would seem, the act 
of worship or reverence paid to God, and occa- 
sioned by the grateful emotions of the dying pa- 
triarch on account of the promise which his son 
Joseph had just made, to bury him with his fathers. 
—Stuart. | 

22. Joseph, when he died—Terevrar, [dying. | 
when he was dying, gave commandment concerning 
his bones. (See Gen. 1, 23.)- [Even Joseph, who 
had attained such eminence and power in Egypt, 
did not account it his country, but in faith spoke of 
the promise of God as certain, (Gen. 1, 24,) and 
realized it so as to enjoin the removal of his own 
remains when it should come to pass.—A (ford. ] 

23. By faith Moses... was hid... of his 
parents—See Exodus ii, 2; Acts vii, 20. [Their 
faith was loving trust in God, who had given them 
so fair a child, which led them to perform as far as 
in them lay the duties of parents to it, and not the 
cruel part which the tyrant prescribed.— A/ford. | 

24, Moses. . . refused—Moses was bred up at 
the Egyptian court, and there was considered to be 
the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and probably might 
have sueceeded to the throne of Egypt; but, find- 
ing that God had visited his people, and given 
them a promise of spiritual and eternal blessings, 


Faith of Moses shown in his preferring 
spiritual good to temporal. 


Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 * Choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with the people of God, than 
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; 
26 Esteeming tthe reproach " of Christ greater 
riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had 
respect unto ‘the recompense of the reward. 
27 By faith “he forsook Egypt, not fearing 
the wrath of the king: for he endured, as 
xseeing him who is invisible. 28 Through 


8 Psa. 84. 10. — Chap. 13. 13. —wOr, for Christ. — 
@ Chap. 10. 35. — 7 Exod. 10. 28, 29; 12. 37; 13. 17, 18, ---- 
wm Verse 15. 


he chose rather to take the lot of his people, that 
is, God as his portion forever, than to enjoy the 
pleasures of sin, which, however gratifying to the 
natural desires, could only be πρόσκαιρον, temporary. 

26. The reproach of Christ—The Christ or 
Messiah had been revealed to Moses; of him he 
prophesied, (Deut. xviii, 15;) and the reproach 
which God's people had, in consequence of their 
decided opposition to idolatry, may be termed the 
“reproach of Christ,” for they refused to become 
one people with the Egyptians, because the promise 
of the rest was made to them, and in this res¢ Curist 
and his sa/vation were included ; but, although it 
does not appear these things were known to the 
Hlebrews at larye, yet it is evident that there were 
sufficient intimations given to Moses concerning the 
Great Deliverer, (of whom himself was a type,) that 
determined his conduct in the above respect; as 
he fully understood that he must renounce his 
interest in the promises, and in the life eternal to 
which they led, if he did not obey the divine call 
in the present instance. There is much reason to 
believe that by tov Χριστοῦ, here, “of Christ” or 
the Anointed, the apostle means the whole body of 
the Israelitish or Hebrew people; for, as the word 
signifies the anointed, and anointing was a consecra- 
tion to God to serve him in some particular oftice— 
as prophet, priest, king, or the like—all the Hebrew 
people were considered thus anointed or consecrated; 
and it is worthy of remark that Χριστός is used in 
this very sense by the Septuagint, (1 Sam. ii, 35 ; 
Psa. ev, 15; Hab. iii, 13;) where the word is nec- 
essarily restrained to this meaning. [Moses re- 
nounced pleasure and wealth, and endured suffering 
and reproach, because he believed in the promises 
which God had made of future good, and that he 
would deliver his people from the bondage of 
Egypt. So Christ, though rich, for our sakes be- 
came poor, in order to redeem us from a bond- 
age worse than that of Egypt. That Moses, then, 
counted reproach like that which Christ suffered 
as preferable to the pleasure and wealth which 
he might have enjoyed at the Egyptian court, is 
plainly the meaning of the writer. Compare παθή- 
ματα Χριστοῦ, sufferings like those of Christ, in 
2 Cor. i, 5.—Stuart.| He had respect unto the 
recompense—Azéjierev, he looked attentively to 
it; his eyes were constantly directed to it. This is 
the import of the original word; and the whole 
conduct of Moses was an illustration of it. 

27. He forsook Egypt—He believed that God 
would fulfil the promise he had made; and he 
cheerfully changed an earthly for a heavenly por- 
tion. Not fearing the wrath of the king—The 
apostle speaks here of the departure of Moses with 
the Israelites, not of his flight to Midiun, (Exod. ii, 
14, 15;) for he was then in great fear; but when 
he went to Pharaoh with God’s authority, to demand 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. 3i. 4067. A. Ὁ, 63. 
Year of Rome, 816, 


faith ¥ he kept the passover, and the sprinkling 
of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn 
should touch them. 29 By faith 7 they passed 
through the Red Sea as by dry land: which 
the Egyptians essaying to do were drowned. 
30 By faith *the walls of Jericho fell down, 
after they were compassed about seven days. 
3 By faith "the harlot Rahab perished not 
with them ‘that believed not, when ¢she had 


y Exod. 12. 21, ete.—z Exod. 14. 22, 29.—«a Josh. 6. 20.— 
et 6. ἘΣ James 2. 25.—c Or, that were disobedient. 
osh. 2. 1. 


the dismission of the Hebrews, he was without fear, 
and acted in the most noble and dignified manner ; 
he then feared nothing but God. [It has been dis- 
puted whether it was the first or second time that 
Moses left Egypt to which the writer here adverts. 
The first is related Exodus ii, when he fled to Midian, 
and became servant to Jethro. But as he fled, in 
this case, to save his life, which Pharaoh sought to 
destroy, (Exod. ii, 14, 15,) this cannot be the leaving 
Egypt to which the apostle refers; although some 
both ancient and modern critics have understood 
it to be so. It must be the occurrences related in 
Exodus x—xiv to which our author refers. (See 
Exod. x, 28, 29.)—Stuart.| As seeing him who 
is invisible—He continued to act as one who had 
the judge of his heart and conduct always before 
his eyes. [This was the criterion of his faith ; he 
trusted the word of God with the same persever- 
ing steadiness that he would rely upon a matter of 
sensible knowledge. The idea is, that of continu- 
ance rather than of suffering. | 

28. He kept the passover—God told him that 
he would destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians, 
but would spare all those of the Hebrews whose 
doors were sprinkled with the blood of the paschal 
lamb. Moses believed this, kept the passover, and 
sprinkled the blood. (See Exod. xii.) 

29. By faith they passed through the Red 
Sea—See Exod. xiv, 22. The Egyptians thought 
they could walk through the sea as well as the 
Israelites; they tried, and were drowned; while 
the former passed in perfect safety. The one 
walked by faith, the other by sight; one perished, 
the other was saved. [It was on account of confi- 
dence in the promise of God, to bring the Israelites 
safely through the Red Sea, that they ventured to 
cross an arm of it, looking to him for protection 
from its waters. It is not to be supposed that 
every individual of the Israelites possessed such 
a confidence as is here described; but their 
leaders had it, and (as in other cases of a similar 
nature) it is predicated of the nation.—Stwar7. ] 

30. The walls of Jericho fell down — See 
Josh. vi, 1, ete. God had promised that the walls of 
Jericho should fall down, if they compassed them 
about seven days. They believed, did as they were 
commanded, and the promise was fulfilled. 

31. The harlot Rahab perished not — See 
Josh. ii, 1, 9, 11, vi, 28, where it is rendered ex- 
ceedingly probable that the word πόρνη in the Sep- 
tuagint, which we translate “harlot,” should be 
rendered innkeeper ov tavernkeeper, as there is no 
proper evidence that the person in question was 
such a woman as our translation represents her. 
She was afterward married to Salmon, a Jewish 
prince, (see Matt. i, 5;) and it is extremely in- 
credible that, had she been what we represent her, 
he would have sought for such an alliance. Re- 

445 


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Year of Rome, 516. 


HEBREWS 


Remarkable exemplifications of the 
power of faith, 


received the spies with peace. 82 And what 
shall | more say? for the time would fail me 
to tell of eGideon, and of ‘ Barak, and of 
& Samson, and of *Jephthah; ef ‘David also, 


and «Samuel, and of the prophets: 88 Who 
through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought 


righteousness, !obtained promises, 
the mouths of lions, "(uenched the vio- 
lence of fire, °escaped the edge of the sword, 
Pout of weakness were made strong, waxed 


™ stopped 


.the sword: 


valiant in fight, 4turned to flight the armies 
ot the aliens. ὃ "Women received their 
dead raised to life again: and others were § tor- 
tured, not accepting deliverance; that they 
might obtain a better resurrection: #86 And 
others had trial of erwel mockings and scourg- 
ings, yea, moreover tof bonds and imprison- 
ment: #% "They were stoned, they were 
sawn asunder, were teinpted, were slain with 
vthey wandered about “in sheep- 


éJudg. 6, 11.—f 13. 24.—A Judg. 11. 
ΠΣ ΩΣ 1 Sam. 16. 1, 13: 17. 45.—k 1 Sam. 1. 20; 12. 20. 
12 Sam. 7. 11, ete. m Judg. 14. δ, 6; 1 Sam, 17. 34, 35; 
Dan. 6, 25.--- Dan. 3. 20.-—o1 Sam. 20. 1; 1 Kings 19: 33 


2 Kings 6. 16, 


p 2 Kings 20. 7, etc. ; Job 42, 10; eer 6. 8.—a Judg. 15.8 15; 
ae 1£ 15, ete. ; 17. 51,525 2 Sam. 1ete:—7" + Kings ἴῃς 
22; 2 Kings 4. 85. s Acts pa. 25. a Gen. 39. 20; 20; ἘΠ 
Bille Gil Kings 21. 13; 2 Chron. 24. 21; Acts 7. 58; ti oc 
—v 2 Kings 1. 8; Matt. 3. ‘L—w Zech. 13. 4. 


ceived the spies with peace—Me7’ εἰρήνης, οἷν- 
ing them a kind welcome, good fare, and protection. 
After these words the Slavonic adds: Καὶ ἑτερᾷ 
ὁδῷ ἐκβαλούσα, and sent them out another way. 

32. Time would fail me—Me διηγούμενον ὁ 
χρόνος. A very usual mode of expression with the 
best Greek writers when they wish to intimate that 
much important intelligence remains to be com- 
municated on the subject already in hand, which 
must be omitted because of other points which 
have not vet been handled. Gideon—See Judges 
vi-viili. Barak —See Judges iv. Samson —See 
Judges xiii-xvi. Jephthah —See Judges xi, xii. 
David—Probably he is referred to here for that 
act of faith and courage which he showed in his 
combat with Goliath. (See 1 Sam. xvii.) Samuel 
—The last of the Israelitish judges. See his his- 
tory in the first book of Samuel. It may be ob- 
served, here, that these are not produced in chron- 
ological order ; for Barak lived before Gideon, and 
Jephthah before Samson, and Samuel before David. 
They are produced as instances of the power of 
God exerted in the behalf of men who had strong 
confidence in him. 

33. Who through faith subdued kingdoms— 
As Joshua and David. (2 Sam. viii, etc.) Wrought 
righteousness—Did a great variety of works in- 
dicative of that faith in God without which it is 
impossible to do any thing that is good. Obtained 
promises — As Joshua and Caleb, who, through 
their faith in God, obtained the promised land ; 
Phineas also, who received the promise of an ever- 
lasting priesthood; and David, who for his faith 
and obedience obtained the kingdom of Israel, and 
had the promise that from his seed the Messiah 
should ἜΣ Stopped the mouths of lions— 
As Daniel. (See Daniel, chapter vi.) 

34. Quenched the violence of fire—The three 
faithful Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego. (Dan. iii.) Escaped the edge of the 
sword — Moses, who escaped the sword of Pha- 
raoh, (Exod. xviii, 4;) Elijah, that of Jezebel; and 
David, that of Saul; and many others. Out of 
weakness were made strong— Were miracu- 
lously restored from sickness; as Hezekiah. (Isa. 
xxxvili, 21.) Waxed valiant in fight — Like 
Gideon, who overthrew the camp of the Midianites, 
and Jonathan, that of the Philistines. [Turned 
to flight the armies of the aliens—Papem/orac, 
encampment; ἀλλοτρίων, strangers, heathen. | 

35. Women received their dead—[’EE& avac- 
τάσεως, by resurrections.] As did the widow of 
Zarephath, (1 Kings xvii, 21,) and the Shunam- 
mite, (2 Kings iv, 84.) Others were tortured— 
᾿Ετυμπανίσθησαν. [Were bastinadoed.?] Τυμπα- 
γνίζω signifies to beat violently. That this was a 

446 


most torturing and dangerous punishment we learn 
from the most authentic accounts. It is prac- 
tised among the Turks and other Mohammedans to 
the present day. Not accepting deliverance— 
This looks very like a reference to the case of the 
mother and’ her seven sons, mentioned 2 Mae. vii, 
1, ete. 

36. Had trial of cruel mockings and scourg- 
ings—We do not know the cases to which the 
apostle refers. It is probable that this refers to 
public exhibitions of the people of God at idol 
feasts and the like; and Samson’s case before 
Dagon, when the Philistines had put out his eyes, 
is quite in point. As to “scourgings,” this was a 
common way of punishing minor culprits; and even 


‘those who were to be punished capitally were first 


scourged. See the case of our Lord. Bonds and 
imprisonment — Joseph was cast into prison; 
Jeremiah was cast into a dungeon full of mire, 
(chapter xxxvii, 16, and xxxvili, 6;) and the proph- 
et Micaiah was imprisoned by Ahab. (1 Kings 
Xxii, 27.) 

37. They were stoned—As Zechariah, the son 
of Barachiah or Jehoiada was, between the altar 
and the temple; (see 2 Chron. xxiv, 21; and on 
Matt. xxiii, 85;) and as Naboth the Jezreelite, 
who, on refusing to give up his father’s inheritance 
to a covetous king, hecause it had respect to the 
promise of God, was falsely accused and stoned to 
death. (1 Kings xxi, 1-14.) They were sawn 
asunder—There is a tradition that the prophet 
Isaiah was thus martyred. Were tempted — 
᾿Επειράσθησαν. This word has greatly vexed the 
critics. How being “tempted” can be ranked among 
the heavy sufferings of the primitive martyrs and 
confessors is. not easy to discern, because to be 
“tempted” is the common lot of godly men, This 
difficulty has induced learned men to try to mend 
the text by conjecture. Of dll these, that which 
renders it that they were transfixed or impaled ap- 
pears to me to be the most probable; and even the 
present reading might be construed in this sense. 
[It has been suggested that the temptations here 
referred to are those presented by persecutors to 
the victims of their tortures—offering not only life, 
but wealth and honours, to induce them to * blas- 
pheme ”—that is, to renounce Christ and the Gos- 
pel — which some accepted, but many others re- 
jected—“ not accepting deliverance ”| Were slain 
with the sword —See the case of the eighty- 
five priests slain by Doeg, (1 Samuel xxii, 18) 
and the prophets, of whose slaughter by the sword 
Elijah complains. (1 Kings xix, 10.) They wan- 
dered about in sheepskins — My/wraic, sheep- 
skins dresscd with the wool on. This was prob- 
ably the sort of mantle that Elijah wore, and 


Exhortation to steadfastness in 
view of preceding illustrations, 


skins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, 
tormented ; 
worthy: they wandered in deserts, and in 
mountains, and *7zw dens and caves of the 
earth. 39. And these all, ἡ having obtained a 
good report through faith, received not the 
promise: 40 God having * provided ¥ some 


@1 Kings 18. 4; 19. 9. —— 2 Verses 2, 183. —a@Or, fore- 
seen. 


which was afterward used by Elisha. (2 Kings iiy 
8, 13.) It was most probably on this account, as 
Dr. Macknight conjectures, that Elijah was called 
a “hairy man.” (2 Kings i, 8.) And it is likely 
that the prophets themselves wore such garments, 
and that the false prophets imitated them in this, 
in order that they might gain the greater credit. 
(Zech. xiii, 4.) In general, this was an upper gar- 
ment; but, in the cases to which the apostle 
alludes, the sheepskins and goatskins seem to have 
been the only covering. Being destitute—'Yore- 
pobuevot, in want of all the comforts and conve- 
niences of life, and often of its necessaries. Af- 
flicted—In consequence of enduring such priva- 
tions. Tormented — Kaxovyoiuevor, maltreated, 
harassed, variously persecuted by those to whom 
they brought the message of salvation. 

38. Of whom the world was not worthy— 
[The wicked cast out from their society the right- 
eous, of whom they are not worthy, by persecutions 
or slaughters, and sometimes God himself takes 
them away, as from the greater evils about to be in- 
flicted.] This may refer to the cases of Elijah and 
of the hundred prophets hidden in eaves by Oba- 
diah, and fed with bread and water. (See 1 Kings 
xviii, 4.) David was often obliged thus to hide 
himself from Saul. (1 Sam. xxiv, 3, ete.) 

39. Having obtained a good report (having 
been witnessed to; see verse 2) through faith— 
It was faith in God which supported all those emi- 
nent men who, in different parts of the world and 
in different ages, were persecuted for righteous- 
ness’ sake. Received not the promise—They 
all heard of the promises made to Abraham of a 
heavenly rest, and of the promise of the Messiah, 
for this was a constant tradition; but they died 
without having seen this Anointed of the Lord. 
Christ was not in any of their times manifested in 
the flesh; and of Him who was the expectation of 
all nations, they heard only by the hearing of the 
ear. [For them final salvation was a thing purely 
future; for us it is a thing present as well as 
future: present, in that it is once for all brought 
about by Christ’s offering himself ; future, inasmuch 
as the unfolding of all the fulness of that which 
we possess, and the taking possession of it when 
unfolded in its fulness, is for us yet to come. 
—Alford. (Chapter ix, 28; x, 14.)] 

40. God having provided some better thing 
for us—This is the dispensation of the Gospel, with 
all the privileges and advantages it confers. That 
they without us should not be made perfect 
—Believers of all ages and dispensations make but 
one Church. The gospel dispensation is the last, 
and the Church cannot be considered as complete 
till the believers under all dispensations are gath- 
ered together. As that of the Gospel is the last 
dispensation, the preceding believers could not be 
consummated till the gospel dispensation had ar- 
rived. 

[1) The whole of this eleventh chapter appears 


CHAPTER XI. 


A. M. 4967, A.M 63, 
Year of Rome, 816, 


better thing for us, that they without us should 


38 Of whom the world was not | not be *imade perfect. 


CHAPTER XII. 


HEREFORE, seeing we also are com- 
passed about with so great a cloud of 
witnesses, *let us lay aside every weight, and 


y Chap. 7. 22; 8. 6.——2 Chap. 4. 9; 12. 23; Rev. 6. 11.—ua Col. 
3.8; 1 Pet. 2. 1. 


to be designed to enforce the exhortation with 
which the tenth chapter closes, against drawing 
back, which would certainly result in ‘ perdition.” 
And as it was shown (chapter x, 88) that their 
standing could be only by faith, it is first shown 
(chapter xi, 1) that faith in the soul gives stability 
to the objects of faith, and brings in a sure con- 
viction of their reality. After this, the whole chap- 
ter is devoted to a record of the practical demon- 
stration of the power of that faith to encourage and 
sustain its subjects among the most painful and 
trying conditions. 2) The faith here considered is 
indeed identical in kind with Christian faith, name- 
ly, belief of God’s word and promises, and a prac- 
tical trusting in them, which is the common char- 
acteristic of each and all of the cases introduced, 
though in degree of clearness of vision, and conse- 
quently of personal conformity to its spirit, it often 
came very far short of the saving faith of the Gospel. 
The element of expectation, which is essential to 
faith, is especially manifest in all these cases, but 
more especially in those who were peculiarly emi- 
nent for their personal righteousness—A bel, Enoch, 
Abraham, Moses. They all by faith anticipated 
the “recompense of reward;” and, being assured 
that there would be an abundant compensation for 
all that they might suffer, they were ready to “ en- 
dure hardness as good soldiers ;” and after the same 
example the Hebrew Christians are now exhorted 
to be steadfast. } 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 

1. Wherefore—Tovyapovv, an inference drawn 
from the examples produced in the preceding chap- 
ter. Compassed about with so great a cloud 
of witnesses—[ We have such (or so great, τοσοῦ- 
tov) a cloud (νέφος) of witness bearers, μαρτύρων, 
This is the proper meaning of the term instead of 
““witnesses,” that is, spectators, and this best 
agrees with the subject in hand; for all those whose 
cases are cited in chapter xi bear their testimonies 
in favour of both the power of faith and of God’s 
faithfulness to his own promises, to all those who 
serve him with abiding trust. The supposed ref- 
erence to the Olympic games must be very remote, 
if at all. The epistle is not to Greeks, but to He- 
brews, who may be supposed to have known but 
very little of those games.] Let us lay aside 
every weight—["Oyxov, incumbrance. The sim- 
ple word “ weight ” does not convey all that the orig- 
inal word expresses. Every impediment or liinder- 
ance is to be laid aside or avoided. The Christian 
conflict requires the soul’s eutire devotion; which 
has no strength to spare for carrying unnecessary 
weights. ] The sin which doth so easily beset 
- Εὐπερίστατον ἁμαρτίαν, the well circumstanced 
sin; that which has every thing in its favour, fme 
and place and opportunity, the heart, and the οὐ- 
ject; and a sin in which all these frequently occur, 
and consequently the transgression is frequently 
committed. What we term the easily besetling sin 

447 


A. M. 4067. A.D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


HEBREWS. 


Consideration of Jesus a means 
of strengthening faith, 


the sin which doth so easily beset ws, and "let 
us run © with patience the race that is set be- 
fore us, % Looking unto Jesus the ‘author 
and finisher of our “faith ; ewho for the joy 
that was set before him endured the cross, de- 
spising the shame, and ‘is set down at the 
right hand of the throne of God. 8 &For 
consider him that endured such contradiction 


13, 14.—c Rom. 12. 12: chap. 10. 36. 
Phil. 2. 8, etc.; 1 Pet. 
1 Pet. 3. 22. 


61 Cor, 9, 24; Phil. 3. 
— d Or. beginner. —e Luke 24, 26; 
1. ΤΙ. - Psa. 110, L; chap: 1. 3, 13; 8. 1; 


is the sin of our constitution, the sin of our trade, 
that in which our worldly honour, secular profit, 
and sensual gratification are most frequently felt 
and consulted. Whatever it may be, the word 
gives us to understand that it is what meets us at 
every turn; that it is always presenting itself to us. 
The easily besetting sin of the Hebrews was an apt- 
ness to be drawn aside from their attachment to the 
Gospel by fear of persecution. [The sin of wnbelief, 
which so directly leads to apostasy, (see chapter 
iii, 19, iv, 11,) and against which this epistle so 
earnestly cautions its readers.—Cowles.] Let us 
run with patience the race—[Ar’ ὑπομονῆς τρέχω- 
μὲν τὸν προκείμενον ἡμῖν ἀγῶνα ; through patience 
(heroic endurance) let us run (persistently hold out) 
through the lying-before race, (agony—any kind of 
conflict with rivalry, or liability to failure.)] This 
is a race which is of infinite moment to us: the 
prize is ineffably great; and if we lose it, it is not 
a simple loss, for the whole soul perishes. 

2. Looking unto Jesus —’Agopavrec; looking 
off and on, or from and to; looking off or from the 
world and all secular concerns fo Jesus and all the 
spiritual and heavenly things connected with him. 
The exhortation implies, 1) That they should place 
all their hope and contidence in Christ, as their sole 
helper in this race of faith. 2) That they should 
consider him their leader in this contest, and imitate 
his example. The author and finisher of... faith 
—'Apynyoc, translated here “author,” signifies, in 
general, captain or leader, or the first inventor of a 
thing. (See chapter ii, 10.) The heavenly course is 
begun under Jesus; and under him it is completed. 
He is the “finisher,” by awarding the prize to them 
that are faithful unto death. Thus he is the 
“author” (ἀρχηγός, beginner) under whom, and by 
whose direction, they are permitted to enter the 
lists, and commence the race; and he is the “ fin- 
isher, ” τελειωτῆς, the perfecter, by sustaining them 
in the race and by awarding the prize at the end of 
the race. Who, for (ἀντὶ, instead of ) the joy 
that was set before him—T[’Avri may be rendered 
either instead of, which would make this a reference 
to our Lord’s “ joy” (χαρᾶς, bliss) which he had in 
his preexistent state of glory with the Father, (John 
xvii, 5,) and which he laid aside, and took instead 
the condition of a servant, (Phil. v, 6-8,) so pre- 
senting himself as an example of self-abnegation 
and of sufferings voluntarily submitted to for a 
season, but not Fa οῳ respect to a future recom- 
pense, (Phil. v, 9,) or it may be rendered on account 
of, so referring directly to those compensations as 
acting on the mind of Christ to sustain him in his 
wonderful humiliation and sufferings. Both ren- 
derings are good, and entirely agreeable with other 
scriptural teachings, but the latter is usually pre- 
ferred. | 

3. For consider him—'’Avadoyicacbe . . . ἵνα μὴ 
κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς... ἐκλυόμενοι. Attentively ob- 
serve his meekness and long suffering under the 

448 


of sinners against himself, "lest ye be wearied 
and faint in your minds. 4'Ye have not 
yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which 
speaketh unto you as unto children, * My son, 
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor 
faint when thou art rebuked of hin: 6 For 
‘whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 


g Matt. 10. 24, 25; John 15, 20, —h Gal. 6. 9.—7Z1 Cor. 10. 
13: chap. 10. 32, 33, 34.— 4 Job 5. 175 Prov. 3. 11.—d Psa. 94. 
12; 119. 73; Prov. 3. 12; James 1. 12; Rev. 3. 19. 


most severe provocations, and consider his motives 
and object, and remember that as he acted ye are 
called to act; and that he will furnish you with 
the same spirit, and will support you with the same 
strength. He bore a continual opposition of sin- 
ners against himself; but he conquered by meek- 
hess, patience, and perseverance: he has left youan 
example that ye should follow his steps. If ye 
confide in and attentively look to him, ye shall have 
continual courage to go on, and never faint in your 
minds. 

4. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood— 
Many of those before mentioned were martyrs for the 
truth; they persevered unto death, and lost their 
lives in bearing testimony to the truth. Though 
you have had opposition and persecution, yet you 
have not been called, in bearing your testimony 
against sin and sinners, to seal the truth w ith your 
blood, Striving against sin—IIpo¢ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν 
ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι. [Sin personified as an adversary, 
(or the outbreaking of sim,) not to be limited to sin 
in themselves, or to sé in their persecutors, but 
understood of both.—A//ord. | 

5. And ye have forgotten—Or, have ye for- 
gotten the exhortation? This quotation is made 
from Proy. iii, 11, 12, and shows that the address 
there, which at first sight appears to be from Solo- 
mon to his son, or from some fatherly man to a 
person in affliction, is properly from God himsdf 
to any person in persecution, affliction, or distress. 
[This sentence was generally read by the older com- 
mentators (as it still is by some) as an interroga- 
tion, by which its apparent severity is mitigated. 
But. the best modern critics retain the form of an 
affirmation, which Alford justifies as best agreeing 
with the context, especially verses 7-1] and 16, 17.] 
Despise not thou the chastening—M?) ὀλιγώρει 
παιδείας Kupiov ; do not neglect the correction of 
the Lord. That man neglects correction, and profits 
not by it, who does not see the hand of God in it, 
and, consequently, does not humble himself under 
the mighty hand of God, deplore his sin, deprecate 
divine judgment, and pray for merey. Nor faint 
-—Do not be discouraged nor despair, for the rea- 
sons immediately alleged. ¢ 

6. For whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
eth—Here is the reason why we should neither 
neglect correction nor faint under it: it is a proof 
of the fatherly love of God, and shows his most 
gracious designs toward us; from which we may be 
convinced that the affliction will prove the means 
of good to our souls, if we make a proper use of it. 
And scourgeth every son whom he receiv- 
eth—Maorvyoi δὲ πάντα υἱὸν, ὃν παραδέχεται. This 
is a literal quotation from the Septuagint of Prov. 
iii, 12, of which place our version is, Hven as a 
Sather the son in whom he delighteth. But, howso- 
ever near this may appear to be to the Hebrew, it 
bears scarcely any affinity to the apostle’s words. 
[In whatever way they (the LXX) read the Hebrew, 


ὑπρλμαθσρε not joyous in the present, 
ut advantayeous, 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4067, A.D. 63. 
Year of Kome, 816. 


— every son whom he receiveth. 

» Tf ye endure chastening, God dealeth with 
as with sons; for what son is he whom 
the father chasteneth not? δ But if ye be 
without chastisement, "whereof all are par- 
takers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 
9 Furthermore, we have had fathers of our 
flesh which corrected us, and we gave them 
reverence: shall we not much rather be in 
subjection unto °the Father of spirits, and 
live? 10 For they verily for a few days 
chastened us + Pafter their own pleasure; but 


he for our profit, that we might be partakers 
of his holiness) I Now no chastening for 
the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: 
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth ° the peace- 
able fruit of righteousness unto them which 
are exercised thereby. £2 Wherefore * lift up 
the hands which hang down, and the feeble 
knees; 1: ‘And make "straight paths for 
your feet, lest that which is lame be turned 
out of the way; " but let it rather be healed. 
14 ~ Follow peace with all men, and holiness, 
* without which no man shall see the Lord: 


Deut. & 5: 2 Sam, 7. 14: Prov. 13, 4; 19. 18; 93. 13.—— 
9,—o Num. 18, 22; 27. 16: Job 12. 10: 
16; Zech, 12. 1. ‘p Or, a8 seemed 


m Deut. . 5s am 
m Psa, 73. 103 1 Pet. bE 
Eccles. 12. 7; Isa. 42. 5; 57. 
good, or, meet to them. 


q lev. 11. 44: 19. 2: 1 Pet. 1. 15,16, —r James 3. 18, —a Job 


4, 3,4; Isa. 35. 3.—?t Prov. 4, 26, 27. » even, rGal. 
6. 1. —2w Psa. 34. 14: Rom, 12. 18: 14. 19; 2 Tim. B: 2d: 
a Matt. 5. 8; 2 Cor. 7.1; Eph. 5. 5. 


in order to make their version, as the version now 
is and as the apostle has quoted it, it preserves 
the spirit, though not the /etfer, of the original He- 
brew. That quotations are often made by “the New 
Testament writers from the Old Testament in a 
ee way, ad senswn and not ad literam, I have 
had frequent oecasion to remark before, in com- 
menting on our epistle. No one, who attentively 
studies the New Testament, can doubt this. — 
hea ] 

If ye endure chastening—If ye submit to 
Gots authority, humble yourselves under his hand, 
and pray for his blessing, you will find that he 
deals with you as beloved children, correcting you 
that he may make you partakers of his holiness. 
[The reading from which our Authorized Version 
was made was εἰ παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, (see Gries 
bach,) and therefore it is rendered as a conditional 
statement; but nearly all modern authorities now 
make the reading εἰς, and not εἰ, when the sense 
becomes positive, ye suffer (endure) for chastise- 
ment, (discipline, cu/tus;) as sons God deals with 
you. See Revised Version.] God dealeth with 
you as with sons—He acknowledges by this that 
you belong to the family, and that he, as your Fa- 
ther, has you under proper discipline. It is a maxim 
among the Jewish rabbins that “ the love which is 
not conjoined with reproof is not genuine.” 

8. Then are ye bastards—This proceeds on 
the general fact, that “‘ bastards” are neglected in 
their manners and education; the fathers of such 
feeling little affection for or obligation to regard | t 
their spurious issue, But all that are legitimate 
children are partakers of chastisement or discipline ; 
for the original word παιδεία does not imply stripes 
and punishment, (especially,) but the whole disci- 
pline of a child, both at home and at school. 

9. We have had (imp., once had) fathers of 
our flesh — Our natural parents were our cor- 
rectors, and we reverenced them. Shall we not 
much rather be in subjection unto the F'ather 
of spirits—Our Creator, Preserver, and Supporter, 
who corrects us only for our profit; that we may 
live and be partakers of his holiness? If we be 
subject to our heavenly Father, we mer LIVE, and 
be partakers of his holiness s; if not, we shall pig, 
and be treated as bastards, and not sovs. 

10. For ...a few days — The chastisement 
of our earthly parents lasted only a short time; 
that of our heavenly Father will also be but for a 
short time if we submit: and as our parents ceased 
to correct when we learned obedience ; so will our 
heavenly Father when the end for which he sent 
the chastisement is accomplished. God delights 
not in the rod; judgment is his strange work. 

Vou. I1.—29 


After their own pleasure—[Karda τὸ δοκοῦν αὖν- 
τοῖς, according to what seemed good to themselves, 
not in caprice or passion, but in their best judg: 
ment and parental discretion. ] 

11. No (all) chastening for the present 
seemeth (not) to be joyous—Neither correction, 
wholesome restraint, domestic regulations, nor gym- 
nastic discipline are pleasant to them that are thus 
exercised ; but it is by these means that obedient 
children, scholars, and great men are made. And 
it is by God's discipline that Christiuns are made. 
He who does not bear the yoke of Christ is good 
for nothing to others, and never gains rest, to his 
own soul. The peaceable fruit of righteous- 
ness—That is, the joyous, prosperous fruits; those 
fruits by which we gain much and through which 
we are made happy. Exercised thereby_—I’e) υμ- 
νασμένοις ; to the trained, [the gymnasticised. In 
the Greek language all kinds of earnest and active 
exercises came to be expressed under the figure of 
gymnastics, on account of the national customs of 
the gymnasts. They who were to enter the lists as 
gymnasts were subjected to a severe and protracted 
course of disciplinary training, including both vig- 
orous action and severe abstinence from whatever 
might tend to effeminacy. | 

12. Wherefore lift up the hands—The apos- 
tle refers to Isaiah xxxv, 3. They who are almost 
worn out with sickness and fatigue, whose hands 
hang down, whose knees shake, and who are totally 
discouraged, are exhorted to exert themselves and 
take courage, with the assurance that they shall in- 
fallibly conquer if they persevere. [Having reached 
the point of special exhortation, the author does not 

say, Let every man take care of himself, but rather, 
Let every man take care of the weak, the falter- 
ing—those who are in special danger of falling.— 
Cowes. | 

13. Make straight paths for your feet—Take 
the straight path (of fidelity and duty) that is be- 
fore you. If you go in the even, proper path, 
though you have been wounded by getting into a 
wrong way, that which was wounded will be healed 
by proper exercise. The application of all this to 
a correct religious life is both natural and easy. 
|The path of duty is also the path of safety. — Old 
prover τῇ | 

14. Follow peace with all men—Cultivate, as 
far as you possibly can, a good understanding both 
with Jews and Gentiles. Εἰρήνην διώκετε, pursue 
peace, (make it an object of earnest and ‘diligent 
pursuit ;) follow it through all places; trace it 
through all winding circumstances; and have it 
with all men, wherever you can with a safe con- 
science. And holiness—Tov ἁγιασμόν. A state 

449 


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[5 » Looking diligently zlest any man *fail of 
the grace of God; "lest any root of bitterness 
springing up trouble you, and thereby many 
be detiled; 216 © Lest there de any fornicator, 
or profane person, as Esau, ¢who for one 
morsel of meat sold his birthright. 1% For ye 


HEBREWS. 


The fearful manner in which the 
law was introduced, 


know how that afterward, ¢when he would 
have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: 
‘for he found no £ place of repentance, though 
he sought it carefully with tears. ES For ye 
are not come unto *the mount that might 
be touched, and that burned with fire, nor 


y2 Cor. 6. 1. 5 6]. 5. 4—a Or, fall from. —/) Deut. 
99. 18: chap. 3. 12.—c Eph. d. 3; Col. 3. 5; 1 Thess. 4. 3.—- 
d Gen, 25. 33. 


ὁ Gen, 27. 34, 36, 38.—7Chap. 6. 6.—g Or, way to change 
his mind.—h Exod, 19, 12, 18, 19; 20. 18; Deut. 4. 11; 5. 22; 
Rom. 6. 143 8. 15; 2 Tim. 1. 7. 


of continual sanetification, a life of purity and 
separation from the world and all its lusts. Yo see 
God, in the Hebrew phrase, is to enjoy him; and 
withcut holiness of heart and life this is impossible. 
[Though no one is saved by the merits of his own 
holiness, yet all who are saved by free and un- 
merited grace are also constituted “saints,” aycoz, 
holy persons, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. 
And this spiritual sanctification is a condition re- 
quisite for the beatific vision. (See Matt. v, 8.)] 

15. Looking diligently—'Exicxorovvtec, look- 
ing about, over, and upon; being constantly on your 
guard. Lest any man fail of the grace οὗ God 
—My7 τις ὑστερῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος Tov Θεοῦ. Lest 
any person should come behind, or fall off from, 
this grace or Girv of God—this state of salvation, 
the system of the gospel or Christianity; for this 
is most evidently the meaning of the apostle. It is 
not the falling from a work of grace in their own 
souls, but from the Gospel, to apostatize from 
which they had now many temptations; and to 
guard them against this is the design of this whole 
epistle. Lest any root of bitterness springing 
up—Some poisonous plant. The Hebrews call every 
species of poison a bitter. The “root of bitter- 
ness” is here used metaphorically for a bad man, 
or aman holding awnsownd doctrines, and endeavour- 
ing to spread them in the Church. Trouble you 
—By poison taken into the body the whole ani- 
mal system is disturbed. Bad example and false 
teaching have corrupted thousands, and are still 
making desolation in the world and in the Church. 
[ΠῚ the theory is accepted that this epistle was writ- 
ten by St. Luke, (under St. Paul’s oversight,) this 
clause may seem to reflect his acquaintance with 
the physiological effect of poisonous roots. | 

16. Lest there be any fornicator—Any licen- 
tious person who would turn the Gospel of the 
grace of God into lasciviousness. Or profane 
person, as Esau—Hsau is here termed “ profane ” 
because he so far disregarded the spiritual advan- 
tages connected with his rights of primogeniture 
that he alienated the whole for a single mess of 
pottage. (See Gen. xxv, 34.) The word βέβηλος, 
which we translate ‘“‘ profane,” 
who were not initiated into the sacred mysteries, or 
who were despisers of sacred things, and conse- 
quently were to be denied admittance to the tem- 
ple, and were not permitted to assist at holy rites. 
Indeed, among the Greeks βέβηλος signified any 
thing or person which was not consecrated to the 
gods. [The character of Esau, from Scripture as 
well as trailition, will very well bear the designation 
πόρνος, (a sensualist, that is, simply an animal 
man,) and the sense of the sentence is better pre- 
served by applying both πόρνος and βέβηλος to him. 
—Alford.| Sold his birthright—[Ta πρωτοτόκια 
ἑαυτοῦ, his own privileges of primogeniture. The re- 
flective ἑαυτοῦ (his own) seems to intensify the un- 
worthiness of the act.—A/ford.| The firstborn, in 
patriarchal times, 1) Had a right to the priesthood. 
(Exod. xxii, 29.) 2) And a double portion of all 

400 


was applied to those_ 


the father’s possessions. (Deut. xxi, 17.) 8) And 
was lord over his brethren. (Gen. xxvii, 29, 87; 
xlix, 3.) 4) And in the family of Abraham the 
firstborn was the very source whence the Messiah 
as the Redeemer of the world, and the Church of 
God, was to spring. Further, 5) The firstborn had 
the right of conveying especial blessings and priv- 
ileges when he came to die. See the case of Isaac 
and his two sons, Jacob and Esau, in the history to 
which the apostle alludes, (Gen. xxvii;) and that of 
Jacob and his twelve sons. (Gen. xlix.) In short, 
the rights of primogeniture were among the most 
noble, honourable, and spiritual in the ancient 
world. 

17. When he would have inherited the 
blessing—When he wished to have the lordship 
over the whole family conveyed to him, and sought 
it earnestly with tears, he found no place for a 
change in his father’s mind and counsel, who now 
perceived that it was the will of God that Jacob 
should be made lord of all. [Esau first sold his 
birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage, (Gen. 


| xxv, 29-84,) and it does not appear that he at any 


time sought to recover it; but the loss of the bless- 
ing, as to which he was not in the wrong, afflicted 
him very severely. See Gen. xxvii, 34-38.] Re- 
pentance—Here μετανοία is not to be taken in 
a theological sense, as implying contrition for sin, 
but merely change of mind or purpose; nor does 
the word refer here to Hsaw at all, but to his father, 
whom Esau could not, with all his tears and en- 
treaties, persuade to reverse what he had done. J 
have blessed him, said Jacob, yea, and he must be 
blessed; I cannot reverse it now. (See Gen, xxv, 
29, ete., and xxvii, 1, ete.) Nothing spoken here 
by the apostle, nor in the history in Genesis to 
which he refers, concerns the eternal state of either 
of the two brothers. The use made of the trans- 
action by the apostle is of great importance: Take 
heed lest, by apostatizing from the Gospel, ye for- 
feit all right and title to the heavenly birthright, 
and never again be able to retrieve it; because they 
who reject the Gospel reject the only means of sal- 
vation. 

18-21. For ye are not come unto the mount 
that might be touched —I believe the words 
ψηλαφωμένῳ ὄρει Should be translated, to a palpable 
or material mountain, for that it was not a moun- 
tain that on this occasion might be touched, the his- 
tory (Exod. xix, 12, 13) shows; and the apostle 
himself, in verse 20, confirms. It is called here a 
palpable or material mount, to distinguish it from 
that spiritual mount Sion of which the apostle is 
speaking. The apostle’s design is to show that the 
dispensation of the law engendered terror; that it 
was most awful and exclusive; that it belonged 
only to the Jewish people; and that, even to them, 
it was so terrible that they could not endure that 
which was commanded, and entreated that God 
would not communicate with them in his own per- 
son, but by the ministry of Moses: and even to 
Moses, who held the highest intimacy with Jeho- 


Terrorism of the law and privileges 
of the Gospel contrasted. 


unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 
19. And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice 
of words; which .roice they that heard ‘en- 
treated that the word should not be spoken to 
them any more: 20 (For they could not en- 
dure that which was commanded, κα And if so 
much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall 
be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 
2i ' And so terrible was the sight, that Moses 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. Μ 4067. A. D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But 
ye are come "unto mount Sion, "and unto the 
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, 
°and to an innumerable company of angels, 
23 To the general assembly and church. of 
the firstborn, 4 which are τ written in heaven, 
and to God ‘the Judge of all, and to the spirits 
of just nen ‘made perfect, 24 And to Jesus 
“the mediator of the new ἡ covenant, and to 


ὁ Exod, 20. 19; Deut. δ, 5, 25: 18. 16. —%& Exod. 19. 13, — 
ZExod. 19 16.—m tal, 4.26: Rev. 3. 12: 21. 2 10.—n Phil. 
8. 20.—o Deut. 33. 2; Psa. 68. 17; Jude l4.— p Exod, 4. 22; 


“ey 


yah, the revealed glories, the burning fire, the 
blackness, the darkness, the tempest, the loud- 
sounding trumpet, and the voice of words, were so 
terrible that he said, L exceedingly fear and tremble. 
These were the things which were exhibited on 
the material mountain; but the gospel dispensa- 
tion is one grand, copious, and interesting display 
of the infinite love of God. It is all encourage- 
ment; breathes nothing but mercy; is not an ex- 
clusive system; embraces the whole human race ; 
has Jesus, the sinner’s friend, for its mediator; is 
ratified by his blood; and is suited, most glorious- 
ly suited, to all the wants and wishes of every soul 
of man. 

22. But ye are come unto mount Sion—In 
order to enter fully into the apostle’s meaning, we 
must observe, 1) That the Church, which is ealled 
here the city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem, and “ mount Sion,” is represented under 
the notion of a crry. 2) That the great assembly 
of believers in Christ is here opposed to the con- 
gregation of the Israelites assembled at mount 
Sinai. 3) That the innumerable company of angels 
is here opposed to those angels by whom the law 
was ushered in. (Acts vii, 53: Gal. iii, 19.) 4) That 
the gospel firstborn, whose names are written in 
heaven, ave here opposed to the enrolled Jirstborn 
among the Israelites. (Exod. Σ ΣΙΝ, “δ; ΤΙΣ, 22.) 
5) That the mediator of the new covenant, the Lord 
Jesus, is here opposed to Moses, the mediator of 
the old. 6) And that the blood of sprinkling of 
Christ our high priest, refers to the act of Moses : 
(Exod. xxiv, 8:) “ And Moses took the blood, and 
sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the 
blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made 
with you concerning all these words.” 1) The de- 
Scription in these verses does not refer to a 
heavenly state; for the terrible nature of the Mo- 
saic dispensation is not opposed to heaven or life 
eternal, but to the economy of the New Testament. 
2) In heaven there is no need of a mediator, or 
sprinkling of blood; but these are mentioned in the 
State which the apostle describes. “The heavenly 
Jerusalem—That is, the Church of the New Test- 
ament. Toaninnumerable company of angels 
—Mopidow ἀγγέλων, to myriads of angels. |The 
sense of this clause and of the next following 
is probably not correctly given in our translation, 
and its rendering depends largely on its pointing. 
The best modern critics place a comma after μυριά- 
ov, myriad, (“an innumerable company,”) and 
ἀγγέλων, of angels, so that it reads, to innumerable 
hosts, to the general assembly of the angels, and to 
the Chureh of the firstborn, written in the heavens, 
ete. This ordering of the words of the original 
makes μυριάσιν include the two classes named next 
in order, namely, the general assembly of angels 
and the church of the firstborn. ] Though angels 


James 1, 18; Rey. 14. 4. —g Luke 10, 20; Phil. 4. 3: Rev. 13. 8. 


r Or, enrolled.—s Gen. 18, 25; Psa. 4, 2.—+# Phil. 3. 123 
chap. 11. 40.—w Chap. 8 6; 9, 15.——v Or, testament 


make a part of the inhabitants of the New Jeru- 
salem, yet they belong also to the Church below. 
Christ has in some sort incorporated them with his 
followers, for they are “ all ministering spirits, sent 
forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of sal- 
vation,” and they are all ever considered as making 
a part-of God’s subjects. 

23. The firstborn—This is spoken in allusion 
to the firstborn among the Israelites, who were all 
considered as the Lord’s property, and were dedi- 
cated to him. “The church of the firstborn” is 
the assembly of the most excellent. Which are 
written in heaven—Who are enrolled as citizens 
of the New Jerusalem, and are entitled to all the 
rights, privileges, and immunities of the Church 
here, and of heaven above. This is spoken in al- 
lusion to the custom of enrolling the names of all 
the citizens of a particular city; indicating that 
all those thus registered were considered as having 
a right to live there, and to enjoy all its privileges. 
All genuine believers are denizens of heaven. That 
is their country, and there they have their rights, 
etc. And every member of Christ has a right to 
every ordinance in the Church of his Redeemer ; 
and woe to him who attempts to prevent them ! 
God the Judge of all—The supreme God is ever 
present in this general assembly ; ¢o him they are 
all gathered ; 6y him they are admitted to all 


those 
rights, ete.; under his inspection they continue to 
act ; andit is he alone who erases from the register 
those who act unworthily of their citizenship. 
“Judge,” here, is to be taken in the Jewish use of 
the term, that is, one who exercises sovereign rule 
and authority. The spirits of just men made 
perfect— The τετελειωμένοι ἂν the adult Christians, 
who are opposed to the νήπιοι, or babes in knowledge 
and grace. (See chapter v, 12-14; viii, 11 ; Gal. iv, 
1-3.) “The spirits of the just men made perfect,” or 
the righteous perfect, are the fullgrown Christians ; 
those who are justified by the blood and sanctified 
by the Spirit of Christ. Being “come” to such, im- 
plies that spiritual union which the disciples of 
Christ have with each other, and which they possess 
how far soever separated from each other in body ; 
for they are all joined in one Spirit, (Eph. ii, 18 ;) 
they are in the unity of the Spirit, (Eph. iv, 3, 43) 
and of one soul. (Acts iv, 32.) This is a unity 
which was never possessed even by the Jews them- 
selves in their best state; it is peculiar to real 
Christianity. 

24. And to Jesus the mediator of the new 
covenant — The old covenant and its mediator, 
Moses, are passed away. (See chapter viii, 13.) 
The new covenant, that is, the Gospel, is now in 
force, and will be to the end of the world ; and 
Jesus, the Son of God, the brightness of the 
Father’s glory, the maker and preserver of all 
things, the saviour and the judge of all men, is its 

451 


A. M. 4067. A. D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


~ the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better 
things *than that of Abel. 25 See that ye 
refuse not him that speaketh: for yif they 
escaped not who refused him that spake on 
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we 
turn away from him that speaketh from heav- 
en: 26 7 Whose voice then shook the earth: 
but now he hath promised, saying, * Yet once 


w apts 24. 8; Pit ΠΕΣ: 22: 1 Pet. 1, 2.—aGen. 4. 10; ckap. 
1. 4.—y Chap. 3.2,3; 3. 17; 10. 28 29.—z Exod. 19, 18. 


mediator. Both the covenant and its mediator are 
infinitely superior to those of the Jews, and they 
are very properly set down here among the superior 
benelits and glories of Christianity. ‘To the blood 
of sprinkling—This is an allusion, as was before 
observed, to the sprinkling of the blood of the 
covenant sacrifice upon the people when that cov- 
enaut was made upon mount Sinai; to the sprink- 
ling of the blood of the sin offerings before the 
mercyseat; and probably to the sprinkling of the 
blood of the paschal lamb on their houses to pre- 
vent their destruction by the destroying angel. But 
all these sprinklings were without meaning except 
as they referred to this: the blood of sprinkling 
under the new covenant is ever ready ; it is forall; 
it continues through ages; and is the highest 
glory of Christianity, bec: ause by it we draw nigh to 
God, and through it have our hearts sprinkled from 
an evil conscience, and have an entrance unto the 
holiest by the blood of Jesus. Better things 
than that of Abel—God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, 
and was well pleased with it; for Abel offered his 
sacrifice by faith in the great promise. But the 
blood of Christ’s sacrifice was infinitely more 
precious than the blood of Abel’s sacrifice, as Jesus 
is infinitely greater than Abel; and the blood of 
Christ avails for the sins of the whole world, 
whereas the blood of Abel’s sacrifice could avail 
only for himself, [and even that only in a figure, 
deriving all its virtue from that which it prefigured. | 
Many have misinterpreted these words, and suppose 
that the “blood of Abel” means here the blood 
that was shed by Cain in the murder of this holy 
man, and that the blood of Jesus “speaks better 
things than it does,’ because the blood of Abel 
called Jor vengeance, but the blood of Christ jor 
pardon. It might speak very little good to any 
soul of man, and yet speak ‘ better things ” than 
that blood of Abel which spoke no kind of good to 
any human creature, and only called for vengeance 
against him that shed it. The sacrifice offered by 

bel is here intended; that, as we have already 

een, was pleasing in ‘the sight of God, and was 
ecepted in behalf of him who offered it; but the 
»lood of Christ is infinitely more acceptable with 
God; it only is a real atonement for sin, and it was 


shed for the whole human race, and cleanses all } 


who believe from all unrighteousness. 

25. See—Biérere, take heed. That ye refuse 
not him—The Lord Jesus, the mediator of the new 
covenant, who now speaketh rom heaven, by the 
Gospel, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, he wing in 
his incarnation come down from God. Him that 
spake on earth—Moses, who spoke on the part 
of God to the Hebrews, every transgression of 
whose word received a just recompense of reward ; 
if then ye turn away from Christ, who speaks to you 
from heaven, you may expect a much sorer punish- 
ment, the offence against God being the more hein- 
ous as the privileges slighted are-more glorious. 

452 


HEBREWS. 


Exhortation against apostatizing 
from Christ Jesus, 


more 1 shake not the earth only, but also 
heaven. 2% And this word, Yet once more, 
signifieth "the removing of those things that 
care shaken, as of things that are made, that 
those things which cannot be shaken may re- 
main. 28% Wherefore we receiving a kingdom 
which cannot be moved, ‘let us have grace, 
whereby we may serve God acceptably with 


a ae 2. 6.—Db Psa. 102. 26; Matt. 24. 35; 2 Pet. 3. 10; Rev. 
1.—ce Or, may be shaken.—d Or, let us hold Just. 


26. Whose voice then shook the earth—At 
the giving of the law on mount Sinai; and from 
this it seems that it was the voice of Jesus that 
then shook the earth, and that it was He who came 
down on the mount. Not the earth only, but 
also heaven—Probably referring to the approach- 
ing destruction of Jerusalem, and the total abolition 
of the political and ecclesiastical constitution of the 
Jews; the one being signified by “ the earth,” the 
other by “heaven.” And this seems to be the 
apostle’s meaning, as he evidently refers to Haggai 
ii, 6, where this event is predicted. 

27. The removing of those things that are 
shaken—The whole of the Jewish polity, which 
had been in a “shaken” state from the time that 
Judea had fallen under the power of the Romans. 
As of things that are made—That is, subjects 
intended to last only fora time. God never de- 
signed that the Jewish religion should become 
general, nor be permanent. Those things which 
cannot be shaken —The whole gospel system, 
which cannot be removed by the power of man. 
May remain—Be permanent; God designing that 
this shall be the last dispensation of his grace and 
mercy, and that it shall continue till the earth and 
the heavens are no more. [The shaking of the 
heavens and the earth denotes a great change, a 
μετάθεσις, removal, or abolition, of the things 
changed, that is, of the Jewish dispensation. The 
language which had been literally applied to the 
quaking of Sinai, when the law was given, is now 
figuratively applied, in the usual scriptural way, in 
order to denote a great change of a moral nature. 
— Stuart. | 

28. We receiving a kingdom — The gospel 
dispensation is frequently termed the kingdom of 
God, or the kingdom of heaven, [and it is here 
contrasted with the Jewish theocracy, which the 
fathers had received, but which was designed to 
serve only for a season, and was now passing 
away.]| Which cannot be moved — Which 
never can fail, because it is the last dispensation. 
Let us have grace—Eyuuev χάριν, let us have, 
keep, or hold fast, the benefit or gift, that is, the 


heavenly kingdom which God has given’us. This 
is the meaning of the word in 2 Cor. viii, 4, and it 


is only by this heavenly gift of the Gospel that we 
can serve God acceptably, for he can be pleased 
with no service that is not performed according to 
the Gospel of his Son. If we prefer the common 
meaning of the word “grace” it comes to the 
same thine; without the “or ace”? — the especial 
succour and influence of Christ—we cannot serve, 
hai τρεύωμεν, pay religious worship to, God; for he 
receives no burnt offering that is not kindled by 
fire from his own altar. Acceptably—Eiapécrwr, 
in such a way as to please him well. And the 
offering with which he is well pleased he will 
graciously accept ; and if he accept our service, his 
j Spirit will testify in our conscience that our ways 


Commendation of hospitality. Marriage 
declared honourable, 


reverence and godly fear: 29 For «our God 


és a consuming fire. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


ET *brotherly love continue. 2 *Be not 
J forgetful to entertain strangers: for there- 
by ‘some have entertained angels unawares. 


3 ‘Remember them that are in bonds, as 


bound with them; and them which suffer ad- 


a7 Exod. 24.17; Deut. 4. 24; 9. 3: Psa. 50, 3; 97.3; Isa. 66. 15: 
2 Thess. 1.8; chap. 10. 27,—a Rom 12. 10:1 Thess, 4 9; 1 Pet, 
1. 22; 2.17; 3. 8; 4. 8; 2 Pet. 1. 7: 1 John ὃ, 11, ete.; 4. 7, 
20, 21, } Matt. 25. 35; Rom, 12. 13; 1 Tim. 8. 2; 1 Pet, 4, 9, 
Ὁ Gen, 18.3; 19. 2, 


——————— ϑνῪολϑλο ᾽ 


please him. Reverence—Aidoic, with pious rey- 
erence. Godly fear—EvsaBeiac, religious fear. 
We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the 
blood of Jesus; but let that boldness be ever tem- 
pered with modesty and religious fear; for we should 


never forget that we have sinned, and that God is 


a consuming fire. Instead of αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας, 
modesty and religious fear, ACD*, several others, 


with the Slavonic and Chrysostom, have εὐλαβείας 
φόβου καὶ τρόμου, fear 


καὶ δέους, and others have 
and trembling ; but the sense is nearly the same. 
29. For our God is a consuming fire—The 
apostle quotes Deut. iv, 24, and by doing so he 
teaches us this great truth, that sin under the Gos- 


el is as abominable in God’s sight as it was under 
DR 


the law; and that the man who does not labour to 
serve God with the principle and in the way already 
prescribed will find that fire to consume him which 
would otherwise have consumed his sin. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIIl. 


1. Let brotherly love continue—As God is 
remarkable for his φιλανθρωπία, philanthropy, or 


love to men, so should they be for φιλαδελφία, 
or love to each other, (See the note on Titus 
iii, 4.) 

2. To entertain strangers —In those early 
times, when there were scarcely any public inns or 
houses of entertainment, it was an office of charity 
and mercy to receive, lodge, and entertain travel- 
lers; and this is what the apostle particularly 
recommends. [This was peculiarly a duty in those 
times of persecution and distress, when many were 
suffering the loss of their means of subsistence, and 


were obliged to cast themselves on the charity of 


their brethren.—Stvart.] Entertained angels — 
Abraham and Lot are the persons particularly re- 
ferred to. Their history, the angels whom they 
entertained, not knowing them to be such, and the 
good they derived from exercising theit hospitality 
on these oceasions, are well known. (See Gen. 
KVM Os KI Dy 

3. Remember them that are in bonds—This 
appears to refer to those Christians who were suf- 
fering imprisonment for the testimony of Jesus. 
As bound with them—Feel for them as you 
would wish others to feel for you were you in their 
circumstances, knowing that, being in the body, 
you are liable to the same evils, and may be called 
to suffer in the same way for the same cause, 

4. Marriage is honourable in all—Let this 
state be highly esteemed as one of God’s own insti- 
tuting, and as highly calculated to foster the best 
interests of mankind. This shows the absurdity of 
the popish tenet, that marriage in the clergy is both 
dishonourable and sinful; which statement is in 
Opposition both to the teaching of the apostle, who 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4067. A.D. 63, 
Year of Rome, 816. 


pete ee cee 
versity, as being yourselves also in the body. 
4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed 
undefiled : © but whoremongers and adulterers 
God will judge. § Let your conversation be 
Without covetousness; and ‘be content with 
such things as ye have: for he hath said, εἰ 
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So 
that we may boldly say, The Lord és my 
helper, and I will not fear what man shall do 


d Matt. 25. 36; Rom. 12. 15: 1 Cor, 12, 26; 
3, 8.——6 1 Cor, 6. 4: Gal. 5 19,213 Eph. 5.5: Col. 3. 5,6; Rev. 
22. 1ὅ.----- 7 Matt. 6.25, 34; Phil. 4. 11, 12; 1 Tim. 6. 6. 8 —g Gen, 
28,15; Deut. 31. 6,8: Josh. 1.5: 1 Chron, 28, 20; Psa. 37, 25,— 
h Psa, 27.1; δύ. 4, 11,12; 118, 6 


Col. 4. 18; 1 Pet, 


Says, “marriage is honourable in att,” and to the 
institution of God, which evidently designed that 
every one should be united [by pairs] in this holy 
bond; and to nature, which in every part of the 
habitable world has produced men and women in 
due proportion to each other. The bed unde- 
filed—Every man cleaving to his own wife, and 
every wife cleaving to her own husband, because 
God will judge—that is, punish—all fornicators 
and adulterers. Instead of dé, but, yap, for, [and 
an undefiled bed is honourable,] is the reading of 
[many good authorities, and it more forcibly ex- 
presses the reason of the prohibition: Let “the bed 
be undefiled,” ror “ whoremongers and adulterers 
God will judge.” 

5. Let your conversation—That is, the whole 
tenor of your conduct, τρόπος, the manner of your 
life, or rather the disposition of your hearts in ref- 
erence to all your secular transactions ; for in this 
sense the original is used by the best Greek 
writers. Be without covetousness — Desire 
nothing more than what God has given you; and 
especially covet nothing which the divine Provi- 
dence has given to another man, for this is the very 
spirit of robbery. Content with such things as 
ye have—’ Αρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν, being satisfied 
with present things. The covetous man is ever 
running out into futurity with insatiable desires 
after secular good; and, if this disposition is not 
checked, it increases as the subject of it increases 
in years. Covetousness is the vice of old age, I 
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee—These 
words were, in sum, spoken to Joshua: (chapter 
i,5:) “As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee; 
Iwill not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” They were 
spoken also of God by David to Solomon. (1 Chron. 
xxvili, 20.) The apostle, in referring to these 
promises, feels authorized to strengthen the ex- 
pressions, as the Christian dispensation affords 
more consolation and confidence in matters of this 
kind than the old covenant did. This promise is 
made to those who are patiently bearing affliction 
or persecution for Christ’s sake; and may be ap- 
plied to any faithful soul in affliction, temptation, or 
adversity of any kind. Trust in the Lord with thy 
whole heart, and never lean to thy own under- 
standing ; for he hath said, “No, I will never 
leave thee; not I; I will never, never cast thee 
off.” 

6. So that we may boldly say—We, in such 
circumstances, while cleaving to the Lord, may con- 
fidently apply to ourselves what God spake to 
Joshua and to Solomon; and what he spake to 
David, “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear: 
what can man do unto me?” God is omnipotent, 
man’s power is limited; howsoever strong he may 
be, he can do nothing against the Almighty. 

453 


A. Μ. 4061, A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


HEBREWS. 


Exhortation to imitate their rulers, 
und to avoid strange doctrines, 


untome. ¥% i Remember them which * have the 
rule over you, who have spoken unto you the 
word of God: ! whose faith follow, consider- 
ing the end of their conversation. ΒΘ. Jesus 
Christ "the same yesterday, and to day, and 
forever. 9 "Be not carried about with di- 
vers and strange doctrines: for it is a good 
thing that the heart be established with grace; 


°not with meats, which have not profited them 
that have been occupied therein. 10 P We 
have an altar, whereof they have no right to 
eat which serve the tabernacle. If For ‘the 
bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought 
into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, 
are burned without the camp. I2 Wherefore 
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people 


i Verse 17. ---- ᾧ Οὐ, are the guides. —1Chap. 
a John 8, 58; chap. 1. 12; Rev. 1. 4.—w7 Eph. 4. 14; 
2. 4,8; 1 John 4. 1. 

7. Remember them which have the rule 
over you—This clause should be translated, Re- 
member your guides, τῶν ἡγουμένων, who have spoken 
unto you the doctrine of God. Theodoret’s note on 
this verse is very judicious: ‘He intends the 
saints who were dead—Stephen the first martyr, 
James the brother of John, and James called the 
Just. And there were many others who were taken 
off by the Jewish rage. ‘ Consider these, (said he,) 
and, observing their example, imitate their faith.’ ” 
This remembrance of the dead saints, with admira- 
tion cf their virtues and a desire to imitate them, 
is, says Dr. Macknight, the only worship which is 
due to them from the living. Considering the 
end of their conversation—'Qv ἀναθεωροῦντες τὴν 


6. 12, 
5. 6; 


6; Col. 


ἔκβασιν τῆς ἀναστροφῆς, the issue of whose course of 


life most carefully consider. They lived to get good 
and do good; they were faithful to their God and 
his cause ; they suffered persecution ; and for the 
testimony of Jesus died a violent death. God 
never left them; no, he never forsook them; so 
that they were happy in their afflictions, and glo- 
rious in their death. Carefully consider this; act 
as they did; keep the faith, and God will keep 
you. 

8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday—In all 
past times there was no way into the holiest but 
through the blood of Jesus, either actually shed or 
significantly typified. To day—He is the lamb 
newly slain, and continues to appear in the presence 
of God for us. Fforever—To the conclusion of 
time he will be the way, the truth, and the life, 
none coming to the Father but through him; and 
throughout eternity, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, it will appear 
that all glorified human spirits owe their salvation 
to his infinite merit. This Jesus was thus wit- 
nessed of by your guides, who are already departed 
to glory. Remember Him; remember them ; and 
take heed to yourselves. [The simple object is to 
show that Jesus Christ “ ever liveth to aid his dis- 
ciples.” —Stuart. ] 

9. Be not carried about—M? περιφέρεσθε, be 
not whirled about. But almost every MS. of im- 
portance has μὴ παραφέρεσθε͵ be not carried away, 
which is undoubtedly the true reading, and signifies 
here, do not apostatize ; permit not yourselves to be 
carried off from Christ and his doctrine. Divers 
and strange doctrines—AvJayaic ποικίλαις, varie- 
gated doctrines ; those that blended the Law and the 
Gospel, and brought in the Levitical sacrifices and 
institutions in order to perfect the Christian sys- 
tem. Remember the old covenant is abolished ; 
the new alone is in force. [Ποικίλαις καὶ ξέναις, 
designates doctrines different, diverse, from true 
Christian doctrine, and foreign (strangers) to it, 
Such were the doctrines of the Judaizing teachers, 
respecting many of their ceremonial observances 
and traditionary rites; and to these the writer 
here adverts, as appears by the sequel.—Stuart. | 
Tiat the heart be established with grace—It 

454 


oRom. 14. 17; Col. 2. 16; 1 Tim. 4. 3.—p1 Cor. 9. 13: 
10, 18.—g@ Exod. 29. 14; Lev. 4. 11, 12, 21; 6. 30; 9. 11; 16. 27; 
Num, 19. 3. 


is well to have the heart, the mind, and conscience 
fully satisfied with the truth and efficacy of the 
Gospel; for so the word χάριτι should be under- 
stood here, which is put in opposition to βρώμασιν, 
meats, signifying here the Levitical institutions, 
and especially its sacrifices, these being emphati- 
cally termed meats, because the offerers were per- 
mitted to feast upon them after the blood had been 
poured out before the Lord, (See Lev. vii, 15; Deut. 
xii, 6, 7.) [Including also the distinctions of clean 
and unclean.| Which have not profited them 
—Because they neither took away guilt, cleansed 
the heart, nor gave power over sin. [See the ref- 
erences in the margin. | 

10. We have an altar—The “altar” is here put 
for the sacrifice on the altar; the Christian altar is 
the Christian sacrifice, which is Christ Jesus, with 
all the benefits of his passion and death. To these 
privileges they had no right who continued to offer 
the Levitical sacrifices, and to trust in them for 
remission of sins. [This “altar” is (figuratively) 
the cross on which our Lord suffered, . . . severed 
from which we know not Christ; laid upon which 
he is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 
Of which they (the priests of the old covenant) 
have no right to eat, [the right to eat of the sacri- 
fice inhered in the priesthood.] The Jewish priests 
have no right to eat of our altar; let us not then 
tarry in the Jewish tabernacle, serving their rites, 
offering their sacrifices, but offer our now only pos- 
sible sacrifice, that of praise, the fruit of a good 
confession, acceptable to God through Christ. See 
Alford. | 

11. For the bodies of those beasts—The flesh 
of the sin offering might not be eaten. When the 
blood was sprinkled before the holy place to make 
an atonement for their souls, the skins, flesh, en- 
trails, ete., were carried without the camp, and 
entirely consumed by fire. For, as eating the other 
sacrifices intimated they were made partakers of 
the benefits procured by them, so, not being per- 
mitted to eat of the sin offering proved that they 


must look to the Christ, whose sacrifice is pointed 


out, that they might receive that rea] pardon of 
sin which the shedding of his blood could alone 
procure. While, therefore, they continued offering 
those sacrifices, and refused to acknowledge the 
Christ, they had no right to any of the blessings 
procured by him. 

12. That he might sanctify the people— 
That he might consecrate them to God, and make an 
atonement for their sins, he suffered without the 
gate at Jerusalem, as the sin offering was consumed 
without the camp when the tabernacle abode in the 
wilderness. Perhaps all this was typical of the 
abolition of the Jewish sacrifices, and the termina- 
tion of the whole Levitical system of worship. Jesus 
left the city, denounced its final destruction, and 
abandoned it to its fate; and suffered without the 
gate to bring the Gentiles to God, 


Exhortation to attend to the truths 
taught, and to be obedient, 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. M. 4067. A. Ὁ. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816. 


with his own blood, * suffered without the gate. 
13 Let us go forth therefore unto him w vith- 
out the camp, bearing ‘his reproach. 14 ' For 
here have we no continuing city, but we seek 
one to come. 15 "By him therefore let us 
offer ἡ the sacrifice of praise to God continually, 
that is, “the fruit of owr lips, * giving thanks 
to his name. 16 ¥ But to do good and to com- 
municate forget not: for * with such sacrifices 
God is well “pleased. 17 «Obey them that 


‘have the rule over you, ‘and submit your- 
selves: for ¢they watch for your souls, as they 
that must give account, th: at they may do it 
with joy, and not with grief: for that ἐπ un- 
profitable for you. 18 " Py ray for us: for we 
trust we have “ἃ good conscience, in all things 
willing to live honestly. 19 But I beseech 
you ‘the rather to do this, that I may be re- 
stored to you the sooner. 20 Now &the God 
of peace, "that brought again from the dead 


r John 19, 17, 18; Acts. 1. 58.—-8 Chap. 11. τῶν 1 Det. 4, 14.— 
ae Micah 2. 10; Phil. 3. 20; chap. 1]. 10, 16; 12. 2.—— Eph. 
: 1 Pet. 2. 5.—?v Lev. 7. 12; Psa, δ᾽, 14, 53 : 69. 30, 31; 107. 
ote. 17, —w Hos. 14. 2,—a Gr. confessing to.—y Rom. 
3.—s2 Cor, 9, 12: 
Thess, 5, 12; 1 Tim. ὃ. 17} verse 7. 


13. Let us go forth therefore unto him— 
Let us leave this city and system, devoted to de- 
struction, and take refuge in Jesus alone, bearing 
his reproach, 

14. For here have we no continuing city — 
Here is an elegant and forcible allusion to the ap- 
proaching destruction of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem 
that was below was about to be destroyed; the 
Jerusalem that was from above was that alone 
which could be considered to be μένουσαν, perma- 
nent. The words seem to say: ‘ Arise, and de- 
part; for this is not your rest; it is polluted.” 

15. By him therefore let us offer the sacri- 
fice of praise—He has now fulfilled all vision and 
prophecy, has offered the last bloody sacrifice which 
God will ever accept; and as he is the gift of 
God’s love to the world, let us through him offer 
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, this being 
the substitute for all the Levitical sacrifices. The 
Jews allowed that in the time of the Messiah all 
sacrifices, except the sacrifice of praise, should 


cease. To this maxim the apostle appears to allude ; 
and, understood in this way, his words are much 


more forcible. This was, in effect, quoting the 
authority of one of their own maxims, that now was 
the time of the Messiah; that Jesus was that Mes- 
siah ; that the Jewish sacrificial system was now 
abolished ; and that no sacrifice would now be 
accepted of God, except the sacrifice of praise for 
the gift of his Son. That is, the fruit of our 
os expression is probably borrowed from 
Hos. xiv, 2,in the Version of the Septuagint, καρπὸν 
χειλέων, which in the Hebrew is “the heifers of our 
lips.” This may refer primarily to the sacrifices, 
heifers, calves, ete , which they had vowed to God ; 
so that the “calves of their lips” were the sacri- 
fices which they had promised. Giving thanks 
(ὁμολογούντων, confessing) to his name—[That is, 
the name of God, as the ultimate object to which the 
confession δύ αὐτοῦ, concerning him, Jesus, is re- 
ferred.— A/ford. ] 

16. But to do good and to communicate— 
[But do not be unmindful of beneficence and giving, 
(that is, in things temporal.)] These are continual 
sacrifices which God requires, and which will spring 
from a sense of God’s love in Christ Jesus. Praise 
to God for his unspeakable gift, and acts of kind- 
ness to men for God’s sake. Praise, prayer, and 
thanksgiving to God, with works of charity and 
mercy to man, are the sacrifices which every gen- 
uine follower of Christ must offer. 
our lips, offering praise and thanksgiving, is beau- 
tiful and seemly; but beyond this is sacrifice of 
“good works’ "that is, works of beneficence, ] 

ἽΝ. Obey them that have the rule over you 
—Trust your leaders, τοῖς ἡγουμένοις. (See on 


Phil. 4. 18: chap. 6. 10.— a Phil. 2. 29; | 


[The fruit of 


| 


b Or, que —c Ezek. 3. 17; 33, 2, 7; Acts 20. . 26, bs 
d Rom, 80: Eph. 6. 19: Col. 1 Thess. ὃ. 25; 2 Thess. 
B; Μὲ coal ‘Acts 2.1: 2h δ: 2 tide δι 12, SJ P hilem, 22. 
g Rom, 15. 33; 1 Thess, 5, 2 Acts 2. 

Cor, 


24, a Rom. ἡ, 24: 
8. 11; Δ ΟΕ 6. 14: 15 155 2 4. 14; “Gal. 1. ΤΡ ΘΟ 5. 133 
1 Thess, αν 1 Pet 1.3). 


verse 7.) In the former verse the apostle exhorts 
them to remember those who had been their lead- 
ers, and to imitate their faith; in this he exhorts 
them to obey the leaders they now have, and to 
submit to their authority in all matters of doctrine 
and discipline, on the gr ‘ound that they watched for 
their soils, and should have to give an account of 
their [of those over whom they watched] conduct 
to God. Τῇ this conduct were improper, they must 
give their report before the great tribunal with 
grief, but it must be given; if holy and pure, they 
would give it in with joy. It is an awful consid- 
eration that many pastors, who had loved their 
flocks as their own souls, shall be obliged to accuse 
them before God for either having rejected or 
neglected the great salvation. 

18. Pray for us—|Here, as elsewhere, it is not 
to be supposed that the first person plural indicates 
the writer alone.—<A/ford.| Even the success of 
apostles depended, in a certain way, on the prayers 
of the Church. Few Christian congregations feel, 
as they ought, that it is their bounden duty to pray 
for the success of the Gospel, both among them- 
selves andin the world. The Church is weak, dark, 
poor, and imperfect, because it prays little. We 
trust we have a good conscience—We are per- 
suaded that we have a conscience that not only ae- 
quits us of all fraud and sinister design, but assures 
us that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have 
laboured to promote the welfare of you and of all 
mankind. {This appears to point at some offence 
of the same kind as we know to have been taken at 
the life and teachings of St. Paul with reference to 
the law and Jewish customs. —Aljord.| Tolive 
honestly—'Ev πᾶσιν καλῶς θέλοντες ἀναστρέφεσθαι, 
willing in all things to conduct ourselves well—to 
behave with decency and propriety. 

19. The rather to do this—That is, pray for 
us, that, being enabled to complete the work which 
God has given us here to do, we may be the sooner 
enabled to visit you. It is evident from this, that 
the people to whom this epistle was written knew 
well who was the author of it; nor does there ap- 
pear, in any place, any design in the writer to con- 
ceal his name ; and how the epistle came to Jack a 
name it is impossible to say. <A part of the begin- 
ning may have been lost, as it not only begins 
without a name, but begins very abruptly. 

20. Now the God of peace—We have often 
seen that “peace” among the Hebrews signifies 
prosperity of every kind. ‘ The God of peace” is 
the same as the God of all blessedness, who has at 
his disposal all temporal and eternal good; who 
loves mankind, and has provided them a complete 
salvation. Brought again from the dead our 
Lord—As our Lord’s sacrificial death is considered 

455 


A. M. 4967, A. D. 63. 
Year of Rome, 816, 


HEBREWS. 


Paul’s final prayers and 
injunctions. 


our Lord Jesus, ‘that great Shepherd of the 
sheep, «through the blood of the everlasting 
leovenant, ΦΙ͂ ™Make you perfect in every 
good work to do his will, °° working in you 
that which is well pleasing in his sight, through 
Jesus Christ; pto whom be glory forever and 
ever. Amen. 22 And I beseech you, breth- 


ren, suffer the word of exhortation: for 41 
have written a letter unto you in few words. 
23 Know ye that‘ owr brother Timothy ‘is set 
at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will 
see you. 24 Salute all them ‘that have the 
rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy 
salute you. 28 "Grace be with you all. Amen. 


iIsa. 40. 11; Ezek, 31. 23; 87. 24; John 10. 11, 14: 1 Pet. 2 
25; 4. 4. k Zech. 9. 11; chap. 10. 29. ἐν, testument. 
m 2 Thess. 2. 17; 1 Pet. d. 10. 


nOr, doing.—o Phil. 2. 13.—p Gal. 1. 5; 2 Tim. 4. 18: 
Rev. 1. 6.-—q 1 Pet. 5. 12.—r'1 Thess. 3. 2.-—s1 Tim. 6. 12. 
——1t Verses 7, 17.—w Tit. 3. 18. 


as an atonement offered to the divine justice, God’s 
acceptance of it as an atonement is signified by his 
raising the human nature of Christ from the dead ; 
and hence this raising of Christ is, with the utmost 
propriety, attributed to God the Father, as this 
proves his acceptance of the sacrificial offering. 
That great Shepherd of the sheep—This is a title 
of our blessed Lord, given to him by the prophets. 
(Isa. xl, 11; Ezek. xxxiv, 23; Zech. xiii, 7.) In all 
these places the term “shepherd” is supposed to 
belong to our blessed Lord; and he appropriates it 
to himself, (John x, 11,) by calling himself the good 
Shepherd, who lays doun his life for the sheep. 
Through the blood of the everlasting cove- 
nant —Some understand this in the following way: 
that “God brought back our Lord from the dead 
on account of his having shed his blood to procure 
the everlasting covenant.” Others, (and _better,) 
that “the Lord Jesus became the great Shepherd 
and Saviour of the sheep by shedding his blood to 
procure and ratify the everlasting covenant.” [Or 
the whole verse may be translated: ] “ Now the God 
of peace, who brought again from the dead our 
Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of- the sheep, 
make you, through the blood of the everlasting 
covenant, perfect in every good work to do his 
will.” The Christian system is termed the “ ever- 
lasting covenant,” to distinguish it from the tempo- 
rary covenant made with the Israelites at Mount 
Sinai; and to show that it is the last dispensation 
of grace to the world, and shall endure to the end 
of time. 

21. Make you perfect—Karaprica: ὑμᾶς, put 
you completely in joint. (See on 2 Cor. xiii, 9.) 
They were to do the will of God in every good 
work, from God working in them that which is well 
pleasing in his sight. 1) This necessarily implies 
a complete change in the whole soul, that God 
may be well pleased with whatsoever he sees in it; 
and this supposes its being cleansed from all sin. 
2) This complete inward purity is to produce an 
outward conformity to God’s will, so they were to 
be made perfect in every good work. 3) The 
perfection within and the perfection without were to 
be produced by the blood of the everlasting covenant ; 
for although God is love, yet it is not according to 
the economy of his grace to communicate any good 
to mankind but through his Son, and through him 
as having died for our offences. To whom be 
glory forever—As God does all in, by, and through 
Christ Jesus, to him be the honour of his own work 
ascribed through time and eternity. Amen. 

22. Suffer the word of exhortation—Bear 
the word or doctrine of this “exhortation.” This 
seems to include this whole epistle; and as the 
apostle had in it shown the insufficiency of the 
Levitical system to atone for sinand save the soul; 
and had proved that it was the design of God that 
it should be abolished ; and had proved also that it 
was now abolished by the coming of Christ, whom 

456 


he had shown to be a greater priest than Aaron, 
higher than all the angels, the only Son of God, and 
the Creator, Governor, and Judge of all; and that 
their city was shortly to be destroyed ; he might 
suppose that they would feel prejudiced against 
him, and thus lose the benefit of his kind inten- 
tions toward them; therefore he entreats them to 
bear the exhortation which, notwithstanding the 
great extent of the subject, he had included in a 
short compass. I have written a letter unto 
you in few words—Perhaps it would be better to 
translate διὰ βραχέων ἐπέστειλα ὑμῖν, 1 have written 
to you briefly, as ἐπιστέλλειν often signifies simply 
to write,and this appears to be its meaning here. 

23. Know ye that our brother Timothy— 
The word ἡμῶν, our, which is supplied by our 
translators, is very probably genuine; [and it is 
now generally accepted.] Is set at liberty— 
᾿Απολελυμένον, is sent away ; for there is no evi- 
dence that Timothy had been imprisoned. It is 
probable that the apostle refers here to his being 
sent into Macedonia, (Phil. ii, 19-24,) in order that 
he might bring the apostle an account of the 
affairs of the Church in that country. In none of 
St. Paul’s epistles, written during his confinement 
in Rome, does he give any intimation of Timothy’s 
imprisonment, although it is probable (Phil. i, J, 
Col. i, 1, Philem. 1) that he was with Paul during 
the greater part of the time. With whom, if 
he come shortly, I will see you—Tlerefore 
Paul himself, or the writer of this epistle, was now 
at liberty, as he had the disposal of his person and 
time in his own power. 

24. Salute all them that have the rule over 
you—Sualute all your leaders or guides, τοῦς ἡγου- 
μένους ὑμῶν. See on verses 7 and 17. And all the 
saints—All the Christians ; for this is the general 
meaning of the term. Buta Christian was then a 
saint, that is, by profession a holy person; and most 
of the primitive Christians were actually such. But 
in process of time the term was applied to all that 
bore the Christian name; as elect, holy people, 
sanctified, ete., were to the nation of the Jews, 
when both their piety and morality were at a very 
low ebb. They of Italy salute you—Therefore 
it is most likely that the writer of this epistle was 
then in some part of Italy, from which he had not 
as yet removed after his being released from 
prison. These salutations show what a brotherly 
feeling existed in every part of the Christian 
Church: even those who had not seen each other 
yet loved one another, and felt deeply interested 
for each other’s welfare. 

25. Grace be with you all—May the divine 
favour ever rest upon you and among you; and 
may you receive, from that source of all good, 
whatsoever is calculated to make you wise, holy, 
useful, and happy! And may you be enabled to 
persevere in the truth to the end of your lives! 
Amen. 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


JAMES. 


THE PERSON OF THE WRITER. 


HE author styles himself “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus 
Christ.” (Chapter i, 1.) There were among the apostles two persons of 
the name of James: one the son of Zebedee, and brother of John, (Matt. x, 2, 
Mark iii, 17, Luke vi, 14, Acts xli, 2;) the other the son of Alpheus, (Matt. x, 3, 
Mark iii, 18, Luke vi, 15,) called also “James the Less,” in Mark xv, 40. The first 
of these (the son of Zebedee) was put to death by Herod about twelve years after 
the crucifixion of Christ. (Acts xii, 1,2.) It is by no means likely that he was 
the author of the epistle. After his death we find, in the history in the Acts, 
and also in Galatians ii, 9, and 1 Cor. Xv, 7, ἃ very prominent man among the 
apostles by the name of James, and it has been greatly disputed whether he is one 
of the twelve apostles, the son of Alpheus, called also James the Less, or one of 
the brothers of Christ, called James, mentioned in Matt. xiii, 55, and Mark Vi, a 
In Galatians i, 19, Paul mentions having seen at Jerusalem James, the Lord’s 
brother. 

Luke mentions only two persons by the name of James, one of whom he puts 
among the twelve apostles, and associates him with John, (chapter vi, 14, ix, 
28, 54,) and whom he ealls the son of Zebedee, (chapter v, 10;) the other, James 
the son of Alpheus, whom he also mentions as one of the twelve apostles. (Chap- 
ter vi, 15.) Ue names among the apostles Judas the brother of James, (chapter 
vi, 16;) and mentions Mary the mother of James in chapter xxiv, 10. This 
James is, doubtless, [perhaps,] the apostle who was the son of Alpheus. 

- In the Acts of the Apostles we find, in the list of the apostles who assembled 
in the upper room in Jerusalem after the ascension of Christ, James associated 
with Peter and John, and James the son of Alpheus. (Chapter i, 13.) We next 
find mention of both in Acts xii, where it is stated that Herod killed James the 
brother of John with the sword; and when, a little while after, Peter was released 
from prison, he said, “ Go show these things unto James and to the brethren.” 
This, it has been supposed, was the surviving apostle of that name. 

In the assembly of apostles and elders at Jerusalem, a few years later, James, 
after Peter, addressed the assembly and gave the decision, which seems to imply, 
[but does not prove,] that he was certainly an apostle, and perhaps the recognised 
head of the assembly. When Paul visited Jerusalem, (about A.D. 38,) he tells us: 
“Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother,” (Gal. i, 19,) 


which includes the James who was known as “ the Lord’s brother” among the 
457 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 


ὌΝ ee SS σοι 


apostles, and by that title he was distinguished from James the son of Zebedee, 
who was then living. After the death of the latter, Paul mentions James without 
any other designation. (1 Cor. xv, 7, Gal. ii, 9.) According to Hegesippus, Clopas 
was the brother of Joseph, (husband of the mother of our Lord.) In John xix, 25, 
Mary, the sister of the mother of Jesus, is called the wife of Clopas; but Clopas 
and Alpheus are regarded as two different ways of writing in Greek the Hebrew 
Chalephay, so that James the son of Alpheus is the son of Clopas, and accordingly 
a cousin of Christ. That an apostle thus nearly related to Christ should be called 
his brother is not contrary to the confessed use of the language of Scripture. 

Hegesippus, in the last half of the second century, speaks of James the brother 
of the Lord, called “the Just,” who received with the apostles the government of 
the Church in Jerusalem, and suffered martyrdom before the destruction of the 
city. 16 does not state whether this James was an apostle. Also Josephus 
mentions James the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, and his martyrdom. 

In the “Gospel according to the Hebrews” James the Just appears as one of 
those who sat at the table with the Lord before his crucifixion, and to whom he 
appeared after his resurrection. In a fragment of Papias, Mary, the wife of 
Clopas or Alpheus, appears as the mother of James, bishop and apostle. Clement 
of Alexandria regarded James the Just, bishop of Jerusalem, as an apostle. This 
also appears to have been the view of Jerome, and of Chrysostom. On the other 
hand, Origen distinguishes James the brother of the Lord, (Matt. xili, 55,) 
afterward bishop of Jerusalem, from James the Less, an apostle. 

Among the moderns, Bleek regards James the brother of the Lord as no 
apostle, (which view is favoured by Neander, De Wette, and Hilgenfeld,) while, 
on the other hand, Hug regards James the brother of the Lord and James the son 
of Alpheus as the same person who is placed among the brothers of Jesus in Matt. 
xiii, 55. Michaelis, on the other hand, remarks: ‘All things considered, I see 
no ground for the assertion that James the son of Zebedee was not the author of 
this epistle. One circumstance affords, at least, a presumptive argument in favour 
of the opinion that it was really written by the elder James, and at a time when 
the Gospel had not been propagated among the Gentiles; namely, that it con- 
tains no exhortations to harmony between the Jewish and Gentile converts, which, 
after the time that the Gentiles were admitted into the Church, became absolutely 
necessary. Had it been written after the apostolic council at Jerusalem, mentioned 
Acts xv,and by the younger James, we might have expected that at least some 
allusion would be made in it to the decree of that council, which was propounded 
by the younger James in favour of the Gentile converts; and that the epistle 
would contain an admonition to the Jewish converts to consider the Gentile 
converts as their brethren.”—Jntroduction to the New Testament. ἢ 

[Modern critics are agreed, with almost entire unanimity, that “James the 
brother of our Lord,” who seems to have been recognised as the chief minister of 
the Church at Jerusalem, was the author of this epistle, but they are not so agreed 
in respect to who that person was; whether he were the son of Alpheus, one of the 
twelve commonly known as James the Less, or whether he were really the uterine 
brother of our Lord. Canon Farrar, in his recent work on the “Early Days of 
Christianity,” decidedly favours the latter view, and fortifies his position by both 
strong and plausible arguments. The notion of the perpetual virginity of Mary 
he dismisses as a suggestion of the asceticism that grew up in the Church during 
the first centuries, which has been perpetuated through the joint influences of the 


superstition and the ecclesiasticism of the Church of Rome. The plea that the 
458 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 


term “brother” is used in the Bible for other than the children of a common 
parentage is not denied, but such a use of the term is declared to have been not 
frequent, and only when that more remote relation was clearly indicated. As 
applied to James, it is insisted that it can be legitimately interpreted in no other 
than the proper and stronger sense. The testimony of the Church Fathers, before 
the time of Jerome, in the fourth century, is claimed to be decidedly in favour of 
this view of the subject, while Jerome’s theory of the more remote relationship 
of the James of Jerusalem to our Lord is shown to have been invented by that 
Father to serve dogmatical rather than historical purposes. | 


GENUINENESS AND CANONICITY. 


Though it has not the same uniform authority of antiquity that is possessed by 
most other portions of the New Testament, this epistle, is nevertheless, sustained 
by some of the earliest Fathers and other authorities. It is found in the Peshito- 
Syriac Version, where it bears the inscription, “The Epistle of James the 
Apostle.” It is also found in the Memphitic, Thebaic, A{thiopic, and Armenian 
Versions, but is wanting in the Canon of Muratori. There seems to be some 
reference to it in the Epistle of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, and clearly 
so in the “ Pastor” of Hermas. Irenzeus quotes a passage from the second chap- 
ter, but Clement of Alexandria does not refer to it, nor Tertullian, nor Cyprian. 
Origen quotes from it as “the epistle that bears the name of James,” but in his 
commentary on the epistle to the Romans, (which, however, exists only in the 
Latin version of Rufinus, which is confessedly freely interpolated,) the epistle of 
James is twice quoted. 

Eusebius, speaking of James, remarks: “The first of the epistles called Catholic 
is said to be his. But it must be known that it is spurious, (νοθεύεται.) since not 
many of the ancients have mentioned it; nor that called the epistle of Jude, which 
is also one of the seven called Catholic. Nevertheless, we know that these also, 
with the rest, are received as canonical in most Churches.” In another place he 
puts it among the disputed writings. 

Jerome, speaking of James, bishop of Jerusalem, whom he considers to be the 
cousin of Christ, says: ‘“ He wrote only one epistle, which belongs to the seven 
Catholic epistles, and which is asserted to have been put forth by some one else 
under his name, but has gradually obtained authority in the course of time.” 

Didymus, who was head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria in the last 
part of the fourth century, wrote an exposition of this epistle, which he attributed 
to the apostle James. It was received by Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzen, 
Cyril of Jernsalem, Chrysostom, Augustine, and Epiphanius, but was rejected by 
Theodore of Mopsuestia. 

At the time of the Reformation Erasmus spoke of it doubtfully, and Luther 
is known to have treated it as of but little value, not, however, for any lack of 
authorization, but for dogmatic reasons. The internal evidence is decidedly 
favourable to its genuineness. Its canonicity was not universally accepted by the 
early Church, though the later Fathers pretty generally accepted it, and it 
appears in most Versions made after the second century. At length it was 
received into the canon by ecclesiastical authority, and it is now generally 
accepted by both Catholics and Protestants, though some scholars still account 
it of uncertain authority. The excellence of its practical teachings is universally 
conceded. 

459 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 


TIME. 


Many expressions and references in the epistle make it pretty certain that it 
was written before the destruction of Jerusalem. It also seems to indicate that 
Christianity had already been in existence for a considerable number of years, and 
was calling for instruction in practical duties, and for reproofs for remissness. 
The fact that the Christians’ place of worship is called a synagogue (chap ii, 2) 
proves nothing as to the non-separation of the Jewish believers from the unbe- 
lievers, for among the Greeks the assembly of Christians for worship was called 
by the name of the political assemblies at Athens, ecclesia. It would seem from 
a comparison of all the evidence that can be made to bear upon the case, that 
the epistle could not have been written earlier than A. D. 50, nor later than 
A. Ὁ. 62. See Harman’s Introduction. 

If written by James the son of Zebedee, its date, of course, must precede that 
of his martyrdom, about A. D. 44. If, on the other hand, it be ascribed to James 
the Less, who was martyred about A. D. 62, its date may be brought down to 
nearly that time. The year 61 is accepted in this work as its date, though the 
probabilities of a much earlier, as well as that it is the work of an unknown author, 
are not to be summarily rejected. 


CHARACTER AND CONTENTS. 


The epistle itself is quite different in its complexion from all others in the 
sacred canon: the style and manner are more that of a Jewish prophet than a 
Christian apostle. It scarcely touches on any subject purely Christian. Our 
blessed Lord is only mentioned twice in it, (chapter i, 1, 11, 1;) but it has nothing 
of his miracles or teaching, of his death or resurrection, nor of any redemption 
by him. It begins without any apostolical salutation, and ends without any 
apostolical benediction. In short, had it not been for the two slight notices of 
our blessed Lord, we had not known it was the work of any Christian writer. It 
may be considered a sort of connecting link between Judaism and Christianity, 
as the ministry of John Baptist was between the old covenant and the new, 
There is neither plan nor arrangement in it; but it contains many invaluable 


lessons which no serious person can read without profit, 
460 


THE GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


JAMES. 


f CHAPTER I. 
Y AMES, *4 *servant of God and of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, «to the twelve tribes ἃ which 
are scattered abroad, greeting. 2 My brethren, 


ecount it all joy ‘when ye fall into divers 
temptations; τ Knowing this, that the try- 
ing of your faith worketh patience. 4 But 
let patience have her perfect work, that ye 


a Acts 12. 17; 15. 13: Gal. 1.19; 2. 9; Jude 1, —) Tit. 1.1. | 1 Pet. 1. 1.—e Matt. 5. 12: Acts5. 41; Heb. 10. 34; 1 Pet. 4, 
—c Acts 26. 7.— d Deut. ΗΝ 26; John 7. 39% Acts 2 δ». 8. ἰ: 13, 16.— 71 Pet. 1 6. = Rom. 5. 3. 
NOTES ON CHAPTER I salem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under 


1, Tames, a servant of God — See the pref- 
ace. He neither calls himself an apostle, nor does 
he say that he was the brother of Christ, or bishop 
of Jerusalem; whether he was James the elder, 
son of Zebedee, or James the less, or he who was 
called our Lord’s brother, or some other person, 
we know not. The Church has always received 
him as an apostle of Christ. Tothe twelve tribes 
... Scattered abroad—To the Jews converted 
to Christianity who lived out of Judea, and so- 
journed among the Gentiles. At this time there 
were Jews partly ¢ravelling, partly sojourning, and 
partly resident in most parts of the civilized world; 
particularly in Asia, Greece, Egypt, and Italy. I 
see no reason for restricting it to those Jewish be- 
lievers who were scattered abroad at the persecu- 
tion raised concerning Stephen. (Acts viii, 1, ete. ; 
xi, 19, ete.) That the twelve tribes were in actual 
existence when James wrote this epistle, Dr. Mac- 
knight thinks is evident from [various references in 
the New Testament. (See Acts xxvi, 7.)] Though 
Cyrus allowed all the Jews in his dominions to re- 
turn to their own land, yet many of them did not 
return. This happened agreeably to God’s purpose 
in permitting them to be carried captive into As- 
syria and Babylonia; for he intended to make him- 
self known among the heathen by means of the 
knowledge of his being and perfections which the 
Jews, in their dispersion, would communicate to 
them. This also was the reason that God determined 
that the ten tribes should never return to their own 
land. (Hos. i, 6; viii, 8; ix, 3, 15-17.) Compara- 
tively few of the twelve tribes returned in conse- 
quence of Cyrus’s decree, but continued to live 
among the Gentiles, as appears from the fact that 
in the days of Ahasuerus, one of the successors of 
Cyrus, it was said, ‘ There is a certain people scat- 
tered abroad and dispersed among the people in all 
the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are 
diverse from all people ; neither keep they the 
king’s laws.” (Esther iii, 8.) By thus adhering to 
their ow n usages they kept themselves distinct from 
all the nations among whom they lived. [So, also, 
in connexion with the transactions of the day of 
pentecost it is said: “ There were dwelling at Jeru- 


Ge 


heaven; .. . Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,” 
etc. ; (Acts ii, 5—-9,) so that the Jews were then widely 
dispersed through all the countries of the world.] 
When Paul travelled through Asia and Europe, he 
found the Jews so numerous that in all the noted 
cities of the Gentiles they had synagogues in which 
they assembled for the worship of God, and were 
joined by multitudes of proselytes from among the 
heathens, to whom likewise he preached the Gos- 
pel. The same apostle, in his speech to King 
Agrippa, affirmed that the twelve tribes were then 
existing, and that they served God day and night, 
in expectation of the promise made to the fathers. 
(Acts xxvi, 6.). Josephus (An. i, 14, cap. 12) 
tells us that one region could not contain the Jews, 
but they dwelt in most of the flourishing cities of 
Asia and Europe, in the islands and continent, 
not much less in number than the heathen inhabi- 
tants. From all this it is evident that the Jews of 
the dispersion were more numerous than even the 
Jews in Judea, and that James very properly in- 
scribed this letter to the twelve tribes that were in 
dispersion, seeing the twelve tribes really existed 
then, and do still exist, although not distinguished 
by separate habitations, as they were anciently in 
their own land. Greeting — Χαίρειν, health; a 
mere expression of benevolence, a wish for their 
prosperity; a common form of salutation. (See 
Acts xv, 23; xxiii, 26; 2 John 11.) 

2. Divers temptations—The word πειρασμοῖς, 
which we.translate “ temptation,” signifies affliction, 
persecution, or trial of any kind; and in this sense 
it is used here, not intending diabolie suggestion 
only, or what is generaily understood by the word 
temptation. 

3. The trying of your faith—[T0 doxiov, the 
proving.| Trials put religion, and all the graces of 
which it is composed, to proof ; the man that stands 
in such trials gives proof that his religion is sound, 
and the evidence afforded to his own mind induces 
him to take courage, bear patiently, and persevere. 
[Δοκίμεον must be taken here as abstract, “ the 
proving,” not as concrete, the “medium of proof,” 
namely, the temptations.—/ford. | 

4. Let patience have her perfect work— 

461 


A, 4065. A. Ὁ. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


JAMES. 


Stability of religious character 
enjoined. : 


may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 
5 "ff any of you lack wisdom, 'let him ask of 
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up- 
braideth not; and *it shall be given him. 
6 'But let him ask in faith, nothing waver- 
ing: for he that wavereth is like a wave of 
the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 
7 For let. not that man think that he shall 
receive any thing of the Lord. & ™A doub- 
eminded man (8 unstable in all his ways. 


9. Let the brother of low degree "rejoice in 
that he is exalted: 80 But the rich, in that 
he is made low: because °as the flower of the 
erass he shall pass away. I For the sun is 
no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it 
withereth the grass, and the flower thereof 
falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it per- 
isheth: so also shall the rich man fade away 
in his ways. 4&2 r Blessed zs the man that 
endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he 


h1 Kings 3. 9, 11, 12: Prov. 2. 3.—7z Matt. 7.7; 21.22; Mark 
11. 24; Luke 11. 9; John 14. 13; 15 7: 16. 23.—ZA Jer. 29, 12; 
1 John ὃ. 14, 18. i Mark 11. 24; 1 Tim, 2. 8.—m Chap. 4. 8. 


That is, Continue faithful, and your patience will 
be crowned with its full reward; for in this sense 
is ἔργον, which we translate “work,” to be under- 
stood. It is any effect produced by a cause, as in- 
terest from money, fruit from tillage, gain from 
labour, a reward for services performed; the 
“perfect work ” secures the full reward. [The words 
are to be taken simply and literally : ὑπομονὴ, ( pa- 
tience,) as the abstract endurance; and épyov, the 
work wrought out by patience in its continuance. — 
Alford.| That ye may be perfect and entire— 
Τέλειοι, fully instructed in every part of the doc- 
trine of God, and in his whole will concerning you. 
‘OA6KAnpot, having all your parts, members, and 
portions ; that ye may have every grace which con- 
stitutes the mind that was in Christ, so that your 
knowledge and holiness may be complete, and bear a 
proper proportion to each other. These expressions 
seem to be borrowed from the sacrifices under the 
law. A victim was τέλειος, perfect, that was perfectly 
sound, having no disease; it was ὁλόκληρος, entire, 
if it had all its members, having nothing redundant. 
nothing deficient. Be ye to the Lord what he re- 
quired his sacrifices to be; let vour whole heart, 
your body, soul, and spirit, be sanctified to the Lord 
of hosts, that he may fill you with all his fulness. 

5. If any of you lack wisdom—Wisdom sig- 
nifies in general knowledge of the best end, and the 
best means of attaining it; but in Scripture it sig- 
nifies the same as true religion, the thorough, prae- 
tical knowledge of God, of one’s self, and of a Sav- 
iour. Let him ask of God—Because God is the 
only teacher of this wisdom. That giveth to all 
men liberally—Who has all good, and gives all 
necessary good to every one that asks fervently. 
He who does not ask thus does not feel his need of 
divine teaching. [It is one of the privileges of 
Christians that they may not only go to God and 
ask him for that general wisdom which is needful 
for them in life, but that whenever a particular 
emergency arises—a case of perplexity and difficulty 
in regard to duty—they may bring that particular 
thing before the throne with the assurance that he 
will guide them. (See Psa. xxv, 9; Isa. xxxvii, 14; 
Joel ii, 17.) —Barnes. | 

ὁ. Let him ask in faith—Believinge that God 
is ; that he has all good; and that he is ever ready 
to impart to his creatures whatever they need. 
Nothing wavering — Μηδὲν διακρινόμενος, not 
judging; having no doubt, and never supposing 
that God will permit him to ask in vain when he 
asks sincerely and fervently. [To waver is not the 
same as to disbelieve, but it includes the essential 
character of wnbelief. While faith says yrs, and 
unbelief No, fo waver is the mixture of “ yes ” and 
“no,” but so that zo is the weightier. It is that 
en ene way which leans not to faith, but to 


n Or, glory.—o Job 14. 2; Psa. 37. 2; 90. 5,6: 102. 11: 103, 
3 Isa. 40. 6; 1 Cor. 7. 31; chap. 4. 14; 1 Pet. 1. 24; 1 John 
2.17. p Job d. 17; Prov. 3. 11,12; Heb. 12. 5; Rev. 3. 19. 


unfaith.—Huther.] Is like a wave of the sea 
—He is ina state of continual agitation, as a thing 
driven by the wind, and tossed; now rising by 
hope, now sinking by despair. 

7. Let not that man think — The man whose 
mind is divided, who is not properly persuaded 
either of his own wants or God’s sufficiency. Such 
persons may pray, but, having no faith, they can get 
no answer. 

8. A doubleminded man— Ar7p δίψυχος. The 
man of two souls, who has one for earth and an- 
other for heaven; who wishes to secure )oth 
worlds; he will not give up earth, and he is loth to 
let go heaven. This was a usual term among the 
Jews, to express the man who attempted to wor- 
ship God, and yet retained the love of the creature. 
A man of this character is continually distracted ; 
he will neither let earth nor heaven go, and yet he 
can have but one. [This dowblemindedness, διψυχία, 
is the result of using human reason as a governing 
element in the practical exercise of faith. Faith 
sees God; reason, only nature, or, at best, only 
God within nature. | 

9. Let the brother of low degree—The poor, 
destitute Christian may g/ory in the cross of Christ, 
and the blessed hope Jaid up for him in heaven ; 
for, being a child of God, he is an heir of God, and 
a joint heir with Christ; he is ἐν τῷ ὕψει, among 
the highest. 

10. But the rich, in that he is made low— 
Ἔν τῇ ταπεινώσει, in his humiliation; in his being 
brought to the foot of the cross to receive, as a poor 
and miserable sinner, redemption through the blood 
of the cross: and especially let him rejoice in this, 
because all outward glory is only as the flower of 
the field, and, like that, will wither and perish. 
(Jer. ix, 24.) 

11. For the sun is no sooner risen—This is 
unavoidable, for in many cases the very cause of 
their growth becomes the cause of their decay and 
destruction. Earthly possessions are subject to 
mutations. God gives and resumes’ them at his 
pleasure, and for reasons which he seldom explains. 
He shows them to be uncertain, that they may 
never become an object of confidence to his fol- 
lowers, and that they may put their whole trust in 
him. If for righteousness’ sake any of those who 
were in affluence suffer loss, or spoiling of their 
goods, they should consider that, while they have 
gained that of infinite worth, they have lost what is 
of but little value, and with which, in the nature of 
things, they must soon part. 

12. Blessed is the man that endureth temp- 
tation—This is a Jewish sentiment, and on it they 
speak some excellent things: ‘ Blessed is the man 
who stands in his temptation: for there is no man 
whom God does not fry. He tries the rich, to see 


Source and work of successful 
temptation, 


shall receive 4the crown of life, "which the 
Lord hath promised to them that love him. 
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am 
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted 
with ‘evil, neither tempteth he any man: 
14 But every man is tempted, when he is 


@1Cor, 9. 25; 2 Tim. 4. 8; chap. 2. 5; 1 Pet. 5. 4; Rev. 2. 10.----- 


7 Matt. 10. 22; 19. 28, 29; chap, 2, ὅ. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4965. A.D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
15 Then ‘ when lust hath conceived, it bring- 
eth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, 
*bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my 
beloved brethren. 4% vEvery good gift and 
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh 
EE EG eT ORS RSA τυ 


8 Or, evils.—t Job 15. 35: Psa. 7. 14.72 Rom. 6, 21. 23.— 
© Jobn ὃ. 27; 1 Cor. 4. 7. 


if they will open their hands to the poor. He tries 
the poor, to see if they will receive affliction and 
not murmur. 
temptation, and give alms to the poor, he shall en- 
Joy his riches in this world, and his horn shall be 
exalted in the world to come, and the holy, blessed 
God shall deliver him from the punishment of hell, 
If the poor stand in his temptation, and do not re- 
pine, (kick back,) he shall have double in the world 
to come.” This is exactly the sentiment of James. 


Every man is in this life in a state of temptation or 
trial, and in this state he is a candidate for another 


and a better world; he that stands in his trial shall 
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath prom- 


ised to them that love him. It is only faith in God 
(tempered with Jove) that can enable ἃ man to en- 


dure the trials of life. [No image derived from 


athletes must be thouglit of in this verse, as is done 


by many. Such an image would be foreign to the 
ideas of the Jews, with whom the receiving a crown 


from God was a familiar image, irrespective of any 


previous contest for a prize. 
Wisd. v, 16.)—A/ford.] 

13. Let no man say—Lest the former senti- 
ment should be misapplied, as the word temptation 
has two meanings, solicitation to sin and trial from 
providential situation or circumstances, James, tak- 


(See Psa. xxi, 3; 


ing up the word in the former sense after having 


used it in the latter, says: “ Let no man say, when 
he is tempted,” (solicited to sin,) “I am tempted 
of God;” for God cannot be tempted with evil, 
“neither tempteth he (thus) any man.” Thus the 
author has explained and guarded his meaning. 

14. But every man is tempted—Successfully 
solicited to sin. When he is drawn away of his 
own lust—When, giving way to the evil propensity 
of his own heart, he does that to which he is so- 
licited by the enemy of his soul. Among the rab- 
bins we find some fine Sayings on this subject. In 
Midrash hanaalam, fol. 20, and Yuleut Rubeni, 
fol. 17, it is said: “This is the custom of evil con- 
cupiscence. To-day it saith, Do this; to-morrow, 
Worship an idol. The man’ goes and worships. 
Again it saith, Be angry.” “ Evil concupiscence 
is, at the beginning, like the thread of a spider’s 
web; afterward it is like a cartrope.” — Sanhe- 
drim, fol. 99. In the words, “drawn away of his 
own lust and enticed,” ὑπὸ τῆς ἐδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἐξελ. 
κόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος, there is a double meta- 
phor; the first referring to the dragging a fish out 
of the water by a hook which it had swallowed, be- 
cause concealed by a bait; the second, to the entice- 
ments of impure women, who draw away the un- 
wary into their snares, and involve them in their 
ruin. Illicit connexions of this kind the writer has 
clearly in view ; and every word that he uses re- 
fers to something of this nature, as the following 
verse shows. [In each case, and in every form, the 
power of the temptation is laid in some propensity 
of our nature. ... The word rendered “Just ” (ἐπε- 
θυμία) is not employed here in the narrow sense in 
which it is now commonly used, as denoting libid- 


If, therefore, the rich stand in his 


inousness. It means desire in general, and ear- 
nest wish for any thing, (but usually within the 
range of the appetites.) It seems here to be used 
with reference to the original (innate) propensities 
of our nature, the desires implanted in us, which 
are a stimulus to employment.— Barnes. | 

15. When lust hath conceived — When the 
evil propensity works unchecked. It bringeth 
forth sin—the evil act is perpetrated. And sin, 
when it is finished — When this breach of the 
law of God and of innocence has been completed. 
Bringeth forth death — The deformed offspring 
of the criminal connexion, and the evidence of that 
death or punishment due to the transgressors. Any 
person acquainted with the import of the verbs cv7- 
λαμβάνειν, τίκτειν, and ἀτοκυεέν, will see that this is 
the metaphor, and that I have not exhausted it. 
Συλλαμβάνω signifies concipio sobolem, que com- 
prehenditur utero; concipio feetum: τέκτω, pario, 
genero, efficio; ἀποκυέω, ex ἀπό et Kha, pregnans 
sum, in utero gero. Verbum proprium pregnan- 
tium, gue fetum maturum emittunt. Interdum 
cliam gignendi notionem habet. — Mats, Obser. 
Sacr., vol. ii, page 184. Sin is a small matter in 
its commencement; but by indulgence it grows 
great, and multiplies itself beyond all calculation. 
To use the rabbinical metaphor, it is, in the com- 
mencement, like the thread of a spider's web—almost 
imperceptible through its extreme tenuity or fine- 
ness, and as easily broken, for it is as yet but a sim- 
ple irregular imagination ; afterward it becomes 
like a cartrope — it has, by being indulged, pro- 
duced strong desire and εἴς light; next, consent, then, 
time, place, and opportunity serving, that which 
was conceived in the mind and jinished in the pur- 
pose, is consummated by act. [The inner act (by 
which sin is conceived) is the union of the will with 
the ἐπεθυμία, the natural impulse ;) the ri«ver (the 
bringing forth) denoting the extension into outward 
act. Then the second or completed ἁμαρτία, (sin,) 
the sinful purpose completed in overt action, with 
its resultant influences, bringing the man uncer 
bondage to sin—this brings forth spiritual and eter- 
nal death.— A/ford.] 

16. Do not err—By supposing that God is the 
author of sin, or that he impels any man to com- 
mit it. 

17. Every good gift and every perfect gift 
is from above—Whatever is good is from God; 
whatever is evil is from man himself. As from 
the sun, which is the father or fountain of light, 
all light comes; so from Gop, who is the infinite 
Fountain, Father, and Source of good, all good 
comes. And whatever can be called “good,” or 
pure, or light, or excellence of any kind, must 
necessarily spring from him, as he is the only 
source of all goodness and perfection. With 
whom is no variableness—The sun, the fountain 
of light to the whole of our system, may be ob- 
seured by clouds; or the different bodies which re- 
volve round him, and particularly the earth, may 
from time to time suffer a diminution of his light 

463 


A.M. 4965. A.D, 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


J AMES. 


On the avoidance of evil and the 
performance of good. 


down from the Father of lights, » with whom 
‘is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 
IS «Of his own will begat he us with the 
word of truth, ¥that we should be a kind of 
zfirstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, 
my beloved brethren, *let every man be swift 
to hear, *slow to speak, «slow to wrath: 


aw Num. 23. 19; 1 Sam, 15, 29; Mal. 3. 6; Rom. 11, 29, —— 
o John 1. 13: 3. 3; 1 Cor. 4. 15; 1 Pet. 1. 23. y Eph, 1. 12. 
zJer. 2. 3; Rev. 14. 4.—a Eccles. 5. 1.—bd Prov. 10. 19; 17. 
27; Eccles, ὅ. 2. 


by the intervention of other bodies eclipsing his 
splendour. But there is nothing of this kind with 
God; he is never affected by the changes and 
chances to which natural things are exposed. By 
reason of the sun’s revolution through the ecliptic, 
its light and heat are, to the inhabitants of the 
earth, either constantly increasing or decreasing: 
but God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, is 
eternally the same, dispensing his good and perfect 
gifts, his earthly and heavenly blessings, to all his 
creatures. Men may hide themselves from his 
light by the works of darkness, but his goodwill 
to his creatures is permanent: he wills not the 
death of a sinner, but rather that he may come un- 
to him and live; and no man walks in wretched- 
ness or misery but he who will not come unto God 
that he may have life. Neither shadow of turn- 
ing—|{The sun has not only its annual but its diur- 
nal solstice. The moon and the stars rise and set 
and leave us in absolute night. But God is in a 
very different sense the Light of the world, a Sun 
that never sets. (Psa, exxxix, 9-12; Job xxxiv, 22.) 
. .. Nowif the heavenly bodies, as the created sym- 
bols of the divine Being of light, are not without 
shadow and night, we get the antithesis that God, 
the Father of the lights, is eternally the same, not 
only per se, (in his own person,) but also in the 
phenomena of these lights; that is to say, He 
makes no revelation with the Old Testament which 
could cast a night-shadow on the New, nor does he 
suffer the New Testament to cast a night-shadow 
on the Old. The Father of lights remains un- 
changed, even in this antithesis.— Lange. | 

18. Of his own will begat he us — God’s 
“will,” here, is opposed to the dust of man, (verse 
15;) his ‘ruth, the means of human salvation, to 
the sinful means referred to in the above verse; 
and the new creatures, to the sin conceived and 
brought forth, as above. As the will of God is es- 
sentially good, all its productions must be good 
also; as it is infinitely pure, all its productions 
must be holy. The word or doctrine of truth, what 
St. Paul calls the word of the truth of the Gospel, (Col. 


i, 5,) is the means which God uses to convert souls.~ 


A kind of firstfruits of his creatures—By “ crea- 
tures,” we are here to understand the Gentiles, and 
by “‘firstfruits,” the Jews to whom the Gospel was 
first sent; and those of them that believed were 
the “firstfruits ” of that astonishing harvest which 
God has since reaped over the whole Gentile world. 
(See on Rom, viii, 19, ete.)* [The spiritual birth, 
not the natural, is meant... . His gracious purpose 
with regard to us(the writer and those particular- 
ly addressed) was, that we should be, ete. ... The 
first Christians, to whom St. James is writing, were 
as the firstborn of the great family, dedicated as 
firstfruits to God.—A/ford. | 

19. Swift to hear —‘Talk little and work 
much,” is a rabbinical adage. The son of Sirach 
Bays, (cap. v, 11,) Tivov ταχὺς ἐν τῇ ἀκρόασει σου, 


20 For the wrath of man worketh not the 
righteousness of God. 28 Wherefore 4 lay 
apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughti- 
ness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted 
word, ¢which is able to save your souls. 
22 But ‘be ye doers of the word, and not 
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

c Prov. 14. 17; 16. 32; Eccles. 7. 9.—d Col, 8. 8; 1 Pet. 2. 1. 
—e Acts 13. 26; Rom. 1. 16; 1 Cor, 15. 2; Eph, 1. 13; Tit. 2. 11; 


Heb, 2.3; 1 Pet. 1. 9.——/ Matt. 7. 21; Luke 6. 46; 11.28; Rom. 
2.13; 1 John 3. 7. 


καὶ ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ φθέγγου axéxpioww; “Be swift to 
hear, and with deep consideration give answer.” 
Slow to wrath—Those who are hasty in speech 
are generally of a peevish or angry disposition. A 
person who is careful to consider what he says is 
not likely to be soon angry. [The reading, as to the 
first particle, is much disputed. The text from 
which our Authorized Version was made had doze, 
(wherefore,) which is sustained by some good au- 
thorities, including Tischendorf, Lachmann, and the 
Codex Sinaiticus. But the preponderance of author- 
ities is in favour of ἔστε, (Know ye, or ye know,) which 
is the reading of Alford, Westcott and Hort, and 
of the other uncial MSS. The sense is substantially 
the same in either case. | 

20. The wrath.of man—A furious zeal in 
matters of religion is detestable in the sight of 
God; he willhave no sacrifice that is not consumed 
by fire from his own altar. The zeal that made the 
Papists persecute and burn the Protestants was 
kindled in hell. This was “the wrath of man,” 
and did not work any righteous act for God ; nor 
was it the means of working righteousness in 
others.; the bad fruit of a bad tree. Worketh 
not—[OvK ἐργάζεται, (doth not work out, make 
efectual,) the righteousness of God, the pur- 
poses of the divine goodness. Intemperate zeal 
serves no good purpose in the kingdom of God. 
(Luke ix, 54-56.)] 

21. All filthiness — Πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν. This 
word, applied to the mind, implies all impure and 
unholy affections, such as those spoken of verse 15, 
which pollute the soul ; it is so used by the best Greek 
writers. Superfluity of naughtiness --- Περισ- 
σείαν κακίας, the overflowing of wickedness. Put all 
these evil dispositions aside, for they blind the soul, 
and render it incapable of receiving any good, even. 
from that ingrafted word of God which otherwise 
would have saved their souls. The ingrafted 
word—That doctrine which has already been 
planted among you, which has brought forth fruit 
in all them that have meekly and humbly received 
it, and is as powerful to save your souls as the souls 
of those who have already believed. I think this 
to be the meaning of ἔμφυτον λόγον, the ingrafted 
word οὐ doctrine. The seed of life had been sown 
in the land; many had received it to their salva- 
tion; others had partially credited it, but not so as 
to produce in them any saving effects. He there- 
fore exhorts them to receive the doctrine of Christ, 
which would be the means of saving them unto 
eternal life. And when those who were Jews, and 
who had been originally planted by God as alto- 
gether a right vine, received the faith of the Gos- 
pel, it is represented as being ingrafted on that 
right stock, the pure knowledge of the true God and 
his holy moral law. This indeed was a good stock 
on which to implant Christianity. 

22. But be ye doers of the word—T[Even the 
word of God, heard and believed, (assented to as 


Nature and fruits of genuine 
religion. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


23 For sif any be a hearer of the word, and 
not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding 
his natural face in a glass: 24 For he be- 
holdeth himself, and goeth his way, and 
straightway forgetteth what manner of man 
he was. 25 But ® whoso looketh into the per- 
fect ‘law of liberty, and continueth therein, he 
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the 


work, «this man shall be blessed in his 1 deed. 
26 If any man among you seem to be relig- 
ious, and ™bridleth not his tongue, but de- 
ceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is 
vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before 
God and the Father is this, °To visit the fa- 
therless and widows in their affliction, °and to 
keep himself unspotted from the world, 


g Luke 6, 47, etc. See chap. 2. 14, etc.—/A2 Cor. 3. 18.— 
ἡ Chap. 2. 12,—é John 13. 17.—/ Or, doing. 


true,) cannot save the sonl without the helpful 
codperation of the soul that is to be saved.] They 
had heard this doctrine ; they had believed it ; but 
they had put it to no practical use. They were 
downright Antinomians, who puta sort of stupid, 
inactive faith in the place of all moral righteous- 
ness. This is sufficiently evident from the second 
chapter. Deceiving your own selves—lIlapa- 
λογιζόμενοι EavTovc, imposing on your own selves by 
sophistical arguments; this is the meaning of the 
words, [The “hearer only” does this when he infers 
that the mere sound of the word received in his 
outward ear will suffice for him.—A/ford. } 

23. Beholding his natural face in a glass— 
This metaphor is at once very simple and very ex- 
pressive, [and its application is very easy.] The 
doctrines of God, faithfully preached, are such a 
mirror; he who hears cannot help discovering his 
own character, and being convinced of his own de- 
formity ; he sorrows, and purposes amendment ; 
but when the preaching is over, the mirror is re- 
moved, and not being careful to examine the 
records of his salvation, the perfect law of liberty, 
(verse 25,) or not continuing to look therein, he soon 
forgets what manner of man he was; or, reposing 
some unscriptural trust in God’s mercy, he reasons 
himself out of the sense of the necessity of repent- 
ance and amendment of life, and thus deceives his 
soul. 

ox 


25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law 
—The word tapakiwac, which we translate “ looketh 
into,” is very emphatic, and signifies that deep and 
attentive consideration given to a thing or subject 
which a man cannot bring up to his eyes, and 
therefore must bend forward, stooping down, that 
he may see it to the greater advantage The “law” 
of liberty must mean the Gospel; it is a law, for it 
imposes obligations from God, and prescribes a rule 
of life; and it punishes transgressors and rewards 
the obedient. It is, nevertheless, a law that gives 
“liberty” from the guilt, power, dominion, and in- 
fluence of sin; and it is “ perfect,” providing a ful- 
ness of salvation for the soul; and it may be called 
“perfect,” here, in opposition to the law which was 
a system of types and representations, of which 
the Gospel is the sum and substance. Some think 
that the word τέλειον, perfect, is added here to sig- 
nify that the whole of the Gospel must be consid- 
ered and received, not a part ; all its threatenings 
with its promises, all its precepts with its privi- 
leges. | The perfeet law, which is of liberty —not the 
Gospel as contrasted with the law, nor the cove- 
nant of faith as more perfect than that of legal 
obedience; but the rule of life as revealed in the 
Gospel, which is (both) perfect and perfecting, but 
not in contrast with the former law, as being not 
perfect and not able to make perfect. .. . This 
whole epistle is founded on this perfect law of 
Christ, more especially on that declaration of it 
contained in the Sermon on the Mount.—<d//ord.] 
Vol. 11.---80, 


m Psa. 34. 13; 39.1: 1 Pet. 3. 19.— Isa. 1. 16, 17: 58. 6, 73 
Matt. 25. 36.—o Rom, 12. 2; chap. 4. 4; 1 John 4, 1s. 


And continueth — Παραμείνας. Takes time to 
see and examine the state of his soul, the grace of 
God, the extent of his duty, and the height of the 
promised glory. He being not a forgetful 
hearer—This seems to be a reference to Deut. 
iv, 9: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy 
soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which 
thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy 
heart all the days of thy life.” [But a doer of the 
work.—'Epyov, an abstract noun, something that 
brings a result with it—A/ford.| [A worker, one 
who not only hears and believes, but also obeys, 
with active service.] Shall be blessed in his 
deed—[ Not by the deed, but in it; the life of (ac- 
tive) obedience is the element (condition) wherein the 
blessedness is found and consists.—<A/ford.] As 
the path of duty is the way of safety, so it is the way 
of happiness; he who obeys God from a loving: 
heart and pure conscience will infallibly find con- 
tinual blessedness. 

26. Seem to be religious—[Jmagines that he is 
religious, θρησκὸς ; one who plumes himself on his 
pretended serving of God... . There is no one word 
in English which gives the exact meaning of θρησκὸς 
and θρησκεία. The words religious and religion were 
formerly used in the sense of outward ceremonial 
worship.—Lange.| Whatever its derivation may 
be, the word is used both to signify true religion 
and superstition, or heterodoxy. See Hesychius, and 
see on verse 27. Bridleth not his tongue—He 
who speaks not according to the oracles of God, 
whatever pretences he makes to religion, only 
shows, by his want of scriptural knowledge, that 
his religionis false, μάταιος, or empty of solid truth, 
profit to others, and of good to himself. Such a 
person should bridle his tongue, put the bit in his 
mouth; and particularly if he be a professed 
teacher of religion. It matters not where he has 
studied, or what else he has learned, if he have not 
learned religion he can never teach it. And re- 
ligion is of such a nature that no man can learn it 
but by experience; he who does not feel the doctrine 
of God to be the power of God to the salvation of 
his soul can neither teach religion nor act accord- 
ing to its dictates. 

27. Pure religion and undefiled—[The two 
adjectives. καθαρὰ... ἀμίαντος, pure and widefiled, 
seem to be used merely to bring out the positive 
and negative sides of purity in the two sides of the 
apodosis, (the result of comparison.) — Alford. | 
St. James's definition rather refers to the effects of 
pure religion than to its nature. The life of God 
in the soul of man, producing love to God and man, 
will show itself in the acts which St. James men- 
tions here. It is “pure” in the principle, for it is 
divine truth and divine love. It is “undefiled” in 
all its operations; it can produce nothing unholy, 
because it ever acts in the sight of God ; and it can 
produce no ungentle word nor unkind act, because 
it comes from the Father. To visit the father- 

465 


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Year of Rome, 814, 


CHAPTER II. 

Y brethren, have not the faith of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, *the Lord of glory, with 
"respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto 
your ‘assembly a man with a gold ring, in 
goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor 
man in vile raiment; % And ye have respect 
to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say 
unto him, Sit thou here 4in a good place; and 


JAMES. 


Cautions against mating 
invidious distinctions, 


say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here 
under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then 
partial in yourselves, and are become judges 
of evil thoughts? & Hearken, my beloved 
brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of 
this world ‘rich in faith, and heirs of &the 
kingdom "which he hath promised to them 
that love him? 6 But 'ye have despised the 
poor. Do not rich men oppress you, - and 


*, 2. 8.-- Lev. 19. 15; Deut. 1. 17; 16. 19: Prov. 24. 


d Or, well, or, seemly.—e John 7. 48; 1 Cor. 1. 26, 28.— 
SJ Luke 12. 21; 1 Tim, 6. 18; Rev. 2. 9. 


σου. that, —h¥Exod 20. 6: 1 Sam. 2. 30: Prov. 8. 17: 
Matt. 5. 3; Luke 6. 20: 12, 32: 1 Cor. 2. 9; 2 Tim. 4. ἃ: chap. 
1. REE Cor. 11. 22.—A Acts 13. 50; 17. 6; 18. 12;-chap. 
ὃ. Ὁ. 


less and widows in their affliction—Works of 
charity and mercy are the proper fruits of religion ; 
and none are more especially the objects of charity 
and mercy than the orphans and widows. False 
religion may perform acts of merey and charity ; 
but its motives not being pure, and its principle 
being defiled, the flesh, self, and hypocrisy spot the 
man, and spot his acts. True religion does not 
merely give something for the relief of the dis- 
tressed, but it visits them, it takes the oversight of 
them, it takes them under its care ; so ἐπεσκέπτεσθαι 
means. It goes to their houses and speaks to their 
hearts; it relieves their wants, sympathizes with 
them in their distresses, instructs them in divine 
things, and commends them to God. And all this 
“it does for the Lord’s sake. This is the religion of 
Christ. The religion that does not prove itself by 
works of charity and mercy is not of God. Reader, 
what religion hast thou? Has thine ever led thee 
to cellars, garrets, cottages, and houses, to find out 
the distressed ? Hast thou ever fed, clothed, and 
visited a destitute representative of Christ ? 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1, My brethren, have not—This verse is by 
some read interrogatively: My brethren, do ye not 
make profession of the faith or religion of our 
glorious Lord Jesus Christ with acceptance of per 
sons? [but the imperative sense is usually pre- 
ferred.] The fault named (though probably the case 
is Supposititious) is, preferring the rich to the poor 
merely because of their riches, and not on account of 
any moral excellence, personal piety, or public use- 
fulness. Ilioric, faith, is put here for religion ; and 
τῆς δοξής, of glory, should, according to some 
critics, be construed with it, as the Svriac and Cop- 
tic have done. Some connect it with our Lord 
Jesus Christ—the religion of our glorious Lord 
Jesus Christ. Others translate thus: the faith of 
the glory of our Lord Jesus. There ave many 
various readings in the MSS. and Versions on this 
verse; the meaning is clear enough, though the 
construction may be rather obscure. 

2. If there come unto your assembly—Eic 
τῆν συναγωγὴν, into the synagogue. It appears 
from this that the apostle is addressing Jews who 
frequented their synagogues. Our word ‘‘assem- 
bly” does not express the original; and we cannot 
suppose that these synagogues were at this time 
occupied with Christian worship, but that the 
Christian Jews continued to frequent them for the 
purpose of hearing the law and the prophets read, 
as they had formerly done, previously to their con- 
version to the Christian faith. But St. James may 
refer here to proceedings in a court of justice. 
|The word may well be understood of a Christian as- 
sembly, or as merely of an assembly in general... . 
But it is mest likely here, from the allusions to’ sit- 

466 


ting or standing below, a place of Christian wor- 
ship, the name being a natural one, considering by 
whom the epistle was written and to whom it is 
addressed.— A/ford.| [If the article (τὴν) is used 
with συναγωγὴν, (the synagogue,) which some claim 
and others disallow, then, as is claimed by Van 
Oosterzee, the reference may be “to the one syna- 
gogue of the entire Jewish-Christian dispersion 
. symbolically described by the name of the 
Jewish place of worship.” The word church has 
a similar application.] With a gold ring, in 
goodly apparel—The ring on the finger and the 
vich garb would be proofs of the man’s opulence ; 
and his sing and his coat, not his worth, moral 
good qualities, or the righteousness of his cause, 
would procure him the respect of which St. James 
speaks. There come in also a poor man in 
vile raiment — [/n sordid, shabby clothes. The 
reference here seems to be, not to those who com- 
monly attended on public worship, or who were 
inembers of the Church, but to those who might 
accidentally drop in to witness the services of 
Christians. (See 1 Cor, xiv, 24.)—Barnes.] 

3. Sit thou here . . . stand thou there—[A 
simple but forcible putting of a very plain case, 
and one not unlikely to occur. ] 

4. Are ye not then partial—Ov διεκρίθητε ; do 
ye not make a distinction, [not according to merit, 
but only on account of wealth and _ poverty.| 
Judges of evil thoughts—Kpitai διαλογισμῶν 
πονηρῶν, judges of evil reasonings ; that is, judges 
who reason wickedly ; who say, We will honour 
the wich, because they can befriend us; we will 
neglect and despise the poor, because they cannot 
help us, nor have they power to hurt us. In your- 
selves — [Ἔν ἑαυτοῖς. The evil thoughts were 
among themselves, in their own hearts, their minds 
and actions being at issue with their faith.] 

5. Hath not God chosen (did not God choose) 
the poor of this world—[T6 κόσμῳ, as regards 
the world.| This seems to refer to Matt. xi, 5: 
and the poor have the Gospel préached to them. 
These believed on the Lord Jesus, and found his sal- 
vation; while the rich despised, neglected, and per- 
secuted him. These had that faith in Christ which 
put them in possession of the choicest spiritual 
blessings, and gave them a right to the kingdom of 
heaven. While, therefore, they were despised of 
men, they were highly prized of God. [Poverty is 
not a virtue—often it is the fruit of vice; nor is 
wealth a vice, but it is nevertheless true that as a 
rule the moderately poor rather than the rich have 
honoured the Gospel of Christ and been honoured 
by God. | 

6. Do not rich men oppress you—The ad- 
ministration of justice was at this time in a miser- 
able state of corruption among the Jews; but a 
Christian was one who might expect no justice 


He shall have judgment without 
mercy, who shows no mercy, 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Year of Rome, *14. 


draw you before the judgment seats’ 7 Do 
not they blaspheme that worthy name by the 
which ye are called? αὶ If ye fulfil the roval 
law according to the Scripture, 'Thou shalt 
love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 
9 But “if ye have respect to persons, ye com- 
mit sin, and are convinced of the law as trans- 
gressors. 80. For whosoever shall keep the 
whole law, and yet offend in one point, "he 


Z Lev. 19. 18: . Matt. 22. 39; Rom. 13. 8,9; Gal. 5. 14; 6. 2.— 
m Verse 1.—vn Deut. 27. 26; Matt. 5. 19; Gal. 3. 1.—o Or, 
thut law which said. ‘ 


anywhere but from his God. The words xaradv- 
ναστεύουσιν, exceedingly oppress, and ἕλκουσιν εἰς 
κριτήρια, drag you to courts of justice, show how 
grievously oppressed and maltreated the Christians 
were by their countrymen the Jews, who made law 
a pretext to afflict their bodies and spoil them of 
their property. 

7. Blaspheme that worthy name—They took 
every occasion to asperse the Christian name and 
the Christian faith. It is evident that these were 
Jews of whom St. James speaks; no Christians in 
these early times could have acted the part here 
mentioned. 

8. The royal law — Νόμον βασιλικόν, This 
epithet is, among all the New Testament writers, 
peculiar to James; but it is frequent among the 
Greek writers in the sense in which it is here used. 
Βασιλικόν, royal, is used to signify any thing that is 
of general concern, is suitable to all, and necessary 
for all, as brotherly love is. This commandment, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, is a“ royal” 
law, not only because it is ordained of God and 
proceeds from his kingly authority, but because it 
is so useful, suitable, and necessary to the present 
state of man; and as it was given us particularly 
by Christ himself, (John xiii, 34, xv, 12,) who is 
our king as well as prophet and priest, it should 
ever put us in mind of his authority over us, 
and our subjection to him. As the regal state 
is the most excellent for secular dignity and civil 
utility, so we give the epithet “royal” to what- 
ever is pre-eminently excellent, noble, grand, or 
useful. 

9. But if ye have respect to persons—If in 
judgment, or in any other way ye discriminate 
against the poor, ye commit sin against God, and 
are convinced, ἐλεγχόμενοι, adjudged guilty of 
the law, by this royal law, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. 

10. For whosoever shall keep the whole 
law, ete.—Every sin is against the divine authority ; 
and he who has committed one transgression is 
guilty; and by his one act dissolves, as far as he 
can, the sacred connexion that subsists between all 
the divine precepts and the obligation which he is | 
under to obey, and thus casts off, in effect, his 
allegiance to God. For if God should be obeyed 
in any one instance he should be obeyed in all, as 
the authority and reason of obedience are the same | 
in every case; he, therefore, who breaks one of 
these laws is in effect, if not in form, guilty of the 
whole. [The law (νόμος) is one, a non-composite | 
and indivisible wnity, of which the various com- 
mandments (év ToAat) are specific applications. The | 
Evi (one) named i in the text must mean vi ἐντάλματ hs 
one precept, or specific commandment of. the law; 
the all, πάντων, of which the offender is in part | 
guilty, is not each and all of the precepts, ἐντάλματα, | 


is guilty of all. ΕἸ For °he that said, P Do not 
commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now 
if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, 
thou art become a transgressor of the law. 
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall 
be judged by athe law of liberty. 13 For ‘he 
shall have judgment without merey, that hath 
showed no mercy; and ‘mercy trejoiceth 
against judgment. 14 "What doth it profit, 


p Exod, 20, 13, 14. ——q Chap. 1. 25.—7 Joh 22 6, ete. ; Prov. 
21. 18: Matt. 6. 13; 18. 35: 25. 41, 42.——#1 John 4. 17, 18.— 
t Or, glorieth.—du Matt, 7. 26; chap. 1 23. 


but the one law (νόμος) viewed in its many forms 
and applications. See the next verse. ] 

11. For he that said—That the authority 
that gave one commandment gave also the rest ; and 
he who breaks one resists this authority ; so that 
the breach of any one commandment may be justly 
considered a breach of the wholelaw. [The reason 
for this assertion is the wnity of the divine Author 
of the whole law, and of that law as the exponent 
of his will—<A/ford.] 

12. So speak ye, and so do—Have respect to 
every commandment of God, for this the law of 
liberty—the Gospel of Jesus Christ—particularly 
requires ; and this is the law by which all mankind 
must be judged. But all along St. James particu- 
larly refers to the precept, Zhou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. 

13. For he shall have judgment—He who 
shows no mercy to man, or, in other words, he who 
does not exercise himself in works of charity and 
mercy to his needy fellow creatures, shall receive 
no merey at the hand of God; for he hath said, 
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy. The unmerciful, therefore, are cursed, and 
they shall obtain no mercy. Mercy rejoiceth 
against judgment—In the great day, though jus- 
tice might condemn every man according to the 
rigour of the law, yet God will cause mercy to 
triumph over justice in bringing those into his 
glory who, for his sake, had fed the hungry, clothed 
the naked, ministered to the sick, and visited the 
prisoners, (See Matt. xxv, 31-46.) [‘‘ Judgment,” 
which would condemn any and all of us, is, in the 
case of the merciful, overpowered by the blessed 
effects of mercy; and (so) mercy prevails over it. 
—Alford.| The spirit of the saying may be found 
in another scripture, J will have mercy and not 
sacrifice—I prefer works of charity and mercy to 
every thing else, and especially to all acts of wor- 
ship. The royaL Law, Zhou shalt love thy neigh- 
bour as thyself, should particularly prevail among 
men, because of the miserable state to which all 
are reduced by sin, so that each particularly needs 
the help of his brother. 

14. What doth it profit... though a man 
say he hath faith—We now come to a part of 
this epistle which has appeared to some eminent 
men to contradict other portions of the divine rec- 
ords. It has been thought by some that James 
teaches the doctrine of justification by the merit of 
good works, while Paul asserts that to be insuffi- 
cient, and that man can be justified only by faith. 
Luther, supposing that James did actually teach the 
doctrine of justification by works, which his good 
sense showed him to be absolutely insufficient for 
salvation, was led to condemn the epistle 7 fo/o, as 
a production unauthenticated by the Holy Spirit, 
and consequently worthy of no regard; he there- 

467 


: 
s 
is, 


A. M. 4065, A. Ὁ. 61. 
Yeur of Rome, 814. 


JAMES. 


Faith, if it hath not works, is 
dead, being alone. 


my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, | doth it profit? 1% Even so faith, if it hath 


and have not works? ean faith save him? 
45 ‘Ifa brother or sister be naked, and des- 
titute of daily food, 16 And " one of you say 
unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and 
filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those 
things which are needful to the body; what 


not works, is dead, being «alone. 18 Yea, a 
man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have 
works: show me thy faith Y without thy 
works, and I will show thee my faith by my 
works. 19 Thou believest that there is one 
God; thou doest well: «the devils also be- 


Ὁ See Job 31. 19, 20; Luke 8. 11.—701 John 3. 18.——a# Gr. by 


itself. y Some copies read, by thy works. 


2 Chap, 3. 13.—da Matt. 8. 29; Mark 1. 24; 5. 7; Luke 4. 34; 
Acts 16.17; 10. 15. 


fore termed it epistola straminea, a chaffy epistle, 
an epistle of straw, fit only to be burnt. Learned 
men have spent much time in striving to reconcile 
these two writers, and to show that St. Paul and St. 
James perfectly accord; one teaching the pure doc- 
trine, the other guarding men against the abuse of 
it. From chapter i, 22, the apostle has been en- 
forcing Christian practice. He now applies it to 
those who neglect this under the pretence of faith. 
St. Paul had taught that @ man is justified by faith 
without the works of the law. This some already 
began to wrest to their own destruction. Where- 
fore St. James, purposely repeating (verses 21, 
23, 25) the same phrases, testimonies, and examples 
which St. Paul had used, (Rom. iv, 3; Heb. xi, 
17, 31,) refutes, not the doctrine of St. Paul, but the 
error of those who abused it. [There is certainly 
no contradiction between the apostles: they both 
delivered the truth of God, but in a diferent man- 
ner, as having to do with different kinds of men. 
This verse is a summary of what follows: What 
profiteth it, is enlarged on in verses 15-17; though 
α man say, in verses 18, 19; can that faith save 
him, verse 20. It is not though he have faith, but 
though he say, I have faith. Here, therefore, true 
living faith is meant. Bat in other parts of the 
argument the apostle speaks of a dead, speculative 
faith. He does not therefore teach that true faith 
can, but that it eannot, subsist without works. 
Nor does he oppose faith to works, but that empty 
name of faith to real faith working by love. Can 
that faith which is without works save him? No 
more than it can profit his neighbour, — Wesley. ] 
| With James πίστις ( faith) is the necessary ground 
of σωτηρία, (salvation,) (see chapter i, 18~21,) but 
of course that πίστις which is not without works. 
In disputing the former delusion, James adopts his 
characteristic mode of first stating in clear and 
well-defined language the fundamental thought on 
which all the rest depends, and he does it by the 
introduction of brief interrogative sentences which 
reject that false opinion. — Huther.] That St. 
James quotes the same scriptures, and uses the 
same phrases, testimonies, and examples which St. 
Paul has done, is fully evident; but it does not 
follow that he wrote after St. Paul. It is scarcely 
possible that one had seen the epistle of the other, 
since neither of them quotes the other. I aim in- 
clined to think that James is evidently the elder 
writer, but probably Paul had never seen his epis- 
tle. Allowing them both to be inspired, God could 
teach each what was necessary for the benefit of 
the Church, without their having any knowledge of 
each other. As the Jews in general were very 
strenuous in maintaining the necessity of good works, 
or righteousness, in order to justification, wholly 
neglecting the doctrine of fa7th, it is not to be 
wondered at that those who were converted, and 
saw the absolute necessity of faith in order to 
their justification, should have gone into the con- 


had just designated a defective form of faith, 
shown to be such by its unfruitfulness, and now he 
asks, “‘ Can (this) faith save him?” so denying that 
it can.] See on verses 19, 24, 25. 

15. If a brother or sister be naked—That is, 
ill-clothed ; for γυμνοὶ, naked, has this meaning in 
several parts of the New Testament, signifying bad 
clothing, or the want of some particular article of 
dress. (See Matt. xxv, 36, 38, 43, 44, and John 
xxi, 7.) It has the same comparative signification 
in most languages. 

16. Be ye warmed and filled — Your saying 
so to them, while you give them nothing, will just 
profit them as much as your professed faith, with- 
out those works which are the genuine fruits of 
true faith, will profit you in the day when God 
comes to sit in judgment upon your soul. 

17. If it hath not works, is dead—The faith 
that does not produce works of charity and mercy 
is without the living principle which animates all 
true faith, that is, love to God and love to man. 
They had faith, such as a man has who credits a 
well-circumstanced relation because it has all the 
appearance of truth; but they had nothing of that 
faith that a sinner, convinced of his sinfulness, 
God’s purity, and the strictness of the divine laws, 
must have in the Lord Jesus, in order to be saved 
from his sins. 

18. Show me thy faith without thy works 
—Your pretending to have faith while you have 
no works of charity or mercy, is utterly vain; for 
as “faith,” which is a principle in the mind, can- 
not be discerned but by the effects, that is, good 
works, he who has no good works has, presump- 
tively, no faith. I will show thee my faith by 
my works—My works of ‘charity and mercy will 
show that I have faith; and that it is the living 
tree whose root is love to God and man, and whose 
fruit is the good works here contended for. 

19. Thou believest that there is one God 
— Believing in the being and unity of God dis- 
tinguished the Jews from all the nations of the 
world; and having been brought into the covenant, 
they reckoned themselves secure of salvation. The 
insufficiency of this St. James immediately shows. 
Thou doest well—[So to have learned of God, 
and to believe in his being and character, is good 
as far as it goes, but all this is entirely short of 
believing unto life.| The devils also believe, 
and tremble—Even the ‘“ devils ” believe this, and 
yet so far from justifying or saving them, it leaves 
them in their lost state. [Both the natwre of the 
faith in question and its dsufficiency are shown by 
this identifying it with the merely intellectual faith 
of “the devils,’ (demons.) They shudder—pio- 
σουσι, their hair stands on end. Their belief (because 
it is only of the head, and not of the heart) does 
nothing for them but certify to them their own 
misery.—<A/ford.] |The demons, by their knowl- 


ράσο of spiritual things, clearly apprehend the be- 


trary extreme. Can faith save him—([The writer | ing and nature of God; and they also see that all 


468 


Abraham and Rahab showed their 
faith by their works. 


eo ee eee 
lieve, and tremble. 20 But wilt thon know, 
O vain man, that faith without works is dead ? 
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by 
works, "when he had offered Isaac his son 
upon the altar? 22 ¢Seest thou «how faith 


wrought with his works, and by works was 
23 And the Scripture 


faith made perfect? 
was fulfilled which saith, ὁ Abraham believed 
God, and it was imputed unto him for right- 


᾿ ὃ θη. 22. 9,12.—c Or, Thou seest,—d Heb, 11. 17.—e Gen. 
10. 6: Rom. 4.3; Gal. 3. 6. 


this glorious majesty and power is engaged against 
them; therefore they are horrified at what they 
see. But that fear does not tend to salvation. } 


20. But wilt thou know—Be instructed in the 


nature of true saving faith, and to that end attend 
to the following examples ? 

21. Was not Abraham . . . justified by works 
—That is, did not the conduct of Abraham, in offer- 
ing up his son Isaac on the altar, sufficiently prove 
that he believed in God, and that it was his faith 
in him that led him to this extraordinary act of 
obedience ? 

22. Seest thou how faith wrought—Here is 
a proof that faith cannot exist without being active 
in works of righteousness, [and that only the faith 
that works is genuine.] His faith in God would 
have been of no avail to him had it not wrought 
in him obedience to the commands of God. It dic- 
tated obedience, he obeyed; and thus faith, ἐτελει- 
6, had its consummation. Even true “ faith ” 
will soon die if it does not develop the spirit of 
obedience. [Even among the ancestors of Jesus 
the blessing and the promised salvation was trans- 
mitted through the righteousness which is by faith, 
as distinguished from legal righteousness. This 
appears not only from the lives of Abraham and 
David, the fathers of the faithful, and from the 
pious sovereigns among their descendants, but also 
from the ancestresses of Jesus, Thamar. Rahab, 
Ruth, and Bathsheba, specially mentioned by the 
evangelist.— Lange, (on Matt, i.)] 

23. The Scripture was fulfilled—He believed 
God; and this faith was accounted to him for 
righteousness; and being justified by (through) 
thus believing, his life of obedience showed that he 
had not received the grace of God in vain. (See 
on Rom. iv, 3; Gal. iii, 6.) The Friend of God— 
The highest character ever given to man. God 
took Abraham into immediate communion with 
himself, and poured out upon him the choicest of 
his blessings; for as God can never be in want, 

because he possesses all things, so Abraham his 
“friend” could never be destitute, because God was 
his friend. [The fulfilling denotes throughout the 


completed, decided, and manifested development of 


a seed of faith which until then was, germ-like, con- 
cealed, whether it be a prophecy οὐ ἃ type. (See 
1 Kings ii, 27; Matt. ii, 15.) The righteousness 
of faith of Abraham reached its fulfilment, (πλήρω- 
σις.) or completion, τελείωσις.) in its proof and 
Verification, as it was sealed by the now openly 
Stated divine testimony. The act of faith itself, 
and the subsequent sealing in the life of individual 
believers, answer to the Old Testament Abra- 
hamic foundation and the New Testament comple- 
tion... And this fulfilment was manifested in his 
being called “the friend of God.”— Van Oosterzee.] 
[So in substance in the Old Testament, but here 
first put into a form of words. ] 


CHAPTER ΤΙ. 


A. M. 4065, A.D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


eousness: and he was called ‘the Friend of 
God. 24 Ye see then how that by works 
a man is justified, and not by faith only. 
25 Likewise also «was not Rahab the harlot 
justified by works, when she had received the 
messengers, and had sent them out another 
way? 26 For as the body without the " spir- 
it is dead, so faith without works is dead 
also. 


--------- eeeeeeeeeeeeeesSssSSS 


J2 Chron. 20, 7; Isa. 41, &8.—g Josh, 2. 1; Heb. 11. 31,— 
h Or, breath. 


24. Ye see then how—It is evident from this 
example that Abraham’s faith was not merely in- 
tellectual and speculative believing, but a principle 
that led him to credit God’s promises relative to 
the future Redeemer, and to implore God’s merey ; 
this he received, and was justified by faith. His 
faith now began to work by love, and’ therefore he 
was found ever obedient to the will of his Maker. 
He brought forth the fruits of righteousness ; and 
his works justified—proved the genuineness of— 
his faith; and he continued to enjoy the divine ap- 
probation, which he could not have done had he 
not been thus obedient; for the Spirit of God would 
have been grieved, and his principle of faith would 
have perished. Obedience to God is essentially 
requisite to the maintenance of faith. Faith lives 
only as it.works ; and good works have their being 
and excellence from faith. Neither can subsist 
without the other, and this is the point which St. 
James labours to prove, in order to convince the 
Antinomians of his time that their faith was a de- 
lusion, and that the hopes built on it must needs 
perish. 

25. Rahab the harlot—See Joshua ii, 1, and 
Heb. xi, 31.“ Rahab” had the approbation due to 
genuine faith, which she actually possessed, and 
gave the fullest proof that she did so by her con- 
duct. As justification signifies not only the pardon 
of sin, but the receiving God’s approbation, James 
seems to use the word in this latter sense. God 
approved of them because of their obedience to his 
will; and he approves of no man who is not obe- 
dient. |Rahab’s belief, and her practice based upon 
it, not her moral character, are here considered ] 
[To the example of Abraham, who was the proto- 
type of all true faith, is now added another as re. 
mote from it as possible, that of a woman, a Ca- 
naanite, a harlot (the article (ἡ πόρνη,) denotes 
that she was the historically known personage with- 
out intensifying the idea (expressed by the word, ) 
which, however, must not be weakened by the 
exposition /ospita, (inn keeper,) or idolatra, (hea- 
then,) although she was both in reality.) The 
apostle’s motive, however, must be taken even 
more concretely. Doubtless Rahab stands here as 
the representative of Gentile Christians in their 
work of faith... . She was justified not only in 
that her life was spared, (Josh. ii, 6, 22,) but that 
she became a highly honoured mother in Israel. 
(See Matt. i, 5 )—Lange.] 

26. For as the body without the spirit . . 
so faith without works—There can be no more 
a genuine faith without good works than there ean 
be a living human body without a soul. 


Some persons, known to St. James, must have 
taught that men are justified by merely believing 
in the one true God; or he would not have taken 
such pains to confute it. Crediting the unity of 

469 


bd 


A. Μ. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814, 


CHAPTER III. 

Y brethren, *be not many masters, 'know- 
Ν ing that we shall receive the greater * con- 
demnation. 2 For “in many things we offend 
all. eIf any man offend not in word, ‘the 
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle 
the whole body. 8% Behold, we put bits in 
the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; 


JAMES. 


Duty and difficulty of bridling 
the tongue, 


hold also the ships, which though they be so 
great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are 
they turned about with a verf small helm, 
whithersoever the governor listeth. 6 Even 
so "the tongue is a little member, and ' boast- 
eth great things. Behold, how great "ἃ mat- 
ter a little fire kindleth! 6 And!the tongue 
is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue 


and we turn about their whole body. 4 Be-|among our members, that "it defileth the 
~ aMatt. 23. 8 14; Rom. 2. 20,21; 1 Pet. 5. 8.-- Luke 6. 37. 1 Pet. 3. 10.—-/ Matt. 12. 37.—g Psa. 32. 9.—A Prov. 12. 18; 
—c Or, judgment. ad | Kings 8. 46; 2 Chron. 6. 36; Prov. | 15. 2. i Psa. 12. ὃ: 73. 8, 9.—& Or, wood.—HZ Prov. 16. 27. * 


20.9; Eccles. 7. 20; 1 John 1. 8. e Psa, 34. 13; chap. 1. 26; 


——m Matt. 15. 11, 18, 19, 20; Mark 7. 15, 20, 3: 


the Godhead, and the doctrine of a future state, 
was that faith through which both the Jews in St. 
James's time and the Mohammedans of the present 
day expect justification; [and this is-about the 
whole of the faith of not a few in these times 
who pretend to be Christians.] St. James, in deny- 
ing such a faith to be of avail, because unaccom- 
panied with good works, has said nothing more 
than what St. Paul has said in other words, (Ro- 
mans ii,) where he combats the same Jewish error, 
and asserts that not the hearers but the doers of 
the law will be justified, and that a knowledge of 
God’s will, without the performance of it, serves 
only to increase men’s condemnation.— Michaelis. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Be not many masters — Do not ,affect the 
teachei’s office, for many wish to be teachers who 
have more need to learn. [Evidently designed to 
censure the false mania for teaching—the dogmatiz- 
ing contentiousness which is thoroughly character- 
istic of the Judaizing Christian.—Lange.| [Great- 
er condemnation—MeiCov κρίμα, a heavier respon- 
sibility, not necessarily condemnatory, though de- 
volving a responsibility which, in case of failure, 
must be followed by greater condemnation. (See 
Matt. xxiii, 13.)] 

2. In many things we offend all — IIraiouev 
aravrec; we all stumble. “ As the general course 
of life is called a way, and particular actions steps, 
so going on in a regular course of right action is 
styled walking uprightly; and acting amiss, tripping 
or stumbling.”—BSuarrows. There are very few who 
walk so closely with God, and inoffensively with 
men, as never to stumble; and yet it is the privi- 
lege of every follower of God to be sincere and 
without offence to the day of Christ. Were failure 
unavoidable, it would be useless to make it a sub- 
ject of blame ; but as every man may receive grace 
from his God to enable him to walk wprightly, it is 
to be deplored that so few live up to their privi- 
leges. |The apostle, indeed, says that “we all 
stumble in many things;” but to stwmble is not 
necessarily to sim, and from this, if faithful, we 
shall be kept by the power of grace. (See Psa. 
xxvii, 23, 24.)] If any man offend (stumble) 
not in word, (doctrine,) the same is a perfect 
man—Z/f any man offend not, (ov πταίει, trip not,) 
ἐν λόγῳ, in doctrine, teaching the truth, the same is, 
τέλειος ἀνήρ, a man fully instructed in divine things. 
The man who advanced no false doctrine, and gave 
no imperfect view of any of the great truths of 
Christianity, proved himself thereby to be thor- 
oughly instructed in divine things ; to be no novice, 
and consequently among the “many teachers” to 
be a perfect master, and worthy of the sacred voea- 
tion. Able also to bridle the whole body— 
Grotius, by “body,” believed that the Church of 
Christ was intended; and this the above view ren- 

470 


ders very probable. [He is thus qualified to guide 
(as a horse is governed by the bridle) the whole 
Church, the associated body of believers.] If it be 
objected “ that χαλιναγωγῆσαι is not elsewhere ap- 
plied to the government of the Church of Christ,” 
it may be answered that St. James is a very pe- 
culiar writer ; and that his phraseology, metaphors, 
and diction in general are different from all the 
rest of the New Testament writers, so as to have 
scarcely any thing in common with them. 

3. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths 
—lIn order to show the necessity of regulating the 
tongue, to which St. James was led by his exhorta- 
tion to them who wished to thrust themselves into 
the teacher’s office, supposing, because they had 
the gift of a ready flow of speech that therefore 
they might commence teachers of divine things; he 
proceeds to show that the tongue must be bridled 
as the horse, and governed as the ships; because, 
though it is small, it is capable of ruling the whole 
man, and of irritating and offending others. [Just 
as the reference here is not to the physical tongue 
as such, but only as the organ and symbol of readi- 
ness of speech, so St. James does not set ‘ body” as 
such in opposition to man, as a relative dependent 
power which offers moral resistance to the will 
of the ego (the self;) but the body denotes here 
the organ and symbol of all human action, with the 
exception of speech. ... He who truly masters his 
words will master his works.—Lavge. | 

4. Behold also the ships—[The organ of guid- 
ing, (bits, χαλινούς, ) probably connected with the 
natural unruliness of the horse, was the principal 
idea of the first figure, the mouth, the tongue; in 
the second figure it is the contrast between the 
smallness of the organ—the fine touch required to 
influence it—and the greatness as well as the storm- 


| tossed condition of the ship to be turned. ... The 


little rudder is here obviously the antitype of the 
little tongue.—Lange. | 

5. Boasteth great things—-That is, can do 
great things, whether of a good or evil kind. James 
seems to refer here to the powerful and all com- 
manding eloquence of the Greek orators: they 
could carry the great mob whithersoever they 
wished; calm them to peaceableness and submis- 
sion, or excite them to furious sedition. [Μεγάλα 
avyel, has a bad rather than a good sense.| Be- 
hold, how great a matter—See what a flame of 
discord and insubordination one man, merely by his 
persuasive tongue, may kindle among the common 
people. 

6. The tongue is a fire—[The figure is a spark, 
or very small “fire,” producing a widespread con- 
flagration, here applied to illustrate the incendiary 
action of unruly speech.] A world of iniquity 
—This is an unusual form of speech, but the mean- 
ing is plain enough ; “ world ” signifies here a mass, 
a great collection, an abundance. The Syriac gives 


The tongue is an unruly and 
dangerous ember, 


whole body, and setteth on fire the "course of 
nature; and it is set on fire of hell. ¥ For 
every °kind of beasts, and of birds, and of 
serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and 
hath been tamed of Pmankind: αὶ But the 
tongue can no man tame; ἐξ 7s an unruly evil, 
full 4of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4065. A.D. 61. 
Yeur of Rome, 814, 


men, ‘which are made after the similitude of 
God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed- 
eth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these 
things ought not so to be. £8 Doth a foun- 
tain send forth at the same * place sweet water 
and bitter? 42 Can the fig tree, my breth- 
ren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so 
can no fountain both yield salt water and 


ae δ the Father; and therewith curse we 
n 


Gir wheel,—o Gr. nature.—p Gr. nature ofman. 


q Psa, 110. 3.—~+ Gen. 1. 26: 5.1; 4. 6.—s Or, hole. 


a curious turn to the expression: And the tongue is 
a fire; and the world of iniquity is like a wood. 
Above, the same version has: A litle fire burns 
great woods. So the world of iniquity is repre- 
sented as inflamed by the wicked tongues of men ; 
the world being fuel, and the tongue a fire. So is 
the tongue among our members—[‘H γλῶσσα 
καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον 
τὸ σῶμα, literally, the tongue is seated among our 
members, that (one) defiling the whole body. ‘(There 
is nothing in the original to which the particle 
of comparison “so” answers.) The tongue, when 
made the organ of unregulated passion, circulates 
and magnifies the evil qualities of the whole man; 
not chiefly the physical, but especially the moral 
and spiritual, (See Rom. xii, 1)] I think St. 
James refers here to those well known speeches of 
the rabbins, Vaykra Rabba, sec. 16. 10]. = 159) 
“Rabbi Eleazar said, Man has one hundred and 
forty-eight members, some confined, others free. 
The tongue is placed between the jaws ; and from 
under it proceeds a fountain of water, (the great 
sublingnal salivary gland,) and it is folded with 
various foldings. Come and see what a flame the 
tongue kindles!' Weve it one of the unconfined 
members, what would it not do?” Setteth on fire 
the course of nature—/o0yiLovca τὸν τροχὸν τῆς 
γενέσεως, and setteth on fire the wheel of life. [ln- 
Jlames the whole round (τρο γὸν) of developing life, 
(yevécewc,) an expression evidently intended to in- 
dicate the radical and complete possession and per- 
version of the soul by the reflex influence of the 
unbridled tongue. (See Matt. xii, 87.)] [It is the 
tongue (the outgivings of the corrupt heart in man, 
Matthew xii, 384, Luke vi, 45) which changes the 
wheel (course) of the human development of life 
into a burning firewheel. . . . Alford renders “the 
orb of creation,” and Wordsworth “the wheel of 
nature.” The idea in both is really the same.— 
Lanye.| [And it is set on fire of hell—'Y7d THC 
γεέννης, by or from gehenna—not hades.| [The fire 
of gehenna is brought about by the immanent 
heat of devilish passion which proceeds (goes 
out) from the devil through his kingdom. This 
devilish heat is here described as the casuality of 
that fanatical heat of men. (See verse 15.) — 
Lange. | 

7. Every kind of beasts—That is, every spe- 
cies of wild beasts, πᾶσα φύσις θηρίων, is tamed: that 
is, brought under man’s power and dominion. [A 
general wuth in natural history, to which, however, 
there may be exceptions, without at all changing 
the truthfulness and aptitude of the fact as cited. } 

8. But the tongue can no man tame — No 
cunnilig, persuasion, or influence has ever been able 
to silence it. Nothing but the grace of God ean 
bring ἐξ under subjection. [The untamableness of 
the tongue shows that there is something devilish 
in its excitement, over which human nature, left to 
itself, has no power.—Lange.] It is an unruly 
evil— Akardcyerov κακόν͵ an evil that cannot be 


restrained; it breaks all bounds. Full of deadly 
poison—A reference to the tongues of serpents, 
supposed to be the means of conveying their poison 
into wounds made by their teeth. Throughout the 
whole of this poetic and highly declamatory de- 
scription, St. James must have the tongue of the 
slanderer, calumniator, backbiter, whisperer, and 
tale-bearer particularly in view. Vipers, basilisks, 
and rattlesnakes are not more dangerous to life 
than these are to the peace and reputation of men. 

9. Therewith bless we God—And yet the 
tongue is capable of being used for the highest and 
holiest purposes. And therewith curse we men 
—These are the common swearers, whose mouths are 
generally full of direful imprecations against those 
with whom they are offended. The consideration 
that man is made after the image of God should 
restrain the tongue of the profane; but there ave 
many who, while they pretend to sing the high 
praises of God, are ready to wish the direst impre- 
cations either on those who offend them, or with 
whom they choose to be offended. [This likeness 
we ought to revere in ourselves and in others, and 
he who curses, despises it— Alford 1 [James makes 
these declarations in the first person, (we,) so in- 
cluding himself and Ais among the offenders, (see 
verse 2,) either as a confession which becomes all 
to make, or else, speaking as a Jew to Jews, he 
makes this confession and complaint for the whole 
nation, possibly not without reference to th¢ spirit 
and practice of persecution then prevalent. | 

10. Out of the same mouth—This saving is 
something like that in Proy. xviii, 21: “ Death and 
life are in the power of the tongue.” A saving 
very like that of St. James is found in Rabbi Tan. 
chum, fol. 10, 4: “The mouth desires to study in 
the law, and to speak good words; to praise God, 
to glorify him, and to celebrate him with hymns ; 
but it can also slander, blaspheme, reproach, and 
swear falsely.” My brethren, these things 
ought not so to be—[0i γρή, it is not Sitting (it 
is monstrous) that these things should be so. 

11. Doth a fountain send forth . . © sweet 
water and bitter—No such inconsistency is found 
in the natural world as this blessing and cursing in 
man. No fountain, at the same opening, sends 
forth sweet water and bitter; no fig tree can bear 
olive berries; no vine can bear figs: nor can the 
sea produce salt water and fresh from the same 
place. Such things would be contradictions, and 
indeed impossibilities, in nature. It is depraved 
man alone that can act such a monstrous part. 

12. So can no fountain both yield salt water 
and fresh—Here are four distinct comparisons : 
1) A fountain cannot produce sweet water and bit- 
ter: 2) A fig tree cannot produce olive berries: 
3) A vine cannot produce figs: 4) Salt water (the 
sea) cannot be made sweet. That is, according to 
the ordinary operations of nature, these things are 


impossible. Chemical action is out of the ques- 
tion. [The incongruity of goodness and badness 


471 


A. Μ. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61, 
Year of Rome, 514, 


JAMES. 


The wisdom from beneath and from 
above contrasted. 


fresh. ἘΦ "Who és a wise man and endued 
with knowledge among you? let him show out 
of a good conversation ° his works ? with meek- 
ness of wisdom. 4&4 But if ye have 4 bitter 
envying and strife in your hearts, ‘glory not, 
and lie not against the truth. 88 * This wis- 
dom descendeth not from above, but és earthly, 
tsensual, devilish. 26 For «where envying 
and strife is, there 7s ἡ confusion and every evil 


nm Gal. 6. 4. —oChap. 2. 18.—gpChap. 1. 21.—q@ Rom. 
13. 13. —r Rom. 2. 17, 23. —s Phil. 3. 19; chap. 1. 17.—7tOr, 
natural, Jude 19.—u 1 Cor, 3. 3; Gal. ὃ. 20. ῳ Gr. tumult, 
or, unquietiess, 


work. 27 But “the wisdom that is from 
above is first pure, tlen peaceable, gentle, and 
easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good 
fruits, * without partiality, yand without hy- 
pocrisy. ἘΦ #And the fruit of righteousness 
is sown in peace of them that make peace. 


i CHAPTER IV. 
ROM whence come wars and fillings 


201 Cor. 2. 6, 7. x Or, without wrangling. — y Rom. 
12. 9; 1 Peter 1. 22; 2. 1; 1 Jolin 2: 18. 2 Prov. 11. 18; Hos. 
10. 12; Matt. 5. 9; Phil. 1. 113 Heb, 12. 11. a Or, brawl- 
ings. 


proceeding out of the same heart, and being pro- 
duced in the same life, is the lesson taught. Tue 
depraved soul can only exercise itself within the 
bounds of its depravity, the fountain must “be 
cleansed, the tree made good, in order that the re- 
sults shall be good. (Luke vi, 43-45.)] 

13. Who is a wise man and endued with 
knowledge — Kai ἐπιστήμων, [who among you 
claims to be able to teach.] Let him show—Let 
him by a holy life and chaste conversation show, 
through meekness and gentleness, that he is a 
Christian indeed; his works and his spirit proving 
that God is in him of a truth; and that from the 
fulness of a holy heart his feet walk, his hands 
work, and his tongue speaks. We may learn from 
this that genuine wisdom is ever accompanied with 
meekness and gentleness. Those proud, overbear- 
ing, and disdainful men, who pass for great 
scholars and eminent critics, may have learning, but 
they have not wisdom. Their learning implies their 
correct knowledge of the structure of language, and 
of composition in general; but wisdom they have 
none, nor any self-government. That learning is 
not only little worth, but despicable, that does not 
teach a man to govern his own spirit, and to be 
humble in his conduct toward others. [Let him by 
his “ walk” and “conversation” justify his claim 
to be heard as a teacher and guide by “ good 
works,” and not a “dead faith.’’] 

14. If ye have bitter envying and strife— 
If ye be under the influence of an unkind, fierce, 
and contemptuous spirit, even while attempting or 
pretending to defend true religion, do not boast 
either of your exertions or success in silencing an 
adversary; ye have no religion, and no true wis- 
dom; and to profess either is to lie against the 
truth. Let all writers on what is called polemic 
divinity lay this to heart. 

15. This wisdom descendeth not from above 
—God is not the author of it, because it is bitter, 
not meek. Is earthly—Having this life only in 
view. Sensual—Yuyin), animal; having for its 
object the gratification of the passions and animal 
propensities. Devilish—Aazoviddyc, demoniacal. 
[After the characteristics of demons, rather than 
inspired by them. The tempting power of demons 
is not taught in the New Testament. | 

16, For where envying and strife is—Z7/0c 
καὶ ἐριθία, [emulation (in the bad sense) and 
strife, where these are, and become stimulating in- 
fluences, (especially in the Church of God,) con- 
fusion and every evil work is the inevitable result. | 
The Jews were the most intolerant of all mankind ; 
it was a maxim with them to kill those who would 
not conform to their law; and their salvation they 
believed to be impossible. This has been the spirit 
of popery, and of the Roman Church at large; in 


it in characters of blood and fire even in this 
country, (England,) when they were possessed of 
political power. [And even Protestant Christen- 
dom has not always been faultless in this matter. ] 

17. The wisdom that is from above—The 
pure religion of the Lord Jesus, bought by his 
blood, and infused by his Spirit. Is first pure— 
‘Ayvg, chaste, holy, and clean. Peaceable—Eipn- 
νικῇ, peaceful itself and promoting peace among 
men. Gentle —’Emvevxijc, meek, modest, of an 
equal mind, taking every thing in gvod part, and 
putting the best construction upon all the actions 
of others. Easy to be entreated — Εὐπειθῆς, 
not stubborn nor obstinate; of a yielding disposi- 
tion in all indifferent things, docile, ready to for- 
ceive. Full of mercy—Disposed to grant favours 
and to perform every possible act of kindness. 
Good fruits—|Habitually bringing about benefi- 
cent results.] Without partiality — ’Ad:axpitoc, 
without making a difference—rendering to every 
man his due; and being never swayed by self- 
interest, worldly honour, or the fear of man; 
knowing no man after the flesh. Without hy- 
pocrisy — ᾿Ανυπόκριτος, without dissimulation ; 
without pretending to be what it is not; acting 
always in its own character. 

18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown— 
The whole is the princzple of righteousness in the 
soul, and all the virtues are the fruits of that 
righteousness. Is sown in peace — When the 
peace of God rules the heart, all these virtues and 
eraces grow and flourish abundantly. Of them 
that make peace—The peacemakers are continu- 
ally recommending this wisdom to others, and their 
own conduct is represented as a sowing of heavenly 
seed, which brings forth divine fruit. This is not 
only the proper disposition for every teacher of the 
Gospel, but for every follower of the Lord Jesus. 
To enjoy the peace of God in the conscience, and 
to live to promote peace among men, is to answer 
the end of our creation, and to enjoy as much hap- 
piness ourselves as the present state of things can 
afford. They who are in continual broils live a 
wretched life, and they who /ove the life of the 
salamander must share no small portion of the 
demoniacal nature. In domestic society such per- 
sons are an evil disease ; they are a canker in the 
Church and a pest in the State. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. From whence come wars and fightings— 
[A painful transition from the ideal to the actual. 
Hitherto the language has been general, but now it 
is “among you.”’... Whether these were strifes of 
(so-called) religious parties, or individual rivalries 
for selfish ends, as the following words may sug- 
sest, they were the works of the flesh. (See Gal. 


vain do they attempt to deny it; they have written |v, 19-21.) Coming of their lusts, ἡδονῶν, pleasures, 


472 


The friendship of the world is 
enmity with God. 


among you? come they not hence, even of your 
‘lusts «that war in your members? 2 Ye 
lust, and have not: ye “kill, and desire to 
have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet 
ye have not, because ye ask not. 8% ¢ Ye ask, 
and receive not, because ye ask ainiss, that ye 


1 Or, dale akg = So verse 3. = aon: 7. σ᾽. Gal. 5. Ὥς κ 
‘1 Pet. 2. 11 on envy.—e Job 27. 4; 35. Psa. 18, 41; 
Prov. if 285 Tea, $15; Jer. 11.11; Micah ὃ. 4: Zech, 7. 13. 


oo 
= 
12: 


not unlike ἐπεθυμίων, appetites, and yet something 
more, namely, desire gratified in luxurious indul- 
gences. See Speaker’s Com.] [Πόλεμοε καὶ μάχαι, 
wars and strifes. Not public or national wars, nor 
yet conflicts in the courts, but rather quarrels grow- 
ing out of their selfishness and uncharitableness. | 
Come they not hence... of your lusts that 
war in ycur members — [Pleasures that make 
war in your members.) [The word member, μέλος, 
denotes properly a limb, or member of the body; 
but it is used in the New Testament to denote the 
members of the body collectively, that is, the body 
itself as the seat of the desires and passions, (Rom. 
vi, 13, 19; vii, 5, 23; Col. iii, 5:) the warring refers 
to conflicts between those passions which have 
their seat in the flesh, and (among themselves) 
with the better principles of the mind and con- 
science, producing a state of agitation and conflict. 
— Barnes. | 

2, Ye lust, and have not—Ye are ever covet- 
_ous, and ever poor, [longing for what ye have not. | 
Ye kill, and desire to have—[Apparently the 
only defensible rendering of the word govevere (“ ye 
kill”’) is that given in our common translation, and 
then, according to Alford, we are to “ understand 
it to allude to such cases as David and Ahab, who 
in their desire to possess committed murder. ... 
In the state of Jewish society during the apostolic 
age, it is to be feared that examples of [such 
atrocities] were but too plentiful, and there is no 
telling how far the Christian portion of Jewish 
communities may have suffered themselves to be- 
come entangled in such quarrels and their murder- 
ous consequences.” (See the case of St. Paul, Acts 
xxiii.)] We have not, because ye ask not—Ye 
get no especial blessing from God, as your fathers 
did, because ye do not pray. Worldly good is your 
god; ye leave no stone unturned in order to get 
it; andas ye ask nothing from God but to consume 
it upon your evil desires and propensities, your 
prayers are not heard. 

3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask 
amiss—|The general sense is: if you really prayed 
aright, this feeling of continual craving after more 
of worldly things would not exist. All your proper 
wants would be supplied; and these improper 
ones, which beget wars and fightings among you, 
would not exist.—Alford.] ἹΚακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ye ask 
evilly, wickedly. Ye have not the proper disposi- 
tions of prayer, and ye have an improper object. 
Ye ask for worldly prosperity, that ye may employ 
it in riotous living. This is properly the meaning 
of the original, wa ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε, 
that ye may ¢ expend it upon your pleasures, 

4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses—The Jews, 
because of their covenant with God, are repre- 
sented as being espoused to him; and hence their 
idolatry, and their iniquity in general, are repre- 
sented under the notion of adultery. And although 
they had not, since the Babylonish captivity, been 
guilty of idolatry, according to the /etter ; yet what 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4065. A. D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


may consume ἐξ upon your €lusts. Δ Ye 
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that 
‘the friendship of the world is enmity with 
God? * whosoever therefore will be a friend 
of the world is the enemy of God. 6 Do ye 
think that the Scripture saith in vain, !The 


pleasures, —- 


ὃ. 14. —g Or, 


J Psa. δῦ. 18 935 


sy 


: 1 Joln 3. 


hi Psu. 78. 27. i1 John 2. 15.—k panel 5 19: 17. 14: Gal, 
1, 10.—/ See Gen. 6,5: 8. 21; Num. 1]. : Prov, 21. 10. 


estranged from God, and ene their portion in 
this life and out of God—is that of which the Jews 
were then notoriously guilty. - [An overwhelming 
balance of the best modern authorities reject the 
words μοιχοὶ καὶ, (adulterers and,) and retain only 
μοι χαλίδες, (adulteresses.) The (spiritual) adultery 
here designated is that of a wife against her hus- 
band, in which relation the Church stands to 
Christ; and as each believer is personally espoused 
to him, of which espousal their baptism is the “ sign 
and seal,” so their infidelity to him partakes of the 
nature of the criminality of the unfaithful wife. 
The use of the masculine form (soc yo?) is therefore 
out of harmony with the spirit of the text, as well 
as wanting in critical authovity. Of this correction 
of the accepted readmg, Alford very justly re- 
marks, ‘* This is one of those cases where the testi- 
mony of our ancient MSS. is so valuable, in re- 
storing to us the nervous and pregnant rebuke of 
the original.’| The friendship of the world— 
“The world” was their god; here they committed 
their spiritual adultery, and they cultivated this 
friendship in order that they might gain this end. 
| Whosoever ... will be a friend of the world 
—How strange it is that people professing Chris- 
tianity can suppose that with a worldly spirit, 
worldly companions, and their lives governed by 
worldly maxims, they can be in the favour of God, 
or have a place in the kingdom of heaven! When 
“the world” gets into the Church, the Church be- 
comes a painted sepulchre; its spiritual vitality 
being extinct. 

5. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in 
vain, etc.—It is impossible to tell what scripture 
St. James refers to; many have been produced by 
learned men as that which he had particularly in 
view. Some think Gen. vi, 5: “Every imagi- 
nation of the thoughts of his heart was on/y evil 
continually.” Gen. viii, 21: “The imagination of 
man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Num. xi, 29: 
“ Moses said unto him, Huviest thou for my sake 
and Prov. xxi, 10: “The soul of the wicked de- 
sireth evil.’ None of these seriptures, nor any 
other, contain the precise words of this verse; and 
therefore St. James may probably refer not to any 
particular portion, but to the spirit and design of 
the Scripture in those various places where it speaks 
against envying, covetousness, worldly associations, 
ete. [This verse has been variously interpreted, 
each one having his own scheme, with which, how- 
ever, even the interpreter himself is often not sat- 
isfied. Its interrogation and guasi negative form is 
evidently designed to be equivalent to a strong 
affirmation: ** The Scripture says so, emphatically.” 
This appeal to the Scripture is in the form com- 
monly used in making verbal quotations, but the 
words here given—the latter clause of the verse—are 
not found, in that precise shape, in either the Old 
or the New Testament. They must, therefore, be 
taken as an expression of the general teaching of 
God’s word on thesubject. But the chief difficulty 


9? 


is intended by idolatry — having their hearts |is found in fixing the meaning of the two w oe 


413 


A, M. 4°65, A.D. 61. 
Year of Roine, #14. 


JAMES. 


Exhortation to resist the devil, 
and to draw to God, 


spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth "to envy? 
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he 
saith, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth 
grace unto the humble. % Submit yourselves 
therefore to God. °Resist the devil, and he 
will flee from you. Φὸ * Draw nigh to God, 
and he will draw nigh to you. 4 Cleanse your 


hands, ye sinners; and ' purify your hearts, ye 
sdoubleminded. 9 'Be afflicted, and mourn, 
and weep: let your laughter be turned to 
mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 
£9 «Humble yourselves in the sight of the 
Lord, and he shall lift you up. ἘΠ vSpeak 
not eyil one of ai brethren. He that 


m Or, enviously ?—n Job 22. 24; Psa. 138. 6; Prov. 3. 34: 
29. 93: Matt. 28. 12; Luke 1. ok 14. 11; 18, 14: 1 Pet. 4. 5.— 
o Eph. 4. 7 6. ih ΤΟΙΣ; 9:—p3 Cor. ΤΟΣ 


: 1 John 3. spree Chap 
ἘΝῚ itt. 23. 12; Luke 14. Mi “8 4: 
1 Pet. 2. 1: 


Φ Isa. J. 16.—7] Pet. 1. 
1 Pet. 5. 6.» Eph. 4. 31; 


φθόνον, envy, and πνεῦμα, spirit, ‘the sense of the 
former of which depends largely on that of the 
latter. If, as evidently intended in the English Ver- 
sion, the latter is the spirit of fallen and worldly 
men, then its rendering of the former “envy” is a 
near approach to the true sense, and the whole 
verse constitutes simply a reminder and a warning; 
as if it had said, you are warned in Scripture that 
your hearts are instinctively inclined to evil; there- 
fore, (implied, but not immediately expressed,) 
seek God’s grace, draw near and submit to God, 
resist the devil, mourn for your earnality, and hum- 
ble yourselves before God. (Verses 6-10.) But the 
form of words used (πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν) is 
precisely that usually employed to indicate the in- 
dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and therefore it is 
claimed that it should. be rendered, ‘The Spirit 
that he God) placed in you;” and then the words 
πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ must be interpreted so as to 
express an action of the Holy Spirit. This has 
been attempted by making πρός equivalent to 
against, or in opposition to, which would be a very 
unusual application of that preposition. By this 
construction the sentence becomes indirectly an 
assuring promise of the indwelling Spirit’s assist- 
ance in resisting envy, (φθόνον,) which is also di- 
rectly and largely affirmed in what immediately 
follows. Hither sense is good enough in itself, and 
altogether in harmony with the teachings of the 
Seriptures; but to reach either of them, very con- 
siderable liberties must be used in construing the 
words of the original. | 

6. But he giveth more grace—Meilova χάριν, 
a greater benefit, {enlarged measures of the power of 
the Holy Spirit, by which to effectually resist the 
evil tendency (ἐπεπόθησις) of the depraved heart, 
(verse 5,) and so to effectually antagonize the 
“evil heart of unbelief.” (Heb. iii, 12..] God 
resisteth the proud—'Avrirdocerar, sets himself 
in battle array against him. Giveth grace unto 
the humble—The sure way to please God is to 
submit to the dispensations of his grace and provi- 
dence; and when aman acknowledzes him in all 
his ways, he will direct all his steps. The covetows 
man grasps at the shadow and loses the substance, 

7. Submit... to God—Continue to bow to all 
his decisions, and to all his dispensations. Resist 
the devil—He cannot conquer you if you continue 
to resist. Strong as he is, God never permits him 
to conquer the man who continues to resist him. 
He who, in the (terrible name of Jesus, opposes 
even the devil himself, is sure to have a a speedy and 
glorious conquest. [There is here an evident ref- 
erence to Christ’s temptation. (Matt. iv, 10, 11.) 
These scriptures (see 1 Peter 5-7) testify to the 
personality of the tempter, (see also Luke xxii, 31,) 
who appears (as elsewhere) as the prince of this 
world; whose thralls the friends of the world nee- 
essarily become. (John xii, 80; xiv, 30.)}—Speak- 
er’s Commentary. | 

8. Draw nigh to God—Approach Him, in the 

474 


name of Jesus, by faith and prayer, and he will 
draw nigh to you; he will meet you at your 
coming. When a soul sets out to seek God, God 
sets out to meet that soul; so that while we are 
drawing near to him, he is drawing near to us. 
The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, 
I think, but seldom noted. Cleanse your hands, 
ye sinners— Washing or cleansing the hands was a 
token of innocence and purity. [See the case of 
Pilate, Matt. xxvii, 24, also Psa. xxvi, 6.1] Purify 
your hearts—[Since only the ‘“ pure in heart” (the 
really and earnestly sincere) can truly and effec- 
tually “draw near to God.” (See Psa. ix, 12, Isa. 
vii, 15.)] Ye doubleminded—[See chapter i, 8. 
Doublemindedness is incompatible with real sin- 
cerity ; it is therefore an uncleanness and must be 
removed | As a man is a sivmer, he must have his 
hands cleansed from wicked works; as he is douwb/e- 
minded, he must have his heart sanctified. Saweti- 


fication belongs to the heart, because of pollution of 


mind; cleansing belongs to the hands, because of 
sinful acts, * 

9. Be afflicted, and mourn—Without true and 
deep repentance ye cannot expect the mercy of 
God. Let your laughter be turned to mourn- 
ing—lIt appears most evidently that many of those 
to whom St. James addressed this epistle had lived a 
very irregular and dissolute life. He had already 
spoken of their lust and pleasures: and he had 
called them adulteresses. He speaks here of their 
laughter and their joy; and all the terms taken 
together show that a dissolute life is intended. 
What a strange view is thus given of the char- 
acter of primitive Christianity ! [which is often 
spoken of as worthy of all imitation ; but it is not 
so presented in the apostolic writings, nor in those 
of the primitive fathers. ] 

10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the 
Lord—In verse 7 they were exhorted to submit to 
God; here they are exhorted to “humble” them- 
selves in his sight. Submission to God’s authority 
will precede humiliation of soul, and genuine re- 
pentance is performed as in the ‘sight ” of God; 
for when a sinner is truly awakened to a sense of 
his guilt and danger he seems to see, whitherso- 
ever he turns, the face of a justly incensed God 
turned against him. He shall lift you up— 
Mourners and penitents lay on the ground, and 
rolled themselves in the dust. When comforted 
and pardoned, they arose from the earth, shook 
themselves from the dust, and clothed themselves 
in their better garments. God promises to raise 
men from the dust, when they are truly humbled. 

11. Speak not evil one of another—Perhaps 
this exhortation refers to evil speaking, slandering 
and backbiting in general, the writer having no 
particular persons in view. It may, however, refer 
to the contentions among the Zealots and different 
factions then prevailing among this wretched peo- 
ple, or to their calumnies against those of their 
brethren who had embraced the Christian faith, 


Admonitions against rash judeings, 
and presumptions of life. 


speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his 
brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth 
the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art 
not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There 
is one lawgiver, * who is able to save and to de- 
stroy: Ywho art thou that judgest another? 
13 *Go to now, ye that say, To day or to 
morrow we will go into such a city, and con- 
tinue there a year, and buy and sell, and get 


τὸ Matt. 7. 1: Luke 6, 37; Rom. 2. 1: 1 Cor. 4. 5a Matt, 
10. 28. y Rom, 14. 4, 13. 2 Prov. 27. 1; Luke 12, 18, ete, — 
«a Or, For it is.—b Job 7. 7; Psa. 102. 3: chapter 1, 10; 1 Pet. 


[Hvil speaking, as the outflow of an uncharitable 
and depraved spirit, is the sure indication of the 
absence of that genuine charity which is the most 
eminent of the Christian graces.] He that speak- 
eth evil—[That judges harshly and censoriously, 
condemning without the authority to condemn. His 
brother—Rather, a “brother,” using the term in- 
definitely.] Speaketh evil of the law — [Not 
merely the specific precept “judge not,” (Matt. 
vii, 1,) but identical with “the royal law,” (ii, 8,) 
which embraces all. Such a violation of the spirit 
of the “great commandinent” is, in fact, a cen- 
sure of the law itself, which is summed up in these 
words. (See Rom. ii, 1, 13.)... To judge or criti- 
cise the law one must be outside of and above it. 
... It is by “doing” it that a man comes to un- 
derstand it, (John vii, 17;) and the doer is not 
likely to criticise.—Speaker’s Com.] 


12. There is one lawgiver—Kai κριτής, and 


Judge, is added here by [the common verdict ‘of 
the best modern scholarship.] The man who breaks 
the law, and teaches others so to do, in effect 
sets himself up as a “lawgiver” and judge. But 
there is only one such lawgiver and judge—God 
Almighty, who is able to save all those who obey 
him, and to destroy all those who trample under 
feet his testimonies. Who art thou that judgest 
another — Who art thou who darest to usurp 
the office and prerogative of the supreme Judge ? 
But what is that Jaw of which St. James speaks ? 
and who is this lawgiver and judge? Most 
critics think that the law mentioned here is the 
same as that which he elsewhere calls the royal 
law, and the law of liberty, thereby meaning the 
Gospel, and that Christ is the person who is called 
the lawgiver and judge. This, however, is not 
clear to me. I believe James means the Jewish 
law ; and by the lawgiver and judge, God Almighty, 
as acknowledged by the Jewish people. I find, or 
think I find, from the closest examination of this 
epistle, but few references to Jesus Christ or his 
Gospel. His Jewish creed, forms, and maxims 
this writer keeps constantly in view; and it is 
proper he should, considering the persons to whom 
he wrote. Some of them were. doubtless, Christ- 
duns; some of them probably no Christians; and 
some of them half Christians and half Jews. 
[There is nothing more decidedly condemned in the 
Seviptures than the habit of pronouncing a judg. 
ment on the motives and conduct of others. There 
is nothing in which we ave more liable to err, or to 
indulge in wrong feelings; and there is nothing 
which God claims more for himself as his peculiar 
prerogative.— Barnes. | 

13. Go to now—"Aye viv, come now, the same 
in meaning as the “come” of Gen. ΣΙ 5, Ἂς ts LO 
day or to morrow we will go—[As James 
looks upon Judaism as a solidarity, in guilt and 
perverseness attaching to the whole people, al- 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. Μ. 4065. A. Ὁ. 61. 
Year of Rome, 814, 


gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall 
be on the morrow. For what is your life? 
*'It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a lit- 
tle time, and then vanisheth away. 45 For 
that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we 
shall live, and do this, or that. 46 But now 
ye rejoice in your boastings: 4 all such rejoic- 
ing is evil. 117 Therefore eto him that know- 
eth to do good, and doeth ἐξ not, to him it is sin. 


1. 4; 1 John 2. 17.—c Acts 18 21:1 Gor. 4, 19: 16.7: eb, 
6. 3. —d 1 Cor, 5. '.—e Luke [Ὁ 47; John 9, 41; 15, 22; Rom. 
1, i, 21,32; 3, 17, 1%, 23, 


though mostly to the unbelieving Jews, so all his 
exhortations and warnings are addressed through 
the Jewish Christians to all Jews.—Lange.| This 
worldliness and presumption on a precarious life 
is well expressed by an English poet: 


Who, counting on long years of pleasnre here, 
Are quite unfurnished for the world to come.— B'air, 


And continue there a year, and buy and sell 
—This was the custom of those ancient times ; they 
traded from city to city, carrying their goods on 
the backs of camels. It is to this kind of itiner- 
ant mercantile life that St. James alludes. 

14. Whereas ye know not—It is not only 
impious, but grossly absurd, to speak thus concern- 
ing futurity, when ye know not what a day may 
bring forth. Life is utterly precarious, and God 
has not put it within the power of any creature to 
command one moment of what is future, It is 
even a vapour—'Azic yap ἐστιν, it is a smoke, 
always fleeting, uncertain, evanescent, and  ob- 
secured with various trials and afflictions. (See 
Psa. cii, 11; Job viii, 9; 1 Chron Χκῖχ 15) «ΚἋ]] 
flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is 
as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, 
the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord 
bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.” St. 
James had produced the same figure, chapter i, 
10, 11. But there is a very remarkable saying in 
the book of Ecclesiasticus, which should be quoted : 
“As of the green leaves of a thick tree some fall 
and some grow, so is the generation of flesh and 
blood: one cometh to an end, and another is born.” 
(Ecclus. xiv, 18.) 

15. For that ye ought to say —’Arzi τοῦ 
λέγειν ὑμᾶς, instead of which ye should say. Ifthe 
Lord will, we shall live—{Not only our doing 
depends on the will of the Lord, but also, first of 
all, life itself.—Lange.] 

16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings— 
Ye glory in your proud and self-sufficient conduct, 
exulting that ye are free from the trammels of sn. 
perstition, and that ye can live independently of 
God Almighty. All such rejoicing is evil— 
Rather, such boasting is wicked, πονηρά ἔστιν, is im- 
pious. 

17. To him that knoweth to do good—As if 
the writer had said: After this warning none of 
you can plead ignorance, if, therefore, any of you 
shall be found to act their ungodly part, not ac- 
knowledging the divine providence, the uncertainty 
of life, and the necessity of standing every moment 
prepared to meet God—as you will have the 
greater sin, you will infallibly get the greater pun- 
ishment. This may be applied to all who know 
better than they act. He who does not the Mas- 
ter’s will because he does not know it will be 
beaten with few stripes; but he who knows it and 
does not do it, shall be beaten with many. (Luke 

475 


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Year of Rome, $14. 


JAMES. 


The miseries which shall come on the 
profligate rich announced, 


CHAPTER V. 

YO *to now, ye rich men, weep and howl 
for your miseries that shall come upon 
you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and ' your 
garments are motheaten. ®& Your gold and 
silver is cankered; and the rust of thei shall 
be a witness against you, and shall eat your 
flesh as it were fire. ©¢ Ye have heaped treasure 
together for the last days. 4 Behold, ¢the 


hire of the labourers who have reaped down 
your fields, which is of you kept back by 
fraud, erieth: and ¢the cries of them which 
have reaped are entered into the ears of the 
Lord of Sabaoth. & Ye have lived in pleas- 
ure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have 
nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaugh- 
ter. 6 €Ye have condemned and killed the 
just; and he doth not resist’you. 7 Be 


\ a Prov. 11. 28; Luke 6. 24; 1 Tim. 6, 9. ᾧ Job 13. 28; Matt. 
6. 20: chap. 2. 2. ὁ Rom. 2. 5.—d Lev. 19, 13; Job 24. 10, 11; 
Jer. 22. 13; Mal. 3.5. 


ὁ Deut. 24. 15.-—/ Job 21. 13; Amos 6, 1, 4; Luke 16. 19, 25; 
1 Tim, 5, 6.—g Chap. 2. 6. h Or, Be long putient, or, Suffer 
with long patience, 


xii, 47, 48.) St. James may have the Christians in 
view who were converted from Judaism to Chris- 
tianitv. They had more light and religious knowl- 
edge than the Jews had; and God would require a 
proportionable improvement from them. [This 
conclusion of St. James is added as the summing 
up of the argument, in the same manner as the aph- 
orism with which St. Paul closes his reasonings 
concerning a doubting conscience, when he says, 
“ Whatsoever is not of faith is sin;” that is, when- 
ever a man does any thing without being perswaded 
in his mind that he may lawfully do it, he is guilty 
of sin. (Rom. xiv, 23.)— Wordsworth. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. Go to now—See on chapter iv, 13. Ye 
rich men—[0i πλούσιοι, you that are rich.| [The 
reference is not at all to individuals as such; the 
persons addressed are those who, according to the 
last warning, harden themselves by the self delu- 
sion of their being theocratically rich. The entire 
prophetical lamentation must be judged according 
to its analogies in the Old Testament and in the 
New Testament. (Isa. ii, 22; iii, 19; Matt. xxiii; 
Rev. xviii.—Zange.]| Weep and howl—Refer- 
ring to the near approach of the divine judgment. 
(See Isa. xiii, 6.) .For your miseries that shall 
come — [These miseries are not to be thought 
of (primarily) as the natural and determined end 
of all worldly riches, but are the judgment con- 
nected with the coming of the Lord, ἡ παρουσία τοῦ 
Κυρίου, (verse 8,) evidently referring to the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem.—A/ford. | 

2. Your riches are corrupted — Σέσηπε, are 
putrefied. The term πλοῦτος, riches, is to be taken 
here, not for gold, silver, or precious stones, (these 
could not putrefy,) nor for the produce of the 
fields and flocks, the different stores of grain, wine, 
and oil, ete., [but generically for all kinds of property 
having a money value which is proverbially liable 
to loss or perishing. (See Matt. vi, 19.)] 


3. Your gold and silver is cankered—In- 


stead of helping the poor, and thus honouring God 
with your substance, ye have, through covetous- 
ness, kept all to yourselves. [Gold and silver do 
not contract rust, but as these things are named as 
figures for wealth, so the corruption and wasting of 
wealth are expressed by terms that apply to me- 
tallic substances. Some have interpreted the ex- 
pression as of the dimness of their burnish. (See 
Isa. i, 22; Lam. iv, 1.) Or the figure may have 
been chosen for its contrariety to nature, to illus- 
trate the unnaturalness of the dimming of the glory 
of the covenant people by their worldliness and 
blackslidings.| The rust of them shall be a 
witness against you—Your putrefied stores, your 
motheaten garments, and your tarnished coin, are 
so many proofs that it was not for want of property 
that you assisted not the poor, but through avarice, 
476 


loving money for its own sake. This was the very 
character given to this people by our Lord himself ; 
he called them φελάργυροι, lovers of money. Shall 
eat your flesh as it were fire—This is a very 
bold and striking figure. The writer represents 
the rust of their coin as becoming a canker that 
should produce gangrenes and ulcers in their flesh, 
till it should be eaten away from their bones. Ye 
have heaped treasure together — [ You have 
treasured up, ἐθησαυρίσατε, accumulated and laid 
up in store, (no object is named, nor needed,) ye 
have gotten, and kept.] For the last Cays— Not 
the day of judgment, nor specifically the last days of 
the Jewish commonwealth, [but, in a general way, 
for the time to cone, ov, more comprehensively, for 
all after lifetime. (Luke xii, 19.)] 

4. The hire of the labourers—(See Lev. xix, 13; 
Deut. xxiv, 15; Mal. iii, 5.) To such things James 
seems particularly to allude when he says, 716 
cries of them which have reaped ave entered into the 
ears of the Lord of hosts; and the rabbins say, 
“The vapour arising from the sweat of the hard- 
worked labourer ascends wp before God.” |How 
terribly direct was this denunciation against the 
whole system of slavery, as it formerly existed, in 
this country, but is now happily removed, though 
at a great price of blood and treasure. The spirit 
of the admonition may still be applied to all the 
relations of capital and labour, employers and em- 
ployés.| The Lord of Sabaoth—Lord of hosts, 
or Lord of armies, is a frequent appellation of God 
in the Old Testament; and signifies his uncon- 
trollable power, and the infinity of means he has 
for governing the world and defending his follow- 
ers, and of punishing the wicked. 

5. We have lived in pleasure—Erpudyjcare, 
ye have lived luxuriously; feeding yourselves with- 
out fear, pampering the flesh. And been wanton 
- Ἑσπαταλήσατε, ye have lived lasciviously; ve 
have indulged all your sinful and sensual appetities 
to the uttermost ; and your lives have been scan- 
dalous. We have nourished your hearts— Ἐθ. 
pé ware, ye have fattened your hearts, and have ren- 
dered them incapable of feeling, as in a day of 
slaughter, ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς, a day of sacrifice, where 
many victims are offered at once, and where the 
people feast upon the sacrifices; many, no doubt, 
turning, on that occasion, a holy ordinance into a 
riotous festival. [By “day of slaughter” some un- 
derstand the day of judgment, a rendering that the 
text will not bear. The transaction named and 
censured is past, and nothing is said in this con- 
nexion about any thing future.] 

6. Ye have condemned and killed the just— 
Several, by τὸν δίκαιον, the just one, understand 
Jesus Christ, (Acts iii, 14; vii, 52; xxii, 14;) but 
the structure of the sentence, and the connexion in 
which it stands, seems to require that we should 
consider this as applying to the “just ” or r/ghtcous 


Faith and patience under affliction 
and trial euforced, 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4065. A. D. 61. 
Yeur of Rome, κά], 


_ DPR il Lae Le eee ee 


patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of | 10 *Take, my brethren, the prophets, who 


the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for 
the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long 
patience for it, until’ he receive ithe early and 
latter rain. αὶ Be ye also patient; stablish 
your hearts: ‘for the coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh. 9 !™Grudge not one against 
another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: be- 
hold, the judge "standeth before the door. 


have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an 
example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 
Ε1 Behold, P we count them happy which en- 
dure. Ye have heard of 4 the patience of Job, 
and have seen ‘the end of the Lord: that *the 
Lord is very pitiful, and of. tender mercy. 
12 But above all things, my brethren, ‘swear 
not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, 


ἡ Deut. 11. 14; Jer. 5. 24; Hos. 6. 3; Joel 2. 23; Zech. 10. 1.—— 
A Phil. 4. 5: Heb. 10. 25,37: 1 Pet! 4. 7.—/ Or, Groan, or, 
Grieve not.—m Chap. 4. 11.—n Matt. 24. 83; 1 Cor. 4. ὃ. 


0 Matt. 5. 12; Heb. 11. 35, etc.—~>p Psa. 94. 12; Matt. 5. 10 
11: W, 9, ---σ Job 1. 21, 22: 9, 10, Job 42. 10, ete — 
8 Num. 14, 18; Psa. 103. 8, ——/ Matt. 5. 34, ete, 


in general, who were persecuted and murdered by 
those oppressive rich men; and their death was the 
consequence of their dragging them before the judg- 
ment seats, (chapter ii, 6,) where, having no influ- 
ence, and none to plead their cause, they were 
unjustly condemned and executed. And he doth 
not resist you—In this, as in τὸν δίκαιον, the just, 
there is an enallage of the singular for the plural 
number, And in the word οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται", “he 
doth not resist,” the idea is included of defence ina 
court of justice. These poor righteous people had 
none to plead their cause; and if they had had, it 
would have been useless, as their oppressors had all 
power and all influence, and those who sat on these 
julgment seats were lost to all sense of justice and 
right. Some think that “he doth not resist you” 
shoull be referred to Gop; as if he had said, God 
permits you to go on in this way at present, but he 
will shortly awake to judgment, and destroy you as 
enemies of truth and righteousness. 

7. Be patient therefore—[And thus we have, 
as it were standing before us, the slain and unre- 
sisting righteous man, when, lo! the curtain falls: 
“ Be patient, brethren;” wait! (See Amos ii, 6, 7.)] 
Because God is coming to execute judgment on this 
wicked people, therefore be patient till he comes, 
The writer here refers to the coming of the Lord 
to execute judgment on the Jewish nation, which 
Shortly afterward took place. The husbandman 
waiteth—The seed of your deliverance is already 
sown, and by and by the harvest of your salvation 
will take place. God’s counsels will ripen in due 
time. The early and latter rain—The rain of 
seed time, and the rain of ripening before harvest : 
the first fell in Judea about the beginning of No- 
ve nber, after the seed was sown; and the second 
toward the end of April, when the ears were filling, 
anl this prepared for a full harvest. Without 
these two rains the earth would have been un- 
fruitful. These God had promised. (Deut. xi, 14.) 
An for these they were not only to wait patiently, 
but also to pray. (Zech. x, 1.) [And after this 
example the Jewish Christians of that time were 
exhorted to await patiently their approaching e- 
liverance in the overthrow of the Jewish state, 
which had become their chief persecutor. The les- 
son has also a broader and a perpetual applica- 
tion. ] 

8. Be ye also patient—Wait for God's deliver- 
ance, as ye wait for his bounty in providence. 
Stablish your hearts —Take courage; do not 
sink under your trials. The coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh—’Hyyuxe, is at hand; [leads on, ap- 
proaches.| Ηδ is already on his way to destroy this 
wicked people, to raze their city and temple, and 
to destroy their polity forever; and this judgment 
will soon take place. 

% Grudge not — Μὴ στενάζετε, groan not; 


grumbie not; do not murmur through impatience; 
and let not any ill treatment which you receive in- 
duce you to vent your feelings in imprecations 
against your oppressors. Leave all this in the 
hands of God. Lest ye be condemned — By 
giving way to a spirit of this kind you will come 
under the condemnation of the wicked, The judge 
standeth before the door—His eye is upon every 
thing that is wrong in you, and every wrong that is 
done to vou; and he is now entering into judgment 
with your oppressors. [You will have to wait only 
a little while.] 

10. Take... the prophets—The prophets who 
had spoken to their forefathers by the authority of 
God were persecuted by the very people to whom 
they delivered the divine message ; but they suffered 
affliction and persecution with patience, commend- 
ing their cause to Him who judgeth righteously ; 
therefore, imitate their example. 

11. We count them happy which endure— 
According to that saying of our blessed Lord, 
Blessed ave ye when men shall revile you, and perse- 
cule you, for so persecuted they the prophets which 
were before you. (Matt. v, 11, etc.) Ye have 
heard of the patience of Job—['Yrouovqy, stead- 
Jast endurance.| Stripped of all his worldly pos- 
sessions, deprived at a stroke of all his children, 
tortured in body with sore disease, tempted by the 
devil, harassed by his wife, and calumniated hy his 
friends, he nevertheless held fast his integrity, 
resigned himself to the divine dispensations, and 
charged not God foolishly. And have seen the 
end of the Lord—The issue, τέλος, to which God 
brought all his afflictions and trials, giving him 
children, increasing his property, lengthening out 
his life, and multiplying to him every kind of 
spiritual and secular good. This was God’s end 
with respect to him; but the devil’s end was to 
drive him to despair, and to cause him to blas- 
pheme his Maker. {In like manner do ye endure, 
in the patience of faith ; God's issue will assuredly 
be ahappy one.| “The end of the Lord” is a He- 
braism for the issue to which God brings any thing 
or business. The Lord is very pitiful, and of 
tender mercy --- Πολίσπ2α) χνός͵ of much sym- 
pathy, his commiseration is easily excited, and is 
great or abundant. [Our Lord, because he is 
“touched with the feeling of our infirmities,” (Heb. 
iv, 15,) is not only merciful as our God, but also, 
and eminently, sympathizing, “bearing our sor- 
rows.”’] 

12. Above all things... swear not—What 
relation this exhortation can have to the subject in 
question, I confess I cannot see. It may not have 
been designed to stand in any connexion, but to be 
a separate piece of advice, as in the several cases 
which immediately follow. That the Jews were 
notoriously guilty.of common swearing is allowed 


477 


A.M, 4065. A. Ὁ. 61, 
Year of Rome, 514, 


J AMES. 


Duty and efficacy of prayer 
x for the sink ah: 


neither by any other oath: but let your yea be 
yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into con- 
demnation. 18 Is any among you afilicted? 
let him pray. Is any merry? “let him sing 


uw Eph. 5. 19; Col. 3. 16. 


psalins. 14 Is any sick among you? let him 
call for the elders of the church ; and Jet them 
pray over him, ἡ anointing him with oil in the 
name of the Lord: 18 And the prayer of 


© Mark 6. 13; 16. 18. 


on all hands; and that swearing by heaven, earth, 
Jerusalem, the temple, the altar, different parts of 
the body, was not considered by them as’ binding 
oaths, has been sufficiently proved. (See on Matt. v, 
23, ete.) [The parallelism of this passage with the 
words of our Lord (Matt. v, 833-37) is substantially 
complete, making it probable that the apostle had 
these in his mind. It does not appear, however, 
why the subject is projected with so much em- 
phasis, πρὸ πάντων, above all things, (if indeed that 
is its meaning,) into the thread of his exhortations 
to patience and faith; nor are the commentators 
agreed as to the import of the dehortation. Most 
of them, noticing that swearing by the name of God 
is not specifically forbidden, (as also by our Lord’s 
words,) conclude that judicial oaths are not intended. 
If, as intimated by Dr. Clarke, the reference is 
to the prevalent gross and offensive profanity of 
the Jews at that time, against which the apostle 
fond it necessary so earnestly and tenderly to warn 
his brethren, then it also affords us a painful il- 
lustration of the bad moral and religious condition 
of the people at that time, of which, indeed, other 
evidence is not wanting. But Van Oosterzee gives 
entirely another turn to this whole passage. “The 
fundamental idea,” he remarks, ‘‘ which connects 
this verse with verses 11 and 13, is the allaying of 
the fanatical excitement which was constantly 
growing up among the Jews, and was threatening 
... to deprive the Jewish Christian Churches of 
their composure. The history of the banding το- 
gether of more than forty men against the life of 
St. Paul (Acts xxiii, 12-22) (evidently with the 
concurrence of the priests, and possibly winked at 
by some who professed to be Christians) proves 
the bias of the Judaistic zealots (Acts xxi, 20, 21) 
to enter into conspiracies.” He accordingly ren- 
ders μὴ ὀμνύετε, join no conspiracies, of which the 
oath was the distinctive feature.] Lest ye fall 
into condemnation—‘Iva μὴ ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε, 
lest ye full under Judgment, [for profaning the name 
of the Lord. (Exod. xx, 7.)—Barnes.j Jews taught 
that there might be mental reservation that would 
annul the oath, how solemnly soever it was taken ; 
and the object of St. James may have been to 
guard against that hypocritical method of taking 
an oath, which is subversive of all moral feeling, 
and must make conscience itself callous. 

15. Is any among you afflicted? let him 
pray—|The word κακοπαθεῖ, usually indicates out- 
ward suffering, (see 2 Tim. ii, 3, 9, iv, 5,) but 
here, in contrast with εὐθυμεῖ, merry, joyful, it im- 
plies the inward sense of suffering, (the result of 
hardships.) The remedy is prayer: not necessarily 
to obtain the removal of the trial, but at any rate for 
the increase of faith, to raise the spirits, so that 
we be comforted and of good cheer. — Speaker's 
Com.| Is any merry? let him sing psalms— 
These are all general but very useful directions. 
It is natural for a man to sing when he is cheerful 
and happy. And as God alone is the author of 
all that good which makes a man happy, then his 
praise should be the subject of the song of him 
who is glad. (Psa. xxxiii, 1; xxxii, 11.) 

14. Is any sick among you? let him call for 

478 


the elders —St. James very properly sends all 
such to the elders of the Church, who especially 
had power with God through the great Mediator, 
that they might pray for them. Anointing him 
with oil—That St. James certainly means neither 
any kind of incantation nor of miracle, nor such 
extreme unction as the Romish Church prescribes, 
[nor the “faith cures” of modern fanatics,] will 
be sufficiently evident from these considerations. 
What is here recommended was to be done as a 
natural means of restoring health, which, while 
they used prayer and supplication to God, they 
were not to neglect. “Oil” was, in Judea, cele- 
brated for its sanative qualities; so that the peo- 
ple rarely took a journey without carrying oil with 
them, (see in the case of the good Samaiitan,) with 
which they anointed their bodies, healed their 
wounds, bruises, etc. It was the custom of the 
Jews to apply it as a means of healing, and to that 
St. James evidently refers. They had, therefore, 
recourse to this as a natural remedy; and we find 
that the disciples used it also in this way to heal 
the sick, not exerting the miraculous power but in 
cases where natural means were ineffectual. And 
they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil 
many that were sick, and healed them. (Maik 
vi, 13.) In short, “anointing the sick with oil,” in 
order to their recovery, was a constant practice 
among the Jews. And here I am satisfied that it 
has no other meaning than as a natural means of 
restoring health; and that St. James desires them 
to use natural means while looking to God for an 
especial blessing. 

That the “anointing ” reeommended here ‘by &t. 
James cannot be such as the Romish Church pre- 
scribes, (and it is on this passage principally that 
they found their sacrament of extreme unction,) is 
evident from these considerations: That he orders 
the sick person to be anointed in reference to his 
cure, but they anoint the sick in the agonies of 
death, when there is no prospect of his recovery ; 
and never administer that sacrament, as it is called, 
while there is any hope of life. St. James orders 
this “anointing ” for the cure of the body, but they 
apply it for the cure of the soul; in reference to 
which use of it no directions are here given: and 
what is said of the forgiveness of sins (verse 15) 
is rather to be referred to faith eee eg which 
may also become the means of restoring lost health, 
and preventing premature death, when natural 
means, the most skilfully used, have been useless. 
The ‘‘ anointing with oil,” if ever used as a means or 
symbol in working miraculous cures, was only ap- 
plied in a very few cases, but the Romish Church 
uses it in every case; and makes it necessary to 
the salvation of every departing soul. St. James’s 
unction, and the extreme unction of the Romish 
Church, are therefore essentially different things. 

15. And the prayer of faith shall save the 
sick — That is, God will often make these the 
means of a sick man’s recovery; but there often 
are cases where “ faith”? and “prayer” are both 
ineffectual, because God sees it best that the pa- 
tient should not be restored; and therefore all 
faith and prayer on such occasions should be put 


Power of the prayer of a righteous 
man illustrated, 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4065. A. D. 61, 
Year of Rome, 814. 


faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall 
raise him up; “and if he have committed sins, 
they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your 
fanlts one to another, and pray one for an- 
other, that ye may be healed. * The effectual 
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth 
much. 1.7 Elias was a man Ysubject to like 
passions as we are, and #he ‘prayed * earnestly 
that it might not rain: ‘and it rained not on 


the earth by the space of three years and six 
months. IS And che prayed again, and the 
heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth 
her fruit. 19 Brethren, ‘if any of you do err 
from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let 
him know, that he which converteth the sin- 
ner from the error of his way ¢shall save a 
soul from death, and ‘shall hide a multitude 
of sins. 


ao Isa. 33. 24; Matt. 9. 2. ----αἱ Gien.'20. 17; Num. 1]. 2: Deut, 
9, 18, 19, 20; Josh. 10. 12; 1 Sam, 12. 18; 1 Kings 12, 6; 2 Kings 
4, 33: 19. 15, 2}: 20, 2, 4, ete. ; Psa, 10. 17; 34. 15; 145. 18; Prov. 
15. 29; 28.9; John 9. 31; 1 John 3, 22. 


y Acts 14, 15.21 Kings 17. 1. —-a Or, in his prayer. 
—l Luke 4, 25.—ce1 Kings 18. 42, 45.—d Matt. 18. 15.-— 
éRom., 11. 143; 1 Cor. 9. 22; 1 Tim. 4. 16— Prov. 10, 12; 
I Peter 4. 8, 


forth with this qualification: “If it be most for 
thy glory, and the eternal good of this man’s soul, 
let him be restored; if otherwise, Lord, pardon 
him, purify him, and take him to thy glory.” The 
Lord shall raise him up—Not the elders, how 
faithfully and fervently soever they have prayed. 
And if he have committed sins—We find that 
in the miraculous restorations to health under the 
powerful hands of Christ, the sin of the party is 
generally said to be forgiven, and this, also, before 
the miracle was wrought on the body. Here then 
it is Gop that remits the sin, not in reference to the 
unction, but in reference to the cure of the body, 
which he is miraculously to effect. [The practice 
of anointing with oil with a view to recovery from 
sickness was continued in the Eastern and West- 
ern Churches even after the Church had lost the 
miraculous gift of healing. It is continued in the 
Eastern Church for this purpose to this day, but the 
Reformed communions have abandoned the prac- 
tice.—Lange. | 

16. Confess your faults one to another—This 
is a good general direction to Christians who en- 
deavour to maintain among themselves the com- 
munion of saints. This social confession tends 
much to humble the soul, and to make it watehful. 
[Confession must always be voluntary on the part 
of those who make it; no man has the right to re- 
quire it of another. It is possible only where 
Christian communion is very intimate, and is safe 
only when most sacredly guarded. The promis- 
cuous proclamation of particular sins is insuffer- 
able, nor should the Christian pastor permit his 
ear and heart to be polluted with the images of 
secret sins which he can neither undo nor pardon. 
In not a few cases a man’s particular sins had bet- 
ter remain undivulged secrets in his own heart, 
told only to God, who alone can pardon and cleanse 
the soul.] And pray one for another—There is 
no instance in auricular confession where the peni- 
tent and the priest pray together for pardon; but 
here the people are commanded to pray for each 
other that they may be healed. [The common con- 
fession of transgressions, παραπτώματα, fallings 
sway, which should be made general/y by all, and 
nore specifically according to the conditions in each 
ease, SHOULD, and naturally woud, prompt to mu- 
tual prayer for spiritual healing, that is, restora- 
tion and strengthening.] The effectual fervent 
prayer of a righteous man availeth much— 
The words δέησις ἐνεργουμένη signify energetic sup- 
plication, or such a prayer as is suggested to the 
soul and wrought init by a divine energy. When God 
designs to do some particular work in his Church 
he pours out on his followers the spirit of grace 
and supplication; and this he does sometimes when 
he is about to do some especial work for an in- 
dividual, When such a power of prayer is granted, 


faith should be immediately called into exercise, 
that the blessing may be given: the spirit of prayer 
is the proof that the power of God is present to 
heal. 

17. Blias (Elijah) was a man subject to like 
passions — ‘The word ὁμοιοπαθὴς signifies of the 
same constitution, a human being just as ourselves 
are. (See on Acts xiv, 15.) There was some rea- 
son to apprehend that because Elijah was [believed 
to have been] translated, that therefore he was 
more than human, and if so, his example could be 
no pattern for us; and as the design of St. James 
was to excite men to pray, expecting the divine 
interference whenever that should be necessary, 
therefore he tells them that Elijah was a man like 
themselves, of the same constitution, liable to the 
same accidents, and needing the same supports. 
And he prayed earnestly — Προσευγχῇ προσηΐ- 
ξατο, he prayed with prayer ; a Hebraism for, he 
prayed fervently. That it might not rain—See 
this history in 1 Kings xvii, 1, ete. And it rained 
not on the earth—Exi τῆς γῆς, on that land, 
namely, the land of Israel; for this dreught did not 
extend elsewhere. Three years and six months 
—This is the term mentioned by our Lord, (Luke 
iv, 25 ;) but this is not specified in the original his- 
tory. In 1 Kings xviii, 1, it is said, Jn the third 
year the word of the Lord came to Elijah, that is, 
concerning the rain; but this third year is to be 
computed from the time of his going to live at 
Zarephath, which happened many days after the 
drought began, as is plain from this, that he re- 
mained at the brook Cherith till it was dried up, 
and then went to Zarephath, in the country of 
Zidon. (1 Kings xvii, 7-9.) Therefore the ‘three 
years and six months must be computed from his 
announcing the drought, at which time that judg- 
ment commenced.-—Macknight. 

18. And he prayed again—This second prayer 
is not mentioned in the history in express words, 
but it is said, (1 Kings xvii, 42,) He cast himself 
down upon the earth, and put his face between his 
knees ; that was probably the time of this second 
prayer, namely, that rain might come, as this was 
the proper posture of prayer. 

19. Err from the truth—Stray away from the 
Gospel of Christ. And one convert Him—Re- 
!claim him from his error, and bring him back to 
the fold of Christ. [This is the climax of love; 
more than brotherly, Christ-like! In connexion 

with the exhortation to prayer for one another, 
| (verse 16,) this may be looked on as praying with 
: hands, working as God’s ministers, (servitors,) 


toward the fulfilment of that which has been ut- 
tered by the lips.—Speaker’s Com.] 

20, Let him know—[Twookere, be ye assurcd.] 
Let it be duly considered, that he who is the instru- 
ment of converting a sinner shall save a soul from 

479 


A. Μ. 4165. A.D, 61. 
Year of Rome, 814. 


JAMES. 


Excellence of converting a sinner 
from the error of his way. 


eternal death, and shall hide a multitude of 
sins ; for in being the means of his conversion we 
bring him back to God, who, in his infinite mercy, 
hides or blots out the numerous sins which he had 
committed during the time of his backsliding. It 
is not the man’s sins who is the means of his con- 
version, but the sins of the backslider, which are 
here said to be hidden. Some have supposed that 
the hiding a multitude of sins is here to be 
understood of the person who converts the back- 
slider; but this is a dangerous doctrine, and such 
as the Holy Spirit never taught to man. As one 
immortal soul is of more worth in the sight of 
God than all the material creation, every man who 
knows its worth should labour for its salvation. 
To be the means of depriving hell of its expecta- 
tion, and adding even one soul to the Church tri- 
umphant, is a matter of infinite moment ; and he who 
is such an instrument has much for which to thank 
God. He who lays out his accounts to do good to 
the souls of men will ever have the blessing of 
God in his own. Besides, God will not suffer him 
to labour in vain, or spend his strength for naught. 
At first he may see little fruit; but the bread cast 
upon the waters shall be found after many days ; 
and if he should never see it in this life, he may be 
assured that whatsoever he has-done for God, in 
simplicity and godly sincerity, has been less or 
more effectual. 


CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 


I have said but little relative to the controversy 
concerning the apostleship of James, our Lord’s 
brother; for, as I am still in doubt whether he was 
the author of this epistle, 1 do not judge it necessary 
to enter into the question. I will, however, add 
some general observations on the epistle itself, and 
the evidence it affords of the learning and science 
of its author, 

1. I have already conjectured that this epistle 
ranks among the most ancient of the Christian 
writings; its total want of reference to the great 
facts which distinguish the early history of the 
Church, namely, the calling of the Gentiles, the dis- 
putes between them and the Jews, the questions 
concerning circumcision, and the obligation of the 
law in connexion with the Gospel, ete., shows that 
it must have been written before those things took 
place, or that they must have been wholly unknown 
to the author; which is incredible, allowing him to 
have been a Christian writer. 

2. The style of this epistle is much more elevated 
than most other parts of the New Testament. It 
abounds with figures and metaphors at once bold, 
dignified, just, and impressive. Many parts of “it 
are in the genuine prophetic style, and much after 
the manner of the prophet Zephaniah, to whom 
there is a near resemblance in several passages. 

3. An attentive reader of this epistle will per- 
ceive the author to be a man of deep thought and 
considerable learning. He had studied the Jewish 
prophets closely, and imitated their style; but he 
appears also to have read the Greek poets; his 
language is such as we might expect from one who 
had made them his study, but who avoided to quote 
them. We find a perfect Greek hexameter in 


chapter i, 17, and another may be perceived in! this epistle. 


480 


chapter iv, 4; but these are probably not bor- 
rowed, but afte the spontaneous, undesigned 
effort of his own well-cultivated mind. Images from 
natural history are not unfrequent. 

4. His constant attention and reference to the 
writings and maxims of his own countrymen is 
peculiarly observable. Several of his remarks tend 
to confirm the antiquity of the Talmud; and the 
parallel passages in the different tracts of that 
work cast much light on the allusions of St. James. 
Without constant reference to the ancient Jewish 
rabbins, we should have sought for the meaning of 
several passages in vain. 

5. St. James is in many places obscure; this 
may arise partly from his own deep and strong 
conceptions, and partly from allusions to arts or 
maxims which have not come down to us, or which 
lie vet undiscovered in the Mishna or Talmud. To 
elucidate this writer I have taken more than com- 
mon pains, but dare not say that I have been al- 
ways successful, though I have availed myself of 
all the helps within my reach. To Schoettgen’s 
Hore Hebraice I am considerably indebted, as also 
to Dr. Macknight, Kypke, Rosenmiiller, ete., but in 
many cases I have departed from all these and 
others of the same class, and followed my own light. 

6. On the controversy relative to the doctrine of 
justification, as taught by Paul and James, I have 
not entered deeply ; I have produced in the proper 
places what appeared to me to be the most natural 
method of reconciling these writers. I believe St. 
James not to be in opposition to St. Paul, but to a 
corrupt doctrine taught among his own country- 
men relative to this important subject. The deoc- 
trine of justification by faith in Christ Jesus, as 
taught by St. Paul, is both rational and true. St. 
James shows that a bare belief in the God of 
Israel justifies no man; and that the genuine faith 
that justifies, works by love, and produces obedience 
to all the precepts contained in the moral law; and 
that this obedience is the evidence of the sincerity 
of that faith which professes to have put its 
possessor in the enjoyment of the peace and favour 
of God. 

7. This epistle ends abruptly, and scarcely ap- 
pears to be a finished work. The author probably 
intended to add still more, but was prevented, 
perhaps, by death. James, our Lord’s brother, 
was murdered by the Jews, as we have already 
seen. James, the son of Zebedee, had probably a 
short race; but whether either of these were its 
author we know not. The work was probably 
posthumous, not appearing till after the author’s 
death ; and this may have been one reason why it 
was so little known in the earliest ages of the 
primitive Church. ΄ 

8. The spirit of Antinomianism is as dangerous 
in the Church as the spirit of Pharisaism: to the 
former the epistle of James is a most powerful an- 
tidote ; and the Christian minister who wishes to 
improve and guard the morals of his flock will 
bring its important doctrines, in due proportion, 
into his public ministry. It is no proof of the im- 
proved state of public morals that many who call 
themselves evangelical teachers scarcely ever at- 
tempt to instruct the public by texts selected from 


t 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE 


OF 


PETER. 


ITS AUTHOR. 


MERE is no reason to doubt that this epistle was written by the apostle Peter, 
properly called Simon, (Simeon, Acts xv, 14,) 2 Peter i, 1, whose name 
appears so frequently and prominently in the Gospels and the Acts. He was 
originally of Bethsaida, (John i, 44,) and his father’s name was Jonas, (or John, 
Ιωάνου, John i, 43; xxi, 15,) with whom ard with his (supposed elder) brother 
Andrew he carried on the trade of a fisherman at Capernaum, where he resided, 
being a married man, and having his wife’s mother residing in his house. He 
was among those first called to the apostleship, and he received at the time of his 
calling the name /vephas, Aramaic, Petros, Greek, both signifying a stone or rock. 
In the company of the apostles, while with Christ, Peter usually takes the lead 
in answering the Master’s questions, and in asking questions arising from our 
Lord’s remarks; but apparently chiefly from his impetuosity of spirit and his 
readiness of utterance. His name usually stands first in the list of the apostles, 
and he is also first named of the three (with James and John) selected by Christ to 
accompany him on occasions of peculiar interest. His characteristics, tempered 
by his earnest devotion to his Master, are seen in his frequent professions of 
undying devotion; but they also became the occasion of his sad defection when 
he found himself assailed by severe temptation, at the time of his Master’s 
arraignment. 

After the ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, 
Peter, as had been his custom, became the chief speaker for the whole body of 
the apostles, and by him the Gospel of the risen and ascended Christ was first 
openly proclaimed. He was also the divinely designated agent for the introduc- 
tion of the first Gentile converts to the privileges of the Gospel, in the case of 
Cornelius and his friends. After this, Paul becomes the leading character in the 
apostolical history, and Peter gradually passes out of sight. He appeared at the 
apostolic council at Jerusalem, (Acts xv,) where he pleaded for the liberty of the 
Gentile converts, supporting his plea by citing his experience and action in the 
ease of Cornelius and his family. St. Paul refers to him in several places in his 
epistles, but without casting any appreciable light upon his personal history. 

Peter’s later life is given with considerable fulness by St. Jerome ; but on 
account of his remoteness in time, (three hundred years,) with little more than 
oral traditions or written legends for authorities, his accounts can be trusted only 
when they are subjectively probable. He is spoken of as bishop of Antioch, of 


which Church Eusebius makes him the founder, in opposition to Acts xi, 19-22. 
Vou. I.—s1 481 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO PETER. 


He is also said to have laboured extensively among the Churches of Asia Minor, 
which is very briefly and rather indetinitely noted by Origen, but it seems to be 
corroborated by the local references at the beginning of this epistle. His journey 
to Rome to oppose Simon Magus is also related—a story founded on some refer- 
ences by Justin Martyr, which have since been proved to be not well founded. It 
is also claimed that during the last twenty-five years of his life he was bishop of 
Rome, for which there is really no authority, and as to most of that term, there 
is a chronological impossibility, unless his death is placed at a much later period 
than is generally accepted. There is, indeed, no trustworthy record of his ever 
having been in Rome, except the account of his martyrdom. That event is said 
to have occurred during the Neroan persecution, (about A.D. 68,) but for the 
legend of his having been crucified head downward there is no authority worthy 
of serious consideration. 
ITS GENUINENESS. 

No other of the apostolical epistles has a better record in respect to its gen- 
uineness than the first epistle of Peter. It seems to have been universally 
acknowledged by the ancient Church as a part of the Christian Scriptures. [0 is 
referred to in the Second Epistle, (chapter iii, 1,) and aside from the question of the 
proper canonicity of that epistle its antiquity, reaching back to the later age of 
the apostle, is unquestionable. It was recognised as Peter’s by Polycarp and 
Ireneus, Clement of Alexandria, (in frequent quotations, all credited to the 
apostle as their author,) by the (so-called) heretic Theodotus, by Origen and Ter- 
tullian. It is found in the Peshito Version, with only two others of the catholic 
epistles, and though it is wanting in the imperfect Canon of Muratori, its absence 
is scarcely any proof against it. It has been suspected that Theodore of Mopsuestia, 
and also some of the Paulicians, rejected it, but the evidence of this is not satis- 
factory ; and with the exception of these two uncertain instances we have the 
united testimony of antiquiiy in its favour. The objections brought against it 
by the modern sceptical schools of Germany, based upon its style and matter, its 
want of relevancy to the supposed conditions of times and persons, are of very 
little weight; so that, in the words of Alford, from whom the foregoing has been 
abridged, “ whether we consider external evidence, or the futility of internal 
objections, we can have no hesitation in accepting the epistle as the undoubted 
work of the apostle whose name it bears.” Even Renan admits it to be “ one of 
the writings of the New Testament which is the most anciently and the most 
unanimously cited as authentic.” 


TO WHOM ADDRESSED. 

This seems to be satisfactorily answered in the opening sentence of the 
epistle: “To the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, 
Asia, and Bithynia.” It has been thought by some of the most respectable 
authorities, both ancient and modern, that only Jewish Christians were included 
in this reference, which indeed may have been the case, though there is nothing 
in the language used to require such a limitation, since the dispersion (παρεπιδή- 
μοις) spoken of, may be understood in a spiritual sense, recognising them, with 
all Christians, as strangers and pilgrims on earth. The Church in the places 
named were certainly largely composed of converted Gentiles, as well as Jews, 
and it is not to be supposed that Peter would have written to the latter to the exclu- 
sion of the former, Many passages in the epistle appear also to be especially adapted 


to the conditions of the former. (See chapter i, 14; ii, 10, etc.) The state of the 
482 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO PETER. 


disciples and Churches addressed appear to very well agree with what Paul has 
said of them in his epistles, and in his exhortation to the elders of the Church of 
Ephesus, in Acts xx. There are also frequent allusions to the persecutions to 
which those addressed were exposed, which indicate that they arose on account 
of the disciples having separated themselves from the licentious shows and amuse- 
ments of the heathen. (See chapter iii, 17; iv, 4, 5.) The internal state of the 
Churches, and the lives of the individuals, as implied in the apostle’s admoni- 
tions and exhortations, correspond with all reasonable exactness with those of 
St. Paul, whose epistles were certainly addressed to Gentile as well as Jewish 
converts. It seems better, therefore, to understand this epistle as addressed to all 
classes of believers in the places named. 


TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING, 


Respecting the place of writing, which may also have some influence on the 
question of its time, a clause translated in our English Version, “The Church 
that is in Babylon,” ete., has naturally given rise to the opinion that the epistle 
was written in the Assyrian capital. See this subject examined at length at the 
close of the epistle, where it is shown that most probably the epistle was written 
in Rome, which even then had begun to be known by the symbolical name of 
Babylon, a name that was certainly given to that city before the end of the age 
of the apostles. (See the note at the end of this epistle.) 

It has been claimed, but without sufficient authority, that the epistle must 
have been written in view of one of the great persecutions, either that under 
Nero or that under Trajan. With more probability its date has been fixed at a 
short time before the outbreaking of the former of these, for certainly Peter was 
acquainted with Paul’s epistles, written during his first captivity at Rome, and if 
the tradition that both these apostles suffered martyrdom during that persecution 
be true, then the date of this epistle would fall very near to the death of its author; 
while if the genuineness of the second epistle is accepted, he must have written 
that one sometime, though not necessarily long, after the first. The personal 
references agree very well with this theory, especially those respecting Silvanus 
and Marcus, both of whom had before been with Paul in Rome. While, there- 
fore, nothing can be positively asserted in respect to the place from which this 
epistle was sent, the probabilities seem to be in favour of Rome, and the time not 
far from that generally accepted, namely, about A.D. 67 or 68. 


ITS CHARACTER AND STYLE. 


Here we cannot do better than adopt the words of Canon Farrar: “It is not 
so much a letter as a treatise addressed to Christians in general. It is mainly 
hortative, and its exhortations are founded on Christian hope, and on the effects 
of the death of Christ. It is not, however, a scholastic treatise, but rather a 
practical address, at once conciliatory in tone and independent in character. It 
may with equal truth be called Pauline and Judeaco-Christian. It is Judeaco- 
Christian in its sympathies, yet without any Judaic bitterness. It is Pauline in 
its expressions, yet with no polemic purpose. In both respects it accords with 
the character and circumstances of the great apostle. It is completely silent 
about the law, and enters into none of the once vehement controversies about the 
relations of the law to the gospel, or of faith to works. There is no premedi- 
tated attempt to reconcile opposing parties; but all party watchwords are either 
impartially omitted or stripped of their sterner antitheses. 

483 


e 
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER. 


“Tt was worthy of St. Peter’s high position and authority to express the 
common practical consciousness of the Christian Church in a form which avoided 
party disagreements. The views of St. Paul are presented by St. Peter in their 
everyday bearing rather than in their spiritual depths, and in their moral rather 
than their mystical significance. St. Peter adopts the views of his great brother 
apostle, but he clothes them in simpler and in conciliatory terms.” 

[In respect to the characteristics of this epistle, we first remark the extreme 
simplicity of the general structure. It is divided broadly, at the eleventh verse 
of the second chapter, into two sections. The first presents us with a portraiture 
of the Christian in his high privileges, elect by the divine will, in full possession 
of the means of salvation, animated by a new life in virtue of his regeneration, 
overflowing with spiritual emotions, rooted in faith, abounding in hope, full of 
unfeigned and fervent love, especially developed in the relationships of the new 
family; we have the dogmatic truths of the preexistence, the divinity, the 
majesty, of the Head of the Church set before us with a vividness and complete- 
ness unsurpassed in the sacred writings; while the Church stands out as a temple 
of which every stone is instinct with spiritual life, the home and realization of 
the ideal Israel, ever present to the minds of God’s heralds and interpreters, in 
which the old people become a true spiritual people, and those who had been for 
ages wholly alien were made full partakers of all blessings, brought out of the 
darkness of heathendom into marvellous light, showing forth the praises and 
thanksgiving which attest their union with each other in Christ. 

[In the following section, to the close of the epistle, the apostle dwells in de- 
tail upon the duties which spring from that new relationship, with special refer- 
ence to the temptations to which, at that time, al! classes of his converts were 
exposed. In the foremost and central place we find the inculeation of purity as 
the condition of victory, both in the desperate struggle between the flesh and the 
spirit, (ii, 11,) and in the great work assigned to Christians of evangelizing the 
Gentile world, (ii, 12.) Then come in order the duties of Christians as subjects 
and citizens, (ii, 18-17,) recalling the exhortation of St. Paul, but dwelling with 
peculiar force upon the possible abuse of Christian liberty—a point urged else- 
where by the younger apostle, but here introduced with singular aptness in 
reference to civil and political subordination. 

[ Next come exhortations to Christians in a state of servitude, again reminding 
us, and doubtless recalling to the readers’ minds, the exhortation of St. Paul in 
the Epistle to the Ephesians, but having one most impressive peculiarity. In 
that epistle St. Paul dwells on the relation of all classes to Christ, and on the 
future reward; St. Peter, in his special capacity as “witness of the sufferings 
of Christ,” fixes his attention upon Christ as the one example of all’ Christians, 
especially of those who are called upon to suffer in his name and for his sake. 

[Then follows a singularly complete and condensed summary of the duties of 
men called to inherit a common blessing, and warnings against undue terror and 
despondency, remarkable not only for force and persuasiveness, but for their 
combination with a survey of the deepest mysteries of grace, with a presentation 
of the Saviour’s work on earth and in the unknown region of spirits, and of his 
present exaltation to dominion over all the powers of the universe. The whole 
is wound up with exhortations and warnings which present in the most con- 
densed and completest form the claims of the Father as the source, and the Son 
as the channel, of all spiritual strength and life.—Speuker’s Commentary. | 

484 : 


THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE 


dae) baad Oil Bla ον 


CHAPTER I. 
ETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the 
strangers *scattered throughout Pontus, 
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and  Bithynia, 


2 »Elect «according to the foreknowledge of 
God the Father, 4through sanctification of the 
Spirit, unto obedience and ¢sprinkling of the 
blood of Jesus Christ: ‘Grace unto you, and 


a John 7. 35; Acts 2. 5, 9,10: James 1. 1.—b Eph. 1. 4: chap. 
2. 9.—c Rom. 8. 29; 11. 2. 
NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Peter, an apostle—Simon Peter, called also 
Kephas; he was a fisherman, son of Jonah, brother 
of Andrew, and born at Bethsaida; and one of the 
first disciples of our Lord. See the preface. To 
the strangers scattered throughout—Jews first, 
who had believed the Gospel in the different coun- 
tries here specified; and converted Gentiles also. 
Though the word “strangers” may refer to all 
truly religions people, (see Gen. xlvii, 9, Psa. xxxix, 
12, in the Septuagint, and Heb. xi, 13,) yet the in- 
scription may have a special reference to those who 
were driven by persecution to seek refuge in those 
heathen provinces, to which the influence of their 
persecuting brethren did not extend. Pontus— 
An ancient kingdom of Asia Minor, originally 
a part of Cappadocia, bounded on the’ east by 
Colchis, on the west by the river Halys, on the 
north by the Euxine Sea, and on the south by Ar- 
menia Minor. Galatia — The ancient name of a 
province of Asia Minor, now called Amasia. It was 
bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the south 
by Pamphylia, on the north by the Euxine Sea, and 
on the west by Bithynia. Cappadocia — An 
ancient kingdom of Asia, comprehending all the 
country lying between mount Taurus and the Eux- 
ine Sea. Asia—That province of Asia Minor of 
which Ephesus was the capital. [It comprised the 
maritime districts of Mysia, Lydia, and Caria, with 
the interior of Phrygia.] Bithynia—An ancient 
kingdom of Asia. It was bounded on the west by 
the Bosphorus Thracius and part of the Propontis, 
on the south by the river Rhyndacus and mount 
Olympus, on the north by the Euxine Sea, and on 
the east by the river Parthenius. 

2. Elect—The persons to whom the apostle 
wrote were all, with propriety, said to be elect ac- 
cording to the foreknowledge of God; be- 
cause, agreeably to the original purpose of God, 
discovered in the prophetical writings, Jews and 
Gentiles, indiscriminately, were called to be the 


visible Church, and entitled to all the privileges of | 


the people of God, on their believing the Gospel. 
[Four several, but related, meanings are expressed 
by the word elect, (ἐκλεκτοῖς 1) 1) chosen; 2) sepa- 
rated; 3) excellent; 4) beloved; in all of which senses 


ἃ ἃ Thess, 2, 13,—e Heb. 10. 22; 12. 24.—— Rom. 1. 7; 2 Peter 
1. 2; Jude 2. 


it applied to those here addressed.] (See 1 Thess. 
i,4.) [Πρόγνωσιν, foreknowledge, is more than sim- 
ply faith foreseen in the “ elect,” it also indicates the 
divine will and purpose of grace toward them, and 
going before to effectuate its own saving designs. | 
Strictly speaking, there is no “foreknowledge,” no 
more than after knowledge, with God; but all 
things are known to him as present, from eternity 
to eternity. lection, in the scriptural sense, is 
God’s doing any thing that our merit or power has 
no part in. [The true predestination or fore- 
appointment of God is, 1) He that believeth shall 
be saved from the guilt and power of sin. 2) He 
that endureth to the end shall be saved eternally. 
3) They who receive the precious gift of faith 
thereby become the sons of God; and, being sons, 
they shall receive the Spirit of holiness, to walk 
as Christ also walked. Throughout every part of 
this appointment of God, promise and duty go hand 
in hand. All is free gift; and yet such is the 
gift, that the final issue depends on our future 
obedience to the heavenly call. But other predes- 
tination than this, either to life or death eternal, 
the Scripture knows not of.—Wesley.} Through 
sanctification of the Spirit—Through the renew- 
ing and purifying influence of the Spirit on their 
souls. Unto obedience — To engage and enable 
them to yield themselves up to all holy obedience, 
the foundation of all which is, the sprinkling of 
the blood of Jesus Christ; the atoning blood of 
Jesus Christ, which was typified by the sprinkling 
of the blood of sacrifices under the law, in allusion 
to which it is called the “blood of sprinkling.” 
[The πρόγνωσις is the primary movement in the 
work here considered, and it originates in God, 
without regard to any worthiness in the object. 
It next proceeds, ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος, in, (not 
through or by,) as if the election were by virtue of 
the sanctification, but contrariwise. And yet in all 
cases the practical effectuation of the election im- 
plies the actually accomplished “ sanctification of the 
Spirit ;” and wherever the work of sanctification is so 
wrought, there follows a controlling impulse toward 
(εἰς) obedience in life, and deeper experience of the 
cleansing power of grace, of which “ the blood of . . . 
Christ” is the great and effectual cause. It is man’s 
485 


A. Μ. 4064. A. Ὁ. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813. 


I. PETER. 


The believers inheritance is an 
incorruptible one, 


peace, be multiplied. 8 ¢ Blessed he the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which 
haccording to his ‘abundant mercy khath be- 
gotten us again unto a lively hope ! by the res- 


mand that fadeth not away, "reserved in heay- 
en °for you, & Ρ Who are kept by the power 
of God through faith unto salvation ready to 
be revealed in the last time. © 4 Wherein ye 


urrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To | greatly rejoice, though now "for a season, if 

an inheritance incorruptible, and undetiled, | need be, *ye are in heaviness through mani- 
10 1. 3; Eph. 1. 3. —A/ Titus 3. 5. ae much, — 9 Or, for Us. —D John 10. 28, 29; 17.11, 12, 133 Jude Lo 

k Sohn 3. 3, 2 Paes 1. 18. Bt Cor, 15. 1 Thess. 4, 143 φ M: itt. δ. 12; Rom, 12. 12; 2 Cor. δ. 10; an 4, 13.—7 2 Lor. 

chap. 3. 21, m Chap. 5. 4.—n Col. 1. ὃ: 2 Tim, 4. 8, 4,17: chap. 5. 10.——s James 1. 2. 

part to take hold of the grace thus freely given, and | ‘then heirs.” Incorruptible—’Aglaprov. It has 

to walk in the obedience of faith. It is noticeable | no principle of dissolution or decay in it; and, 


that all the persons of the Godhead appear in this sin- 
gle sentence as actively cooperating in our salvation. | 

3. Blessed be the God and Father—Hi/o- 
γητὸς ὁ Θεὸς Kai Πατὴρ, blessed be God, even the 
Father; ov, blessed be God, the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. We translate καὶ, even, a meaning 
which it frequently has in the New Testament, and 
so we have a very good sense: Let that God have 
praise who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and who deserves the praise of every human being 
for his infinite merey to the world, in its redemption 
by Christ Jesus. Begotten us again unto a 
lively hope—-I think the apostle has a reference 
here to his own case, and that of his fellow apostles, 
at the time that Christ was taken by the Jews and 
put to death. Previously to this time they had 
strong confidence that he was the Messiah, and ‘hat 
it was he who should redeem Israel ; but when they 
found that he actually expired upon the cross, and 
was buried, they appear to have lost all hope of the 
great things which before they had in prospect. 
This is feelingly expressed by the two disciples 
whom our Lord, after his resurrection, overtook on 
the road going to Emmaus. (Luke xxiv, 13-24.) 
And the “hope” that with them died with their 
Master, and seemed to be buried in his grave, was re- 
stored by the certainty of his resurrection. From 
Christ’s preaching, miracles, etc., they had a “hope” 
of eternal life, and all other blessings promised by 
him; by his death and burial this “ hope” became 
nearly, if not altogether, extinct; but by his res- 
urrection the “hope” was revived. This is very 
properly e expressed here by being begotten again to 
a living hope, εἰς ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν. As none can in- 
herit eternal life except those who are children 
in the heavenly family, and none are children 
but those who are born again, St. Peter may be 
considered as laying here the found: ition of the hope 
of eternal life in the regeneration of the soul; for 
none can legally inherit but thee hildren, and none are 
children of God till they are spiritually begotten and 
bornagain. The Gospel alone gives a well grounded 
hope of eternal life; and the eround on which this 
hope rests is the resurrection of Christ himself. 
Our Lord’s resurrection is the great seal of the Gos- 
pel. But the resurrection of the human nature of 
Christ, so incontestably assured, and his ascension 
in our nature to heaven, are such evidences of the 
possibility and certainty of the thing, [eternal life, ] 
as forever to preclude all doubt from the hearts of 
those who believe in him. [The resurrection of 
Christ—his triumph over death in the spirit-world 
in human nature, and as the head of the race—con- 
stitutes every subject of his redemption an heir of 
eternal life. Into this inheritance he has brought 
us, first by the adoption of grace, and next by the 
renewing of regeneration. | 

4. To aninheritance—Called “ an inheritance ” 
because it belongs to the children of God. Eternal 
life cannot be a gift to any but these; if children, 

486 


fended as in a fortress ov castle. 


therefore, must be totally different from this earth. 
Undefiled—’ Αμίαντον. Nothing impure can enter 
it; it not only has no principle or seed of disso- 
lution in itself, but it can never admit any; there- 
fore its deterioration is impossible. F'adeth not 


away— ἀμάραντον, it cannot wither, it is always in 
bloom ; a metaphor taken from those flowers that 
never lose their hue nor their fragrance. Re- 


served in heaven—Such a place as that described 
above is not to be expected on earth; it is that 
which was typified by the earthly Canaan, and in 
reference to which the patriarchs endured all trials 
and difficulties in this life, as seeing Hin who is 
invisible. J 

5. Who are kept—®povpovpévovc, who are de- 
(See on Gal. iii, 
22,25.) The true disciples of Christ are under the 
continual watcheare of God, and the inheritance 
is guarded for them. By the power of God— 
Ἔν δυνάμει Θεοῦ, by the mighty and miracle-working 
power of God; for nothing less is sufficient to keep 
and preserve, in this state of continual trial, a soul 
from the contagion that is in the world. But this 

“power of Goa” is made effectual in behalf of the 
soul by faith; to believe is our work, the exertion 
of the power is of God. There is no persevering 
without ‘‘the power,” and no “power” without 
“faith.” Ready to be revealed—Rather, pre- 
pared to be revealed. The inheritance is prepared 
for you; but its glories will not be “revealed ” till 
the last time; till ye have done with life, and 
passed through your probation, having held fast 
faith and a good conscience. 

6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice—Some refer 
“wherein,” ἐν ᾧ, to the salvation mentioned above ; 
others, to the last time, καιρῷ ἐσχάτῳ, (in verse 5 ;) 
others think that it applies to the being kept by the 
power of God through faith ; and others, that it 
refers to all the preceding advantages and priv- 
ileges. It was in the present salvation of God 
[expressed by ἐν ᾧ] that they rejoiced or gloried, 
though not without having an eye to the στοαί 
recompense of reward. Though now for a sea- 
son—’OAiyov ἄρτι, a little while yet, during your 
pilgrimage here below, which is but a point when 
compared witheternity. If need be— Εἰ δέον ἔστι, 
if it be necessary. Sometimes there is a kind of 
necessity that Christians should be afflicted. “ God,” 
said a good man, ‘‘can trust me with neither health 
nor money; therefore I am both poor and aftlicted.” 
But the disciples of Christ may be very happy in 
their souls, though grievously afflicted in their 
oodies and in their estates. Those to whom St. 
Peter wrote rejoiced greatly, danced for joy, ayaa- 
λιᾶσθε, while they were grieved (λυπηθέντες) with 
various trials. To be sorrowful on account of 
something external to ourselves, and yet exulting 
in God from a sense of his goodness to us, is 
quite compatible; sothat we may say with St. Paul, 
always sorrowing, yet still rejoicing. 


The end of the believers faith, is 
the salvation of his soul. 


fold temptations: 7% That ‘the trial of your 
faith, being much more precious than of gold 
that perisheth, though "it be tried with fire, 
‘might be found unto praise and honour and 
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 
§ ~ Whom having not seen, ye love; *in 
whom, though now ye see him not, yet believ- 
ing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4064, A.D. 60. 
Year of Kome, 813, 


of glory: 9 Receiving Ythe end of your faith, 
even the salvation of your souls. 10 τοῦ 
which salvation the prophets have inquired 
and searched diligently, who prophesied of the 
grace that should come unto you: ΕΠ Search- 
ing what, or what manner of time *the Spirit 
of Christ which was in them did signify, when 
it testitied beforehand * the sufferings of Christ, 


# James 1. 3, 12; chop. 4. 12.—-wJob 23. 10; Psa, 66. 10; 
Prov. 17. 3; Isa. 48.10; Zech. 13. 9; 1 Cor. 3. 183. —¢e Rom. 2, 
7,10; 1 Cor, 4.5; 2 Thess, 1. 7-12.—2 1 John 4. 20,.-—a John 
2009's 2°C r,.d.'7; Heb. 11. 1, 27. 


7. That the trial of your faith, being much 
more precious than of gold—As by the action of 
fire gold is separated from all alloy and heteroge- 
neous mixtures, and is proved to be gold by its en- 
during the action of the fire, so genuine faith is 
proved by adversities, especially such as the primi- 
tive Christians were obliged to pass through. [Τὸ 
δοκίμιον, the proof or testing of your faith ; =the 
fact of your faith being proved, and so, by an easy 
transition fof thought) the result of that proof, 
the purified and proved faith itself. — A/ford.] 
[Πολυτιμότερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου, more val- 
uable (better) than perishable gold—not the proof, 
but the faith.]| Though it be tried with fire— 
[Though gold is the least perishable of all metals, 
so that only fire can try it, implying (tacitly) how 
much more does your faith, which is being proved 
for eternity, need a fiery trial! See Alford.) The 
earth and universal nature shall be dissolved ; but 
he who doeth the will of God shall abide for ever, 
and his faith shall then be found to the praise of 
God’s grace, the honour of Christ, and the glory or 
glorification of his own soul to eternity. God him- 
self will praise such faith, angels and men will hold 
it in honour, and Christ will crown it with glory. 

8. Whom having not seen, ye love—Fuith 
in the Lord Jesus brings him into the heart; and 
by his indwelling all his virtues are proved, and an 
excellence discovered beyond even that which his 
disciples beheld when conversant with him upon 
earth. Thus there is more than an equality be- 
tween believers in the present time and those who 
lived in the time of the incarnation; for Christ, to 
a believing soul, is the same to day that he was 
yesterday, and will be forever. Ye rejoice with 
joy unspeakable—Though they did not see him 
on earth, and men could not see him in glory, yet 
by that faith which is the evidence of things not 
seen, and the subsistence of things hoped for, they 
had the very highest persuasion of their acceptance 
with God, their relation to him as their Father, and 
their sonship with Christ Jesus. 

[That unecreated glory which hath gained 

My ravished heart, hath all thy (earth’s) glory stained ; 

Its loveliness my soul hath preposs»ssed, 


And left uo room for any other guest, 
—Lady Huntingdon.| 


9. Receiving the end of your faith— The 
word τέλος, “end,” is used to imply the issue or re- 
ward of any labour or action. [The word κομιζόμενοι 
quite forbids the sense of present realizing; it be- 
tokens (rather) the ultimate reception of glory or 
condemnation from the Lord.— Alford.] _[ Provid- 
ing for yourself (middle voice) the end of your 
faith. Living by faith, they were making sure 
their (present) salvation. | ᾿ 

10. Of which salvation the prophets have 
inquired—The incarnation and suffering of Jesus 
Christ for the redemption of our race were made 


y Rom, 6, 22.—z2Gen. 49. 10; Dan, 2. 44; Hag. 2.7; Zech. 
6.12; Matt. 18.17; Luke 10, 24; 2 Peter 1. 19, 20, 21.—a Chap. 
3. 19; 2 Peter 1. 21. ᾧ Psa, 22. 6; Isa. 53. 3, etc.; Dan. 9. 26; 
Luke 24, 25, 26, 44,46; John 12. 41; Acts 90. 22, 2: 


ony oe 


known, in a general way, by the prophets; but they 
themselves did not know the time when these 
things were to take place, nor the people among 
and by whom he was to suffer, etc.; they there- 
fore inquired accurately or earnestly, ἐξεζήτησαν, and 
searched diligently, ἐξηραίνησαν, inguiring of 
others who were then under the same inspiration, 
and carefully searching the writings of those who 
had, before their time, spoken of these things. 
The prophets plainly saw that the grace which was 
to come under the Messiah’s kingdom was vastly 
superior to any thing that had ever been exhibited 
under the law; and therefore they made all pos- 
sible inquiry, and searched as after grains of gold 
hidden among sand or conpacted with ore, (for 
such is the meaning of the original word,) in order 
to ascertain the time, and the signs of that time, 
in which this wondrous display of God’s love and 
mercy to man was to take place. 

11. The glory that should follow—Not only 
the glory of his resurrection, ascension, exaltation, 
and the effusion of his Spirit; but that grand man- 
ifestation of God’s infinite love to the world in 
causing the Gospel of his Son to be everywhere 
preached, and the glorious moral changes which 
should take place in the world under that preach- 
ing, and the final glorification of all them who had 
here received the report, and continued faithful unto 
death. And we may add to this the ineffable glovifi- 
cation of the human nature of Jesus Christ, which 
to all eternity will be the glorious Head of his glori- 
fied body, the Church. The Spirit of Christ—[The 
Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, 
(that is, the Holy Ghost,) so implying not only the 
Godhead of Christ, but also the procession of the 
third divine person equally from the Father and 
the Son.] [Ta εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα, the sufferings 
for (εἰς) Christ, those which were appointed to him, 
(as the suffering and redeeming Messiah.) St. Peter 
was especially concerned to show that the suffer- 
ings were foretold, because one of the very chief- 
est points of controversy with the Jews referred to 
the question whether Christ was to suffer. (See 
Acts iii, 18; xxvi, 28; Justin Martyr, ewm Trypho, 
ee. 22, 68.) Our Saviour had declared repeatedly, 
before and after his crucifixion, that the sufferings 
had been represented by all the prophets as neces- 
sary conditions of his triumph. (Luke xxiv, 25. 26.) 
The veil which still hangs over the Jews, (see 2 Cor, 
iii, 13-16.) and prevents them from recognising 
their own Messiah, is their invincible prejudice 
touching his humiliation and suffering.—Spealer’s 
Com.| We learn from the above that it was the 
Spirit of Christ in the Jewish prophets that proph- 
esied of Christ; it was that Spirit which revealed 
him; and it is the same Spirit which takes of the 
things of Christ and shows them unto us. Christ 
was never known by prophecy but through his own 
Spirit ; and he never was known, nor can be Ἔν 

48 


A. M. 4064. Α, D. 60, 
Year of Boe 813. 


and the glory that should follow. 12 ¢Unto 
whom it was revealed, that 4not unto them- 
selves, but unto us they did minister the things, 
which are now reported unto you by them 
that have preached the gospel unto you with 
ethe Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; 
f which things the angels desire to look into, 
23 Wherefore δ gird up the loins of your mind, 
bbe sober, and hope ‘to the end for the grace 
that is to be brought unto you " αὖ the revela- 
tion of Jesus Christ; 24 As obedient chil- 


I. PETER. 


The salvation which is in Christ 
is revealed for men’s profit, 


dren, !not fashioning yourselves according to 


the former lusts "in your ignorance: 15 " But 
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye 
holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Be- 
cause it is written, ° Be ye holy ; for I am holy. 
17 And if ye call on the Father, ? who with- 
out respect of persons judgeth according to 
every man’s work, 4 pass the time of your τ so- 
journing Aere in fear: ἘΦ Forasmuch as ye 
know *that ye were not redeemed with cor- 
ruptible things, as silver and gold, from your 


ce Dan, 9. 24; 12. 9, 13. —d Ifeb. 11. 13, 39, 40.—e Acts 2. 4 


—-/ Exod, 25. 20; Dan. 8. 13; 12. 5, 6: Eph. 3. 10. —g Luke 
12. 35; Eph. 6. 14 * "/ Luke 21. 34, Rom. 13. 18: 1 Thess. 4. 
6.8; chap. 4.7; 5. 8. z Gr. 


perfectly. — k Luke 17. 30; 


1 Cor. |. 7; 2 Thess. 1. 7.2 Rom. 12. 2; chap. 4. 2 


m Acts 17. 30; 1 Thess, 4, 7 at Luke 1. 74 1: DiGor ils 
1 Thess. 4. 3, 4, 7; Heb. 12. 14: 2 P εν. 11. 44; 
16 20 7 - ὦ ven 10. ie aie 10, Bt Rom. Ὡς ΤᾺ 
g2 Cor. Woot Phile ws Heb. Rg, 2 Cor. ὁ. 6; Heb, 11. 


6 30: 


133 chap. 2 wi et 


to the salvation of any soul, but by a revelation of 
the same Spirit. It is he alone that bears witness 
with our spirits that we are the children of God. 

12. Unto whom it was revealed—We may 
presume that, in a great variety of cases, the 
prophets did not understand the meaning of their 
own predictions. When they wished to find out 
the times, the seasons, and the circumstances, God 
gave them to understand that it was not for them- 
selves, but for us, that they did minister the things 
which are now reported unto us by the preaching of 
the Gospel. If all succeeding interpreters of the 
prophecies had been contented with the same in- 
formation relative to the predictions still unac- 
complished, (or supposed to be so,) we should have 
had fewer books and more wisdom. Angels de- 
sire to look into—Ilapakia, to stoop down to; 
the posture of those who are earnestly intent on 
finding out a thing, especially a writing difficult to 
be read: they bring it to the light, place it so that 
the rays may fall on it as collectively as possible, 
aud then sfoop down in order to examine all the 
parts, that they may be able to make out the 
whole. There is possibly an ailusion here to the 
attitude of the cherubim that stood at the ends of 
the ark of the covenant, in the inner tabernacle, 
with their faces turned toward the mercyseat or 
propitiatory in a bending posture, as if looking at- 
tentively upon it. Even the holy angels are struck 
with astonishment at the plan of human redemp- 
tion, and justly wonder at the incarnation of that 
infinite object of their adoration. If, then, these 
things be objects of deep consideration to the 
angels of God, how much more so should they be 
to us! In them angels can have no such interest as 
human beings have. 

13. Gird up the loins of your mind—Take 
courage from this display of God’s love now made 
known to you; and though you must expect trials, 
vet fortify your minds with the consideration that 
he who has given you his Son will withhold from 
you no manner of good thing. The allusion here 
is to the long robes of the Asiaties, which, when 
they were about to perform any active service, they 
tucked in their girdles: this they did also when 
they waited on their superiors at meals. [Τὰς 
ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας, the loins, (literally, the lower 
part of the body, or just above the hips, where the 
girdle is placed.) Διάνοια is that aspect of the 
spiritual being of man in which it is turned toward 
the outer world; his mind for business and outer 
interests guiding him m action. (Alford.) This is 
here personified as a man preparing himself for 
active duties and service.]| Hope to the end for 
the grace—Continue to expect all that God has 

488 


promised, and particularly that utmost salvation, 
that glorification of our whole persons, which ye 
shall obtain at the revelation of Christ. But if the 
apostle alludes here to the approaching revelation 
of Christ to inflict judgment on the Jews for their 
final rebellion and obstinacy, then the “ grace,” 
χάριν, benefit, may intend their preservation from 
the evils that were coming upon that people, and 
their wonderful escape from Jerusalem at the time 
that the Roman armies came against it. 

14. Not fashioning yourselves—[M? συνσχη- 
ματιζόμενοι, not putting on the manners that belong 
(or are germane) to your former carnality.] As the 
offices of certain persons are known by the garb or 
livery they wear, so are transgressors: where we 
see the world’s livery we see the world’s servants; 
they fashion ov habit themselves according to their 
lusts, and we may guess that they have a worldly 
mind by their conformity to worldly fashions. 
[Men of the world are usually wor/dly men. ] 

15. But as he which hath called you—Hea- 
thenism scarcely produced a god whose example 
was not the most abominable ; “their greatest gods, 
especially, were paragons οὐ impurity ; none of 
their philosophers could propose the objects of 
their adoration as objects of imitation. Here 
Christianity has an infinite advantage over heathen- 
ism. God is holy, and he calls upon all who he- 
lieve in him to imitate his holiness; and the reason 
why they should be holy is, that God, who has called 
them, is holy. {As Christ was “holy, harmless, un- 
defiled, and separate from sinners,” (Heb. vii, 26,) 
so does he call on his disciples to “come out from 
the world, and be separate.” (2 Cor. vi, 17.)] 

17, And if ye call on the Father—|T he εἰ 
(if) introduces an hypothesis, with an understood . 
background of fact.— If, (as is the case.) —- Al- 
for d | Seeing ye invoke the Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and your Father through Christ, 
and recognise him as righteous Judge, see that 
ye maintain a godly reverence for this Father, 


walking in all his testimonies blameless. Who 
without respect of persons—Every man’s work 


is the evidence of his conformity or nonconformity 
to God; and according to this evidence will God 
judge him. Here, then, is no respect of persons; 
God’s judgment will be according to a man’s work, 
and a man’s work or conduct will be according to 
the moral state of his mind. No favouritism can 
prevail in the day of judgment; nothing will pass 
there but holiness of heart and life. 

18. Ye were not redeemed with corruptible 
things—To redeem, λυτρόω, signifies to procure life 
for a captive or liberty for a slave by paying a 
price, and the precious blood of Christ is here 


Redemption by the blood of Christ. 
Exhortation to brotherly love. 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4064. A. Ὁ. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813, 


vain conversation ‘received by tradition from 
your fathers; 4&9 But “with the precious 
blood of Christ, Yas of a lamb without blemish 
and without spot: 20 ~ Who verily was fore- 
ordained before the foundation of the world, 
but was manifest *in these last times for you, 
21 Who by him do believe in God, ¥ that 
raised him up from the dead, and 7 gave him 
glory; that your faith and hope might be in 
God. 22 Seeing ye*have purified your souls 


t Ezekiel 29.18; chap. 
Hebrews 9. 12, Τὰ: Revels 
53.7; John 1. 39, 3h 5 eh ‘orinthi an 35.7 2 
25, 26; Ephesians 3. 9,11; Colossians 
Titus 1. 2,3: Revelation 13. 8. 
1. 10; Hebrews 1. 2; 9. 26.—y Acts 2. 


“οὐ 


. 3.—u Acts 20 28; Ephesians 1. 7; 
)xodus 12. δ: Isaiah 
.——w Romans 3. 25; 16. 
. 26: 2 Timothy 310 
a” Galatians 4. 4; Ephesians 
24, —z Matthew 2s, 18; 


in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto 
unfeigned “love of the brethren, see that ye 
love one another with a pure heart fervently: 
23 © Being born again, not of corruptible seed, 
but of incorruptible, 4 by the word of God, 
which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 ¢For 
fall flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man 
as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, 
and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 ¢ But 
the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 


Acts 2. 33: 3. 13; Eph. 1. 20: Phil. 2.9: Heb. 2.9; chap. 3. 22 
τα ee 15. 9. - Rom. 12. 9 10; 1 Thess. 4 ὁ: 1 Tim. 1. ὃ: 
Heb. I: chap. 2.17; ee : 4. 8; 2.Peter I. 7 


ts oa pas John I. 13: James 1, 18: 1. 5 
éOr, For thut,—f Bane in, 15; Isaiah 40. 6; 51. 12; James 
1. 10.—g Psalm 102, 12, 26; Isaiah 40,8; Luke 16. 17. 


stated to be the price at which the souls of both 
Jews and Gentiles were redeemed; it was a price 
paid down, and a price which God’s righteousness 
required. “ Corruptible things ” mean here any thing 
that man usually gives in exchange for another; 
but the term necessarily includes all created things, 
as all these are corruptible and perishing. The 
meaning of the apostle is, evidently, that created 
things could not purchase the souls of men, else 
the sacrifice of Christ had not been offered ; could 
any thing less have done, God would not have given 
up his only begotten Son. [The justice of “God, 
outraged by sin, was satisfied, the satisfaction it. 
self, however, being appointed by the love of God 
himself ; : allusions to which are found in the sacri- 
fices of the Old Testament. (Lev. xvii, 11.)— 
Lange.| Wain conversation — Empty, foolish, 
and unprofitable conduct, full of vain hopes, vain 
fears, and vain wishes. Received by tradition 
from your fathers—The Jews had innumerable 
burdens of empty ceremonies and useless ordi- 
nances, which they received “by tradition”? from 
their fathers, rabbins, or doctors. The Gentiles 
were no less encumbered. All were wedded to 
their vanities, because they received them from 
their forefathers, as they had done from theirs. And 
this antiquity and tradition have been the ground- 
work of many a vain ceremony and idle pilgrimage, 
and of numerous doctrines which have nothing to 
plead in their behalf but this mere antiquity. 

19. The precious blood of Christ — Tiyiw 
αἵματι, the valuable [venerable] blood; how valuable 
neither is nor could be stated. As of a lamb— 
Such as was required for a sin offering to God; 
and tHe Lamb of God that takes away ‘the sin of 
the world. Without blemish — In himself, and 
without. spot from the world; being perfectly 
pure in his soul, and righteous in his life. 

20. Who verily was foreordained — IIpo- 
εγνωσμένου, foreknown,; appointed in the divine pur- 
pose to be sent into the world, because infinitely 
approved by the divine justice. "Before the foun- 
dation of the world—[KarafoAje, the founding of 
the world. The gift of Christ to redeem man was 
a purpose of the divine wisdom and goodness of an 
older date than the accomplished work of creation, 
but its manifestation was in the days of Christ's 
life and death among men.] The sacrificial system 
was appointed in reference to this foreappointed 
Lamb, and consequently from him derived all its 
Significance and virtue. If we take the phrase 
καταβολὴ κόσμου in its common signification, the 
creation of universal nature, it shows that God, 
foreseeing the fall and ruin of man, appointed the 
remedy that was to cure the disease. 


Se ee eee SS SS SS EE SSS SS ee Se a ee ee a ΣΟ τα πον 
> 


21. Who by him do believe in God—This 
is supposed to refer to the Gentiles, who never 
knew the true God till they heard the preaching of 
the Gospel. The Jews had known him long before, 
but the Gentiles had every thing to learn when 
the first preachers of the Gospel arrived among 
them. [Who are through him believers: not only 
through his manifestation, but through him per- 
sonally. {1 ον: τ’. 50) Th: it gve are redeemed 
from our vain conversation is owing to the blood 
of Christ; but that we have faith and hope in God 
is brought about by God having raised Christ from 
the dead and given him glory, and therefore both 
our faith and hope i is in God. See Alford.] 

22. Seeing ye have purified your souls— 
Having purified your souls in obeying the truth 
—by believing in Christ Jesus, through the in- 
fluence and teaching of the Spirit—and giving 
full proof of it by unfeigned love to the breth- 
ren; ye love one another, or, ye will love each 
other, with a pure heart fervently. These per- 
sons, first, heard the (uth, that is, the Gospel: 
secondly, they obeyed that truth, by believing on 
Him who came into the world to save sinners: 
thirdly, through this believing on the Son of God, 
their hearts were purified by the word of truth ap- 
plied to them by the Holy Spirit: fourthly, the 
love of God being shed abroad in their hearts by 
the Holy Ghost, they loved the brethren with pure 
hearts fervently, ἐκτενῶς, intensely ; the full proof 
that their brotherly love was unfeigned, φιλαδελφίαν 
ἀν ΡΝ a fraternal affection without hypocrisy. 
Being born again—For being born of 
‘Mithante seed will not avail to the entering of the 
kingdom of heaven. Not of corruptible seed— 
Not by human generation, or earthly means. But 
of incorruptible—A divine and heavenly principle 
which is not liable to decay, nor to be affected by 
the changes and chances to which all sublunary 
things are exposed. By the word of God—Ava 
λόγου ζῶντος Θεοῦ, by the doctrine of the living God, 
which remaineth forever ; which doctrine shall 
no more change, than the Source shall whence it 
proceeds. [In our regeneration Christ himself is 
communicated to us, so that the deity thenceforth 
dwells in us as in a temple, and we are thus made 
Saas of the divine nature. (2 Pet. i, 4; James 
18, 21.) See Lange. | 

"94. For all flesh is as grass—Earthly seeds, 
earthly productions, and earthly generations, shall 
fail and perish like as the grass and flowers of the 
field. 

, 25. But the word of the Lord—The doctrine 
delivered by God concerning Christ endureth for- 
ever, having, at all times and in all seasons, the 
489 


A. ΜΝ. 4061. A. Ὁ. 60. 
Year of Rome, 513. 


I. PETER. 


Remarkable exemplifications of the 
power of faith. 


h And this is the word which by the gospel is 
preached unto you. 


CHAPTER II. 
\ IIEREFORE @laying aside all malice, 
‘Y¥ and all guile, and hypocrisies, and en- 
vies, and all evil speakings, 2% 'As newborn 


hJohn 1.1, Med John 1. 1, 3. «Eph. 4. 22, 25, 31: Col. 
8.8: Heb. 12.1; James 1. 21: 5.9; chap. 4. 2.—> Matt. 18. 5: 
Mark 10. 15; Rom, 6. 4: 1 Cor. 14. 20; chap. 1. 23.—e1 Cor. 


babes, desire the sincere «milk of the word, 
that ye may grow thereby: 9 If so be ye 
have ‘tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4 To 
whom coming, as unto a living stone, ¢dis- 
allowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, 
and precious, & ‘Ye also, as lively stones, 
sare built up "a spiritual house, ‘a holy priest- 


3. 2: Heb. 5. 12, 13.—d Psa. 34.8; Heb. 6. 5.—e Psa. 118. 223 
Matt. 21. 42; Acts 4. 11.—/ Eph. 2. 21, 22. g Or, Le ye built. 
—A/ Heb. 3. 6.—7 Isa. 61. 6; 66. 21; verse 9. 


same excellence and the same efficacy. And this 
is the word—To ῥῆμα, what is spoken, by the 
Gospel preached unto you. “This is a quotation 
from Isa. xl, 6-8, where the preaching of the 
Gospel is foretold ; and recommended from the con- 
sideration that every thing which is merely human, 
and, among the rest, the noblest races of mankind, 
with all their glory and grandeur, their honour, 
riches, beauty, strength, and eloquence, as also the 
arts which men have invented and the works they 
have executed, shall decay as the flowers of the 
field. But the Gospel, called by the prophet ‘the 
word of the Lord,’ shall be preached while the 
world standeth.”—Macknight. All human schemes 
of salvation, andeplans for the melioration of the 
moral state of man, shall come to naught, and the 
doctrine of Christ crucified, though a stumbling 
block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles, 
shall be alone the power of God for salvation to 
every soul that believeth. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1, Wherefore laying aside—This is in close 
connexion with the preceding chapter. and the sub- 
ject is continued to the end of the 10th verse. All 
malice—See the notes on Eph. iv, 22-31. These 
tempers and dispositions must have been common 
among the Jews, as they are so frequently spoken 
against; Christianity can never admit of such; 
they show the mind, not of Christ, but of the old 
murderer. 

2. As newborn babes—lIn the preceding chap- 
ter (verse 23) the apostle states that they had been 
born again; and as the rewborn infant desires that 
aliment which nature has provided for it, so they, 
being born again—born from above—should as 
earnestly require that heavenly nourishment which 
is suited to their new nature; and this the apostle 
calls the sincere milk of the word, τὸ λογικὸν 
ἄδολον γάλα, that is, the pure doctrines of the Gos- 
pel as delivered in the epistles and gospels, and as 
preached by the apostles and their successors. The 
figure is very expressive; as a child newly born 
shows an instinctive desire for that nourishment, 
and that only, which is its most proper food ; so 
they, being born of God, should show that the 
incorruptible seed abides in them, and that they 
crave that which is suited to that new nature. 
Their spiritual growth must be by the pure doctrines 
of the Gospel. That ye may grow thereby— 
Εἰς σωτηρίαν, unto salvation, is added here by 
nearly all the best authorities, and the reading is 
undoubtedly genuine, and also very important. It 
shows that the ultimate design of all the processes 
and intermediate stages of the Christian life and 
experience was that they might grow up unto sal- 
vation, 

3. If so be ye have tasted—-Hirep ἐγεύσασθε͵ 
secing ye have tasted. There could be no doubt that 
they had tasted the goodness of Christ who were 
born again of incorruptible seed, and whose hearts 

490 


were purified by the truth, and who had like precious 
faith with the apostles themselves. That the 
Lord is συδοϊουβ--Ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος, [that the 
Lorp (Jehovah) is kind.| [In the New Testament, 
as a rule, Κύριος, “the Lord,” means Christ. Here, 
however, the word represents the Hebrew Jehovah. 
—Speaker’s Com.] (See Psa. xxxiv, 8.) 

4. To whom (Christ) coming, as unto a living 
stone—This refers to Isaiah xxviii, 16: Behold, 1 
lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a trvied stone, 
a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. Jesus 
Christ is, by both the prophet and apostle, repre- 
sented as the ‘foundation ” on which the Christian 
Church is built, and on which it must continue to 
rest ; and the “stone,” or “ foundation,” is called 
here “living,” to intimate that He is the source of 
life to all his followers, and that it is In union with 
him that they live, and answer the end of their re- 
generation ; as the stones of a building are of no 
use but as they occupy their proper places in a 
building, and rest on the foundation. Disallowed 
indeed of men—That is, rejected by the Jews. 
This isa plain reference to the prophecy, Psa. exviii, 
22: The stone which the builders refused is become 
the head stone of the corner. Chosen of God—To 
be the Saviour of the world and the Founder of 
the Church, and the Foundation on which it rests. 
As Christ is the choice of the Father, we need have 
no doubt of the efficacy and sufficiency of all that 
he has suffered and done for the salvation of a lost 
world. God ean never be mistaken in his choice ; 
therefore he that chooses Christ for his portion 
shal] never be confounded. Precious— Ev7/pov, 
honourable, [Not the same word as above, (chapter 
i, 19,) τήμιος, which refers to intrinsic preciousness, 
this to the recognition of that preciousness by the 
Father. — Speaker’s Com.| Howsoever despised 
and rejected by men, Jesus, as the sacrifice for a 
lost world, is infinitely honourable in the sight of 
God; and those who are united by faith to him 
partake of the same honour, being members of that 
great and glorious body of which he is the head, 
and stones in that superb building of which he is 
the foundation. [Ὑ0ἷπὸ ἀνθρώπων μὲν ἀποδεδοκι- 
μασμένον παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ ἐκλεκτὸν ἔντιμον, by man 
indeed rejected, (Isa. liii, 3.) but with God chosen, 
and highly esteemed. The word ἐκλεκτὸν has in 
this place all of its three chief meanings, chosen, 
(by God’s free will,) be/oved, (of the Father,) se¢ 
apart or designated for a purpose. | 

5. Ye also, as lively stones—A/Oor ζῶντες, 
living stones; each being instinct with the life 
which proceeds from Him who is the Foundation, 
called above λίθον ζῶντα, a Living stone. [The 
stones are called /iviny, and the house spiritual, 
not merely to signify that they are not dead stones, 
and the house not a material one, but on account of 
the life which Christians derive from Christ the 
living Stone, and of the service which they render in 
virtue of being a body dwelt in by the Holy Spirit.— 
Alford.| Are built up a spiritual house— 


Christ τέσσ to believers, but a 
stumbling stone to unbelievers, 


hood, to offer up * spiritual sacrifices, ! accept- 
able to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore 
also it is contained in the Scripture, " Behold, 
I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, pre- 
cious: and he that believeth on him shall not 
be confounded. % Unto you therefore which 
believe he is "precious: but unto them which 
be disobedient, °the stone which the builders 


CHAPTER II. 


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disallowed, the same is made the head of the 
corner, ΒΒ ἡ And a stone of stumbling, and a 
rock of offence, 4 even to them which stumble 
at the word, being disobedient: τ whereunto 
also they were appointed. 9 But ye are "ἃ 
chosen generation, 'a royal priesthood, “a holy 
nation, ἡ ἡ a peculiar people; that ye should 
show forth the *praises of him who hath 


ἃ Hos, 14.2; Mal. 1, 11; Rom, 12. 1; Heb. 13, 15, 18. 7 Phil, 
4. 18; chap. 4. 11.—~ Isa. 28. 16; Rom. 9. 33.—n Or, an hon. 
our.—o Psa. 118, 22; Matt. 21. 42; Acts 4. 11.—~p Isa. 3. 11: 
Luke 2. 34; Rom. 9, 33.—g 1 Cor, 1. 23. r Exod, 9. 16; Rom, 


[ \mong believers, each is not to aim at separating 
himself into a house by himself; they should be 
united in the commonwealth of God, and together 
should constitute a spiritual temple. — Speaker's 
Com.| The Church of Christ is here represented 
under the figure of a household; and as a household 
or family must have a place of residence, hence, by 
a metonymy, the house itself, or material building, 
is put for the household or family which occupies 
it, the container being put for the contained. 
Here, then, is the ground of the metaphor: the 
“spiritual house” is the holy or Christian family 
or household ; this family or household is composed 
of the sons and daughters of God Almighty; and 
hence the propriety of living stones, because this is 
the living house ov spiritual family. Asa building 
rests upon a foundation, and this foundation is its 
support; so a family or honsehold rests on the 
father, who is properly considered the foundation 
or support of the building. But as every father is 
mortal and transitory, none can be called a living 
Stone, foundation, or support, but He who liveth 
forever, and has life independent ; so none but 
Jesus, who hath life in himself, that is, independ- 
ently, and who is the Way, the Truth, and the Lire, 
can be a permanent foundation or support to the 
whole spiritual house. 

6. Behold, I lay in Sion—This intimates that 
the foundation of the Christian Church should be 
laid at Jerusalem ; and there it was laid, for there 
Christ suffered, and the preaching of the Gospel 
commenced. [Theimagery is taken from the found- 
ing of the temple on Mount Zion, but in its Spirit- 
ual sense “Sion” represents the living Church in 
(and of) which Christ is the great corner stone. | 
A chief corner stone—This is the same as the 
foundation stone; and it is called here the chief 
evrner stone because it is laid in the foundation at 
an angle of the building where its two sides form 
the groundwork of a side and end wall. [The 
term is applied to any principal person, as the 
princes of Exypt. (Isa. xix, 12, margin.) It is 
thus applied to our Lord. (Psa. Cxvili, 22: Isa 
xxviii, 18; Matt. xxi, 42; Eph. ii, 20.)—Smith's 
Bib. Dict.| Elect, precious—Chosen and hon- 
ourable, See on verse‘4. Shall not be con- 
founded—These words are quoted from Isa. xxviii, 
16 ; but rather more from the Septuagint than from 
the Hebrew text. The latter we translate, He that 
believeth shall not make haste-—he who comes to 
God through Christ for salvation, shall never be 
confounded ; he need not haste to flee away, for no 
enemy shall ever be able to annoy him. 

7. Unto you therefore which believe—You, 
both Jews and Gentiles. He is precious—'Ywiv 
οὖν ἡ τιμὴ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν, the honour is to you 
who believe; that is, the honour of being in this 
building ; of having your souls saved through the 
blood of the Lamb, and becoming sons and daugh- 


9, 22: 1 Thess, 5. 9; Jude 4.—ws Deut. 10 15: chap 1. 2. 
ὁ Exod, 19, 5,6; Rev. 1. 6: 5. 10. u John 17. 19; 1 Cor, 3, 11: 
2 Tim. 1, 9.——r Ors purchased people,——w Deut. 4,20: 7.63 
14.2; 26, 18,19; Acts 20,28; Eph. 1.14; Tit. 2. 14.— a Or, rirtues. 
ters of God Almighty. Them which be dis- 
obedient—The Jews who continue to reject the 
Gospel ; not considering that the person whom they 
reject is head of the corner; Lord over all, and 
has all power in the heavens and the earth. 

8. A stone of stumbling—The Jews rejected 
Christ because he did not come as a secular prince. 
He was to them “a stone of stumbling ” because 
he was poor, and affected no worldly pomp; anda 
rock of offence, for his Gospel called the Gentiles, 
whom the Jews believed to be everlastingly repro- 
bated, and utterly incapable of any spiritual good 
to be among his peculiar people. Whereunto also 
they were appointed—They stumbled and fell 
through their obstinate unbelief ; and thus their 
stumbling and falling, as well as their unbelief, 
were of themselves; in consequence of this they 
Were appointed to be broken; this was God’s work 
of judgment. This seems to be the meaning which 
our Lord attaches to this very prophecy, which he 
quotes against the chief priests and elders, as re- 
corded Matt. xxi, 44. (See on Matt. xxi, 42-44.) 

9. Ye are a chosen generation — The titles 
formerly given to the whole Jewish Church—that is, 
to all who were in the covenant of God by cireum- 
cision, whether they were personally holy or not— 
are here given to Christians in general in the same 
way; that is, to all who believed in Christ, whether 
Jews or Gentiles, and who received baptism in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. [Tévoc ἐκλεκτόν, (see Isa. xiii, 20,) a 
race or family toward whom God has put forth his 
sovereign mercy in calling them to become his ovn— 
βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα---α kingly priesthood.| In the 
New Testament Church these two elements—the 
kingship and the priesthood—are united in every 
individual believer.—A/ford.] [The priestly office 
had two chief functions—to offer saciifices and 
to make intercessions. The first was completed 
once for all in the sacrifice of Christ, (Heb. x, 12; 
the second is a perpetual service in which Christ is 
still engaged, (Heb. vii, 25,) and with him are 
united all his people, and thus they are a “ genera- 
tion of priests,” (Exod. xix, 6,) ἔθνος ἀγίον, holy, 
that is, consecrated, (Psa. 1xxxvi, 2,) not excluding 
the ethical element, but rather implying it. Like 
Israel of old, the spiritual Israel is devoted to God, 
because the Chureh is to him, λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, a 
people intended (provided) for his own possession, | 
The Israelites were a chosen or elected race, to be 
a special people unto the Lord their God, above all 
people that were upon the face of the earth. (Deut. 
vii, 6.) They were also a royal priesthood, or what 
Moses calls a kingdom of priests: (Exod. xix, 6:) 
for all were called to sacrifice to God: and he is 
representeG to be the King of that people, and Fa- 
ther of those of whom he was King; therefore they 
were all “royal.” They were a holy nation, (Exod. 
xix, 6 ;) for they were separated from all the people 

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I. PETER. 


Admonitions to the Church against 
yielding to evil desires. 


called you out of ἡ darkness into his marvellous 
light: 19. +Which in time past were not a 
people, but are now the people of God: which 
had not obtained mercy, but now have ob- 
tained mercy. Uf Dearly beloved, I beseech 
you *as strangers and pilgrims, ‘abstain from 
fleshly lusts, ¢which war against the soul; 


82 ἃ Having your conversation honest among 
the Gentiles: that, ¢ whereas they speak against 
you as evil doers, ‘they may by your good 
works, which they shall behold, glorify God 
gin the day of visitation. 18 Submit your- 
selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s 
sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 


y Acts 26. 18; Eph. 5.8; Col. 1. 18: 1 Thess. 5. 4. 5.——z2 Hos. 
1. 9,10: 2. 23: Rom, 9. 25.-—a1 Chron, 99, 15; Psa._39, 12; 119. 
19: Heb, 11. 13; chap. 1. 17.—0 Rom. 13. 14; Gal. ὅ. 16. 


ὁ James 4. 1.—d Rom, 12. 17: 2 Cor. 8, 21; Phil. 2. 14: Tit. 
9. 8: chap. 3. 16. ὁ Or, 72herein,—F Matt. 5, 16.—g Luke 
19, 44.7 Matt. 22. 21; Rom. 13.1; Tit. 3. 1. 


of the earth, that they might worship the one 
only true God, and abstain from the abominations 
that were in the heathen world. They were also a 
peculiar people, λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, a purchased 
people, a private property, belonging to God ΑἹ- 
mighty, (Deut. vii, 6;) none other having any right 
in them, and they being under obligation to God 
alone. All these things the apostle applies to the 
Christians, to whom indeed they belong, in their 
spirit and essence, in such a way as they could not 
belong to the Hebrews of old. But they were 
called to this state of salvation out of darkness— 
idolatry, superstition, and ungodliness—into his 
marvellous light, the Gospel dispensation, which, 
in reference to the discoveries it had made of God, 
his nature, will, and gracious promises toward man- 
kind, differed as much from the preceding dispen- 
sation of the Jews as the light of the meridan sun 
from the faint twinkling of a star. And they had 
these privileges (hat they might show forth the 
praiscs of Him who had thus called them; ἀρετὰς, 
the virtues, those perfections of the wisdom, justice, 
truth, and goodness of God that shone most illus- 
triously in the Christian dispensation. These they 
were to exhibit in a holy and useful life, being 
transformed into the image of God, and walking as 
Christ himself walked. 

10. Which in time past were not a people 
—This is a quotation from Hosea i, 9, 10, and 
ii, 23, where the culling of the Gentiles, by the 
preaching of the Gospel, is foretold. From this it 
is evident that the people to whom the apostle 
now addresses himself had been Gentiles, covered 
with ignorance and superstition, and now had ob- 
tained merey by the preaching of the Gospel of 
Christ. [The apostle is again citing, or rather 
clothing that which he had to write, in Old Testa- 
ment words. (See Hosea ii, 23.) These words seem 
to apply most properly to Gentile Christians. Al- 
though spoken in the prophecy of Jews, St. Paul 
thus uses them in Rom. ix, 25.— A/ford.|] [True 
of the whole body of converts, Jews and Gentiles, 
previously antagonistic.— Speaker's Com.] 

11. As strangers and pilgrims—Scee on Heb. 
xi, 13. These were “strangers” and “ pilgrims ” 
in the most literal sense of the word, (see chapter 
i, 1,) for they were “strangers” scattered through 
Asia, Pontus, ete. Abstain from fleshly lusts 
—As ye are strangers and pilgrims, and profess to 
be seeking a heavenly country, do not entangle your 
affections with earthly things. While others spend 
all their time, and employ all their skill, in acquir- 
ing earthly property, and totally neglect the salva- 
tion of their souls, they are not strangers, they are 
here at home; they are not pilgrims, they are seek- 
ing an earthly possession: heaven is your home, 
seek that; God is your portion, seek him. All 
kinds of earthly desires, whether those of the flesh 
or of the eye, or those included in the pride of life, 


(See Col. iii, 2,3.) Which war against the soul 
- Αἴτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς, which are 
marshalled and drawn up in battle array to fight 
against the soul; either to slay it, or to bring it 
into captivity. This is the drift and operation of 
all earthly and sensual desires. 

12. Having your conversation honest — 
[Having your behaviour becoming, καλήν, comely.) 
Living in such a manner among the Gentiles, in 
whose country ye sojourn, as to bring honour to 
the Gospel which ye profess. That, whereas (in 
what) they speak against you as evil doers— 
In all the heathen countries, in the first age of the 
Church, the Christians and the Jews were con- 
founded together; and as the latter were every- 
where exceedingly troublesome and seditious, the 
Christians shared in their blame, and suffered no 
small measure of obloquy and persecution on this 
very account. It was doubly necessary, therefore, 
that the Christians should be exceedingly cautious ; 
and that their conduct should prove that, although 
many of them were of the same nation, yet they 
who had embraced Christianity differed widely in 
their spirit and conduct from these, whether Jews 
ov Gentiles, who had not received the faith of 
Christ. [Christians were specially attacked by 
Gentiles, generally at the instigation of Jews, on 
political grounds as enemies of the state, (see Acts 
xvii, 6, 7;) on religious grounds as atheists, that 
is, as rejecting the objects of heathen worship; on 
ethical grounds as introducing unlawful eustoms, 
and, as it was believed, abominable impurities. 
(Acts xvi, 20, 21.) These points were commonly 
alleged by opponents of Christianity, and are spec- 
ially noticed by apologists of the first two cen- 
turies.— Speaker's Com.|] In the day of visita- 
tion—I believe this refers to the time when God 
should come to execute judgment on the disobedient 
Jews, in the destruction of their civil polity and 
the subversion of their temple and city. God did 
at that time put a remarkable difference between the 
Jews and the Christians. The “day of visitation,” 
in a general sense, means a time in which punish- 
ment should be inflicted. (Isa. x, 3.) Some think 
that by the phrase in this place is meant the time 
in which they should be brought before the heathen 
magistrates, who, after an impartial examination, 
should find them innocent, and declare them to be 
such; by which God would be glorified, the work 
appearing to be his own. The words, however, 
may refer to any time in which Christians may be 
called to suffer for the testimony of Christ; the 
heathens, or unbelievers, seeing them bear their 
sufferings and wrongs with patience, would be con- 
strained to confess that God was with them. Not 
a few, from being spectators of such sufferings and 
patience, have become converts to Christianity. 

13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance 
of man—In every settled state, and under every 


are here comprised in the words “fleshly lusts.” | form of political government, where the laws are 


492 


Datiful submission to secular 
governors commanded, 


14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are 
sent by him ‘for the punishment of evil doers, 
and *for the praise of them that do well. 
15 For so is the will of God, that 1 with well 
doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of 
foolish men: 46 "As free, and not "using 
your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but 
as °the servants of God. 497 e4 Honour all 
men. ‘Love the brotherhood. * Fear God. 
Honour the king. 28 ‘Servants, de subject 
to your masters with all fear; not only to the 


CHAPTER II. 


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good and gentle, but also to the froward. 
19 For this 7s "*thankworthy, if a man for 
conscience toward God endure grief, suffering 
wrongfully. 20 For " what glory és it, if, 
when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall 
take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and 
suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is * ac- 
ceptable with God. 28 For yeven hereunto 
were ye called: because + Christ also suffered 
‘for us, "leaving us an example, that ye should 
follow his steps: 22 © Who did no sin, neither 


zRom, 13, 4. ---- ὦ Rom, 13, 3. —J/Tit. 2. 8; oyerse 12.— 
mal, 5, 1. 13.—n Gr. huving.—ol] ce 7. 23 
122.10; Ph 3$.—gq Or, Exteemn.—r Heb, 13. . 
- Prov. 24. 21: Matt, 22. 21; Rom. 13. 7.—t Eph. 6.5: Col, 


3.2231 Tim. 6. 1: Tit. 2.9,—w Or, thank. Luke 6.32; verse 20. 


not in opposition to the laws of God, [it i is the duty 
of all to conform their actions to them, and in no 

“ase to seek to overthrow or change them except 
by peaceful and lawful means. | (See Rom. xiii, 1, 
etc.) The words πάσῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κτίσει literally sig- 
nify every human institution, for κτίζειν signifies to 
arrange, order. The meaning of St. Peter appears 
to be this: the Jews thought it unlawful to obey 
any ruler that was not of their own stock; the 
apostle tells them they should obey the civil magis- 
trate let him be of what stock he may—whether a 
Jew or a Gentile—and let him exercise the govern- 
ment in whatsoever form. This is the general 
proposition; and then he instances emperors and 


their deputies; and, far from its being unlawful | 


for them to obey a heathen magistrate, they were 
to do it for the Lord’s sake, διὰ τὸν Κύριον, on ac- 
count of the Lord, whose will it was and who com- 
manded it. 

14. Or unto governors — By “king, as su- 
preme,” the Roman emperor is meant; and by 
“eovernors,” ἡγεμόσιν, are meant leaders, govern- 
ors, presidents, proconsuls, and other chief magis- 
trates, sent by him into the provinces dependent 
on the Roman empire. For the punishment of 
evil doers—This was the object of their mission ; 
they were to punish delinquents, and encourage and 
protect the virtuous. , [And this they generally did, 
with a good degree of fidelity and justice.] 

16. For so is the will of God—God, as their 
supreme goyernor, shows them that it is his will 
that they should act uprightly and obediently at all 
times, and thus confound the ignorance of foolish 
men, who were ready enough to assert that their 
religion made them bad subjects. 

16. As free—The Jews pretended that they were 
a free people, and owed allegiatice to God alone; 
hence they were continually “rebelling against the 
Roman government, to which God had subjected 
them because of their rebellion against him; thus 
they used their liberty for a cloak [ἐπικάλυμμα, 
covering, hiding| of maliciousness—for a pretext 
of rebellion, and by it endeavoured to vindicate 
their seditious-and rebellious conduct. But as the 
servants of God—Tliese were made free from sin 
and Satan, but they were the servants of God— 
bound to obey him; and, as he had made it their 
duty to obey the civil magistrate, they served God 
by submitting to every ordinance of man for the 
Lord’s sake. 

17. Honour all men—That is, Give honour to 
whom honour is due. (Rom. xiii, 7.) Respect every 
man as a fellow creature, and as one who may be 
a fellow heir with you of eternal life; and there- 
fore be ready to give him every kind of succour in 


v a 5. 10; Rom. 13. 5; chap. 3. 14.—?e Chap. 3. 14: 4. 
4, 1d.-—@ Or. thank. yu M: itt. 16. Ὡς on 11. : 1 Thess, 


ὃ. 3; 2 Tim, 3, 12.—< Chap. 3. | brent “for you. 
— John 12. δι: Phil. 2.5: 1 Johr su. 55.9; Luke 
93. 41; John 8 40: 2 Cor, 5. 21: Heb, “4, 15. 


your power. [As bearing the image of God, every 
man, simply as such, is a proper object of respect- 
ful, and even reverential, consideration ; hence all 
slavery, oppression, and the denial of equal rights 
is a sin against God. Whatever may be his con- 
dition, simply because he is a man he is entilled to 
an honourable consideration.] Love the brother- 
hood—All true Christians, who form one great 
family of which God is the head. Fear God— 
Who gives you these commandments ; lest he pun- 
ish you for disobedience. Honour the king— 
Pay that respect to the emperor which his high 
position requires, knowing that civil power is of 
God; that the authority with which he, in the 
course of his providence, has invested him, must 
be respected in order to its being obeyed ; and that 
if the man be even bad, and as a man worthy of no 
reverence, yet he should be respected on account of 
his office. 

18. paeyvestea; be subject — See the notes on 
Eph. vi, 5, Col. iii, 22, and Tit. ii, 9. With all fear 
—With ail submission and reverence. The good 
and gentle-- Those who are ever just in their com- 
mands, never requiring more than is necessary or 
proper, and always allowing sufficient food and suf- 
ficient time. The froward—2ko?voic, the crooked, 
perverse, unreasonable, morose, and austere. 

19. For this is thankworthy—lIf, in a con- 
scientious discharge of your duty, you suffer evil, 
this is in the sight of God thankworthy, pleasing, 
and proper; it shows that you prefer his auth iovity 
to your own ease, peace, and emolument. Relative 
duties do not depend on the character of the person 
to whom they are to be performed, nor on their per- 
forming the duties they owe to others, but on the 
unalterable relations of things established by God. 

20, For what glory is it—No doubt the poor 
Christians, while in a state of slavery, were often 
grievously abused; they were buffeted because 
they were Christians, and because they would not 
join with their masters in idolatrous worship. 

21. Hereunto were ye called — Ye were 
called to a state of suffering when ye were called to 
be Christians; for the world cannot endure the 
yoke of Christ, and they that will live godly in 
Christ must suffer persecution ; they will meet with 
it in one form or other. Christ also suffered 
for us—And left us the example of his meekness 
and gentleness; for when he was reviled, he re- 
viled not again. Imitate his example, and his 
Spirit shall comfort and sustain you. Many MSS. 
and most of the Versions, instead ‘of ἡμῶν, US, read, 
ὑμῶν, you, which is the reading now generally 
accepted. 

22. Who did no sin—He suffered, but not on 

493 


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J. PETER. 


Wives required to be in subjection 
to their husbands, 


was guile found in his mouth: 28 τ Who, 
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when 
he suffered, he threatened not; but **com- 
mitted himself to him that judgeth righteously: 
24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own 
body von the tree, “that we, being dead to 
sins, should live unto righteousness : * by whose 
stripes ye were healed. 28 For ¥ ye were as 
sheep going astray; but are now returned 5 un- 
to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 


] 


CHAPTER III. 
IKEWISE, *ye wives, de in subjection to 
your own husbands; that, if any obey not 
the word, *they also may without the word 
¢be won by the conversation of the wives; 
2 4While they behold your chaste conversa- 
tion coupled with fear. «ἢ © Whose adorning, 
let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting 
the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting 


γ᾽ 15. 43. 7: Matt. 27. 39: John 8, 48, 49; Heb. 12. 3. < Or, 
committed his cause, t Luke 23. 46, wisa. 58, 4, 5, 6, 11; 
Matt &17: Heb. 9, 28.—v» Or, fo.——v Rom. 6, 2, 11; 7. 6. 
a Isa. 43. 5.— vy Isa. 538. 6; Ezek. 34. 6. 


z Ezek. 34. 23: 37. 24; John 10. 11, 14,16; Heb. 13. 20; chap. 
5. 4. —a 1 Cor. 14. 34; Eph. 5. 22; Col. 3. 18; Tit. 2.5. 
b1 Cor, 7. 16. ὦ Chap, 2. 12. 


¢ Matt. 13. 15; 1 Cor. 9, 19-22. 
—é1 Tim. 2. 9; Tit. 2. 3, ete. 


account of any evil he had either done or said. 
It is very likely the apostle mentions guile, δόλος, be- 
cause those who do wrong generally strive to screen 
themselves by prevarication and lies. See Isaiah 
liii, 9. 

23. But committed himself—Though he was 
able to deliver himself from his enemies, (Matt. 
xxxvi, 53, 54,) yet, he committed his cause to Him who 
is the righteous Judye. It isa great advantage in 
all cases of provocation to be able to refer our 
cause to God, and to be assured that the Judge 
of all the earth will do right. 

24. Who his own self — Not another in his 
place, as some anciently supposed, because they 
thought it impossible that the Christ should 
suffer. Bare our sins in his own body—Bore 
the punishment due to our sins. In no other sense 
could Christ bear them. That we, being dead 
to sins—Iva ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἀπογενόμενοι, [that 
we having died to, become separated from, sins, that 
is, ceased from sinning, (chapter iv, 1, Col. iii, 3,)] 
delivered out of its power and from under its 
tyranny, should live unto righteousness; that 
“righteousness ” should be our master now, as sin 
was before. Peter is speaking still to servants, 
who were under an oppressive yoke, and were 
cruelly used by their masters—scourged, buffeted, 
and variously maltreated. By whose stripes ye 
were healed—The apostle refers here to Isa. liii, 
4-6; and he still keeps the case of these perse- 
cuted servants in view, and encourages them to suffer 
patiently by the example of Christ, who was ‘“ buf- 
feted” and “ scourged,” and who bore all this that 
the deep and inveterate wounds inflicted on their 
souls by sin might be healed. 

25. For ye were as sheep going astray—Ye 
were like stray sheep, in the wilderness of igno- 
rance and sin, till Christ, the true and merciful 
Shepherd, called you back from your wanderings, 
by sending you the Gospel of his grace. Bishop 
of your souls — Jesus Christ is the Overseer 
[ἐπίσκοπος] of souls. Jesus is the good Shepherd 
that laid down his life for his sheep. ΑἸ] human 
souls are inexpressibly dear to him, as they are the 
purchase of his blood. He is still supreme Bishop 
or Overseer in his Church. He alone is Episcopus 
episcoporwn, “the Bishop of bishops;” a title 
which the Roman pontiffs have blasphemously 
usurped. ᾿ 

NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. Ye wives, be in subjection—Consider that 
your husband is, by God’s appointment, the head 
and ruler of the house; do not, therefore, attempt 
to usurp his government ; for even though he obey 
not the word—is not a believer in Christ—his rule 
is not thereby impaired; for Christianity never 
alters civil relations; and your affectionate, obe- 

494 


dient conduct will be the most likely means of con- 
vincing him of the truth of the doctrine which you 
have received. (See 1 Cor. vii, 12.) Be won by 
the conversation—That your holy conduct may 
be the means of begetting in your husbands a 
reverence for Christianity, the preaching of which 
they will not hear. (See on 1 Cor. xiv, 34.) 

2. Chaste conversation... with fear—While 
they (the unbelieving husbands) see that ye join 
modesty, chastity, and the purest manners to the 
fear of God. Or perhaps “ fear,” φόβος, is taken, 
as in Eph. v, 88, for the reverence due to the 
husband. 

3. Whose adorning—Kdéopoc. See the note on 
Heb. ix, 1, where the word κόσμος, world or orne- 
ment, is defined. (See also Gen. ii, 1.) Plaiting 
the hair, and of wearing of gold—Plaiting the 
hair, and variously folding it about the head, was 
the most ancient and most simple mode of dispos- 
ing of this chief ornament of the female head. It 
was practised anciently in every part of the east, 
and is so to the present day in India, in China, 
and also in Barbary. It was ‘also prevalent among 
the Greeks and Romans, as ancient gems, busts, 
and statues, still remaining, sufficiently declare. 
Thin plates of gold were often mixed with the hair, 
to make it appear more ornamental by the reflec- 
tion of light and of the solar rays. Small golden 
buckles were also used in different parts; and 
among the Roman ladies, pearls and precious 
stones of different colours. But it is evident, from 
many remaining monuments, that in numerous 
cases the hair variously plaited and curled was the 
only ornament of the head. Often a simple pin, 
sometimes of ivory pointed with gold, seemed to 
connect the plaits. Inmonuments of antiquity the 
heads of the married and single women may be 
known, the former hy the hair being parted from 
the forehead over the middle of the top of the head, 
the latter by being quite close, or being plaited and 
curled all in a general mass. [The apostle refers 
here to a propensity which exists in the heart of 
woman to seek that which might be esteemed orna- 
mental, or that which will appear well in the sight of 
others, and commend her to them... . The only ques- 
tion is, What is true and appropriate ornament? 
.... The apostle does not condemn the ornament, 
nor does he condemn the desire to appear so as to 
secure the esteem of others. This he does not 
prohibit in the wife. But the grand thing which 
she was to seek was, not that which is merely ex- 
ternal, but that which is internal, and which God 
regards as of so great value-——Buarnes.] | With 
regard to the much disputed question whether, by 
the preceding injunction, all ornament of dress is 
forbidden, or only making such ornament’ the 
adorning, it may safely be left to the Christian 


The ornament of a meek and quiet 
spirit commended. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4064. A. D. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813, 


on of apparel; 4 But Jet it be tthe hidden 
man of the heart, in that which is not cor- 
ruptible, even the ornament of a meek and 
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of 
great price. 
old time the holy women also, who trusted in 
God, adorned themselves, being in subjection 
unto their own husbands : 6 Even as Sarah 


FPoa. 45, 13: Rom, 3. 295 7. 23's 
h Gr. children.—il Cor. 


: 2Cor.4 16-—g Gen. 18. 12.—— 
7. 3; Eph. 5. 25; Col. 3.19. 


wisdom of believing women to be not unwise, but 
understanding what the will of the Lord is, in this 
as in other similar matters. Within the limits of 
propriety and decorum, the common usage is the 
rule. There is a sin in singularity, both as minis- 
tering to pride in ourselves and as giving offence 
to others, and so discommending our holy religion. 
—Alford.| [According tothe usus loguendi of the 
Scripture, when two things are compared together 
for the purpose of giving one of them the decided 
preference, the less favoured is (in form) wholly 
condemned, though only a re/«tive condemnation 
is intended. So here, Let all outward ornamen- 
tation be relatively disregarded, in comparison 
with that which is inward—‘ta meek and quiet 
spirit.” | 

4. The hidden man of the heart—The word 
ἀνθρωπος, man, is frequently applied to the sow/, but 
generally with some epithet. Thus, ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος, 
the inner man, (Rom. vii, 22,) to distinguish it from 
the body, which is called ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος, the outer 
man, (2 Cor. iv, 16;) ὁ κρυπτὸς ἄνθρωπος, the hid- 
den man, as in the text; ὁ καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, the new 
man, the soul renewed in righteousness, (Eph. 

15,) to distinguish him from ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος, 
the old man, that is, man unregenerate, or in a 
state of sin. (Rom. vi, 6.) And the soul is thus 
distinguished by the Greek philosophers. A meek 
and quiet spirit—That is, a mind that will not 
give provocation to others, nor become irritated 
by the provocation of others, Jfeekness will pre- 
vent the first ; quietness will guard against the last. 
Great price—aAll the ornaments placed on the 
head and body of the most illustrious female are, 
in the sight of God, of no worth; but a meek and 
silent spirit are, in his sight, invaluable, because 
proceeding from and leading to himself, being in- 
corruptible, surviving the ruins of the body and the 
pore of time, and enduring eternally. 

. For after this manner—Simplicity reigned 
in ace times; natural ornaments alone were 
then in use. No Ἐν ever looks so well as when 
adorned with its own hair alone. See on 1 Cor. xi, 
14-16, and 1 Tim. ii, 9. Who trusted in God 
The women who trust Nor in God are fond of dress 
and frippery ; those who trust in God follow nature 
and common sense. Being in subjection unto 
their own husbands—!t will rarely be found 
that women who are fond of display and extrava- 
gance have any subjection to their husbands but 
what comes from mere necessity. 

6. As Sarah obeyed Abraham—The words of 
the apostle imply that she acknowledged his supe- 
riority, and her own subjection to him, in the order 
of God. (See Gen. xviii, 12.) Whose daughters 
ye are—As Abraham is represented as the father 
of all his male believing descendants, so Sarah is 
represented as the mother of all her believing female 
posterity. A son of Abraham is a true believ er; a 


daughter of Sarah is the same. As long as ye 


5 For after this manner in the | 


obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose 
'daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and 
are not afraid with any amazement. 7% ‘Like- 
wise, ye husbands, dwell with them according 
to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, 

as unto the weaker. vessel, and as being heirs 
ine of the grace of life; ! that your pray- 
ers be not hindered. § Finally, ™de ye all of 


ΚῚ Cor, 12. 23; 1 Thess. 4. 4. —J See Job 42. 8; rig 5. 23, 245 
18. 19.—m Rom. 12. 16; 15.5; Pbil. 8, 16, 


do well—For you cannot maintain your relation- 
ship to her longer than ye believe ; and as long as 
ye believe ye will continue to obey. And are not 
afraid with any amazement — Μὴ φοβούμεναι 
μηδεμίαν πτόησιν may be rendered, and not fearing 
any terror. If ye do well, and act conscientiously 
your part as faithful wives, ye will at no time live 
under the distressing apprehension of, or be terrified 
at, every appearance of the discovery of improper 
conduct. Being not guilty of such, you will not 
have occasion to fear detection. Happy is the wife, 
and happy is the husband, who has no cause for such 
fear. [Christianity is equidistant from the moral 
degradation of the female sex, which the Moham- 
medans and rabbins would almost deprive of im- 
mortality, and from the secular exaltation and de- 
ification which, especially since the Middle Ages, has 
been defended as Christian by those who have 
confounded Germanism with Christianity, while it 
secured to woman any thing but happiness. — 
Steiger.] 

7. Dwell with them according to knowl- 
edge—Give your wives, by no species of unkind 
carriage, any excuse for delinquency. How cana 
man expect his wife to be faithful to him if he be 
unfaithful to her? and vice versa. Giving honour 
unto the wife—Using your superior strength and 
authority in her behalf, and thus honouring her 
by becoming her protector and support. But the 
word τιμῇ. “honour,” signifies maintenance as well 
as respect; maintain, provide for, the wife. As... 
the weaker vessel—Being more delicately, and 
consequently more slenderly, constructed. Rough- 
ness and strength go hand in hand; so likewise do 
beauty and frailty. The female has what the man 
lacks—beauty and delicacy. The male has what 
the female lacks—courage and strength. The one 
is as good in its place as the other: and by these 
things God has made an equality between the man 
and the woman, so that there is properly very little 
superiority on either side. See on 1 Thess. iv, 4. 
Being heirs together—Both the man and woman 
being equally called to eternal glory: andas prayer 
is one great means of obtaining a meetness for it, 
it is necessary that they should live together in 
such a manner as to prevent all family contentions, 
that they may not be prevented, by disputes or 
misunderstandings, from uniting daily in this most 
important duty—family and social prayer. [True 
love in the conjugal state depends upon and is 
rooted in mutual esteem; ... not only of personal 
qualities and excellences of either party, but also 
and chiefly the appreciation flowing from the 
thought of mutual relations to the divine favour, 
and of a common inheritance in the kingdom of 
heaven. See Lange.]} 

8. Finally—[To δὲ τέλος, as to the end, an ad- 
verbial accusative.] Be ye all of one mind— 
Unity, both in the family and in the Church, being 
essentially necessary to peace and salvation. See 

495 


A. Μ. 4064, A. Ὁ. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813, 


one mind, having compassion one of another ; 
selove as brethren, Pde pitiful, be courteous: 
9 «Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for 
railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing 
that ye are thereunto called, ‘that ye should 
inherit a blessing. 890. For she that will love 
life, and see good days, tlet him refrain his 
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak 
no guile: ΑΗ Let him "eschew evil, and do 


I. PETER. 


Directions how the believers may 
live a long and useful life. 


#2 For the eyes of the Lord are over the 
righteous, “and his ears are open unto their 
prayers: but the face of the Lord és * against 
them that do evil. 13 ἡ And who és he that 
will harm you, if ye be followers of that which 
is good? 24 # But and if ye suffer for right- 
eousness’ sake, happy are ye: and *be not 
afraid of their terror, neither be troubled ; 
ἘΦ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: 
and »be ready always to give an answer to 


good; Ylet him seek peace, and ensue it. 


n Or, loving to the brethren.—o Rom. 12. 10; Heb. 13.1: 
chap. 2. 17.—~?p Eph. 4. 32: Col. 3. 12. q Prov. 17. 18; 20.22; 
Matt. 5. 39; Rom. 12. 14, 17; 1 Cor. 4. 12; 1 Thess. 5. 15.— 
7 Mitt. 25. 34.—s Psa. 34. 12, etc.—¢James 1. 26; chap. 3. 
1, 22; Rev. 14. 5. 


u Psa. 37. 27; Isa. 1. 16, 17; 3 John 1!1.—vw Rom. 12, 18; 14. 
19; Heb. 12. 14.—vw John 9. 51; James 5. 16.—mr Gr. wpon. 
y Prov. 16.7; Rom, 8. 28.—z<z Matt. δ. 10,11, 12: James 1. 
ee chap. 2. 19; 4. 14. —u Isa. & 12, 13; Jer. 1. 8; John 14. 


27.—b Psa. 119. 46; Acts 4. 8; Col. 4. 6; 2 Tim. 2. 28. 


on Rom. xii, 16, and xv, 5. Having compas- 
sion — Συμπαθεῖς, being sympathetic; feeling for 
each other; bearing each other’s burdens. Love 
as brethren—®:AdadeAgor; be lovers of the brethren. 
Pitiful — Εὐσπλαγχνοι, tender hearted; let your 
bowels yearn over the distressed and afflicted. 
Courteous—®Addpovec, be friendly minded ; ac- 
quire and cultivate a friendly disposition. But in- 
stead of this word, ταπεινόφρονες, be humble minded, 
is the generally accepted and probably correct 
reading. 

9. Not rendering evil for evil — Purposing, 
saying, doing nothing but good; and invariably re- 
turning good for evil. We are thereunto called— 
This is your calling—your business in life, to do 
good, and to do good for evil, and to implore God’s 
blessing even on your worst enemies. And this is 
not only your duty, but your interest; for in so 
doing you shall obtain God’s blessing, even life for 
evermore. See Matt. v, 5, and 10-12. 

10. For he that will love life—This is a quo- 
tation from Psa. xxxiv, 12-16, as it stands in the 
Septuagint ; only the imperative verb is changed 
from the second into the third person, ete. He 
who wishes to live long and prosperously must act 
as he is here directed. As excess in action and 
passion always tends to the shortening of life, and 
nothing preys on the constitution more than dis- 
orderly passions, he must live not only happiest 
but longest who avoids them. It is an edifying 
story that is told in the book MZussar, chapter i, 
quoted by Rosenmiller: “A certain person, travel- 
ling through the city, continued to call out, Who 
wants the elixir of life? The daughter of Rabbi 
Joda heard him, and told her father. He said, 
Call the man in. When he came in, the rabbi said, 
What is that elixir of life thou sellest? He an- 
swered, Is it not written, What man is he that 
loveth life, and desireth to see good days, let him re- 
Train his tongue from evil, and his lips from speak- 
ing guile? This is the elixir of life, and is found 
in the mouth of man.” 

12. The eyes of the Lord are over the right- 
eous — That is, the righteous are continually un- 
der God’s care; God continually watches for them 
and watches over them, and they are under his 
constant protection. And his ears arc open unto 
their prayers—The original is very emphatic: 7716 
eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears 
toward their prayers. The righteous man ever at- 
tracts the divine notice, and wherever he is there 
is the ear of God; for as every righteous man is 
a man of prayer, wherever he prays there is the 
ear of God, into which the prayer, as soon as 
formed, enters. But the face of the Lord—Far 
from his eye being upon them, or his ear open to 

496 


their requests, (for prayer they have none,) his face, 
his approbation, his providence and blessing, are 
turned away from them; and he only looks upon 
them to abhor them, and to turn the arm of his 
justice against them. ; 

13. Who is he that will harm you—lIs it pos- 
sible that a man can be wretched who has God for 
his friend? ‘All the devices which the devil or 
wicked men work against such must be brought to 
naught, and by the previdence of his goodness be 
dispersed.” If ye be followers, etc.—Eayv τοῦ 
᾿Αγαθοῦ μιμηταὶ γένησθε, if ye be imitators of the 
good One, that is, of God. Ὁ ᾿Αγαθὸς, the good One, 
is one οἵ Ged’s prime epithets, (see Matt. xix, 17,) 
and Satan is distinguished by the reverse, ὁ πονηρός, 
the EVIL one, (Matt. xxiii, 19, where see the notes.) 
Instead of μιμηταί, followers, or rather, imitators, 
ζηλωταΐ, zealous of what is good, is the reading now 
generally accepted, [and this favours the rendering 
Tov ἀγαθοῦ as neuter and abstract, that which is 
good, and not as masculine, “the good One,” that 
is, God.] 

14. But and if ye suffer—God may permit you 
to be tried and persecuted for righteousness’ sake, 
but this cannot essentially harm you; he will press 
even this into your service, and make it work for 
your good. Happy are ye—This seems to refer 
to: Matt. v, 10, ete.: Blessed or happy are ye when 
men persecute you, etc. It is a happiness to suffer 
for Christ; and it is a happiness because if a man 
were not holy and righteous the world would not 
persecute him: so he is happy in the very cause of 
his sufferings. Be not afraid of their terror— 
Tov δὲ φόβον αὐτῶν μὴ φοβηθῆτε, fear not their fear. 
(Isaiah viii, 12.) Sometimes fear is put for the 
object of a man's religious worship; as in Gen. 
xxxi, 42; Prov. i, 26. The exhortation may mean, 
Fear not their gods, they can do you no hurt; and 
supposing that they curse you by them, yet be not 
troubled; ‘*He who fears God need have no other 
fear.” [The command amounts to this: ‘‘ Be not 
affected in heart by the fear which they strive to 
inspire in you.”— A//ord. | 

15. But sanctify the Lord God in your 
hearts—-We have often already seen that ἁγεάζειν 
signifies to separate from any common use or pur- 
pose, that the thing or person thus separated may 
be devoted to a sacred use. Perhaps we should 
understand Peter’s words thus: Entertain just no- 
tions of God; of his nature, power, will, justice, 
goodness, and truth. Do not conceive of him as 
being actuated by such passions as are seen in men ; 
separate him in your hearts from every thing earthly, 
human, fickle, rigidly severe, or capriciously merciful. 
[Instead of κύριον δὲ τὸν Θεόν, the reading here fol- 
lowed by the translators, the reading now generally 


If called to suffering, let it be for 
well doing, not evil doing, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4064. A. Τῇ 60. 
Year of Rome, 813. 


every man that asketh you a reason of the 
hope that is in you, with meekness and ¢ fear : 
16 ‘Having a good conscience; ¢ that, where- 
as they spe: ak evil of you, as of evil doers, they 
may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good 
conversation in Christ. &% For it is better, 
if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well 
doing, than for evil doing. “18 For Christ 
also hath ‘once suffered for sins, the just for 
the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 


ebeing put to death ®in the flesh, but ‘quick- 
ened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he 
went and «preached unto the spirits !in pris- 
on; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, 
when once the longsuffering of God waited 
in the days of Noah, while "the ark was a pre- 
paring, °wherein few, that is, eight souls were 
saved by water. 2H P The like figure where- 
unto even baptism doth also now save us, (not 
the putting away of ‘the filth of the flesh, 


δ: chap: 2 12: 


c Or, reverence.—d ΜΈΡΟΣ: 13. 18.—e Tit. 
ἢ 1, — 92 Cor. 


— Rom. 5. oF Heb, 9. 2t, 28; hae: 2. 21; 
13. 4.----- Col. 1. 21, 22.—7 Rom. 1. 4; 8. 11. 


ke Chap. 1. 12; 4, 6.—1 Isa. 42. 7; 49. oy 61. seem ee 6. 
3, ὅ, 18 ——n Heb. 11. 7.—0o Gen. 7. 7; 8 18; 2 Pet. 
p Eph, ὅ. 26.—g Tit, 3. δ. 


5.— 


accepted, which Griesbach also suggested, is τὸν 
Χριστὸν, which gives quite another turn to the 
sense.| [As if Peter would say, Care only for this, 
that your heart may be a temple of Christ, in which 
becoming honour may be given him as Lord; then 
will nothing disturb you; you have in him all that 
you need.— W. etsinger, in Alford] A reason of 
the hope—An account of your hope of eternal life 
in God’s glory. This was the great object of their 
“hope,” as Christ was the grand object of their 
faith. The word ἀπολογίαν, which we translate 
“answer,” signifies a defence; from this we have 
our word apology, which did not originally signify 
an excuse for an act, but a defence of one. The 
defences of Chr istianity by the primitive Fathers 
are called apologies. See on Acts xxi, 1. With 
meekness and fear — The best authorities add 
the word ἀλλὰ, but, here, and it improves the 
sense: Be ready always to give an answer to every 
man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in 
you, BUT with meckness and fear. Do not permit 
your readiness to answer, nor the confidence you 
have in the goodness of your cause, to lead you to 
answer pertly or superciliously to any person; de- 
fend the truth with all possible gentleness and 
“fear,” lest while you are doing it you should for- 
get His presence whose cause you support, or say 
something unbecoming the dignity and holiness of 
the religion which you have espoused, or incon- 
sistent with that heavenly temper which the Spirit 
of your indwelling Lord must infallibly produce. 
{On this injunction Luther says, speaking of his 
own experience at Worms and elsewhere: ‘ Then 
must ye not answer with proud words and bring 
out the matter with a defiance and with violence 
if ye would tear up trees, but with such fear and 
lowliness as if ye stood before God’s tribunal. . . . 
So must thou stand in fear, and not rest on thine 
own strength, but on the word and promise of 
Christ. (Matt. x, 19.)” See Alford.] 

16. Having a good conscience—The testimony 
of God in your own soul, that in simplicity and godly 
sincerity you have your conversation in the world. 

.ΓΣυνείδησιν, a consciousness of right.| Whereas 
they speak evil of you—See chapter ii, 11. 

17. For it is better—See on chapter ii, 19, 20. 

18. Christ also hath once suffered—See the 

notes on Rom. v, 6; Heb. ix, 28. Put to death 
in the flesh—In his human nature. But quick- 
ened by the Spirit — [Both σαρκὶ and πνεύματι, 
appear to be used adverbially, flesh-wise, or as to the 
Jlesh, (his physical nature, ) and spirit-wise, or as to 
jus spirit, the Supersensuous and rational soul. 
The “spirit” here brought into notice is Christ’s 
human spirit, which being found alive after his 
bodily death, is spoken of as quickened, ζωοποιηθεὶς, 
made alive. ἢ 

Vol. 11.---88 


as 


19. By which—S§pirit, his own divine energy 
and authority. He went and preached—By the 
ministry of Noah, one hundred and twenty years. 
Unto the spirits in prison—The inhabitants of 
the antediluvian world, who, having been disobe- 
dient, and convicted of the most flagrant transgres- 
sions against God, were sentenced by his just law 
to destruction. But their punishment was delayed 
that they might repent; and “the longsuffering 
of God waited” one hundred and twenty years, 
which were granted to them for this purpose ; dur- 
ing which time, as criminals tried and convicted, 
they are represented as being “in prison ’’—de- 
tained under the arrest of divine justice, which 
waited either for their repentance or the expiration 
of the respite, that the punishment pronounced 
might be inflicted. [See at the end of the chapter. ] 

20. Which sometime were disobedient— 
[Απειθήσασιν, the unpersuaded, unbelieving, ποτε τε, 
then, when.| The lorgsuffering of God waited 
—In Pirkey Aboth, cap. v, 2, we have these words : 
“ There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, 
that the ‘longsuffering’ of God might appear; 
for each of these generations provoked him to 
anger, and went on in their iniquity, till at last the 
deluge came.” Were saved by water—While 
the ark was preparing, only Noah’s family believed 
these amounted to eight persons; and these only 
were saved from the deluge (δ ὕδατος.) on (through, 
or by means of) the water; all the rest perished ; 
unless, indeed, some of them, while the rains de- 
scended, and the waters daily increased, did hum- 
ble themselves before God, call for mercy, and 
eee it. 

The like figure whereunto baptism, etc. 
_The rendering of Dr. Macknight makes this mean- 
ing more clear: By which (w ater) [not of the flood, 
nor of baptism, (specifically, but water generally, 
(Alford)] the antitype baptism (not the putting away 
of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good 
conscience toward God) now saveth us also, through 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many 
difficulties in this verse; but the simple meaning 
of the place may be easily apprehended. Noah 
believed in God, walked uprightly before him, 
and found grace in his sight; he obeyed him 
in building the ark, and God made it the means 
of his salvation from the waters of the deluge. 
‘ Baptism” implies a consecration and dedication 
of the soul and body to God, the Father, Sun, 
and Holy Spirit. He who is faithful to his baptis- 
mal covenant, taking God through Christ, by the 
eternal Spirit, for his portion, is saved here from 
his sins; and, through the resurrection of Christ 
From the dead, has the well-grounded hope of eter- 
nal glory. So the water of baptism, typifying the 
regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, is the 

497 


A. Μ. 4064, A. Ὁ. 60, 
Year of Rome, 813. 


I. PETER. 


Jesus Christ declared to be in 
heaven, on God’s right hand. 


but ‘the answer of a good conscience toward 
God,) ‘by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 
22 Who is gone into heaven, and ‘is on 


the right hand of God; "angels and author- 
ities and powers being made subject unto 
hin. 


r Rom, 10. 10.— 5 Chap. 1. 3.—# Psa. 110. 1; Rom. 8. 34; Eph. 


1. 20; Col. 3.1; Heb. 1.3.—vzw Rom. 8.38; 1 Cor. 15, 24; Eph. 1. 21. 


sign of salvation to all those who receive the 
Holy Spirit in his quickening, cleansing efficacy. 
And as the waters of the flood could not have saved 
Noah and Lis family had they not made use of the 
ark, so the water of baptism saves no man but as 
it is the means of his getting his heart purified by 
the Holy Spirit, and typifying to him that purifica- 
tion. By (διά, through) the resurrection of Je- 
sus Christ—| Not Christ’s own resurrection from 
the dead, but that which he effectuates in all those 
who believe in him. (John xi, 25; Phil. iii, 10; 
Col. iii, 1-3.)] 

22. Who is gone into heaven—Having given 
the fullest proof of his resurrection from the dead, 
and of his having accomplished the end for which 
he came into the world. On the right hand of 
God—In the place of the highest dignity, honour, 
and influence. Angels and authorities and pow- 
ers—That is, all creatures and beings, both in the 
heavens and in the earth, are put under subjection 
to Jesus Christ. He has all power in the heavens 
and in the earth. He alone can save; and he alone 
can destroy. None need fear who put their trust 
in him, as he can do whatsoever he will in behalf 
of his followers, and has good and evil spirits un- 
der his absolute command. Well may his enemies 
tremble, while his friends exult and sing! He can 
save to the uttermost all that come unto the Father 
through him. 


ADDITIONAL NOTE. 

[The three verses (18, 19, and 20) of the foregoing 
chapter respecting Christ’s preaching to “ the spirits 
in prison” have been recognised as constituting 
one of the most difficult passages in the New Testa- 
ment. Its difficulties, however, are not as to the 
genuineness of the text, nor in its grammatical in- 
terpretation, in respect to both of which it is ex- 
ceptionally free from doubts. Its import as a 
revelation of doctrinal truth is the only question 
suggested that is not capable of an easy solution, 
but that is especially difficult. 

[In the matter immediately preceding this pas- 
sage, the apostle gives instructions to his brethren 
in respect to their manner of acting when persecuted 
for righteousness’ sakke—holding up the example of 
Christ’s conduct when in like circumstances. For 
this purpose, Christ’s suffering for sin is directly 
appealed to in verse 18, the latter clause of which, 
(and in which the difficulty begins,) simply names 
certain conditions that attended that event, namely, 
that the death to which he was subjected was “in the 
flesh,” and the quickening which followed was “ in 
(or in respect to) the (his) spirit... The sense im- 
plied in our English Version, that this quickening 
is to be attributed to the Holy Spirit, may be given 
up as wholly untenable. There is here a sharp 
contrast between our Lord’s bodily life, which was 
sacrificed on the cross, and his spiritual life, (as 
a man,) into which he came immediately after- 
ward. The qualifying phrases, “in the flesh,” and 
“by (better, 2) the spirit,” are each expressed in 
the original by a single word, (a substantive noun 
in the dative case,) which is evidently used ad- 
verbially, σαρκὶ, flesh-wise, πνεύματι, spirit-wise. 


Physically and psychologically, Christ died like any 
498 


other man, and like others, also, his disembodied 
(human) soul emerged into the new or pneumatie 
life. All this is plain, and also a clear and valuable 
statement of the historically primary stage of the 
future life of the individual. 

[The apostle next adds, apparently without any 
break in the line of thought, ἐν ©, in which, (not by 
which,) but in his living, disembodied, spiritual 
state, he also went and preached to the spirits in 
prison, καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν πορευθεὶς ἐκήῆ- 
ρυξεν, which saying, taken in its grammatical sense 
and in its obvious meaning, indicates that immedi- 
ately after his death on the cross our Lord pro- 
ceeded, in his human character, to the place where 
certain ‘‘spirits ”” (πνεύμασιν, souls) were de- 
tained in some kind of custody; and to these he 
preached. Just who these souls were, or what had 
been their history in the flesh, this clause does not 
determine, nor is the word ἐκήρυξεν so strictly of one 
only significance that there may not be some doubt 
in respect to the matter and character of his 
preaching. If the whole subject ended with these 
words, it would be quite rational to say that the 
‘“‘spirits ” to whom he “ preached ” were the right- 
eous dead of the world then past, who were abiding 
in the paradisaical side of hades, waiting for their 
deliverance and glorification by and with Christ, 
and that Christ’s preaching was the announcement 
to them of the progress of his work of redemption, 
all of which is agreeable to the early Catholic doc- 
trine of the intermediate state, and of Christ’s de- 
scent into hades. 

[But the next clause puts quite another aspect 
upon the case, the first word of which character- 
izes the “spirits” as having been “ disobedient,” 
ἀπειθήσασιν, unpersuadcd, unbelieving, while God’s 
“Jongsuffering,” μακροθυμία. forbearance, slowness 
to anger, “waited,” ἀπεξεδέχετο, held back, “in the 
days of Noah,” ete. The “spirits in prison” to 
whom our Lord preached, in spirit, that is, in his 
disembodied state, are thus identified with the ante- 
diluvians, who heard Noah preach, but were not 
“ obedient ’—did not receive his message in faith 
—and of course were overtaken by the threatened 
deluge. The plain words of the text seem to shut 
us up to this rendering of the subject, which itself 
forces into notice certain other, and especially dif- 
ficult, inquiries. 

[ What must be understood by the words ἐν φυλακῇ, 
“in prison?” They certainly indicate some kind 
of restraint or custody, and their use often implies a 
state of punishment, but not necessarily ; and as the 
condition of the souls in hades, whether in the good 
or the bad side, is an incomplete and constrained 
estate, the expression may be legitimately con- 
strued as equivalent to ‘in hades.” (Luke xvi, 23; 
xxiii, 43.) This, however, does not relieve the dif- 
ficulty, as it leaves the impenitent antediluvians as 
the specified persons to whom Christ preached. 
Did he preach to them only, or are they named as 
specimens of a class, in whose wider range many, 
perhaps all, other departed souls may be included ? 
So some have thought, and upon this have based a 
hope of a future probation, and perhaps a universal 
redemption; but the inference is certainly far- 
fetched, and the argument is a very feeble one, as 


Believers in Christ not t» live 
“as had been their habit. 


CHAPTER IV. 


A. M. 4064. A. D. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813. 


CHAPTER IV. 
ORASMUCH then «as Christ hath suffered 
for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise 
with the same mind: for "he that hath suf- 
fered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2¢ That 
he no longer ὁ should live the rest of His time 
in the flesh to the lusts of men, ¢but to the 
will of God. 8 ‘ For the time past of owr life 


may suffice us §to have wrought the will of 
the Gentiles, when we walked in lascivious- 
ness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquet- 
ings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein 
they think it strange that ye run not with them 
to the same excess of riot, "speaking evil of 
you. & Who shall give account to him that 
is ready ‘to judge the quick and the dead. 


aChap. 3. 18.— bd Rom. 6. 2,7; Gal. 5. 24; Col. 3. 3, 
ce Rom. 14. 7: abet, 2. 1.—d Gal. 2. 20; chap. 1. 14. —s. aii 
1.13; Rom. ὃ. 11; 2 Cor. 5. 15; James 1. 18. —S Ezek. HH. οι 


compared with the weight that it is called, to sus- 
tain. Some who have accepted the idea that those 
named are simply one class of the whole race of 
mankind, and who have held that Christ’s coming 
into the world of spirits was itself a revelation of 
his inaugurated and advanced kingdom, understand 
the preaching indicated in this text as simply that 
revelation. It is quite certain that the word 
“reach,” κηρύσσω, is not necessarily to be under- 
stood in the sense of proclaiming grace. In clas- 
sical Greek the κηρῦξ is simply a herald, who may 
proclaim either life or death, and in the Septuagint 
Version (Isa. xi, 7) the same word is made to cover 
alike the proclamation of “the acceptable year of 
the Lord,” and “the day of vengeance of our 
God.” Asa matter of fact, it is well known that 
the preaching of the Gospel by our Lord, while in 
the flesh, was in not a few cases the denunciation 
of wrath, in most fearful language, against the dis- 
obedient. May he not have continued in the same 
way among the “spirits in prison?” 

(Without pretending to have resolved even proxi- 

mately certain of the chief obscurities of the text, 
we may clearly learn from it some important truths: 
as, that the condition of the human soul imme- 
diately after the death of the body is one of con- 
scious life and enlarged activities: that our Lord, 
alter his death, immediately renewed, on an en- 
larged scale, his Messianic work, carrying his Gos- 
pel into the regions of the dead, either as “a savor 
of life unto life” or of “death unto death.” And 
the inference is rational, leading to a strong proba- 
bility, that his coming out of hades—which, 1 rather 
than the resumption of his “ flesh,” was the reality 
of his reswrrection—being accomplished in the sight 
of the pious dead, became to them the assurance 
and pledge of their own resurrection, and so he be- 
came to all his people “ the firstfruit of them that 
slept.” 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 


1. As Christ hath suffered—He is your proper 
pattern ; have the same disposition he had; the same 
forgiving spirit, with meeknessgzentleness, and com- 
plete self-possession. [The words for us have noth- 
ing in the best MSS. of which they are a translation. 
Their omission does not affect the sense.] Arm 
yourselves .. . with the same mind (thoug/it) 
—([By assuming Christ’s way of thinking, his esti- 
mate of things temporal and eternal, they would be 
shielded against the assaults of temptation.] He 
that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased 
from sin—[This is best applied to Christ himself ; 
the expression then connects closely with that 
which precedes and defines it. For he who has 
once suffered as to the flesh, which suffering in- 
cludes his death, (chapter iii, 18,) has now rest from 
sin.... Hence he who puts on his mind, and is in 
communion with him, henceforth must serve sin 
no more.—Lange. | 


they would meet with patiently, 


45.9; Acts 17. 30. g Eph, 2. 2; 4.17; 1 Thess. 4. 5; Tit. 
chap. 1. 14.— A Acts 13. 45: 18.6; chap. 3. 16. —z yer τ ne 
17. 31; Rom, 14. 10, 125 1 Cor. 15. 51, 52; 2Tim. 4. 1; Jumes 5d. ὃ. 

2. That he—[ Rather ye: the Greek has no pro- 
noun, but the construction and sense require the 
continuance of the second person plural.—Lange. | 
No longer should live...in the flesh—Gov- 
erned by the base principle of giving up his faith 
to save life. To the lusts of men—<According to 
the will of idolatrous persecutors ; but to the will 
of God: which “will” is, that they should retain 
the truth, and live accor ding to its dictates, though 
they should suffer for it. 

3. The time past of our life —[An implied 
irony. If you believe that you are debtors to the 
flesh, (Rom. viii, 12,) and obliged to serve sin, sure- 
ly you have done enough of it... . This lessens the 
severity of the reproach.—Lange.] Following is ὁ 
complete epitome of the Gentile or heathen state. 
Wrought the will of the Gentiles—[By conform- 
ing to their heathenish practices.] They walked in 
lasciviousness—’E ἀσελγείαις, lewdness. Lusts— 
᾿Επιθυμίαις, irregular appetites. Excess of wine 
--Οἰνοφλυγίαις, drunkenness. Revellings — Ko- 
μοις, lascivious feaslings. (See on Rom. xiii, 13.) 
Banquetings—lIloroc, drinking matches, carous- 
ings. Abominable idolatries—’Alewitorc εἰδωλο- 
λατρίαις, the abominations practised at their idol 
feasts, where they not only worshipped the idol, 
but did it with the most impure, obscene, and 
abominable rites. This was the general state of 
the Gentile world ; and with this monstrous wicked- 
ness Christianity had everywhere to struggle. [The 
severity of this reproof, and the last reference to 
the gross sensuality of heathen worship, makes it 
very evident that the persons addressed were Gen- 
tile converts. ] 

4. They think it strange — Ξενίζονται: they 
wonder and are astonished at you, that ye can re- 
nounce these gratifications of the flesh for a spirit- 
ual something, the good of which they cannot see. 
Excess of riot—'Acuriac avayvow, flood of prof- 
ligacy; bearing down all rule, order, and restraints 
before it. Speaking evil of ψοιι--- Βλασφημοῦντες, 
literally, blaspheming; that is, speaking impiously 
eae God and calumniously of you. 

To judge the quick and the dead—They 
shail give account of these irregularities to Him who 
is prepared to judge both the Jews and the Gen- 
tiles. The Gentiles, previously to the preaching of 
the Gospel among them, were reckoned to be dead 
in trespasses and sins, (Eph. ii, 1-5 ;) under the sen- 
tence of death, because they had sinned. The Jews 
had at least, by their religious profession, a name 
to live; and by that profession were bound to live to 
God. [It obviates no difficulty to take these words 
figuratively. They must, we think, be taken in their 
usual sense, (as in Acts x, 42; Rom. xiv, 9; 2 Tim. 
iv, 1,) meaning those who are fiving when Christ 
comes, and those who are then dead.— Whedon. ] 
{The meaning in this connexion seems to be, that 
they should bear their trials and the opposition 
not feeling that 

499 


A.M. 4064. A. Ὁ. 60. 
Year of Rome, 813. 


Ie PETER 


Christians should be sober, and 
watch unto prayer, 


6 For, for this cause * was the gospel preached 
also to them that are dead, that they might be 
judged according to men in the flesh, but live 
according to God in the spirit. 7% But 'the 


end of all things is at hand: “be ye therefore 
sober, and watch unto prayer. 9 "And above 
all things have fervent charity among your- 
selves: for °charity Pshall cover the multitude 


i Chap. 3. 19.7 Matt. 24. 13, 14; Rom. 13.12; Phil. 4.5; Heb. 
10. 25; James 5. 8; 2 Pet. 3.9, 11; 1 John 2. 18.—7™m Matt. 26. 41; 


Luke 21. 34; Col. 4. 2; chap. 1 13: 5.8.7 Col. 3. 14; Heb. 18. 1. 
—-o Prov. 10.12; 1 Cor. 13. 7; James 5. 20.—p Or, will. 


they were forgotten, nor attempting to avenge 
themselves; for the Lord would vindicate them 
when they should come to judgment, and would call 
those who had injured them to account for all the 
wrongs which they had done to the children of God. 
—Burnes.) [The text speaks only of ‘ judgment ;” 
not of a day of judgment, and that to occur quick- 
ly, ἑτοίμως. “ Quick” and “dead” are an exhaustive 
enumeration, equivalent to a// men; and the whole 
clause is equal to “ who will without long delay deal 
out equal recompense to all.”’] 

6. Was the gospel preached also to them 
that are dead—This is a most difficult verse; the 
best translations I have seen of it are the follow- 
ing :— 

“For this indeed was the effect of the preaching 
of the Gospel to the dead, (the unconverted Gen- 
tiles,) that some will be punished as carnal men ; 
but others, (those converted to Christianity,) lead a 
spiritual life unto God.”— Wakefield. 

“For this purpose hath the Gospei been preached 
even to the dead, (that is, the Gentiles,) that al- 
though they might be condemned, indeed, by men 
in the flesh, (their persecutors,) yet they might live 
eternally by God in the Spirit.”—Macknight. 

“For this cause was the Gospel preached to them 
that were dead; that they who live according to 
men in the flesh may be condemned; but that they 
who live according to God in the Spirit may live.” 
—Knatehbull. 

There are as many different translations of this 
verse, and comments upon it, as there are transla- 
tors and commentators. That of Sir Norton Knatch- 
bull, could the Greek text bear it, appears the most 
simple; but that of Dr. Macknight, which is nearly 
the sense given by Mr. Wesley in his Paraphrase, 
is more likely to be the true one among those al- 
ready proposed. 

But if the apostle had the same fact in view 
which he mentions chapter iii, 19, 20, then the 
antediluvians are the persons intended: “ἢ For this 
cause ”’—that Christ is prepared “to judge the 
quick and the dead,” and to dispense righteous 
judgment in consequence of having afforded them 
every necessary advantage — ‘‘ was the Gospel 
preached ” by Noah to them also “that are dead” 
—the antediluvian world, then dead in trespasses 
and sins, and condemned to death by the righteous 
judgment of God; but in his great compassion he 
afforded them a respite, ¢hat though they were con- 
demned as men in the flesh, (for this was their chav- 
avter—my Spirit shall not always strive with man, 
forasmuch as he is FLESH, Gen. vi, 3,) yet, hearing 
this Gospel by Noah, they may believe, and live ae- 


cording to God in the Spirit—live a blessed life in| 


eternity according to the mercy of God, who sent 
his Spirit to strive with them. This appears to me 
to be the most consistent sense; especially as the 
apostle seems to refer to what he had said of the 
Spirit of Christ in Noah preaching to the spirits in 
prison—the rebellious that lived before the flood. 
See on chapter iii. 19, 20. For this cause, etc.— 
[Εἰς τοῦτο yap, for, for this, indicating the pur- 
pose for which the Gospel was so preached, καὶ 


νεκρούς, also to those that died, or have died, (before | truth, the transgressions of men. 


500 


or after the preaching?) i order that, indeed, wa 
μὲν, indicating the constituting of a condition, by 
what is next declared, suitable to what is indicated 
further along. The Gospel was preached to ‘the 
dead,” (those who have died,) so thet they might be 
judged, κατὰ, according as men in the flesh, (ave 
judged.) Their having been so preached to, made 
it possible (proper) that they should be so judged ; 
and a-further, and the ultimate, design of the 
preaching was, that they should live spiritually be- 
fore God. ‘the proclamation spoken of chapter 
iii, 19, has the Greek word ἐκήρυξεν, which may be 
understood as simply a proclamation, without indi- 
cating its character; but here we have εὐηγγελίσθη, 
which means only the preaching of good news. | 

7. But the end of all things is at hand--I 
think that here, also, St. Peter keeps the history of 
the deluge before his eyes, finding a parallel to the 
state of the Jews in his own time in that of the 
antediluvians in the days of Noah. In Gen. vi, 13, 
God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come 
before me. This was spoken at a time when God 
had decreed the destruction of the world by a flood. 
Peter says, ‘The end of all things is at hand;” and 
this he spoke when God had determined to destroy 
the Jewish people and their polity by one of the 
most signal judgments that ever fell upon any na- 
tion or people. Ina very few years after St. Peter 
wrote this epistle. even taking it at the lowest 
computation, namely, A. D. 60 or 61, Jerusalem 
was destroyed by the Romans. To this destruc- 
tion, which was literally then “ αὐ hand,” the apos- 
tle alludes; the end of the temple, the end of the 
Levitical priesthood, the end of the whole Jewish 
economy, was then “at hand.” If these words 
could be taken in any general sense, then we might 
say to every present generation, ‘“‘The end of all 
things is at hand;” the end of all the good which 
the wicked enjoy, and the end of all the evil which 
the righteous suffer. [The phrase “the end of all 
things ” might mean, that so far as they were con- 
cerned, or, in respect to them, the end of all things 
drew near. Death is to each one the end of all 
things here below, the end of his plans and of his 
interests in all that pertains to sublunary affairs.— 
Barnes.| [those who accept that view find in this 
text, as in many others of like import, proof that 
Peter as well as Paul, and the Christians generally, 
were at that time expecting as mear at hand the 
second coming of Christ, to set up his earthly 
kingdom, a notion that has survived through eight- 
een centuries of disappointment.] Be... sober, 
and watch unto prayer—‘“ Be sober;” make a 
prudent and moderate use of all you possess; and 
“watch ” against all occasions of sin; and pray 
for the supporting hand of God to be upon you for 
good, that ye may escape the destruction that is 
coming upon the Jews, and that ye may be saved 
from among them when the scourge comes. 

8. Have fervent charity --- λγάπην ἐκτενῆ, 
intense love: for love shall cover a multitude of sins. 
A loving disposition leads us to pass by the faults 
of others, to forgive offences against ourselves, and 
to excuse and lessen, as far as is consistent with 
It does not 


Believers to rejoice in sufferings 
borne for Christ. 


of sins. 
rwithout grudging. 10. * As every man hath 
received the gift, even so minister the same one 
to another, tas good stewards of "the manifold 
grace of God. ΑἹ ‘If any man speak, let him 
speak as the oracles of God ; “if any man min- 
ister, let him do it as of the ability which God 
giveth; that * God in all things may be glori- 
tied through Jesus Christ : ¥to whom be praise 
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning 


CHAPTER IV. 


9 1Use hospitality one to another 


A. M. 4964. A.D. 60, 
Year of Rome, 513. 


«the fiery trial which is to try you, as though 
some strange thing happened unto you: 
13 *But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partak- 
ers of Christ’s sufferings; ¢ that, when his glory 
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with ex- 
ceeding joy. 14 41 ye be reproached for the 
name of Christ, happy wre ye; for the Spirit 
of glory and of God resteth upon you: ®on 
their part he is evil spoken of, but on your 
part he is glorified. 18 But ‘let none of you 
suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an 


@Rom. 12. 13; Heb. 18. 2, — 72 Cor. 9. 7: Phil. 2. 14; 
Philem, 14.—s Rom, 12. 6; 1 Cor. 4. 7.—7# Matt. 24. 45; 25. 
14, 21; Luke 12, 42; 1 Cor. 4, 1, 2; Tit. 1. 7.—w1 Cor. 19. 4; 
Eph. 4. 11.—vw Jer. 23, 22.—v Rom, 12. 6, 7, 8; 1.Cor. 3. 10. 
— wx Eph. 5. 20; chap. 2. 5.—y 1 Tim. 6. 16; chap. 5. 11; Rev. 


mean that our love to others will induce God to 
pardon our offences. (See on James v, 20.) [The 
covering up relates to men, not God. Nothing can 
cover thy sin before God except (the blood of Christ, 
through) faith. But my love covers my neighbour’s 
sin, and just as God covers my sin if I believe, so 
ought I also to cover the sin of my neighbour.— 
Luther, quoted by Lange. } 

9. Use hospitality—Be ever ready to divide 
your bread with the hungry, and to succour the 
stranger. (See on Heb. xiii, 2.) Without grudging 
—'Avev γογγυσμῶν, without grumbling. Do nothing 
merely because it is commanded, but do it from love 
to God and man; then it will be without grumbling 
[The opposite is a cheerful, pure, and unselfish 
spirit. (See Rom. xii, 8; 2 Cor. ix, 7.)—Lange.] 

10. Hath received the gift—Xdpioya, a gift; 
any blessing of providence or grace. I cannot 
think that the word means here the Holy Ghost, or 
any of his supernatural gifts or influences ; it may 
include those, but it signifies anv thing given by 
the mercy and bounty of God; but perhaps in this 
place it may signify some or any office in the 
Church; and this sense, indeed, the connexion 
seems to require. Stewards of the manifold 
grace— Whatever gifts or endowments any man 
may possess, they are, properly speaking, not his 
own; they are the Lord’s property, and to be em- 
ployed in his work, and to promote his glory. 
[With respect to God, we are “stewards” of the 
goods committed to our keeping; with respect to 
our neighbour only are we owners.—Lange. | 

11. If any man speak—Those who undertake 
to teach others should speak by the influence of, 
or according to, “the oracles” already delivered, 
erounding all their exhortations and doctrines on 
that revelation already given. This command is 
sent to every man upon earth in holy orders, in 
pretended holy orders, or pretending to holy orders. 
Their teaching should be what the oracles of God, 
the Holy Scriptures, teach and authenticate. Of 
the ability which God giveth — Perhaps the 
minis.ering here may refer to the care of the poor, 
and the “ability”? is the amount of means which 
God may have placed in their hands; and they are 
to minister this as coming immediately from God, 
and lead the minds of the poor to consider him as 
their benefactor, ‘hat he ix all things may be glori- 
Jied through Christ Jesus. This is implied in the 
essence of any charitable act: the actor is not the 
author, God is the author; and the poor man should 
be taught to consider him as his ultimate bene- 
factor. Those who give anv thing as from them- 
selves, rob God; for to him the praise for all good, 
and the dominion over all men and things, belong 


1, 6. 


21 Cor. 3. 13; chap, 1. 7.—v« Acts ὅ. 41: James 1, 2. 
δ᾽ Rom. 8. 17; 2 Cor. 1. 73 Ὁ 10: Phil. 3. 10; Col. 1. 24; 
2 Tim. 2. 12; chap. 5. 1, 10: Rev. 1. 9.—eChup. 1. 4, 6. 
d Matt. 5. 11; 2 Cor. 12. 10; James 1. 12; chap. 2. 19, 20; ὃ. 14. 
—e Chap. 2. 12; 3.16.——/Chap. 2. 20. 


for ever and ever. Amen—[Is (here used) not as 
a note of conclusion, but of strong emotion of 
heart.—A/ford.] 

12. Think it not strange concerning the 
fiery trial—Ilupoce:, the burning. The metaphor 
is old, but noble; it represents the Christians as 
having fire cast upon them for the trying of their 
faith, as gold is tried by fire. (Chapter i, 7.) [A 
simile of great tribulations which burn like fire, 
but conduce to proof.—Lange.| St. Peter returns 
here to what he had often touched upon in this 
epistle, namely, to exhort the Christians to behave 
with patience and integrity under their present 
severe persecution ; for which purpose he intimates 
that it was not an unusual thing for the people οἵ. 
God to be persecuted, and that if they suffered 
here as Christ did they should hereafter be glovi- 
fied with Aim; and in addition to the prospect of 
that future glory, they had at present the Spirit 
of God for their support and comfort; that it was 
not an honour for any of them to suffer as a male- 
factor, but only as a Christian; and that though 
the afflictions began with the Christians, yet the 
weight of the storm would fall upon the unbe- 
lievers. From these considerations he exhorted 
them to persevere in their duty and trust all events 
with God. [So far as the Christian’s sufferings are 
of the same kind, proceeding from the same causes, 
as those undergone by his Master, he is called upon 
to rejoice, for that present participation in suffer- 
ing secures future participation in his glory. (See 
chapter i, 7.)—Speaker’s Com.]| 

14. If ye be reproached for the name of 
Christ — To be reproached for “the name of 
Christ ” is to be reproached for being a Christian, 
that is, for being like Christ. [The reproaches 
cast at their persons and conversation probably 
proceeded from unbelieving Jews, who blasphemed 
the name of Christ. (James ii, 7..—Lange.| The 
Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you 
—aAs this divine Spirit rested upon Jesus, so does 
it rest upon his persecuted followers. This is 
agreeable to our Lord’s words in Matt. v, 11, 12. 
That which constituted them unhappy in the sight 
of the world was their chief happiness in the sight 
of God; they carried Christ, the fountain of blessed- 
ness, in their heart, and therefore could not be 
unhappy. On their part he is evil spoken of— 
Kara μὲν αὐτοὺς βλασφημεῖται, κατὰ δὲ ὑμᾶς δοξάζε- 
tat, by them he is blasphemed, by you he is honoured. 
[The clause is omitted by modern critics, not being 
found in the most ancient MSS., though a very re- 
spectable array of authorities may be made out in its 
favour. Its omission makes no change in the sense. | 

15. But let none of you suffer .. . as a busy- 

δ0υ1 


A. δ΄. 4064. A. Ὁ. 60, 
Year of Rome, 813, 


evil doer, or as a busybody in other men’s 
matters. 16. Yet if any man suffer as a 
Christian, let him not be ashamed; * but let 
him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the 
time is come ‘that judgment must begin at the 
house of God: and if i¢ first begin at us, 
1 what shall the end de of them that obey not 
the gospel of God? £8 ™And if the nght- 
eous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungod- 


I. PETER. 


Believers directed to commit the 
keeping of themselves to God. 


ly and the sinner appear? 19 Wherefore, let 
them that suffer according to the will of God 
“commit the keeping of their souls to him in 
well doing. as unto a faithful Creator. 


CHAPTER V. 
IHE elders which are among you] exhort, 
who am also *an elder, and “a witness of 
| the sufferings of Christ, and also «a partaker 


g1 Thess, 4. 11; 1 Tim. 5. 13. h Acts 5. 41.— Isa. 10. 12; 
Jer. 25. 29; 49. 12; Ezek. 9. 6; Mal. 3. 5.—-X Luke 23. 31.— 
7 Luke 10. 12, 14. 


m Prov, 11. 31; Luke 53, 31.—vn Psa. 31. 5; Luke 23. 46; 
2 Tim. 1. 12.—a Philem. 9.—% Luke 24, 28; Acts 1. 8 22; 5.32; 
10. 39.—c Rom. 8. 17, 18; Rev. 1. 9. 


body in other men’s matters — ᾿Αλλοτριεπίσ- 
κοπος, the inspector of another; meddling with other 
people’s concerns. But some think that meddling 
with those in public office is here intended, as if he 
had said: Meddle not with the affairs of state; 
leave publie offices and public officers to their own 
master; strive to live peaceably with all men, and 
show yourselves to be humble and unaspiring. 

16. If δὴν... as a Christian—lf he be perse- 
cuted because he has embraced the Christian faith, 
let him not be ashamed, but let him rather glorify 
God on this very account. Christ suffered by the 
Jews because he bore testimony to the truth ; Christ- 
jians suffer because in this they resemble him. 
in Acts xi, 26, and xxvi, 28. See the note on the 
former passage. 

17. The time is come — [Rather, ἐξ is time. 
“The divine judgment was about to burst upon the 
Jewish nation; and therefore judgment, κρίμα, 
must begin with (or from) the house of God, ἀπὸ τοῦ 
οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, the Christian Church, then already 
so called.} Probably the word κρίμα, which we 
here translate “judgment,” may mean no more 
than affliction and distress; for it was a Jewish 
maxim, that when God was about to pour down, 
some general judgment, he began with afflicting his 
own people, in order to correct and amend them, 
that they might be prepared for the overflowing 
scourge. (See Ezek. ix, 1-7.) And if it first be- 
gin at us—Who have repented, and believed on 
the Son of God; what shall the end be of them 
who continue impenitent, and obey not the gos- 
pel of God—Here is the plainest reference to the 
above Jewish maxim; and this, it appears, was 
founded upon the text which St. Peter immediately 
quotes. [The thought which lies at the root is 
this: all men must come under the judgment of 
God. His own family he brings first under it, 
chastising them in this life, (Heb. xii, 7, 8;) let, 
then, those who suffer for his sake glorify him for 
it, as apprehending their part in his family, and-as 
mindful of the terrible lot of those whom his judg- 
ment shall find impenitent and unchastised. It is 
this latter thought, the escape from the weight of 
God’s hand, (chapter v, 6,) and not the thought of 
the terrible vengeance which God will take on their 
persecutors, which is adduced. as the second ground 
of comfort to the persecuted Christians.— Alford. ] 

18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved 
—If it shall be with extreme difficulty that the 
Christians shall escape from Jerusalem when the 
Roman armies shall come against it with the full 
commission to destroy it, where shall the un- 
godly and the sinner appear—Where shall we 
proud Pharisaie boaster in his own outside holi- 
ness, and the profligate transgressor of the laws of 
God, show themselves, as having escaped the di- 
vine vengeance? The Christians, though with dif- 

502 : 


The 


word Χριστιανός, Christians, is used only here and | 


ficulty, did escape, every man; but not so the Jews, 
whether found in Jerusalem or elsewhere. It is 
rather strange, but it is a fact, that this verse is 
the Septuagint translation of Prov. xi, 31: Behold, 
the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; 
much more the wicked and the sinner. For this the 
Septuagint and St. Peter have, Jf the righteous 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the 
sinner appear? A remarkable latitude of con- 
struction. I have on several occasions shown that 
when Cestius Gallus came against Jerusalem many 
Christians were shut up in it; when he strangely 
raised the siege the Christians immediately de- 
parted to Pella in Celosyria, into the dominions of 
King Agrippa, who was an ally of the Romans, and 
there they were in safety, and it appears, from the 
ecclesiastical historians, that they had but barely 
time to leave the city before the Romans returned 
under the command of Titus, and never left the 
place till they had destroyed the temple, razed the 
city to the ground, slain upward of a million of 
those wretched people, and put an end to their civil 
and ecclesiastical state. 

19. Suffer according to the will of God—A 
man “ suffers according to the will of God” who suf- 
fers for righteousness’ sake ; and who, being re- 
viled, reviles not again. Commit the keeping of 
their souls—Place their lives confidently in his 
hand, who, being their Creator, will also be their 
Preserver, and keep that safely which is committed 
to his trust. God is here represented as “ faith- 
ful,” because he will always fulfill his promises, 
and withhold no good thing from them that walk 
uprightly. But they had no reason to hope that he 
would care for their lives and souls unless they con- 
tinued in well doing. He who is employed in 
‘God’s work will have God’s protection. The path 
of duty ever was, and ever will be, the only way of 
safety. [If the sufferings of Christians, as Christ- 
ians, are a sign of God’s favour toward them, in 
subjecting them to his judgments with a view to 
their not perishing with the ungodly world, then 
have they every reason to trust him in those suffer- 
ings, and to take comfort, continuing in that same 
well doing which is their very element and condi- 
tion.— A/ford. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 


1. The elders which are among you—In this 
place the term πρεσβύτεροι, elders or presbyters, is 
the name of an office. They were as pastors or 
shepherds of the flock of God—the Christian people 
among whom they lived. They were the same as 
bishops, presidents, teachers, and deacons. (Acts 
xiv, 23; 1Tim.v,17.) And that these also were the 
same as bishops the next verse proves. Who am 
also an elder — Συνπρεσβύτερος, a fellow elder; 
one on a level with yourselves. Had he been the 
prince of the apostles, and head of the Church, [and 


More: God's heritage, τ CHAPTER V. “Year of Rome, #10 
of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 4Feed|4 And when ™the chief Shepherd shall ap- 


the flock of God ¢ which is among you, taking 
the oversight thereof, ‘not by constraint, but 
willingly ; snot for filthy lucre, but of a ready 
mind; $8 Neither as δ᾽ being lords over © God's 
heritage, but '!being ensamples to the flock. 


da John 21. 15, 16,17; Acts 20. 28. e Or, as much asin you 


43.— Tf 1 Cor. 9, eit mais’ Oo; Tit. 1. 7.—A Ezek. 34. 
42 Matt. 20. 25, 26; 1 Cor. 3. 9; 2 Cor, 1. 24. —¢ Or, over- 
ruling. 


of an order of ministers higher that his fellow el- 
ders,] could he have spoken of himself as he here 
does? It is true that the Roman pontiffs, in ail 
their bulls, each styles himself servus servorum 
Dei, servant of the servants of God, while each 
affects to be rex regum, king of kings, and vicar of 
Jesus Christ. But the popes and the Scriptures 
rarely agree. A witness of the sufferings 
of Christ—He was with Christ in the garden, he 
was with him when he was apprehended, and he 
was with him in the high priest’s hall. Whether 
he followed him to the cross we know not; prob- 
ably he did not, for in the hall of the high priest he 
had denied him most shamefully, and, having been 
deeply convinced of the greatness of his crime, it 
is likely he withdrew to some private place to 
humble himself before God and to implore mercy. 
He could, however, with the strictest propriety, 
say, from ‘the above circumstances, that he was “a 
witness of the sufferings of Christ.” A par- 
taker of the glory—He had a right to it through 
the blood of the Lamb; he had a blessed anticipa- 
tion of it by the power of the Holy Ghost; and he 
had the promise from his Lord and Master that he 
should be with him in heaven to behold his glory. 
(John xvii, 21, 24.) [The heavenly glory, the re- 
ward of fidelity, will be common to you and me, if 
you also will manifest due zeal in the discharge of 
your duty.— Gerhard, in Lange. | 
2. Feed the flock—Do not fleece the flock. 
Taking the oversight— Ezickozovvrec, discharg- 
ing the office of bishop or superintendent. This is 
another proof that bishop and presbyter were the 
same order in the apostolic times, though after- 
ward they were made distinct. [Be pastors of the 
flock that is among you. He orders them to exer. 
cise their pastoral office, not generally, nor ecu- 
menically, but locally, as far as concerned that part 
among them, (living where they lived.) The word 
ἐπισκοποῦντες, Overseeing, W hich is wanting in many 
MSS., though it tallies very much with Peter's parti- 
cipial style, has perhaps been removed for ecclesias- 
tical reasons, for fear πρεσβύτεροι should be sup- 
posed to be, as they really were, ἐπίσκοποι. See 
Alford.] Not by constraint—The office was labo- 
rious and dangerous, especially in these times of 
persecution ; it is no wonder, then, that even those 
who were best qualified for the office should strive to 
excuse themselves with a genuine Volo episcopari, “1 
am unwilling to bea bishop.” Not for filthy lucre 
—Could the office of a bishop in those early days, 
and in the time of persecution, be a /ucrative office ὃ 
Does not the Spirit of God lead the apostle to speak 
these things rather for posterity than for that time ? 
(See on 1 “Tim. iii, 3.) But of a ready mind— 
Doing all for Christ's sake, and through love to 
immortal souls. 
3. Neither as being lords over God’s heri- 
tage—tThis is the voice of St. Peter in his catholic 
epistle to the catholic Chureh! According to him 
there are to be no lords over God's heritaze : the 


pear, ye shall receive "a crown of glory °that 
fadeth not away. & Likewise, ye younger, 
submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, Pall 
of you be subject one to another, and be clothed 
with humility: for 4 God resisteth the proud, 


i Psa. 33. 12: 74. 2.—Z Phil. 3. 17; 2 Thess 3.9: 1 Tim. 4. 12; 
Tit. .π--πὶ Heb. 13. 90.---- Cor. 9. 25; τὴ, 4.8: James 
Ι. i oGhane γρτοῖς ee te Eph. ¢ Phil. 2.3 
q James 4. 6. 


2 Ti 
5. 21; 


bishops and presbyters who are appointed by the 
Head of the Church are to feed the flock, to guide 
and to defend it, not to fleece and waste it; and 
they are to look for their reward in another world, 
and in the approbation of God in their consciences. 
And in humility, self-abasement, self-renunciation, 
and heavenly-mindedness, they are to be ensamples, 
τύποι, types, to the flock, moulds of a heavenly form 
into which the spirits and lives of the flock may be 
cast that they may come out after a perfect pattern. 
[The word κατακυριεύω refers properly to that kind of 
jurisdiction which civil rulers or magistrates exer- 
cise. This is an exercise of authority, (with κατὰ 
in the sense of oppression,) as contradistinguished 
from the influence of reason, persuasion, and ex- 


ample. The latter pertains to the ministers of re- 
ligion ; the former is forbidden to them ra | 


need scarcely to be said that this injunction has 
been very little regarded in the Church.— Barnes. } 
Preacher or minister, whosoever thou art, who 
readest this, apply not the word to thy neighbour, 
whether he be state-appointed, congregation-ap- 
pointed, or self-appointed; take all to thyself; 
mutato nomine de TE fabula narratur. See that 
thy own heart, views, and conduct be right with 
God; and then proceed to the next verse. 

4. When the chief Shepherd— That is, the 
Lord Jesus Christ, whose is the flock, and who pro- 
vides the pasture, and from whon, if ye are legally 
called to the most awful work of preaching the 
Gospel, ye have received your commission; when 
he shall appear to judge the world in righteous- 
ness, ye who have fed his flock, who have taken 
the superintendency of it, not by constraint, nor 
for filthy lucre’s sake—not as lords over the heri- 
tage, but with a ready mind employing body, soul, 
spirit, time, and talents in endeavouring to pluck 
sinners as brands from eternal burnings, and buiid 
up the Church of Christ on its most holy faith—yz 
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, 
an eternal nearness and intimacy with the ineffably 
glorious God ; so that ye who have turned many tu 
righteousness shall shine, not merely as stars, but 
as suns in the kingdom of your Father! 

5, Likewise, ye younger—Nevrepor probably 
means here éneriors, or those not in sacred offices ; 
and it may be understood as referring to the people 
at large, who are called to obey them that have the 
rule over them in the Lord. (See Luke xxii, 26.) 
Be subject one to another—trive all to serve 
each other; let the pastors strive to serve the peo- 
ple, and the people the pastors; and let there be 
no contention but who shall do most to oblige and 
profit all the rest. Be clothed with humilitw — 
To be “clothed ” with a thing or person is a Greek 
mode of speech for being that thing or person with 
which a man is said ¢o be “clothed.” Be ye truly 
humble ; and let your outward -garb and conduct 
be a proof of the humility of your hearts. ᾿Εγκόμ- 
B3aua, from the original word ἐγκομβώσασθε, signi- 
fies often an outward ornamental garment, tied in 

503 


Δ. M. 4064. A. Ὁ. 60, 
Year of Rome, 813. 


I, PETER. 


Believers are called by God : 
unto his eternal glory. 


and giveth grace to the humble. 6 * Humble 
yourself therefore under the mighty hand of 
God, that he may exalt you in due time: 
7 ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he 
careth for you. ΘῈ "Be sober, be vigilant; be- 
cause Y your adversary the devil, as a roaring 
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may 


— 51. 15: 66. 2. s James 4, 10, — Psa. 37. 5; ὅδ. 22; 
Matt. 6. aa Luke 12. 11, 22; Phil. 4. 6; Heb. 13. 5.—vw Luke 
21. 34, 36; 1 Thess, 5. 6; chap. 4. 7. —vJob1. 7; 2,2; Luke 
22. 31; er 12. 12. 


different places with knots or bows, etc. But it also 
signifies the outward garment worn by servants, 
slaves, girls, and shepherds, which was rather in- 
tended to be the guard of the other garments than 
an ornament to those thus dressed ἢ the apostle calls 
upon them to be “subject ” to each other; he de- 
sires them to put on “ humility,” as the servant’s 
dress, that they may appear to be such as were 
ready to serve; so God resisteth the proud, and 
giveth grace tothe humble. The “ proud,” with 
all their ornaments, God resists; while those who 
are clothed with the humble garments he adorns. 

6. Humble yourselves — Those who submit 
patiently to the dispensations of God’s providence 
he lifts up; those who lift themselves up, God 
thrusts down. If we humble not ourselves under 
God’s grace, he will humble us under his judg- 
ments. Those who patiently submit to him he 
exalts in due time; if his hand be mighty te de- 
press, it is also mighty ‘to exalt. 

7. Casting all your care—Tyjv μέριμναν, your 
anxiety, your distr acting care. Upon him ; for he 
careth for you—'0r αὐτῷ μέλει περὶ ie. Sor he 
concerns himself with the things that interest you. 
Whatever things concern a follower of God, whether 
they be spiritual or temporal, or whether in them- 
selves great or small, God concerns himself with 
them: what affects them affects him; in all their 
afflictions he is afflicted. (Psa. lv, 22.) 

8. Be sober — Νύψατε : avoid drunkenness of 
your senses, and drunkenness in your souls; be not 
overcharged with the concerns of the world. Be 
sober-minded, watchful, circumspect. Be vigilant 
- Τρηγορήσατε: awake and keep awake; be always 
watchful. [Benzel gives to the former of these 
words the sense of mental vigilance; to the latter, of 
bodily; but the distinction is arbitrary and ΠῚ 
Both words apply properly to the mind, and here 
mean nearly the same thing. See Alford.] [That 
we may watch it concerns us to be sober. The in- 
struction is military, and a drunken soldier is not 
fit to be on the watch.—Zange.] Your adversary 
the devil—This is the reason why ye should be 

sober and vigilant; ye have an ever active, impla- 
cable, subtle enemy to contend with. Ag a roar- 
ing lion—Satan tempts under three forms: 1) The 
subtle serpent; to beguile our senses, pervert our 
judgment, and enchant our imagination. 2) As an 
angel of light; to deceive us with false views of 
spiritual things, refinements in religion, and pre- 
sumptions on the providence and grace of God. 
3) As a roaring lion; to bear us dow: n, and destroy 
us by violent opposition, persecution, and death. 
Walketh about—Trave ersing the earth. He has 
access to you everywhere; he knows your feelings 
and your propensities, and is aware of all your cir- 
cumstances ; only God can know more and do more 
than ae, therefore your care must be cast upon God. 
(See Job ii, an Seeking whom he may devour 
—Tiva καταπίῃ, whom he may guip down; those 
504 


devour: 9 τ Whom resist steadfast in the 
faith, * knowing that the same afflictions are 
accomplished in your brethren that are in the 
world. £® But the God of all grace, ywho 
hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ - 
Jesus, after that ye have suffered 2a while, 
«make you perfect, "stablish, strengthen, settle 


2) Eph. 6. 11, 13; James 4. rere Acts 14. 22; 1 Thess. 3. 8: 
epee 12; y1Cor. 1.9; 1 Tim. 6. 19-22 Cor. 
: ἘΠῚ chap. 1: eee Heb, 18, 21; Jude 24,02 Thess, 2 "7. 


who are sober and vigilant he cannot swallow 
down; those who are drunken with the cares of 
this world, ete., and are wnwatchful, these he May 
swallow down. ’[ The use of the words rendered “ be 
sober,” and “ be vigilant,” which primarily relate to 
the avoidance of vinous intoxication, is evidently not 
without a purpose, as is forcibly though quaintly 
expressed in the next note. Its practical lesson is 
total abstinence from all that intoxicates.] Hear 
this, ye drunkards, topers, tipplers. Strong drink 
is not only the way to the devil, but the devil’s way 
into you; and Ye are such as the devil particularly 
MAY swallow down. 

9. Whom resist—Stand against him, ἀντίστητε; 
though invulnerable, he is not wnconquerable; the 
weakest follower of God can confound and over- 
power him if he continue steadfast in the faith, 
believing on the Son of God, and walking uprightly 
before him. To a soul thus engaged, Satan can do 
no damage. The same afflictions are accom- 
plished in your brethren—It is the lot of all the 
distipies of Christ to suffer persecution. The 
brotherhood, ἀδελφότης, the Christian Church, every- 
where is exposed to the assaults of men and devils: 3 
you are persecuted by the heathen among whom ye 
live, and from among whom ye are gathered into 
the fold of Christ: but even those who profess the 
same faith with you, and who ave resident ameng 
the Jews, (for so I think ἐν κόσμῳ, in the world, is 
here to be understood,) are also persecuted, both 
heathens and Jews being equally opposed to the 
Gospel. 

10. But the God of all grace—The Fountain 
of infinite compassion, mercy, and goodness; the 
God who is the most merciful and the most com- 
passionate ; who is an exuberant Fountain of love 
and compassion to all his intelligent offspring. 
Who hath called us—By the preaching of the 
Gospel. [Which was the first proof of his grace 
toward you.—A/ford.] Unto his eternal glory 
—To the infinite felicity of the heavenly state. 
[Εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον αὐτοῖ; δόξαν, in respect to, in order 
to (your obtaining) Ais eternal glory.| By Christ 
Jesus — Through the merit of his passion and 
death ; by the influence of his Holy Spirit; by the 
precepts of his Gospel; and by the splendour of his 
own example. After that ye have suffered 
awhile—OAiyov παθόντας, having suffered a little 
time; that is, while ye are enduring these persecu- 
tions God will cause all to work together for your 
good. Make you perfect—Karaprice:, στηρίξει, 
σθενώσει, θεμελιώσει. All these words are read in 
the future tense, [and yet they are not less prayers 
than predictions.| He will put you in complete joint, 
as the timbers of a building; make you jirm in 
every part; cramp and bind every part, so that 
there shall be no danger of warping, splitting, or 
falling. Cause all to rest evenly and jirmly upon 
the best and surest foundation, a holy temple in 
the Lord ; in a word, that ye may be complete in all 


Salutation from the Church at 
Babylon, Benediction. 


CHAPTER V. 


A. M. 4064. A.D. 60, 
Year of Rome, 8134. 


you. AN ©To him be glory and dominion 
for ever and ever. Ainen. &2 4 By Silvanus, 
a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, | 
have ¢ written briefly, exhorting, and testifying 
fthat this is the true grace of God wherein ye 


Rey, 1. 6.—d 2 Cor. 
Acts 20. 24; 1 Cor, 15.1; 


1, 19. aoe in 16: 5Ὁ---Ἅ«ΨἍ 


eChap. 4, 11: 
Bg 2 Pet. 


the mind that was in Christ ; swpported in all your 
trials and difficulties; strengthened to resist and 
overcome all your enemies; and after all to abide, 


firmly founded, in the truth of grace. All these 
terms are architectural. 

11. To him—The God of all grace. Be giory 
—All honour and praise be ascribed. Dominion 


For 
And ever—To eternity. 


—The government of heaven, earth, and hell. 
ever—Through time. 
Amen. 

12. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, 
as I suppose—To say the least of this translation, 
it is extremely obscure, and not put together with 
* that elegance which is usual to our translators. 1 
see no reason why the clause may not be thus trans- 
lated: J have written to you, as I consider briefly, 
by Silvanus, the faithful brother. This Silvanus 
was, no doubt, the same as Si/as, Paul’s faithful 
companion in travel. (Acts xv, 40; xvi, 19.) Of 
him St. Peter says: “I conclude him to be one by 
whom I may safely send this letter; who will take 
care to travel through the different regions in Asia, 
Pontus, Galatia, and Bithynia; read it in every 
Church; and leave a copy for the encouragement 
and instruction of Christ’s flock.” And in such a 
state of the Church, in such countries, no ordinary 
person could have been intrusted with such a mes- 
sage. [Ὡς λογίζομαι, so 1 asswne. The bearing of 
the apostle’s letter to the persecuted Christians of 
Asia was a difficult and delicate service, for which, 
on account of his recognised fidelity, the apostle 
reckoned him to be equal, | Exhorting—Calling 
upon you to be faithful, humble, and steady. And 
testifying— πιμαρτυρῶν, earnestly witnessing that 
it is the true grace—the genuine Gospel of Jesus 
Christ, wherein ye stand, and in which ye should 
persevere to the end. 

13. The church that is at Babylon—After 
considering all that has been said by learned men 
and critics on this place, I am quite of opinion that 
the apostle does not mean Babylon in Egypt, nor 
Jerusalem, nor Rome as figurative Babylon, but the 
ancient celebrated Babylon in Assyria, which was, 
as Dr. Benson observes, the metropolis of the east- 
ern dispersion of the Jews. (See the preface.) 
Elected together with you—vvexiexry, fellow 
elect, ov elected jointly with you. Probably mean- 
ing that they and the believers at Babylon received 
the Gospel about the same time. On the election 
of those to whom St. Peter wrote, see the notes on 
chapter i, 2. [See also at the end of the chapter. } 
And... Marcus my son—This is supposed to 
be the same person who is mentioned Acts xii, 12, 
and who is known by the name of John Mark; he 
was sister’s son to Barnabas, (Col. iv, 10,) his 
mother’s name was Mary, and he is the same who 
wrote the gospel that goes under his name. He is 
called here Peter's son, that is, according to the 
faith, Peter having been probably the means of his 
conversion. This is very likely, as Peter seems to 
have been intimate at his mother’s house. (See 
Acts xii, 6-17.) 

14. Greet ye one another with a kiss of 


stand. &8 The church that is at Babylon, 
elected together with you, saluteth you; and 
so doth €Marcus my son. 14 "Greet ye one 
another with a kiss of charity. ‘Peace de with 
you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. 


yer 19, 12, 25. —A Rom. 16. 16: 1 Cor. 16. 20; 2 Cor. 13, 12; 
1 Thess. 5. 26.— 7 Eph. 6, 23. 


ee — See the notes on Rom. xvi, 16, and on 

] Cor. xvi, 30, In the above places the kiss is called 
a holy kiss ; here, φιλήματι ἀγάπης, a kiss of LOVE ; 
that is, a mark of their love to each other, in 
order that misunderstandings might be prevented. 
Peace be with you all — May all prosperity, 
spiritual and temporal, be with all that are in 
Christ Jesus; that are truly converted to him, 
and live in his Spirit obedient to his will. Amen 
—lIs wanting, as usual, in the principal MSS. and 
Versions. 

As the true Church of Christ has generally been 
in a state of suffering, the epistles of St. Peter have 
ever been most highly prized by all believers. 
That which we have just finished is an admirable 
letter, containing some of the most important 
maxims and consolations for the Church in the 
wilderness. No Christian can read it without de- 
riving from it both light and life. Ministers, es- 
pecially, should study it well, that they may know 
how to comfort their flocks when in persecution 
or adversity. He never speaks to good effect in 
any spiritual case who is not furnished out of the 
divine treasury. God’s words invite, solicit, and 
command assent: on them ἃ man may confidently 
rely. The words of man may be ve, but they are 
not infallible. This is the character of God’s 
word alone. 


ADDITIONAL NOTE. 


[Two questions of considerable interest grow out 
of the first clause of the 13th verse of this chapter. 
1) Who were the persons or person indicated by the 
words ἡ συνεκλεκτῆ, and joining in the apostle’s sal- 
utation? and 2) What place is intended by the 
words ἐν Βαβυλῶνι 9 The former is assumed in our 
English Version to have been the local Church of 
that place, though there is no word in the original 
that answers to the word Church, (literally, she, the 
Fellow-elect,) and with this rendering of our Version 
the great majority of commentaries have agreed. But 
Alford, after granting that this interpretation may 
be legitimate, remarks: ‘Still it seems hardly 
probable that there should be joined together in 
the same sending of salutation, an abstraction, 
spoken of thus enigmatically, and a man, Marcus 
by name, No mention has occurred in the epistle 
of the word ἐκκλησία, to which reference might be 
made.” In view of these and other subsidiary 
considerations, Alford favours the opinion, which 
has had a respectful backing, that the person here 
referred to was no other than Peter’s own wife, the 
ἀδελφὴ γυνή (sister woman) whom Peter περιάγειν, 
(led about) (see 1 Cor. ix, 5,)of whom he speaks in 
this somewhat indirect way. Lange, though rather 
dissenting, grants that “the view of those who ex- 
plain it of Peter’s wife, or some noble lady of 
Babylon, has in its favour the circumstance that 
the names of individuals are mentioned immediately 
before and after this salutation.” The Speaker’s 
Commentary, which represents no inconsiderable 
share of the best English biblical scholarship of 
the day, remarks: “ But for the consent of old and 

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I. PETER. 


Additional remarks on verse 13 
of this chapter 


modern interpreters, the word lady or woman would 
naturally be supplied ; and the elect lady of 2 John 1 
comes nearest to the expression. There, however, 
the lady probably means the Church addressed by 
St. John. The question must therefore remain an 
open one.” 

[The second question, What should be understood 
by the words ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, (in Babylon ?) is equally 
difficult to answer. Many commentators have quite 
naturally assumed that the words are to be accepted 
in their literal sense; and such hold that Peter 
was then in the Assyrian capital ministering to the 
local Church whose salutation he sends with his 
epistle. Some things in the epistle has been con- 
strued as favouring this opinion; but both the in- 
ternal and the collateral evidence seem to be against 
it, while the entire lack of external evidence in its 
favour renders that opinion especially doubtful. 
Though there were probably Jews in considerable 
numbers in Babylon in the days of the apostles, 
absolutely nothing is said of a Christian Church 
among them. The general consent of Christian 
antiquity favoured the opinion that Peter passed 
the later years of his lifetime, not in the far East, 
but in the West, and at last suffered martyrdom at 
Rome. It was evidently merely to escape from the 
difficulties of the subject, that the insignificant Ro- 
man camp in Egypt called Babylon was conjectured 
to be the place of the writing of this epistle. In 

506 


favour of the symbolical use of the name, with 
Rome for the antitype, the Speaker’s Commentary 
remarks: ‘‘ Babylon was well known in Asia Minor 
during the lifetime of John as the symbolical des- 
ignation of Rome. Accordingly, we find an absolute 
consensus of ancient interpreters that here Babylon 
must be understood as equivalent to Rome. There 
were good reason why such a name should be here 
given to it. All the persecutions then impending— 
in fact, already in progress—came from the city 
which sueceeded Babylon as the type and centre of 
anti-Christian forces. The Church elect, together 
with other Churches, suggested the remarkable con- 
trast; from that little community, faithful and loved 
by All, came the salutation of peace in antithesis 
to the howlings of persecution. We adopt without 
the least misgivings this explanation of the word as 
alone according with the mind of the apostle, and 
with the testimony of the early Church.” 

[It is quite evident that a pretty good case can be 
made out in favour of most of the opinions that 
have been given as answers tu the questions above 
propounded ; and while the great leaders of opinions 
continue to be divided, the lesser lights may be free 
to select among them the theory that may please them 
best, or, better still, suspend their decision, which 
may be done in this case without incurring any 
great danger. The value of the epistle is not 
affected by the place of its writing. ] 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE 


OF 


diel obese ὦ ώ τ}: 


ἡμῶν question of both the genuineness and the authenticity of what is known 
as the second epistle of Peter must for the present be regarded as unsettled, 
with a decided and increasing balance of proofs against them. It is conceded 
that of all the books of the New Testament it is the one for which the smallest 
amount of external evidence can be produced, while at the same time it offers in- 
ternally not a few formidable difficulties. The unfavourable side of this question 
is presented by Farrar, not, however, as a partisan or advocate, but apparently 
judicially and fairly, as follows : 

“ As regards the external evidence, the epistle is not quoted, and is not certainly 
referred to by a single writer, in the first or second century. Neither Polycarp, 
nor Ignatius, nor Barnabas, nor Clement of Rome, nor Justin Martyr, nor The- 
ophilus of Antioch, nor Ireneus, nor Tertullian, nor Cyprian. can be proved even 
to allude to it. It is not found in the Peshito-Syriac, nor in the Vetus Itala. It 
is unknown to the Muratorian Canon. During the first two centuries the only 
traces of it, if traces they can be called, are to be found in the “ Pastor” of Hermas, 
and in a recently discovered passage of Melito of Sardis; but even these are of 
so distant and general a nature that it is impossible to determine whether we 
should regard them as veminiscenses of the language of the epistle, or accidental 
approximations to it. If the writers of the first and second centuries did, indeed, 
know the epistle, it is inconceivable that not one of them should have hinted at 
the authority which it would have derived from the name of its author. When we 
come down to later writers, we find, that in all his learned works, it is not once 
alluded to by St, Clement of Alexandria, who even seems to exclude it by the 
expression, ‘Peter in the epistle.? Origen knew of it, but seems to question its 
genuineness, though in the loose (and unreliable) Latin translation of Rufinus he 
refers to it as Peter’s, in a casual quotation. Firmian, (A.D. 270,) a friend of 
Origen, in a letter to Cyprian, (extant only in a Latin version,) refers to it, but 
neither is this letter beyond suspicion, nor the reference decisive. Didymus, in 
a Latin translation of his Commentary, calls the epistle ‘/a/sata,’ (spurious,) and 
says that ‘it is not in the Canon.’ Eusebius knew of it, but only recognised one 
genuine epistle. It was rejected by Theodore of Mopsuestia, and was still re- 
garded as uncertain in the times of St. Gregory of Nazianzen, (about the middle 
of the fourth century.) . .. The first epistle was almost universally recognised 
by the ancient Church; the second was ignored for nearly two hundred years, 
and next controverted for more than a hundred years longer. But during 


the fourth century it began to be looked upon more favourably, and 
507 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER. 


it was passively accepted by Athanasius, Basil, Jerome, and Augustine, 
and at length it was accepted as canonical by the Council of Laodicea, (A.D. 363,) 
and its canonicity was confirmed by those of Hippo (A.D. 393) and of Carthage, 
(A. Ὁ. 396.) . . . The intrinsic value of the epistle, and the growing habit of 
loosely referring to it as ‘St. Peter’s,’ would lead to its gradual admission with- 
out any further debate, at a period when competent critics were few and far 
between. St. Jerome, while admitting its doubtfulness, did more than any other 
man to hasten its acceptance by admitting it into the Vulgate, (which it seems he 
did on his own individual authority.) 

“During the thousand years from the fifth to the fifteenth century, while crit- 
icism was in a state of universal torpor, and the Church would tolerate no breath 
of dissent, of course the proper canonicity of the epistle was not once called in 
question. But as soon as this torpor was broken by the first breath of the 
Reformation, doubts as to its genuineness began to revive. Erasmus, Luther, 
and Calvin freely expressed them, and they were shared by Cajetan, Grotius, 
Scaliger, and Salmasius. In modern times, since the days of Semler, an increasing 
number of critics have decided against its genuineness—Baur, Schegler, Hil- 
genfeld, Meyerhoff, Bleek, Davidson, Weiss, and Huther; while Bertholdt, 
Ullmann, Bunsen, and even Lange, hold that though genuine in part it has been 
largely interpolated. (A not improbable conclusion.) Renan, with characteristic 
egotism, pronounces it to be ‘certainly apocryphal, and without a single 
defender among true critics ;? a remark that is not to be commended while such 
men as Schmid, Guericke, Windeschmann, Theirsch, Alford, and Bruckner are 
among those who accept the epistle as genuine. 

* An entirely new and very formidable difficulty in this case has recently been 
brought to light by Dr. Abbott, who makes it certain by abundant proofs, that 
either the author of this epistle had read Josephus, (A.D. 93,) or else Josephus 
had read the epistle, the latter supposition being scarcely supposable. The re- 
semblances between the writer of the epistle and the Jewish historian cannot be 
accidental,” (beg found not only in words and phrases, but in historical facts 
and incidents related or referred to by both.) 

Against this array of adverse criticism Bishop Wordsworth appeals to the 
authority of the Councils that placed this epistle in the Canon, and to the 
authority of the Church which has held it in its place through all the subsequent 
ages. ‘There is scarcely a single writing of all antiquity, sacred or profane,” he 
affirms, “which must not be given up as spurious if the second epistle of 
St. Peter be not received as a genuine writing of the apostle, and.as a part of 
Holy Writ.” And much in the same spirit he adds, that we receive it on “the 
testimony of the universal Church, the spouse and body of Christ, enlightened by 
the Holy Ghost;” and still further, and more strangely, he adds, that if this be 
“not the word of God, but the work of an impostor, then, with reverence be it 
said, Christ’s promise to his Church has failed, and the Holy Spirit has not been 
given to guide her into all truth:” which Canon Farrar characterizes as “not 
argument, but dogmatizing traditionalism,” and justly adds, that “such assertions, 
if listened to, would render criticism impossible, and reduce all inquiry to medi- 
eval torpor.” The question at issue is one that must be settled, not by ecclesias- 
tical authority but by scholarly criticism, and at that tribunal the decision of the 
Council of Laodicea would not be of much avail, and the silent acquiescence of 
the Church of the Dark Ages of none at all. 


Among the advocates of the genuineness of this epistle, none is more worthy 
508 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER. 


of a respectful hearing than Dean Alford, who, at the end of an elaborate dis- 
cussion of the whole case, remarks, quite modestly, and with characteristic cau- 
tion: 

“Our general conclusion from all that has preceded must be in favour of the 
genuineness and canonicity of this second epistle ; acknowledging, at the same 
time, that the subject is not without considerable difficulty. . . . Our epistle is one 
of those later fruits of the great outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles, which, 
not being intrusted to the custody of any one Church or individual, required some 
considerable time to become generally known; which when known, were sus- 
pected, bearing, as they necessarily did, traces of their late origin, and notes of 
polemical argument ; but of which, as apostolic and inspired writings, there never 
was, when once they became known, any general doubt, and which, as the sacred 
Canon became fixed, acquired and have since maintained their due and provi- 
dential place among the books of the New Testament.” 

Neander decides against the genuineness of the second epistle on internal 
evidence, drawn from both its matter and manuer, while others, scarcely his in- 
feriors, find in these a strong argument in its favour. He remarks: ** The principal 
marks of the spuriousness of this epistle are the difference of the whole character 
and style compared with the first, and the use here made of the epistle of Jude, 
which is partly copied and partly imitated. ... The allusion to the words of 
Christ, (John xxi, 18,) in chapter i, 14, is brought forward in an unsuitable manner. 
. . . Among the circumstances that excite suspicion is the manner in which the 
same false teachers who, in the epistle of Jude are described as actually existing, 
are here represented, with prophetic warning, as about to appear. The doubts 
respecting the second coming of Christ, occasioned by the (prevalent) expectation 
of the immediate occurrence of that event in the first age of the Church, and the 
disappointment of that expectation, lead us to recognise a later period (as its 
date.) What is said of the origin of the world from water, and its destruction by 
fire, does not correspond to the simplicity and practical spirit of the apostolic 
doctrine, but rather indicates the spirit of a later age. [The notion of the destrue- 
tion of the world by fire was, as to its origin, certainly not apostolical nor rabbinical, 
but of the Stoics.] So also the application of the word “Scriptures,” γραφαί, to 
the epistles of St. Paul, a term which in the apostolic epistles is always used only 
to designate the writings of the Old Testament, is an expression which one apostle 
would certainly not have used respecting the epistles of another apostle.” 
Neander, therefore, concludes that the epistle was written not before the latter 
part of the second century, and that it was designed to combat the then growing 
Gnostic heresies. The use of the names of certain apostles or early Church 
Fathers, to give authority to later writings, was not an unusual practice in the 
second and third centuries. 

The argument for the other side is briefly but felicitously expressed in the 
introduction to Lange’s Commentary on this epistle : “The second epistle is an 
integral part of the first, which deals with external enemies, while the second 
cautions against internal adversaries of the truth. The two cannot well be 
separated from each other. The doctrinal contents of the second epistle essen- 
tially agree with the first in the conception of Christianity as the fulfilment of 
Old Testament prophecy, (chapter i, 19-21,) and in the prominence given to the 
coming of Christ. . .. It is not inferior in spirit, power, vivacity, and glowing 
zeal against evil; in originality and wealth of thought; and no production of the 


second century can compare with it.” From these considerations the writer last 
509 


PREFACE TO THE ΕΘΝ EPISTLE OF PETER. 


quoted re that the balance of the arguments are in favour of the genuine- 
ness of the epistle. 
RELATION OF THIS EPISTLE TO THAT OF JUDE. 


On this subject the writer last quoted from remarks: “The second chapter 
of the present epistle to the beginning of the third chapter, and the epistle of 
Jude, exhibit so remarkable an agreement, that the dependence of one epistle on 
the other is undeniable. (See Jude, verses 4, 6-13, 16; compared with 2 Peter ii, 
1, 4, 6, 10-13, 15, 17; and Jude 17, 18, with 2 Peter iii, 2,3.) The view which 
makes the epistle of Jude the original that was used by the author of the second 
epistle of Peter has become dominant in modern times.” It is alleged that the 
language of Jude is more simple, and that many passages in second Peter cannot 
be thoroughly understood without the light derived from the epistle of Jude; but 
this assumption is earnestly and learnedly opposed by a considerable number of 
modern critics of the highest authority. The question, however, turns largely 
upon the previous one of the genuineness and authenticity of second Peter, for if 
that is decided against, the priority of Jude will be readily conceded, while if that 
is maintained, the question of priority is still an open one, with, however, a decided 
preponderance in favour of the claims of Peter’s epistle. Alford (Prolegomena, 
section 3) pronounces for the priority of Jude, while Wordsworth reaches just 
the opposite conclusion. The authorities who favour the genuineness of this 
epistle are very much divided over this question of priority, while those who 
oppose are generally unanimous in favour of Jude, which is certainly favoured by 
internal evidence. 

There can be no question that the results of modern criticism, which is the 
only competent authority in such a case, are increasingly unfavourable to the 
Petrine authorship of this epistle, though the intimation that it may have been 
framed, with additions, out of some writing of Peter, has some things in its 
favour. Its place seems, on the whole, to be clearly determined to be among “the 
other books” of which St. Jerome says, “ The Church doth read [them] for example 
of life and instruction of manners, but yet doth tt not apply them to establish any 
doctrine.” It certainly is not one of the books “of whose authority was never 


any doubt in the Church.” 
510 


THE SECOND GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


ΓΕ lee | 


CHAPTER I. 
IMON *PETER, a servant and an apostle 
of Jesus Christ, to them that have ob- 
tained ‘like precious faith with us through the 
righteousness cof God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ: 2 ¢Grace and peace be multiplied 


unto you through the knowledge of God, and 
of Jesus our Lord, % According as his divine 
power hath given unto us all things that per- 
tain unto life and godliness, ¢through the 
knowledge of him ‘ that hath called us¢ to glory 
and virtue: 4 "Whereby are given unto us 


a Or, Symeon, Acts 15. 14. — bd Rom, 1. 12: 2 Cor. 4. 13: 
ἘΠῚ 4.5; Titus 1. 4.-—e Gr. ef our God and Saviour, Titus 


d Dan. 4. 13 6. 25; 1 Peter 1. 2; Jude 2. — e Jahn 17. 3. — 
1 Thess. 2. 12; 4.7; 2 Thess. 2. 14; 2 Tim. 1, 93 1 Peter 2, 9; 
3. 9.—g Or, by.—A2 Cor. 7. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. Simon Peter—Symeon, rather Συμεών, is the 
reading of many of the Versions and most import- 
ant MSS. [Its occurrence (in this form) is, at all 
events, a testimony in favour of the independence 
of the second epistle. It was not adapted to the 
first; which, considering that it refers to the first, 
is a note, however slight, on the side of its genuine- 
ness.—A/ford.| And although the surname of 
Peter occurs upward of seventy times in the New 
Testament, it is invariably read Σίμων, Simon, 
except here and in Acts xv, 14, where James gives 
him the name of Symeon. A servant—Employed 
in his Master’s work. And an apostle—[In the 
second century the term apostle was applied to itiner- 
ant evangelists.] Precious faith— lodrimov πίστιν, 
valuable faith. [* Faith,” that is, substance of truth 
believed ; objective, not subjective-—Alford.| The 
word “precious” literally signifies valuable, of 
great price, costly. That “faith” must be of infi- 
nite value, the grace of which Christ purchased by 
his blood ; and it is of infinite value also because it 
is the instrument by which the soul issaved. With 
us—God having given to you, believing Gentiles, 
the same faith and salvation which he had given to 
us, believing Jews. Through the righteousness 
of God—Through his method of bringing a lost 
world to salvation by Jesus Christ. [Here we find this 
writer setting forth the eminently but not peculiarly 
Pauline doctrine of salvation through Christ, in 
Paul’s own and favourite terms.] (See on Rom. iii, 
21-26.) Of God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ—Tov Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ σωτῆρος ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 
literally, of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. St. 
Peter here calls Jesus Christ Gop, even in the full 
sense of the word, with the article prefixed. [The 
translation should be, Of our God and the Sav- 
tour Jesus Christ. It is possible to explain both 
“God” and “Saviour” here as titles given to Jesus 
Christ; . . . but as the Father and Son are spoken 
of in contradistinction in the next verse, it is better 
to preserve the distinction here also.—Speaker’s 
Commentary. | 


2. Grace and peace be multiplied — [See 
1 Pet. i, 2.] Through the knowledge of God 
--- Ἔν ἐπιγνώσει, by the acknowledging of God and 
of Jesus our Lord. [The word denotes acknowl- 
edgment, a knowledge which enters into an object 
and takes affectionate cognizance of it—Lange.] 

3. As his divine power—Tlie power of Christ, 
which no power can resist, because it is truly divine 
—and which properly belongs to the infinite God- 
head. Hath given, unto τι5---Δεδωρημένης, hath 
endowed us with the gifts ; or, hath gifted us, as Dr. 
Macknight translates it, who observes that it refers 
to the gifts which the Holy Spirit communicated to 
the apostles to enable them to bring men to /ife 
and godliness. [That his divine power having 
granted to you all things, those for life and godli- 
ness, through the perception (vecognition) of him 
having called(who hath called) you to his own glory 
and virtue. (The whole sentence to this point is 
held by the force of the initial particle, ὡς, carry- 
ing the chief affirmation of the sentence over into 
the latter clauses.) Διὰ δόξῃ καὶ ἀρετῇ, belong to 
God, (τοῦ καλέσαντος.) not to us, as seems to be im- 
plied in our English Version.] [Δόξῃ (glory) is the 
essential conception of the Godhead ; ἀρετή, (virtue,) 
the manifestation of God working in and for be- 
lievers. (Eph. i, 17.)—Speaker’s Com.] 

4. Whereby (that is, by his glory and virtue) are 
given unto us—By his own glorious power he hath 
Sreely given unto us exceeding great and invaluable 
promises. [Ἐπαγγέλματα, engagements, assured 
promises.| The Jews were distinguished in a very 
particular manner by the promises which they re- 
ceived from God; the promises to Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, Moses, and the prophets. God promised to 
be their God ; to protect, support, and save them ; 
to give them what was emphatically called the 
| promised land; and to cause the Messiah to spring 
from their race. St. Peter intimates to these Gen- 
tiles that God had given unto them also exceeding 
great promises; superlatively those which came 

through the great price : enrolment with the Church 
of God, redemption in and through the blood of the 
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II. PETER. 


The believer is to be constantly 
adding to his graces, 


exceeding great and Desc promises; that 
by these ye might be ‘partakers of the ‘divine 
nature, «having escaped the corruption that is 
in the world through lust. 5 And besides this, 
! viving all diligence, add es your faith virtue ; 

and to virtue, "knowledge; 6 And to knowl- 
edge, temperance ; and to temperance, pa- 
tience; and to patience, godliness; 7% And to 
godliness, brotherly kindness; and "to broth- 


erly kindness, charity. S& For if these things 
be in you, and abound, they make you that 
ye shall neither be barren Pnor unfruitful in 
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
9 But he that lacketh these things ‘is blind, 
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten 
that he was "purged from his old sins. 
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give dili- 
gence ‘to make your calling and election sure: 


1 John 3. 2 k Chap. 


18; Eph. 4. 24; Heb. 12. 10: 
—nGal. 6. 10; 


. 3._18. — m1 Peter ὃ. 7. 
: 5. 1d; 1 John 4. 91. 


22 Cor. 3. 
2. 18, 2 


1 Thess, 3. 12 


9. 


ὧν 


8: ἘΠῚ 


Gr. idle. — p John 15, 
5. 26; Heb. 


0 
9, 11. ——7 Eph. 
19, 


9 1 Johu 1. 7.——s81 John 
9». 


cross, the continual indwelling influence of the Holy 
Ghost, and eternal rest at the right hand of God. 
{t was of considerable consequence to the comfort 
of the Gentiles that these promises were made to 
them, and that salvation was not exclusively for the 
Jews. That by these ye might be partakers 
—aAs we have partaken of an earthly, sensual, and 
devilish nature, so the design of God by Christ is 
to remove this, and to make us ‘“ partakers ” of the 
divine nature; and save us from all the corrup- 
tion in prindiple and fact which is in the world; 
the source of which is lust, ἐπιθυμία, [whether 

appetites or passions,] irregular, unreasonable, in- 
ordinate. and impure desire; desire to have, to do, 
and to be what God has prohibited, and what 
would be ruinous and destructive to us were the 
desire to be granted. [As Christ’s human nature 

partook of the divine nature, so believers are to be- 
come partakers of the divine nature. The reference, 
conseqnently, is not only to a moral resemblance, 
an ideal communion, but toa veritable communion of 
being, which begins here below in our regeneration, 
(1 John i, 3,) but will be consummated hereafter. 

— Calvin. Ἰ This blessing may be expected only by 
those who are continually escaping, ἀποφυγόντες, 
flying from, the corruption that is in the world and 
in themselves. God purifies no heart in which sin 
is indulged. 

5. And besides this—[Kai αὐτὸ τοῦτο, and also 
by this very thing, equivalent to wherefore.| Giv- 
ing all diligence—Fwrnishing (on your part) all 
earnestress and activity; the original is very em- 
phatic. Add to your faith—Ez:yopyygoarte, lead 
up hand in hand; alluding, as most think, to the 
chorus in the Grecian dance, who danced with 
joined hands. (Seeon 2 Cor.ix, 10.) Wourfaith — 
That faith in Jesus by which ye have been led to 
embrace the whole Gospel, and by which ye have 
the evidence of things unseen. [God's gift of faith 
is to be evidenced (and turned to account) by its 
fruits ; and the apostle begins the enumeration of 
these with a word in common use among heathen 
writers for the summit of moral excellence.— 
Speaker's Com.] Virtue — ᾿Αρετήν, courage or 
fortitude. |The energy to be used in the Christian 
calling.] Knowledge — True wisdom, by which 
your faith will be increased, and your courage di- 
rected and preserved from degenerating into “rash- 
ness. 

6. Temperance—(Se/f-control,) keeping every 
sense under proper restraints, and never permitting 
the animal part to subjugate the rational. Patience 
—Bearing all trials and difficulties with an even 
mind, enduring in all, and persevering through all. 
[No mere callous, stoical indifference, but in it, and 
constituting the main part of it, is to be that true 
fear of God which makes men ready to endure 
hardships and wrongs for his sake and in his ser- 
vice.] Godliness — Piety toward God; a deep, 

512 


reverential, religious fear; not only worshipping 
God with every becoming outward act, but adoring, 
loving, and magnifying hin in the heart ; a dispo- 
sition indispensably necessary to salvation. 

Brotherly kindness—@Aade/@iav, love of 
the brotherhood — the strongest attachment to 
Christ’s flock ; feeling each as a member of your 
own body. Charity—’Ayazy7y, love to the whole 
human race, even to your persecutors; love to God 
and the brethren they had; love to all mankind 
they must also have. [See note on 1 Cor. xiii, 1.1 

8. For if these things be in you, and abound 
—If ve possess all these graces, and they increase 
and abound in your souls, they will make (show) 
you to be neither ἀργοὶ Ὁ, idle, nor ἀκάρπους, wn- 
fr uitful, (not barren,) in the acknowledgment of 
our Lee Jesus Christ. The graces already men- 
tioned by the apostle are in themselves active prin- 
ciples ; he who was possessed of them, and had them 
abounding in him, could not be inactive ; and he who 
is not inactive in the way of life must be fruitful. 

9. But he that lacketh these things—He who 
professes to have ΒΑΙΤῊ in God, and has not added 
to that ΒΑΙΤῊ fortitude, knowledge, temperance, pa- 
tience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and universal 
love ; is blind—his understanding is darkened, and 
he cannot see afar off, μυωπάζων, shutting his eyes 
against the light, winking, not able to look truth in 
the face, nor to behold that God whom he once 
knew was reconciled to him ; and thus it appears he 
is wilfully blind, and hath forgotten that he 
was purged from his old sins; has at last, 
through his non-improvement of the grace which he 
received from God, his faith ceasing to work by 
love, lost the evidence of things not seen. By these 
means darkness and hardness increase, memory 
becomes indistinct and confused, till at length the 
work of God on the soul is forgotten, next denied, 
and at last it is asserted that the knowledge of sal- 
vation by the remission of sins is impossible, and 
that no man ean be saved from sin in this life. In- 
deed, some go so far as to deny the“Lord that 
bought them; to renounce Jesus Christ as having 
made atonement for them; and finish their career 
of apostasy by utterly denying his Godhead. Many 
cases of this kind have I known; and they are all 
the consequence of believers not continuing to be 
workers together with God, after they had expe- 
rienced his pardoning love. [Want of spirituality 
is the fruitful occasion of low views respecting re- 
ligious things, and of the rationalizing tendencies of 
thought so often detected in unspiritual dabblers 
in such matters; and nothing else so surely and 
thoroughly corrects any tendencies to false notions 
as the baptism of the Holy Ghost.] 

10. Wherefore—Seeing the danger of apostasy, 
and the fearful end of them who obey not the 
Gospel, and thus receive the grace of God in vain. 
Give all [μᾶλλον͵ all the more] diligence— Σπου- 


Believers should give diligence 
to make sure their calling, 


CHAPTER I. 


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TT aa  — — — eee 


for if ye do these things, tye shall never fall: 
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered un- 
to you abundantly into the everlasting king- 
dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
12 Wherefore «I will not be negligent to put 
you always in remembrance of these things, 
‘though ye know them, and be established in 
the present truth. ΚΕΦ Yea, I think it meet, 


t Chap. 3. 17.—vw Rom. 15. 14, 15; Phil. 3. 1; chap. 3.1; 1 John 
2.21; Jude 5.—~v 1 Peter ὅ. 12; chap. 3. 17.——22 Cor. ὅ. 1, 4. 


δάσατε, hasten, be deeply careful, labour with the 
most intense purpose of soul. ΤῸ make your call- 
ing—From deep Gentile darkness into the marvel- 
lous light of the Gospel. And election—Your 
being cosen, in consequence of obeying the heavenly 
calling, to be the people and Chureh of God. In- 
stead of κλῆσιν, calling, the Codex Alexandrinus has 
παράκλησιν, consolation. Sure — Βεβαίαν, firm, 
solid: for your calling to believe the Gospel, and 
your election to be members of the Church of 
Christ, will be ultimately unprofitable to you un- 
less you hold fast what you have received by add- 
ing to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, 
etc. [Let it be your lifelong effort to render cer- 
tain your “calling” and “election.” How this is to 
be reconciled with the fact that our κλῆσις (calling) 
and ἐκλογῇ (election) proceed entirely and freely from 
God would not be difficult to show, but it must not 
be done, as Calvin attempts it, by wresting plain 
words and context. They must be made “ sure,” for 
both are insecure, (in as far as we look on them 
from the lower side, not able to penetrate into the 
counsels of God,) unless established by holiness of 
life. There is, indeed, no uncertainty in God’s fore- 
knowledge and purpose; but in our vision and ap- 
prehension of them, as they exist in and for us, 
there is much, until they are made secure in the 
way here pointed out. (Phil. ii, 3.) See Alford.] 
[Concerning the methods in which the divine coun- 
sels are made effective, the wisest of men are very 
incompetent judges, and all that can be known of 
them must be learned from God’s word and dispen- 
sations. While on his own side his counsels stand 
sure, and are not subject to contingencies, on ours the 
things that belong to salvation are, by God him- 
self, conditioned upon our faith and obedience. ] 
For if ye do these things—If ye be careful and 
diligent to work out your own salvation through 
the grace which ye have already received from God ; 
ye shall never fall, οὐ μὴ πταίσητέ ποτε, ye shall at 
no time stumble or fall. But they who do not these 
things shall fall; and therefore there is nothing 
absolute and unconditional in their election. He 
who does not by good works confirm his calling and 
election, will soon have neither; and although no 
good works ever did purchase or ever can purchase 
the kingdom of God, yet no soul can ever seriptu- 
rally expect to see God who has them not. J was 
hungry, and ye gave me no meat ; thirsty, and ye 
gave me no drink : go, ye cursed. I was hungry. 
and ye gave me meat, ete.: come, ye blessed. 

11. For so an entrance shall be ministered 
—If ye give diligence, and do not fall, an abundant, 
free, honourable, and triumphant entrance shall he 
ministered to you into the everlasting kingdom. 
There seems to be here an allusion to the triumphs 
granted by the Romans to their generals who had 
distinguished themselves by putting an end to a 
war, or doing some signal military service to the 
State. (See on 2 Cor. ii, 14.) 

Vou. I1.—33 


was long as I am in this tabernacle, *to stir 
you up by putting yow in remembrance; 
14 » Knowing that shortly I must put off this 
my tabernacle, even as 7our Lord Jesus Christ 
hath showed me. 15 Moreover I will en- 
deavour that ye may be able after my decease 
to have these things always in remembrance. 
16 For we have not followed *cunningly de- 


12. Wherefore I will not be negligent— 
Peter had already written one epistle, this is the 
second, and probably he meditated more, should he 
be spared. He plainly saw that there was no way 
of entering into eternal life but that which he de- 
scribed. Though ye know them — Although 
those to whom he wrote knew and were established 
in the present truth, yet he deemed it necessary to 
bring these things frequently to their recollec- 
tion, 

15. As long asI am in this tabernacle—By 
“tabernacle ” we are to understand his body. The 
body was not Peter, but Peter dwelt in that body. 
He believed his soul to be quite distinct from his 
body. As a man’s house is the place where he 
dwells, so the body is the house where the soul 
dwells. 

14. Knowing that shortly I must put off— 
Peter plainly refers to the conversation between 
our Lord and himself related John xxi, 18,19. And 
it is not unlikely that he had now a particular inti- 
mation that he was “shortly” to seal the truth 
with his blood. But as our Lord told him that his 
death would take place when he should be o/d, 
being aged now he might on this ground fairly sup- 
pose that his departure was at hand. [Ταχινή, 
“shortly,” is usually rendered suddenly; and it may 
here refer not to the xearness of Peter's death, but 
to its suddenness, that is, by martyrdom. ] 

15. Moreover I will endeavour—By having 
these two epistles among them, even after his de- 
cease, they had these things always in remembrance. 
After my decease—Mera τὴν ἐμὴν ἔξοδον, after 
my going out, that is, of his tabernacle. The real 
Peter was not open to the eye, nor palpable to the 
touch ; he was concealed in that tabernacle vulgarly 
supposed to be Peter. There is a thought very sim- 
ilar to this in the last conversation of Socrates with 
his friends. ΑΒ this great man was about to drink 
the poison to which he was condemned by the 
Athenian judges, his friend Crito said, “ But how 
would you be buried?” ‘Just as you please,” 
replied Socrates, “ἐγ youcan but catch me, and I do 
not elude your pursuit.” Then, gently smiling, he 
said: “I cannot persuade Crito, ὡς ἐγὼ εἰμὲ οὗτος 
ὁ Σωκράτης ὁ νυνὶ διαλεγόμενος, that J am that So- 
crates who now converses with you ; but he thinks 
that 7] am he, ὃν ὄψεται ὀλίγον ὕστερον νεκρὸν, Kai 
ἐρωτᾷ πῶς Edt μὲ θάπτειν, whom he shall shortly see 
dead; and he asks how I would be buried? I have 
asserted that, after I have drunk the poison, J 
should no longer remain with you, but shall depart 
to certain felicities of the blessed.” Piaronis, Pheedo, 
Oper., vol. i, edit. Bipont., page 260. [From such 
considerations as these, some have argued that after 
death the human body is nothing better than any 
other mass of earth; and because it is no part of 
the real person it will have no part in the resur- 
rection. | 

16. Cunningly devised fables—Zecogicnévorg 

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vised fables, when we made known unto you 
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, but »were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 
17 For he received from God the Father 
honour and glory, when there came such a 
voice to him from the excellent glory, ¢ This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 
18 And this voice which came from heaven 
we heard, when we were with him in ¢the 
holy mount. 849 We have also a more sure 


b Matt. 17. 1, 2; Mark 9. 2; John 1. 14; 1 John 1. 1; 4. 14. 
—c Matt. 3. 17; 17.5; Mark 1. 115 9.7; Luke 3. 22; 9. 33.— 
dSee Exod. 3. 5; Josh. 5. 15; Matt. 17. 6. —e Psa. 119. 105; 


II, PETER. 


Jesus Christ declared by God 
the Father to be bis Son, 


word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well 
that ye take heed, as unto ¢a light that 
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, 
and ‘the day star arise in your hearts: 
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy 
of the Scripture is of any private interpreta- 
tion: 2 For "the prophecy came not ‘in 
old time by the will of man: * but holy men 
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost. 


Jobn 5, 35.— Ff See 2 Cor. 4. 4,6: Rev. 2. 28; 22. 16.—g Rom. 
12, 6. —/2 Tim. 3. 16; 1 Peter 1. 11. i Or, at any time.— 
k2 Sam. 23.2; Luke 1. 70; Acts 1. 16; 3. 18. 


μύθοις. [The mythologies of the heathen, the caba- 
listie stories of the Jews, and perhaps also the fables 
of the Gnostics.—Alford.| The... coming— 
[Παρουσίαν, the appearance, or revelation, evidently 
referring to the transfiguration of Christ.] Here 
the indescribably resplendent majesty of the great 
God was manifested. And we, says the apostle, 
were ἐπόπται, beholders, τῆς ἐκείνου μεγαλειότητος, 
of his own majesty. Here was no trick, no feigned 
show; we saw Him in his glory whom thousands 
saw before and afterward; and we have made 
known to you the “ power and coming,” παρουσίαν, 
the appearance and presence, of our Lord Jesus. 
These things we have witnessed, and these things 
ye have experienced; and therefore we can confi- 
dently say that neither you nor we have followed 
cunningly devised fables. 

17. For he received... honour and glory-— 
In his transfiguration our Lord received from the 
Father “ honour” in the voice or declaration which 
said, Zhis is my Son, the beloved One, in whom I 
hane delighted. And he received “ glory”? when, 
penetrated with and involved in that excellent 
“olory,” the fashion of his countenance was altered, 
for his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment 
was white and glistering, exceeding white like snow. 

18. And this voice .. . we heard—That is, 
himself, James, and John heard it, and saw this 
elory; for these only were the ἐπόπται, beholders, 
on the holy mount, [borne out of heaven, ἐξ 
οὐρανοῦ ἐνεχθεῖσαν, that is, out of the cloud. (Matt. 
xvii, 5.)| When we were with him in the 
holy mount—This reference renders it certain that 
the writer of this epistle either was, or pretended 
to be, the apostle Peter. “The epithet holy,” says 
Alford, “ would naturally arise when the gospel his- 
tory was known, as marking a place where a mani- 
festation of the divine presence and glory had taken 
place.” [So the place where Moses stood before the 
burning bush was called holy grouid. | 

19. We have also a more sure word of 
prophecy -- [Ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικὸν 
λόγον, we have the prophetic doctrine more firm, or 
more (fully) confirmed. (See 1 Cor. i, 6; 2 Cor. i, 
21; Col. ii, 7; Heb. ii, 3; and vi, 16.) This is the 
literal sense of the passage in question; and this 
sense removes that ambiguity from the text which 
has given rise to so many different interpretations. 
The meaning of the apostle appears to be this: The 
law and the prophets have spoken concerning Jesus 
Christ. Now, both at his baptism (Matt. iii, 17) 
and at his transfiguration, Jesus Christ was declared 
to be God’s only Son, the beloved One in wHom HE 
DELIGHTED. The voice, therefore, from heaven, and 
the miraculous transfiguration of his person, have 
confirmed the prophetic doctrine concerning him. 


this doctrine, thus confirmed, ye do well to take 
heed; for it is that light that shines in the dark 
place—in the whole world; giving light to them 
that sit in darkness, and bringing the prisoners out 
of the prison house: and this ye must continue to 
do till the day [dawn, ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ :] ad the 
day star, φωσφόρος, this light-bringer, arise in your 
hearts—manitest himself to your eternal consola- 
tion. Or perhaps the latter clause of the verse 
might be thus understood: The prophecies concern- 
ing Jesus, which have been so signally confirmed to 
us on the holy mount, have always been as a light 
shining in a dark place from the time of their de- 
livery to the time in which the bright day of gospel 
light and salvation dawned forth, and the sun of 
righteousness has arisen in our souls with healing 
in his rays. And to this all who waited for Christ’s 
appearing have taken heed. [The writer distin- 
guishes between two degrees of the Christian life : 
in the first, faith rests upon outward evidences; in 
the second, on inward revelations of the Spirit. In 
the first, each detail is believed separately as such ; 
in the second, each is recognised as a necessary 
part of the whole; and hence the being in the for- 
mer is naturally called a walking in the light of a 
lamp, λύχνος, while the being in the latter is a 
walking in the light of morning.—Huther, quoted 
and approved by Alford.] 

20. Knowing this first—Considering this as 
a first principle, that no prophecy of the Scrip- 
ture, whether that referred to above or any other, 
is of any private interpretation—proceeds from 
the prophet’s own knowledge or invention, or was 
the offspring of calculation or conjecture. The 
word ἐπέλυσις signifies also impetus, impulse; and 
probably this is the best sense here; not by the 
mere private impulse of his own mind. — [ But espec- 
ially, and first of all, be ye aware of this—keep it 
well in mind—that prophecy never, ov ποτέ, came, 
ete. This ἐπελύσεως (explanation) is not the subse- 
quent interpretation of a prophecy already given, but 
the intelligent apprehension of the meaning of the 
prophecy, out of which the prophecy itself springs. 
—Alford.| 

21. For the prophecy came not in old time 
(that is, in any former time) by the will of man 
—By a man’s own searching, conjecture, or calcu- 
lation; but holy men of God—persons separated 
from the world, and devoted to God’s service— 
spake as... moved by the Holy Ghost. So far 
were they from inventing these prophetic declara- 
tions concerning Christ, or any future event, that 
they were φερόμενοι, carried away, out of themselves 
and out of the whole region, as it were, of human 
knowledge and conjecture, by the Holy Ghost, who, 
without their knowing any thing of the matter, dic- 


Ye do well that ye take heed—And to| tated to them what to speak and what to write; 


514 


Prediction that false teachers 
would arise in the Church, 


CHAPTER II. 
UT «there were false prophets also among 
the people, even as "there shall be false 
teachers among you, who privily shall bring 


a Deut. 18, 1. — } Matt. 24. 11; Acts 90, 30; 1 Cor. 11. 
19; 1 Tim. 4. 1; 2 Tim, 8. 1-5; 1 John 4, 1; Jude 18—— 
e Jude 4. 


CHAPTER II. 


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in damnable heresies, even ‘denying the Lord 
‘that bought them, eand bring upon them- 
selves swift destruction. 2 And many shall 
follow their ‘pernicious ways; by reason of 


@1 Cor. ὃ, 20: Gal. 3, 13; Eph. 1. 7; Heb, 10, 29; 1 Pet. 1. 18: 
Rev. 5, 9.—e Phil. 3. 19.—fOr, lascivious ways, as some 
copies read, 


and so far above their knowledge were the words of 
the prophecy that they did not even know the in- 
tent of those words, but searched what, or what 
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in 
them did signify, when it testified beforehand the 
suferings of Christ, and the glory that should 
follow. (See on 1 Pet. i, 11, 12.) 


ADDITIONAL NOTES. 


1. It is not unfrequent for the writers of the New 
Testament to draw-a comparison between the Mosaic 
and Christian dispensations; and the comparison 
generally shows that, glorious as the former was, it 
had no glory in comparison of the glory that excel- 
leth. St. Peter seems to touch here on the same 
point; the Mosaic dispensation, with all the light 
of prophecy by which it was illustrated, was only as 
a lamp shining in a dark place. There is great 
propriety and delicacy in this image.- A lamp inthe 
dark gives but a very small portion of light, and 
only to those who are very near to it; yet it always 
gives light enough to make itself visible, even at a 
great distance; though it enlightens not the space 
between it and the beholder, it is still literally the 
lamp shining ina dark place. Such was the Mo- 
saic dispensation: it gave a little light to the Jews, 
bat shone not to the Gentile world any further than 
to make itself visible. This is compared with the 
Gospel under the emblems of daybreak and the 
rising of the sun. When the sun is yet below the 
horizon daybreak commences, as the rays of light 
begin then to diffuse themselves in our atmosphere, 
by which they are reflected upon the earth. By 
this means a whole hemisphere is enlightened, 

‘though but in a partial degree; yet this, increasing 
every moment as the sun approaches the horizon, 
prepares for the full manifestation of his resplen- 
dent orb: so the ministry of John Baptist, and the 
initiatory ministry of Christ himself, prepared the 
primitive believers for his full manifestation on the 
day of pentecost and afterward. Here the sun rose 
in his strength, bringing light, heat, and life to all 
the inhabitants of theearth. So far, then, as alan- 
tern carried in a dark night differs from and is in- 
ferior to the beneficial effects of daybreak, and the 
full light and heat of a meridian sun, so far was the 
Mosaic dispensation, in its beneficial effects, inferior 
to the Christian dispensation. 

2. Perhaps there is scarcely any point of view in 
which we can consider prophecy which is so satis- 
factory and conclusive as that which is here stated : 
that is, far from inventing the subject of their own 
predictions, the ancient prophets did not even know 
the meaning of what themselves wrote. They were 
carried beyond themselves by the influence of the 
divine Spirit, and after ages were alone to discover 
the object of the prophecy; and the fulfilment was 
to be the absolute proof that the prediction was of 
God, and that it was of no private invention—no dis- 
covery made by human sagacity and wisdom, but 
the especial revelation of the all-wise God. This is 
sufficiently evident in all the prophecies which have 
been already fulfilled, and will no doubt be equally 


so in those yet to be fulfilled; the events will point 
out the prophecy, and the prophecy will be seen to 
be fulfilled in the event. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. But there were false prophets — There 
were not only holy men of God among the Jews who 
prophesied by divine inspiration, but there were 
also false prophets, whose prophecies were from 
their own imagination, and these perverted many. 
As there shall be false teachers among you— 
[In contrast with the ψευδοπροφῆται (false proph- 
ets) of the former times were the ψευδοδιδάσκαϊ or, 
(false teachers,) that would appear in later times, 
The pevdo in both these words is ambiguous, 
leaving it uncertain whether the falsehood in either 
case was subjective or objective ; in themselves per- 
sonally or in what they prophesied or taught. 
Perhaps in both.] At a very early period of the 
Christian Church many heresies sprung up; but 
the chief were those of the Ebionites, Cerinthians, 
Nicolaitans, Menandrians, and Gnostics, of whom 
many strange things have been spoken by the prim- 
itive Fathers, and of whose opinions it is difficult to 
obtain any satisfactory view. | They were, no doubt, 
bad enough, and their opponents in general have 
doubtless made them worse. By what name those 
were called of whom the apostle here speaks we can- 
not tell. (See the preface.) Damnable heresies 
Αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, heresies of destruction ; such as, 
if followed, would lead a man to perdition. And 
these παρεισάξουσιν they will bring in privately— 
cunningly, without making much noise, and covertly 
as possible. It would be better to translate de- 
structive heresies than “damnable.” Denying the 
Lord that bought them—[The word δεσπότην 
(master or lord) may refer either to the] Father or 
Christ ; for God is said to have purchased the Is- 
raelites, (Exod. xv, 16,) and to be the Futher that 
had bought them, (Deut. xxxii, 6,) and the words 
may refer to these or such like passages; or they 
may point out Jesus Christ, who had bought them 
with his blood ; and the “ heresies,” or dangerous 
opinions, may mean such as opposed the divinity of 
our Lord, or his meritorious and sacrificial death. 
It seems, however, more natural to understand the 
“Lord that bought them,” as applying to Christ 
rather than otherwise. 

2. Many shall (will) follow—[Simply a state- 
ment of what will be done, without any intimation 
of cause or necessity.] Pernicious ways—Taic 
ἀσελγείαις, lasciviousnesses or uncleannesses, The 
word /asciviousnesses points ont what the nature of 
the heresies was; a sort of Antinomianism, that 
pampered and indulged the lusts of the flesh. If 
the Nicolaitans are meant, it is very applicable to 
them, for they taught the community of wives, ete. 
By reason of whom—These persons professed 
Christianity; and as they were called Christians, 
and followed such abominable practices, the way 
of truth—the Christian religion—/acenunbijcera:, 
was blasphemed. Had they called themselves by any 
other name but that of Christ, his religion would 
not have suffered. 

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II. PETER. 


Admonitions against indulgence 
in sinful courses. 


whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken 
of. % And &through covetousness shall they 
with feigned words "make merchandise of 
you: ‘whose judgment now of a long time 
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth 
not. 4 For if God spared not the angels 
1 that sinned, but ™cast them down to hell, and 
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be 
reserved unto judgment; 6 And spared not 
the old world, but saved "Noah the eighth 
person, °a preacher of righteousness, Ρ bringing 


in the flood upon the world of the ungodly ; 
6 And ‘turning the cities of Sodom and 
Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an 
overthrow, "making them an ensample unto 
those that after should live ungodly; % And 
‘delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy con- 
versation of the wicked: 8 (For that right- 
eous an dwelling among them, tin seeing and 
hearing, vexed Ais righteous soul from day to 
day with their unlawful deeds:) 9 "The Lord 
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temp- 


ag Rom. 16. 18; 2 Cor, 12. 17, 18: 1 Tim. 6. 5; Titus 1. 11.— 
h2 Cor, 2. 17: chap. 1. 16. 7 Deut. 32. 35: Jude 4, 15. — 
k Job 4. 18; Jude 6. —/John 8, 44; 1 John 3. 8. — m Luke 
8. 3l¢ Rev. 20. 2, 3. 


n Gen. 7. 1,7, 23; Heb. 11. 7; 1 Peter 3. 20. ΟἿ Peter3. 19.— 
p Chap. 3. 6. qa Gen. 19. 24; Deut, 29, 23; Jude 7. r Num. 
26. 10. —- s Gen. 19. 16. ὁ Psa. 119. 139, 158; Ezek. 9. 4. —- 
wu Psa. 34. 17, 19: 1 Cor, 10, 18. 


8. And through covetousness — That they 
might get money to spend upon their lusts. With 
feigned words—II/aotoi¢ λόγοις, counterfeit tales ; 
false narrations of pretended facts, (ying miracles, 
fabulous legends. ‘In this single sentence,” says 
Dr. Macknight, “there is a clear prediction of the 
iniquitous practices of those great merchants of 
souls, the Romish clergy, who have rated all crimes, 
even the most atrocious, at a fixed price.” How 
the popish Church has made merchandise of souls 
needs no particular explanation here. It was this 
abominable doctrine that showed to some, then in 
that Church, the absolute necessity of a reforma- 
tion. Whose judgment now of a long time— 
[ For whom judgment all along does not linger, nor 
their destruction slumber.| From the beginning 
God has condemned sin, and inflicted suitable pun- 
ishments on transgressors; and has promised in 
his word, from the earliest ages, to pour out his in- 
dignation on the wicked. 

4. For if God spared not the angels—The 
angels were originally placed in a state of proba- 
tion; some having fallen and some having stood 
proves this. How long that probation was to last 
to them, and what was the particular test of their 
fidelity, we know not; nor indeed do we know what 
was their sin; nor when nor how they fell. St. 
Jude says, they kept not their first estate, but left 
their own habitation ; which seems to indicate that 
they got discontented with their lot, and aspired to 
higher honours, or perhaps to celestial domination. 
The tradition of their fall is in all countries and in 
all religions, but the accounts given are various and 
contradictory ; and no wonder, for we have no di- 
rect revelation on the subject. They kept not their 
Jirst estate, and they sinned, is the sum of what we 
know on the subject; and here curiosity and con- 
jecture are useless. But cast them down to 
hell, and delivered them into chains of dark- 
ness—’AAAd σειροῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας παρέδωκεν εἰς 
κρίσιν τετηρημένους, but with chains of darkness 
confining them in Tartarus, delivered them over to 
be kept to judgment ; or, sinking them into Tartarus, 
delivered them over into custody for punishment, to 
chains of darkness. “ Chains of darkness” is a highly 
poetic expression. Darkness binds them on all 
hands; and so dense and strong is this “ darkness ” 
that it cannot be broken through; they cannot de- 
liver themselves, nor be delivered by others. [See 
Additional Note A, at the end of the epistle. ] 

5. Spared not the old world—The apostle’s 
argument is this: If God spared not the rebellious 
angels, nor the sinful antediluvians, nor the cities 
of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will not spare those 
wicked teachers who corrupt the pure doctrines of 
Christianity. Saved Noah the eighth—Some 

516 


think that the words should be translated, Noah 
the eighth preacher of righteousness ; but it seems 
most evident, from 1 Pet. iii, 20, that eight persons 
are here meant, which were the whole that were 
saved in the ark, namely, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and 
their three wives, six; Noah’s wife seven; and Noah 
himself the eighth. The form of expression, ὄγδοον 
Nowe, Noah the eighth, that is, Noah and seven 
more, is common in the Greek language. A 
preacher of righteousness—[We have no inti- 
mation of this in the Scripture, but we may see 
from Josephus, (Avt., i, 3,1,) that there was a tra- 
dition of the kind among the Jews. And so in the 
Midrash (Bereshith Rabbi, xxx, 6) we find, ‘“‘ There 
rose up a herald for God in the age of the deluge, 
that was Noah.”—Speaker’s Commentary.| World 
of the ungodly—A whole race without God— 
without any pure worship or rational religion. 

6. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah—See 
the notes on Gen. xix, for an account of the sin 
and punishment of these cities. Making them 
an ensample—These three words, ὑπόδειγμα, Tapa- 
δείγμα, and δεῖγμα, are used to express the same 
idea ; though the former may signify an example to 
be shunned, the second an example to be followed, 
and the third a simple exhibition. But these dif- 
ferences are not always observed. 

7. Vexed with the filthy conversation— 
ἹΚαταπονούμενον ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀθέσμων ἐν ἀσελγείᾳ 
ἀναστροφῆς, being exceedingly pained with the unclean 
conduct of those lawless persons. What this was, 
see in the history, Gen. xix, and the notes there. 

8. That righteous man dwelling among them 
—Lot, after his departure from Abraham, A. M. 
2086, lived at Sodom till A. M. 2107, a space of 
about twenty years; and, as he hada righteous soul, 
he must have been tormented with the abomina- 
tions of that people from day to day. The word 
ἐβασάνιζεν, tormented, is not less emplfatie than 
the word Katarovoipevor, grievously pained, in the 
preceding verse, and shows what this man must 
have felt in dwelling so long among a people so 
abandoned. 

9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the 
godly—tThe preservation and deliverance of Lot 
eave the apostle occasion to remark, that God knew 
as well to save as to destroy ; and that his goodness 
led him as forcibly to save righteous Lot as his 
justice did to destroy the rebellious in the instances 
already adduced. And the design of the apostle in 
producing these examples is to show to the people 
to whom he was writing, that, although God would 
destroy those false teachers, yet he would power- 
fully save his faithful servants from their contagion 
and from their destruction. We should carefully 
observe, 1) That the godly man is not to be pre- 


Description of and warnings against 
certain false teachers. 


tation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day 
of judgment to be punished: 10 But chietly 
ἡ them that walk after the flesh in the lust of 
uncleanness, and despise ἡ government. * Pre- 
sumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not 
afraid to speak evil of dignities. 2% Whereas 
Yangels, which are greater in power and might, 
bring not railing accusation ¢against them be- 
fore the Lord. 12. But these, *as natural 
brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed, 
speak evil of the things that they understand 


» Jude 4, 7, 8, 10, 16. —— a0 Or, dominion, —«e Jude 8, — 
vy Jude 9. 2Some read, uguinst themselves.—a Jer. 12. 3; 


CHAPTER II. 


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not; and shall utterly perish in their own cor- 
ruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of 
unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure 
‘to riot in the daytime. ‘Spots they are and 
blemishes, sporting themselves with their own 
deceivings while ¢they feast with you; 
£4 Having eyes full of adultery, and that 
cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable 
souls: €a heart they have exercised with 
covetous practices ; cursed children: 15 Which 
have forsaken the right way, and are gone 


Jude 10.—V/ Phil. 3. 19.—e See Rom. 13, 13.—d Jude 12.— 
61 Cor, 11, 20, 21.—SGr. an adulteress.—g Jude 11. 


served from temptation. 2) That he will be pre- 
served iz temptation. 3) That he will be delivered 
out of it. 

10. But chiefly them that walk—That is, God 
will in the most signal manner punish them that 
walk after the flesh—addict themselves to sodom- 
itical practices, and the lust of pollution ; probably 
alluding to those most abominable practises where 
men abuse themselves and abuse one another. 
Despise government—They brave the power and 
authority of the civil magistrate, practising their 
abominations so as to keep out of the reach of the 
letter of the law ; and they speak evil of dignities 
—they blaspheme civil government, they abhor the 
restraints laid upon men by the laws, and would 
wish all governments destroyed that they might 
live as they list. Presumptuous are they— 
ToAuyrai; bold and daring, headstrong, regardless 
of fear. Selfwilled — Aitdderc; self-sufficient ; 
presuming on themselves; following their own 
opinions, which no authority can induce them to re- 
linquish. 
dignities— They are lawless and disobedient, 
Spurn all human authority, and speak contemptu- 
ously of all legal and civil jurisdiction. Those in 
general despise governments, and speak evil of 
dignities, who wish to be under no control, that they 
may act as freebooters in the community. 

11. Whereas angels, etc—This is a difficult 
verse, but the meaning seems to be this: The holy 
angels, who are represented as bringing an account 
of the actions of the fallen angels before the Lord 
in judgment, simply state the facts without exag- 
geration, and without permitting any thing of a 
bitter, reviling, or railing spirit to enter into their 
accusations. (See Zech. iii, 1.) But these persons 
not only speak of the actions of men which they 
conceive to be wrong, but do it with untrue colour- 
ings and the greatest malevolence. Michael, the 
archangel, treated a damned spirit with courtesy ; 
he only said, Zhe Lord rebuke thee! but these 
treat the rulers of God’s appointment with disrespect 
and calumny. Before the Lord—Ilapa Κύριῳ is 
wanting in a number of MSS. and most of the 
Versions. 

12. But these, as natural brute beasts— 
‘Qs ἄλογα ζῷα φυσικὰ, as natural animals void o 
reason. [Wild beasts, such as may be hunted down 
and killed. 

13. They that count it pleasure to riot in 
the daytime —Most sinners, in order to practise 
their abominable pleasures, seek the secrecy of the 
night; but these, bidding defiance to all decency 
and shame, take the open day, and thus proclaim 
their impurities to the sun. Spots and 
blemishes—They are a disgrace to the name of 
men. Sporting themselves—Forming opinions 


Are not afraid to speak evil of 


which give license to sin, and then acting on those 
opinions ; and thus rioting in their own deceits. 
[Μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες, sporting in shame (debauchery) 
in their deceivings, ἀπάταις, instead of which Jude 
(verse 12) has ἀγάπαις, love feasts, which reading is 
also found in this place in some ancient authori- 
ties. The congregations have established these 
common meals to cheer the hearts and strengthen 
the affection between their members. The false 
teachers come and share like the rest—join in the 
banquet of the Church’s bounty—but are spots and 
blemishes in the body of Christians, for itis no feast 
of brotherly love which they seek to share, but by 
their boldness and license to lead others astray, 
and turn the ἀγάπη (feast of charity) into τρυφή, 
(delicate feasting. )—Speaker’s Commentary.| With 
their own deceivings —’Ev ταῖς azdraic: but 
instead of this, AB, and almost all the Versions and 
several of the Fathers, have ἐν ταῖς ἀγάπαις, in your 
love feasts, which is probably the true reading. 
While they feast with you—It appears they 
held a communion with the Church, and attended 
sacred festivals, which they desecrated with their 
own unhallowed opinions and conduct. 

14. Having eyes full of adultery—Mor yar /doc, 
of an adulteress ; being ever bent on the gratifica- 
tion of their sensual desires, so that they are rep— 
resented as having an adultercss constantly before 
their eyes, and that their eyes can take in no other ob- 
ject. But instead of μοιχαλίδος, of an adulteress, 
some of the authorities have μοι χαλίας, of adultery. 
Cannot cease from sin—Which cease not from 
sin; they might cease from sin, but they do not : 
they love and practise it. Instead of ἀκαταπαύστους, 
““which cannot cease,” the best authorities have 
ἀκαταπάστους, which requires the place to be read, 
having eyes full of adultery and incessant sin. The 
images of sinful acts were continually floating 
before their disordered and impure fancy. Be- 
guiling unstable souls—The metaphor is taken 
from adulterers seducing unwary, inexperienced, 
and light, trifling women; so do those false teach- 
ers seduce those who are not established in right- 
eousness. Exercised with covetous practices 
—These persons had their hearts schooled in 
nefarious practices ; they had exercised themselves. 
till they were perfectly expert in all the arts of se~ 
duction, overreaching, and every kind of fraud. 
Cursed children—[Kardpac τέκνα, children of a 
curse, and so inheriting all its fearful visitation. ] 
Such not only live under God’s curse here, but they 
are heirs to it hereafter. 

15, Which have forsaken the right way— 
[They have abandoned the true way, going astray, ] 
as Balaam did, who, although God showed him the 
right way, took one contrary to it, preferring the 
reward offered him by Balak to the approbation 

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ΤΠ, PETER. 


The dreadful state of backsliders 
and apostates. 


astray, following the way of » Balaam the son 
of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteous- 
ness; 6 But was rebuked for his iniquity: 
tlhe dumb ass speaking with man’s voice for- 
bade the madness of the prophet. 87 ‘These 
are wells without water, clouds that are carried 
with a tempest; to whom the mist of dark- 
ness is reserved for ever. £8 For when § they 
speak great swelling words of vanity, they 
allure through the lusts of the flesh, through 
much wantonness, those that ! were ™clean es- 
caped from them who live in error. 19 While 


they promise them "liberty, they themselves 
are °the servants of corruption: for of whom 
aman is overcome, of the same is he brought 
in bondage. 2@ For rif after they. 4 have es- 
-aped the pollutions of the world ' through the 
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and 
overcome, the latter end is worse with them 
than the beginning. 24 For ‘it had been bet- 
ter for them not to have known the way of 
righteousness, than, after they have known τέ, 
to turn from the holy commandment delivered 


Num. 22. 5, 7, 21, 23, 28; Jude 11. ——@ Jude 12, 13. — 
k Jude 16, 1 Acts 2. 40; chap. 1. 4; verse 20.—7 Or, Jor ὦ 
little, or, a while, as some read.—n Gal, 5, 13; 1 Pet. 2. 16. 
and blessing of God. The way of Balaam—He 
counselled the Moabites to give their most beautiful 
young women to the Israelitish youth, that they might 
he enticed by them to idolatry. (See Num. xxii, 5, 
οἷοι, and xxiii, 1, etc.) Theson of Bosor—lInstead 
of Boodp, Bosor, [several of the very best] ancient 
MSS. and some of the Versions have Βεώρ, Beor, 
[which better agrees with] the Hebrew text and the 
Septuagint. 

16. The dumb ass speaking with man’s 
voice—(See Num. xxii, 28.) The madness of the 
prophet—lIs not this a reference to the speech of 
the ass as represented in the Targums of Jonathan 
ben Uzziel and Jerusalem ? “ Woe to thee, Balaam, 
thou sinner, thou madman; there is no wisdom 
found in thee.” [It was the angel, and not the ass, 
from whom the rebuke came, the ass having merely 
deprecated ill treatment at Balaam’s hands. But 
the apostle evidently regards not so much the 
words of rebuke uttered, as the miraculous fact, as 
being the hinderance.—A/ford. ] 

17. These are wells without water—Teach- 
ers without ability to instruct; sowers, that have no 
seed in their baskets. Nothing is more cheering in 
the deserts of the East than to meet with a well of 
water; and nothing more disappointing, when 
parched with thirst, than to meet with a well that 
contains no water. Clouds that are carried 
with a tempest —In a time of great drought, 
to see clouds beginning to cover the face of the 
heavens raises the hope of rain; but to see these 
suddenly driven off by a strong wind is a dreary 
disappointment. These false teachers were equally 
as unprofitable as the empty well, or the light, dis- 
sipated cloud. To whom the mist of darkness 
is reserved—That is, an eternal separation from 
the presence of God and the glory of his power. 
They shall be thrust into outer darkness, (Matt. viii, 
12;) into the utmost degrees of misery and de- 
spair. False and corrupt teachers will be sent into 
the lowest hell; and be “the most downcast, 
underfoot vassals of perdition.” [A dark life is 
justly punished with darkness, especially because 
of the seduction of so many souls. Εἰς αἰῶνα, (into 
the ages,) down to the remotest periods, no matter 
what changes may take place with the earth and 
the world.—Lange. | 

18. They speak great swelling words of 
vanity—The word ὑπέρογκα signifies things of 
great magnitude, grand, superb, sublime; it some- 
times signifies inflated, tumid, bombastic. These 
false teachers spoke of great and high things, and 
no doubt promised their disciples the greatest priv- 
ileges, as they themselves pretended to a high degree 
of illumination. Those that were clean escaped 

518 


oJohn 8. 34; Rom. 6. 16. — p Matt. 12. 45; Luke 11. 26; 
Heb. 6. 4, etc. ; 10, 26, 27.—q@ Chap. 1. 4; verse 18.—v7 Chap. 
1. 2.—=s Luke 12. 47, 48; John 9. 41; 185. 22. 


2957 ᾽ 


-- ἰοὺς ὀλίγως ἀποφεύγοντας, those scarcely escaped, 
or those escaping, partly persuaded but not yet 
confirmed in the faith. ] 

19. While they promise them liberty—From 
the yoke of the law, or what they might term need- 
less restraints. Their own conduct showed the 
falsity of their system; for they were slaves to 
every disgraceful lust. Ffor of whom a man is 
overcome—[*Hrr77a1, dominated, made a captive. | 
The ancient law was, that a man might either kill 
him whom he overcame in battle or keep him for a 
slave. Thus the person who is overcome by his 
lusts is represented as being the slave of those 
lusts. (See Rom. vi, 16.) 

20. The pollutions of the world—Sin in gen- 
eral, and particularly superstition, idolatry, and 
lasciviousness. These are called μιάσματα, mias- 
mata, things that ifect, pollute, and defile. The 
word was anciently used, and is in use at the 
present day, to express those noxious particles of 
effluvia proceeding from persons infected with con- 
tagious and dangerous diseases; or from dead and 
corrupt bodies, stagnant and putrid waters, marshes, 
etc., by which the sound and healthy may be infected 
and destroyed. The world is here represented as 
one large, putrid marsh, or corrupt body, sending 
off its destructive miasmata everywhere and in 
every direction, so that none can escape its conta- 
gion, and none can be healed of the great epidemic 
disease of sin, but by the mighty power and skill 
of God. Now, it is through (in) the knowledge 
of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [the full 
knowledge, ἐπίγνωσις] that we escape the destructive 
influence of these contagious miasmata, [A clear 
indication that these “destroyers of much good” 
were once soundly converted.| But if, after having 
been healed, and so having escaped the death to 
which we were exposed, we get again entangled, 
ἐμπλακέντες, enfolded, enveloped with them; then 
the latter end will be worse ... than the begin- 
ning; forasmuch as we shall have sinned against 
more light, and the soul, by its conversion to God, 
having had all its powers and faculties greatly im- 
proved, is now being repolluted, more capable of 
iniquity than before, and can bear more expres- 
sively the image of the earthly. 

21. For it had been better for them not to 
have known—For the reasons assigned above ; 
for they who have sinned against more mercy are 
capable of more sin, [have fallen into a lower con- 
dition spiritually, with less hope of ever being re- 
covered,] and are liable to greater punishment. 
The holy commandment—The whole religion of 
Christ, contained in the one commandment, ‘ Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with 


The apostle states his design in 
writing his two epistles, 


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unto them, 22 But it is happened unto them 
according to the true proverb, ‘The dog és 
turned to his own vomit again: and, The sow 
that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 


CHAPTER III. 
HIS second epistle, beloved, I now write 
unto you; in doth which Χ1 stir up your 
pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That 
ye may be mindful of the words which were 


tProv. 26. 11.—a Chap. 1. 18.—b Jude 17.—c1 Tim. 4. 1; 
2 Tim. 3.1; Jude 18,—d Chap. 2. 10. 


all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy 
strength ; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 
xxii, 37, 88; Rom. vii, 9-11.) 
22. According to the true proverb — This 
.seems to be a reference to Prov. xxvi, 11, as a 
dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his 
folly. This is called a “true proverb;” for it is a 
fact that a dog will eat up his own vomit ; and the 
swine, howsoever carefully washed, will again wal- 
low in the mire. As applied here it is very ex- 
pressive: the poor sinner, having heard the Gospel 
of Christ, was led to loathe and reject his sin; 
and, on his application to God for mercy, was 
washed from his unrighteousness. But he is here 
represented as taking up again what he had before 
rejected, and defiling himself in that from which 
he had been cleansed. Here is a sad proof of the 
possibility of falling from grace, and from very 
high degrees of it too. These had escaped from 
the contagion that was in the world; they had had 
true repentance, and-cast up “their sour-sweet 
morsel of sin;” they had been washed from their 
filthiness, and this must have been through the 
blood of the Lamb; yet, after all, they went back, 
got entangled with their old sins, swallowed down 
their formerly rejected lusts, and wallowed anew in 
the mire of corruption. It is no wonder that God 
should say, Zhe latter end is worse with them than 
the beginning ; reason and nature say it must be so ; 
and divine justice says it ought to be so; and the 
person himself must confess that it is right that it 
should be so. But how dreadful is this state! How 
dangerous when the person has abandoned himself 
to his oldsins! Yet it is not said that it is impossible 
for him to return to his Maker; though his case be 
deplorable, it is not utterly hopeless ; the leper may 
yet be made clean, and the dead may be raised. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 

1. This second epistle—In order to guard 
[those addressed] against the seductions of false 
teachers, [the writer] calls to their remembrance 
the doctrine of the ancient prophets, and the com- 
mands or instructions of the apostles, all founded 
on the same basis. He possibly refers to the 
prophecies of David (Psa. 1, 1, ete.,) and of Daniel 
(xii, 2) relative to the coming of our Lord to judg- 
ment; and he brings in the instructions of the 
apostles of Christ, by which they were directed how 
to prepare to meet their God. 

8. Knowing this first —Considering this in an 
especial manner, that those prophets predicted the 
coming of false teachers; and their being now in 
the Church proves how clearly they were known to 
God. There shallcome .. . scoffers—Persons 
who shall endeavour to turn all religion to con- 
tempt,as this is the most likely way to depreciate 
truth in the sight of the giddy multitude. The 


spoken before by the holy prophets, *and of 
the commandinent of us the apostles of the 
Lord and Saviour: 8% ¢Knowing this first, 
that there shall come in the last days scoffers, 
éwalking after their own lusts, 4 And say- 
ing, 5 Where is the promise of his coming? for 
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue 
as they were from the beginning of the crea- 
tion. & For this they willingly are ignorant 
of, that by the word of God the heavens were 


eIsa. 5.19; Jer, 17.15; Ezek. 12. 22,27; Matt. 24. 48; Luke 12. 45. 
—J lien. 1. 6, 9; Psa. 33.6; Heb. 11. 3. 


“scoffers,” having no solid argument to produce 
against revelation, endeavour to [turn it to ridicule, 
and so] affect to laugh at it, and get superficial 
thinkers to laugh with them. Walking after 
their own lusts—Here is the true source of all 
infidelity. The Gospel of Jesus is pure and holy, 
and requires a holy heart and a holy life. They 
wish to follow their own /Jus/s, and consequently 
cannot brook the restraints of the Gospel; there- 
fore they labour to prove that it is not true, that 
they may get rid of its injunctions, and at last sue- 
ceed in persuading themselves that it is a forgery ; 
and then throw the reins on the neck of their evil 
propensities. Thus their opposition to revealed 
truth began and ended in their own “ lusts.” [The 
best authorities are agreed that the true read- 
ing of this text is:] There shall come in the 
last days, IN MOCKERY, ἐν ἐμπαιγμονῇ, scoffers walking 
after their own lusts, They come in mockery ; 
this is their spirit and temper; they have no 
desire to find out truth; they take up the Bible 
merely with the design of perverting it. The last 
days probably refer to the conclusion of the 
Jewish polity, which was then at hand. 

4. Where is the promise of his comirg— 
Perhaps the “scoffers ” here referred to were per- 
sons who believed in the eternity of the world: the 
prophets and the apostles had foretold its destrue- 
tion, and these took it for granted, if this were true, 
that the terrestrial machine would have begun long 
ago to have shown some symptoms of decay ; but 
they found that since the patriarchs died all things 
remained as they were from the foundation of the 
world ; that is, one was born and another died, and 
the course of nature continued regular in the sea- 
sons, succession of day and night, generation and 
corruption of animals and vegetables, ete. As, 
therefore, they saw none of these changes, they 
presumed that there would be none, and they inti- 
mated that there never had been any. The apostle 
combats this notion in the following verse. Since 
[ἀφ᾽ ἧς, se., ἡμέρας, from the day] the fathers fell 
asleep, all things continue, |eitoc, ‘ius,| not as 
they were, but rather, as they are, unchanging. 
The time of waiting for the promise dates from the 
death of the fathers, and the duration of the 
present order of things runs back to that time, 
(that is, the whole anterior period of history.) But 
who were the “fathers?” They may be either the 
progenitors of the race, or, more probably, the an- 
cients generally. [Well authenticated written 
history presents the world, κόσμος, in much the 
same condition in which it is now found. But 
modern science has opened another volume, that of 
the natural history of the earth, which somewhat 
modifies the notions formerly entertained. | 

5. For this they willingly are ignorant of 
—[Aavéaver yap αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας, for this es- 

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of old, and the earth &standing out of the 
water and in the water: ὦ ‘Whereby the 
world that then was, being overflowed with 
water, perished: % But «the heavens and 
the earth, which are now, by the same word 
are kept in store, reserved unto ' fire against 


II. PETER. 


The present heavens and earth are 
to be destroyed by fire. 


the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly 
men. 85. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this 
one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a 
thousand years, and "a thousand years as one 
day. 9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his 
promise, as some men count slackness; but 


consisting.—/ Psa. 94. 2; 136. 6; Col. 1. 17.—7 Gen. 
7. 11, 21, 22, 93: ‘chap. 2. 5. 


Aly GOS 


gGr. 


capes recognition, as to themselves so willing. ] 
They shut their eyes against the light, and refuse 
all evidence; what does not answer their purpose 
they willnot know. And the apostle refers to a fact 
that militates against their hypothesis, with which 
they refused to acquaint themselves; and their ig- 
norance he attributes to their unwillingness to 
learn the true state of the case. By the word of 
God the heavens were of old—I shall set down 
the Greek text of this extremely difficult clause: 
Οὐρανοὶ ἧσαν ἔκπαλαι καὶ γῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ OV ὕδατος 
συνεστῶσα τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ, translated thus by 
Mr. Wakefield: “A heaven and an earth formed 
out of water, and by means of water, by the ap- 
pointment of God, had continued from old time.” 
By Dr. Macknight thus: “‘The heavens were an- 
ciently, and the earth, of water; and through water 
the earth consists by the word of God.” By Kypke 
thus: ‘“The heavens were of old, and the earth, 
which is framed, by the word of God, from the 
waters, and between the waters.” However we 
take the words, they seem to refer to the origin of 
the earth. It was the opinion of the remotest an- 
tiquity that the earth was formed out of water, or 
a primitive moisture which they termed 7%, 
hilé, a first matter ov nutriment for all things. 
That the earth was at first in a fluid mass is evident 
from its form; it is not round, but flattened at the 
poles. And this is the form that any soft or 
plastic body would assume if whirled rapidly round, 
as the earth is around its axis. Standing out of 
the water is certainly not the sense of δ ὕδατος. 
If we translate between the waters, it will bear 
some resemblance to Gen. i, 6, 7, and then it 
may refer to the whole of the atmosphere, with 
which the earth is everywhere surrounded, and 
which contains all the vapours which belong to our 
globe. Thus, then, the earth, or terragueous globe, 
which was originally formed owt of water, subsists 
by water ; and by means of that very water—the 
water compacted with the earth—the fountains of 
the great deep, and the waters in the atmosphere, 
the windows of heaven, (Gen. vii, 11,) the antedilu- 
vian earth was destroyed, as St. Peter states in the 
next verse; the terraqueous globe, which was 
formed originally of a fluid substance—the chaos 
or first matter—and which was suspended in the 
heavens—the atmosphere, enveloped with water, by 
means of which water it was preserved ; yet, because 
of the wickedness of its inhabitants, was destroyed 
by those very same waters out of which it was 
oviginally made, and by which it subsisted. 
[De Wette goes after traces of farfetched cosmo- 
gonical references, Indo-Egyptian and Greek; but 
the whole interpretation of our passage lies in the 
book of Genesis.—A/ford.] [And yet it is certain 
that some of the references of this epistle (and 
still more so of Jude) are to things not found in 
the canonical Scriptures. (See chapter ii, 4, 5.)] 
7. But the heavens and the earth, which 
are now—The present earth and its atmosphere, 
which are liable toa like destruction, [are reserved, 
520 


k Verse 10..—/ Matt. 25. 41; 2 Thess. 1, 8.——2 Psa. 90. 4.— 
nm Hab, 2.3: Heb. 10. 87. 


τεθησαυρισμένοι, (kept in store,) for or by fire, 
(vpi,) guarded, (Typovpevo,) in respect to (εἰς) the 
day of judgment.] From all this it appears that 
those “scoffers” affected to be ignorant of [ re- 
fused to believe] the Mosaic account of the forma- 
tion of the earth, and of its destruction by the waters 
of the deluge ; and indeed this is implied in their 
stating that all things continued as they were from 
the creation, 
Mosaic account, to prove that this was false; for 
the earth, etc., which were then formed, had per- 
ished by the flood; and that the present earth, ete., 
which were formed out of the preceding, should, at 
the day of judgment, perish by the jire of God’s 
wrath, [In this instance, as in most others relating 
to natural things, the sacred writers seem to have 
conformed their methods of expression to the pre- 
vailing notions of their contemporaries, many of 
which have been superseded or exchanged in later 
times. We are, therefore, not at liberty to infer 
any thing of a simply scientific character from what 
is here stated. ] 

8. Be not ignorant—Though they were wilfully 
ignorant, neglect not ye the means of instruction. 
One day is with the Lord as a thousand years 
—That is: All time is as nothing before him, be- 
cause in the presence, as in the nature, of God all 
is eternity; therefore nothing is long, nothing short, 
before him; no lapse of ages impairs his purposes, 
nor need he wait to find convenience to execute 
those purposes. And when the longest period of 
time has passed by, it is but as a moment or indivis- 
ible point in comparison of eternity. (See Psa. 
xe, 4.) [It is logically absurd to predicate of God 
the accidents of time, since he is by virtue of his 
absolute being time itself, which is differentiated 
from eternity only by its accidents. God said to 
Moses, “1 am,” signifying his eternity; and Jesus 
said to the Jews, “ Before Abraham was, 1 am,” 
indicating in each an eternal present. As applied to 
the events of Christ’s kingdom the expression im- 
plies the utter worthlessness of all mathematical 
reckonings respecting the fulfilment of prophecies, 
or the times of things yet in the future. ] 

9. The Lord is not slack—They probably in 
their scoffing said, “ Kither God had made no such 
promise to judge the world, destroy the earth, and 
send ungodly men to perdition; or, if he had, he 
had forgotten to fulfil it, or had not convenient 
time or leisure.’ To some such mocking the 
apostle seems to refer; and he immediately shows 
the reason why deserved punishment is not inflicted 
on a guilty world. [Is not slack :”” Βραδύνει, does 
delay, procrastinate. The word is not taken in 
relation to a definite point of time, according to 
human expectation, but with reference to the pur- 
pose and counsel of God; for although with refer- 
ence to the former the author admitted delay, (the 
postponement of former expectations, ) he denied the 
title to such an expectation, (according to verse 8,) 
because God’s views of time (as well as his thoughts 
and ways, Isa. lv, 8) are different from men’s. He 


But St. Peter calls them back to the 


2 


Of the new heavens and the 
new earth, 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 4064. A.D. 60. 
Yeur of Rome, 813. 


is °longsuffering to usward, P not willing that 
any should perish, but 4that all should come 
to repentance. #0 But ‘the day of the Lord 
will come as a thief in the night; in the which 
‘the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat, the earth also and the works that are there- 
in shall be burned up. ΑἹ Seeing then that 
all these things shall be dissolved, what man- 
ner of persons ought ye to be tin all holy con- 
versation and godliness, 12 + Looking for and 
vhasting unto the coming of the day of God, 
wherein the heavens being on fire shail ἡ be 
dissolved, and the elements shall * melt with 


fervent heat? ΕΞ Nevertheless we, according 
to his promise, look for »new heavens and a 
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look 
for such things, be diligent that ye may be 
found of him in peace, without spot, and 
blameless. 16 And account that «the long- 
suffering of our Lord is salvation ; even as our 
beloved brother Paul also according to the 
wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 
46 As also in all Ais epistles, "speaking in 
them of these things; in which are some 
things hard to be understood, which they that 
are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do 


0 Isa, 30. 183 1 Pet. 3. 20: aaa —p Ezek. 18, 23, 32; 33. ML. 
——¥q Rom. 2. a 1 Tim. 2. 4.—7 Matt. 24. 43; Luke 12. 39: 
8S. 5. 2; v. 3.3: 16. dé. eae Psa. 102. 26 ; Isa. δ]. 6; Matt. 

k k 1s, te Rom. 8.12; Heb. 1.11; Rev. 20. 11; 21. 1. 


Soe Per 1. 


is not tardy after the manner of men, from pro- 
crastination or neglect, but from longsuffering. 
[‘‘ The Lord,” Κύριος, here refers to God the Father. } 
As some men count slackness—['Q¢ τίνες 
βραδυτῆτα. The reference here is not to scoffers 
who deny the coming of Christ, but to weak be- 
lievers.—Lange.| But is longsuffering—lIt is 
not siuckness, remissness, nor want of due desplacence 
at sin that induced God to prolong the respite of un- 
godly men; but his longsuffering, his wnwillingness 
that any should perish ; and therefore he spared 
them, that they might have additional offers of 
grace, and come to repentance—to deplore their 
sins, implore God’s mercy, and find redemption 
through the blood of the Lamb. 

10. The day of the Lord will come—Sce 
Matt. xxiv, 43, to which the apostle seems to allude. 
[the time of the divine visitation, for judgment, 
(not reckoned by the calendar,) “ will come” to the 
scoffers, and those who scout at the words of 
threatening, unexpectedly and suddenly.] The 
heavens shall pass away witha great noise— 
The “heavens” mean here, and in the passages 
above, the whole atmosphere, in which all the ter- 
restrial vapours are lodged. The elements shall 
melt with fervent heat—| Στοι χεῖα, elements, the 
substances of the world; καυσούμενα λυθήσεται, 
burning shall disappear; καὶ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα 
εὑρεθήσεται, both the earth and the works in it shall 
be discovered, (that is, exposed for judgment.) 
[This whole passage has usually been explained as 
a propheey of the final catastrophe of the material 
world, which perhaps was the intent of the writer. 
It will, however, bear another interpretation, which 
would better accord with the exhortations that 
follow, namely, that all this imagery is designed to 
set forth both the certainty and the severity of the 
divine judgments against the “scoffers,” that is, 
all who reject Christ and his Gospel.] 

11. All these things shall be dissolved— 
[Avouévor, literally, washed. All earthly things are 
perishable, and destined to be dissolved, and there- 
fore, since we are to enter upon a new order of 
things, in which our state will be according to 
our conduct here, the added exhortation becomes 
necessary,] What manner of persons ought 
ye to be—Only those who walk in holiness, who 
live a godly and useful life, can contemplate with 
joy this most awful time. The word σπεύδοντας, 
which we translate hasting unto, should be rendered 
earnestly desiring, or wishing for ; which is a fre- 
quent meaning of the word in the best Greek writers. 


w1 Cor. 1. 7: Tit. 2. 13.—v Or, hasting the coming.— 
w Psa. 50,3; Isa. 3d, 4.—a Micah 1. 4: verse 10.——y Isa. 65.17; 
66. 23 i Rev, Ol. 1, 27.—21 Cor. 1. 83 15, 58: Phil. 1. 1G; 1 Thess. 
3. 1335. 9. ---α os 2.4; 1 Pet. 3. 20; verse 9, ὦ Rom, 8.195 
1 Cor. 15. 24; 1 Thess. 4, 13. 


12. The heavens being on fire — Nee on 
verse 10. It was-an ancient opinion among the 
heathens that the earth should be burnt up with 
fire. [See the additional note, at the end of the 
chapter. ] 

13. We, according to his promise, look for 
new heavens—The promise to which it is sup- 
posed the apostle alludes is found Isa. Ixv, 17: 
Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth ; and 
the former shall not be remembered, nor come into 
mind: and chapter lxvi, 22, For as the new heavens 
and the new earth which I will make shall remain 
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed, ete. 
{All these are properly interpreted as descriptive 
of the glory of the gospel dispensation, and by so 
applying them here, a just significance is given to 
the writer’s language. ] 

14. Seeing that ye look for such things—As 
ye profess that such a state of things shall take 
place, and have the expectation of enjoying the 
blessedness of it, be diligent in the use of every 
means and influence of grace, that ye may be 
found of him—the Lord Jesus, the Judge of quick 
and dead—without spot—any contagion of sin in 
your souls—and blameless—being not only holy 
and innocent, but useful in your lives. 

15. And account that the longsuffering of 
our Lord — Conclude that God’s longsuffering 
with the world is a proof that he designs men to be 
saved. As our beloved brother Paul—|{The date 
of this epistle belongs to a time when the Pauline 
epistles were no longer the property only of the 
Churches to which they were written, but were dis- 
persed through and considered to belong to the whole 
Christian Church. The particular parts referred to 
are probably those referring to the subject here 
specially in hand. See <Alford.] According to 
the wisdom given unto him—That is, according 
to the measure of the inspiration by which he was 
qualified for the divine work, and by which he was 
so capable of entering into the deep things of God. 
It is worthy of remark that Paul’s epistles are 
ranked among the Scriptures: a term applied to 
those writings which are divinely inspired, and to 
those only. [And this has been taken by some as 
indicating a later date for this epistle, than the 
lifetime of the apostles. ] 

16. In which [ἐν αἷς, in which epistles] are 
some things hard to be understood—Avovéy7a 
τινα. This would intimate that there were difficul- 
ties in all the epistles of Paul; and indeed in what 
ancient writings are there not found difficulties ? 

521 


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Year of Rome, 513, 


TI. PETER. 


Caution against falling away, and 
exhortation to grow in grace. 


also the other Scriptures, unto their own de- 
struction. I Ye therefore, beloved, «seeing 
ye know these things before, beware lest ye 
also, being led away with the error of the 


wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 
18 © But grow in grace, and in the knowledge 


of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ‘To 
him de glory both now and for ever. Amen. 


¢@ Mark 18. 23; chap. 1. 12.—d Eph. 4. 14; chap. 1. 10,11; 2. 18. 


eé Eph, 4. 15; 1 Pet. 2. 2.—f2 Tim. 4. 18; Rev. 1. 6. 


[For the things difficult to understand, De Wette 
refers to 2 Thessalonians ii, 1, etc., in respect to 
which the opinions of Christians are still unsettled. 
The unlearned, ἀμαθεῖς, may be such from many 
causes, but especially from ignorance of the epis- 
tles, and still more from a heart of unbelief. The 
unstable ones named, ἀστήρικτοι, are those who, 
wanting firm foundation and anchorage, waver and 
drift about with every wind of doctrine. Such 
persons are moved from their Christian stability by 
every apparent difficulty, are rendered anxious and 
perplexed by hard texts, and, showing more anxiety 
to interpret them somehow than to wait upon God 
for their solution, rush upon erroneous and dan- 
gerous ways of interpretation. See Alford.] But 
as it is only the “unlearned” and the wnestablished 
(that is, young Christian converts) [or those who 
are wanting in Christian docility] that are in danger 
of wresting such portions; the learned, that is, the 
experienced and the established in the knowledge and 
life of God, are in no such danger; and to such we 
may safely go for information: and these abound 
everywhere, especially in Protestant countries ; 
and by the labours of learned and pious men on the 
sacred writings there is not one difficulty relative 
to the things which concern our salvation left un- 
explained. I may just add that the verb στρεβλόω, 
which the apostle uses here, signifies to distort, to 
put to the rack, to torture, to overstretch and dislo- 
cate the limbs ; and hence the persons here intended 
are those who proceed according to no fair plan of 
interpretation, but force unnatural and sophistical 
meanings on the word of God; a practice which 
the common simple Christian is in no danger of fol- 
lowing. I could illustrate this by a multitude of 
interpretations from popish writers. -[The schools 
of biblical criticism of later dates have afforded 
abundant and most lamentable examples of this 
“wresting ” of Scripture from its evident meaning, 
making it mean any thing or nothing, most com- 
monly nothing, according to each one’s fancy. | 

17. Seeing ye know. . . before—Seeing that 
by prophets and apostles you have been thus fore- 
warned, beware, φυλάσσεσθε, keep watch, cleave to 
God and the word of his grace, lest ye be led away 
from the truth delivered by the prophets and apos- 
tles, by the error of the wicked, ἀθέσμων, of the 
lawless—those who wrest the Scriptures to make 
them countenance their lusts, exorbitant exactions, 
and lawless practices. ἘΠῚ} from your own stead- 
fastness—From that faith in Christ which has put 
you in possession of that grace which establishes 
the heart. 

18. But grow in grace—Increase in the image 
and favour of God. Every grace or divine influence 
which ye have received is a ‘seed, a heavenly seed, 
which, if it be watered with the dew of heaven 
from above, will endlessly increase and multiply 
itself. He who continues to believe, love, and obey, 
will grow in grace, and continually increase in the 
knowledge of Jesus Christ as his sacrifice, sancti- 
fier, counsellor, preserver, and final saviour. The 
life of a Christian is a growth ; he is at first born 
of God, and is a little child ; becomes a young man, 
and a father in Christ. Those who content them- 

522 


selves with the grace they received when converted 
to God are, at best, in a continual state of infancy; 
but we find, in the order of nature, that the afant 
that does not grow, and grow daily, too, is sickly 
and soon dies; so, in the order of grace, those who 
do not grow wp into Jesus Christ are sickly, and 
will soon die, die to all sense and influence of 
heavenly things. To him—The Lord Jesus. Be 
glory — All honour and excellency attributed— - 
Both now—In this present state. And forever 
—Hic ἡμέραν αἰῶνος, to the day of eternity. Amen— 
So let it be! and so it shall be! Though this word 
is wanting in some reputable MSS., yet it should be 
retained, as it has here more than usual authority in 
its support. 


We have now passed over all the canonical 
writings of Peter that are extant ; and it is worthy 
of remark, that in no place of the two epistles al- 
ready examined, nor in any of this apostle’s sayings 
in any other parts of the sacred writings, do we 
find any of the peculiar tenets of the Romish 
Church ; not one word of his own or the pope’s 
supremacy ; not one word of those who affect to be 
his successors; nothing of the infallibility claimed 
by those pretended successors; nothing of pur- 
gatory, penances, pilgrimages, auricular confession, 
power of the keys, indulgences, extreme unction, 
masses, and prayers for the dead; and not one 
word on the most essential doctrine of the Romish 
Church, transubstantiation. Now, as all these 
things have been considered by themselves most 
essential to the being of that Church, is it not 
strange that he, from whom they profess to derive 
all their power, authority, and influence, in spiritual 
and secular matters, should have said nothing of 
these most necessary things? It is no wonder that 
the rulers of this Church endeavour to keep the 
Seriptures from the common people ; for, were they 
permitted to consult these, the imposture would be 
detected, and the solemn, destructive cheat at 
once exposed. 


ADDITIONAL NOTES. 
Nore A.—Chapter ii, 4. 


[For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but 
cast them down to hell, and delivered them into 
chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment— 
This passage, with the corresponding and almost 
identical one in Jude, (verse 5,) constitutes about the 
only direct scriptural evidence of the transactions 
to which they relate; for all others that seem to 
corroborate this evidently received their direction 
and application from what is here stated. Three 
passages are usually referred to as at least recog- 
nising the facts stated in the text, neither of which, 
however, necessarily, nor indeed naturally, implies 
any thing of the kind. In John viii, 44, our Lord 
says of the devil, that “he was a murderer 
from the beginning, and abode (éo77Kev, stood) not 
in the truth ;” but here is certainly no intimation 
that Satan is a fallen angel, or that he ever was in 
the truth, in which he stood not. Without a pre- 
cedent conception that he is an “archangel fallen,” 


Additional note on Tip cg i 91, CHAPTER ΤΠ: ᾿ 


and on chap. iii, 


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Year of Rome, 515. 


nothing respecting his fall would have been de-| Saviour Jesus Christ, [the only possible way of 


tected in those words. In Luke x, 18, are found 
our Lord’s words spoken on the occasion of the re- 
turn of the Seventy, who had been sent out to pro- 
claim the coming of the kingdom of God, and their 
report of the success of their mission, when he re- 
plied, “ [ beheld Satan as lightning fall from heav- 
en;” an expression evidently prophetical rather 
than historical, intimating the approaching discom- 
fiture of Satan, and his deposition, as the god of 
the world, through the power of the Gospel. Still 
farther fetched is the attempted use of Isaiah xiv, 
12, where the prophet, in high poetical imagery, 
addresses the king of Babylon as Lucifer, (light- 
bringer,) evidently having in his mind the morning 
star, or, possibly, the sun, of whom he says, in ref- 
erence to his impending overthrow, ‘‘ How art thou 
fallen!” ‘Two or three places in Revelation have 
also been made to do service in the same, all of 
which, however, if they have any reference at all to 
Satan, must refer to something future rather than 
past ; to the casting down of the devil by the power 
of Christ in the Gospel, not to his expulsion from 
heaven at some unknown point in the ages before 
the foundation of the world. It is therefore con- 
ceded, even by those who still hold that Satan is a 
fallen angel, that most of the common notions on 
the subject are drawn from traditions popularized 
by Milton, but without a vestige of scriptural au- 
thority. See M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia. 

[The story of the fall of the angels, with many other 
extra-scriptural notions that have passed current 
as integral parts of divine truth, may be traced 
back to pre-Christian times among the Jews, and 
they appear to have been among the things learned 
in Babylon, or else coined out of the fertile brains 
of the post-exilian rabbins, the Schoolmen of the 
later Jewish Church. In the writings of those 
worthies we find expressions almost identical with 
those under discussion. The presence and influence 
of these extra-biblical fancies among the Jews in 
the time of our Lord, and during the earliest years 
of the Church, are manifest from a variety of allu- 
sions in the Gospels and the Acts and Epistles, but 
they received no countenance either from Christ or 
thé apostles. But they begin to be seen in the 
writings of the Fathers even before the close of 
the first century; and their presence becomes more 
and more manifest, till at length they were accepted 
as virtually parts of the doctrines of the Gospel, 
giving their colouring to the patristic and medieval 
literature, forming the burden of their hym- 
nology, and peopling the world with phantoms and 
chimeras of which the written word knows abso- 
lutely nothing. 

[The language of the verse before us is peculiar. 
The words rendered “ east them down to hell” have 
for their original simply the word, ταρταρώσας, lit- 
erally, tartarized them. This word is not found in 
any of its forms in any other place in the New 
Testament, nor in the Septuagint, nor in the later 
classical Greek. Homer and Hesiod make tartarus 
the prison house of such gods as may be doomed 
to suffering, as erebus is the place for lost souls of 
men. No doubt it is here used as equivalent to 
gehenna, or else the worse side of hades. But 
the mythological origin of its imagery and appa- 
ratus is obvious. | 


[Nore B.—Chapter ii, 20, 21. 


[20. If after they have escaped the pollutions of 
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and 


escaping them,] they are again entangled therein, and 
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the 
beginning. 

[21. For it had been better for them not to have 
known the way of righteousness, than, after they had 
known it, to turn from the holy commandment de- 
livered unto them. 

[Those who so effectually know Christ as by that 
knowledge to have escaped the pollutions of the 
world, may yet fall back into those pollutions, and 
perish everlastingly. That the knowledge of the 
way of righteousness which they had attained was 
an inward, experimental knowledge, is evident 
from that other expression, they had ‘ escaped 
the pollutions of the world;” an expression par- 
allel to that of the preceding chapter, (verse 4 :) 
“Having escaped the corruption which is in the 
world.” And in both places this effect is ascribed to 
the same cause, termed in the first “the knowledge 
of him who hath called us to glory and virtue ;” 
and in the second, more explicitly, “the knowledge 
of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” And yet 
they lost that experimental knowledge of Christ 
and the way of righteousness; they fell back into 
the same pollutions they had escaped, and were 
“again entangled therein and were overcome.” 
They “turned from the holy commandment deliv- 
ered to them,” so that their “latter end was worse 
than the beginning.” Therefore those who so 
effectually know Christ as by that knowledge to 
have escaped the pollutions of the world, may yet 
fall back into those pollutions, and perish everlast- 
ingly. And all this is perfectly consistent with 
St. Peter’s words in the former epistle, (chapter i,) 
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith 
unto salvation.” Undoubtedly, so are all they who 
ever attain eternal salvation. It is the power of 
God only, and not our own, by which we are kept 
one day or one hour.—J. WusLry, Works, vi, 87, 
Am. ed.] 


[Nore C.—Chapter iii, 10, 12, 13. 


[10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; 
[‘‘in the night,” is probably not genuine ;] i the 
which the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, 
the earth also and the works that are therein shall 
be burned up. 

[12, 13. Looking for and hasting unto the coming 
(παρουσίαν) of the day of God, wherein the heavens 
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements 
shall melt with fervent heat. But, according to his 
promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

[The statements contained in these two verses, 
while they embody some of the chief features of 
the traditional and popular eschatology of the his- 
torical Church, are much more in harmony with the 
prevailing Jewish thought of the times just before 
and after the incarnation than with any thing 
found in other parts of the New Testament, except 
the epistle of Jude. Zhe Old Testament is entirely 
silent respecting the end of the world, (κόσμος.) Nor 
is there any thing in either the historical books of 
the New Testament or in the undisputed canonical 
epistles that illustrates the subject, except as they 
are interpreted in the light of such passages as those 
given above; but in nearly every mythological sys- 
tem the doctrine forms a distinguishing feature. It 
is well known that the Jews who returned from 
Babylon, where most of those who returned had 

525 


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Year of Rome, 813. 


been born and reared, brought with them not a 
few extra-biblical notions respecting the future 
life, traces of which may be seen in the language 
and imagery of the New Testament, but the notions 
themselves were not sanctioned by either Christ or 
the apostles. But as the Church became enlarged, 
and many parts of it removed both by time and 
place from apostolical authority, these Babylonian 
or Persian myths found their way into the teachings 
and the literature of the earlier as well as the later 
patristic times. The subsequent advent of the 
Dark Ages, reaching downward a thousand years 
from the fall of the Western Empire, gave the time 
and conditions requisite for the complete ascendency 
of these mytlis, and their incorporation into the 
Chureh’s liturgies and bymnology, while priest- 
craft eagerly seized upon and appropriated to its 
nefarious purposes the imagery of this non- 
scriptural eschatology, as appealing most forcibly 
to men’s imaginations, and being thus aptly suited 
to become an instrument of ghostly domination. 
[The various apostolic utterances which have 
been understood as teaching the second coming of 
Christ, in outward form, to set up his kingdom 
in the world as a civil state, present great diffi- 
culties, however they may be interpreted. How 
they were understood by the apostles themselves 
is itself one of the chief issues. With the precon- 
ceptions that have long dominated the mind of 
Christendom, it seems very difficult to doubt that 
the first generation of believers lived in the con- 
stant expectation of Christ’s coming again in bodily 
form, with a retinue of angels, and with spectacular 
manifestations in midheaven. So the announce- 
ment made by the angels to the disciples at the 
ascension was interpreted, even to the details of 
the manner of his appearance, ὅν τρόπον, usually 
translated in like manner, as implying that Christ 
would return again to the earth, much as he was 
seen go away from it “into heaven.” He who reads 
the language of the apostles after that event, 
whether in preaching or writing, referring to that 
assurance, may, with the prevalent mental bias, 
readily presume that they—the apostles—shared 
the common expectation of that event, as has been 
well said, during the lifetime of those then living. 
But the long time that has elapsed without the 
fulfilment of the supposed promise has compelled 
men to seek for some method of interpreting the 
words of the apostles in a sense that will not com- 
pel the conclusion that they spoke unadvisedly, 
and that time has demonstrated their error. Per- 
haps their words will bear such an interpretation, 
though it is quite certain that they were understood 
by their hearers to add the weight of their words 
to the prevalent notions respecting the parousia. 
[But much more than a question of verbal criticism 
and interpretation is found in the fact that the ex- 
pected coming of Christ is often and earnestly 
urged by the apostles as a motive to endurance 
and diligence, because the time of suffering or 
labour would be brief, for that the Lord was at hand 
524 


I. PETER. 


Additional note on chapter 


iii, 10, 12, 13, 


to cut short his work in righteousness, to reward 
those whom he should find “waiting for his ap- 
pearance,” and to overthrow and destroy their per- 
secuting adversaries, and the use made of these 
assurances and exhortations, proceeded on the as- 
sumption that the individuals addressed might ex- 
pect that the promised deliverance and recompense 
would come in their day. 

[It is easy to conceive how potent such an expecta- 
tion would be with the suffering ‘and persecuted 
saints; and it is equally easy to see how completely 
that hope would be dashed by the further revela- 
tion, could it have been made, that after eighteen 
centuries the expected coming would be still de- 
layed. If we say that the apostles had no expecta- 
tion of Christ’s coming again till after other events 
had occurred, which would occupy hundreds, per- 
haps thousands, of years, then it may be asked, By 
what law of sincerity could the apostles not only 
allow their words to be misunderstood by those 
who waited to be taught by them, but much more, 
how could they make use of the misapprehen- 
sions of their hearers as motives to right actions ? 
And if, to avoid such formidable difficulties as 
these things present, we shall say that the apostles 
themselves had misapprehended the matter, and 
were, in common with others, in error in their un- 
derstanding of the subject, then must we accept a 
theory of apostolic inspiration and infallibility 
very largely modified from that which has usually 
been held among nearly all classes of Christians. 

[The period of the earth’s existence in the past, 
and of its probable continuance in the future, has 
till quite recently been reckoned by comparatively 
a few years. The Old Testament chronology, as 
usually interpreted, carried back “the beginning ” 
less than ten thousand years, and the conception 
common to both the learned and the unlearned 
fixed the Berrsuitn, the beginning of the first sen- 
tence of Genesis, in immediate connexion with the 
initial moment of the six ordinary solar days 
during which the work of creation began and pro-~ 
ceeded to its completion, and man stood forth fully 
developed, the lord of the newly created world. 
Men’s minds were unused to contemplate the ex- 
tended wons of mundane existence with which they 
have now become familiar, and it was quite natural 
for them to suspect that the time for a change and 
a passing away was at hand. Certainly the words 
of solemn warning used by some of the apostles, 
and here by St. Peter, indicate their abiding con- 
viction that a great cosmic change was imminent; 
that jire was to be the agent, and that because 
Christians looked for “ these things ”—in their own 
time, of course, or the warning would be without 
significance to them—they were earnestly exhorted 
to “give diligence that they might be found in 
peace,’ [by Christ at his coming?] These are 
questions that await an explanation; but happily, 
Christian duty and privileges are very little affected 
by them. To every soul Christ will surely come 
quickly, and for that coming all may prepare. ] 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE 


OF 


J) QED N. 


GENUINENESS. 


ee this epistle is identical in its authorship with the gospel of St. John, 

scarcely admits of a doubt, and indeed it has scarcely ever been called in 
question even by the most stubborn sceptics. De Wette remarks on this subject: 
“So much is certain, that both the writings, this epistle and the fourth gospel, 
proceed from the same author ; for both bear the most definite stamp of relation- 
ship, as well in style as in conceptions ; both impress upon the reader the same 
charm of a kind nature.” It is also recognised by all the authorities of the ancient 
Church, with almost absolute unanimity, as the production of the beloved disciple, 
the author of the gospel of St. John. [It was used by Polycarp—a disciple 
of John about A.D. 115. Eusebius states that Papias, who lived in Asia Minor 
in the first half of the second century, and is called by Irenzeus a hearer of John, 
“made use of testimonies from the first epistle of John.” Nor could Eusebius, be 
mistaken in this matter, for he had before him the work of Papias; and the 
peculiar style of John’s epistle, even though unnamed, is easily recognised wher- 
ever quoted. This epistle in the Peshito-Syriac Version, and in the Canon of 
Muratori, is attributed to the apostle John, and it formed a part of the earliest 
Latin Version. It is quoted by Irenzeus as the writing of John the disciple of the 
Lord; also by Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian of Carthage. It is 
attributed to John by Origen and Eusebius; and Jerome remarks that it “is 
approved of by all ecclesiastics and learned men.”—Harman. | 


IDENTITY OF AUTHORSHIP WITH JOHN’S GOSPEL. 


The internal evidence to the common authorship of the gospel of John and 
this first epistle is also very strongly corroborative of the external. The proofs 
of this are too abundant to allow of their introduction. The genuineness of the 
-epistle is inseparably united with that of the gospel, and the attacks that have 
been made upon either have been uniformly directed against both. [The re- 
marks of Liicke at this point are pertinent. He says: “The affinity between 
the epistle and the gospel is indeed very great, but altogether of such a kind 
that, according to the rules of sound criticism, we are led to conclude that the 
author of each is the same, and consequently the genuineness of the gospel being 
presupposed, as is granted by the most competent authorities, that of the epistle 
must follow. In the epistle there is nowhere to be found the smallest trace of 


servile imitation ; on the contrary, it appears throughout as a free and original 
525 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JONN. 


production of the spirit of St.John. An interpolator would have taken great 
care, even outwardly, to impress on his counterfeit the stamp of St. John in every 
possible manner ; he would have mentioned the name of the evangelist ; he would 
not have forgot to put in a prolix superscription and a formal salutation ; he 
would have interspersed the epistle, in many places, with personal and _ local 
allusions, and made the time and the circumstances of St, John as conspicuous as 
possible. But at the same time such an author, however able an imitator of the 
manner of St. John, would, according to the custom of the interpolators of the 
second century, never have failed to introduce both his own sentiments and circum- 
stances, and those of his age, and scarcely would have: been able entirely to avoid 
contortions and misrepresentations of the ideas of St. John and of his mode of 
expression. But where is there the slightest trace of all this in the epistle? Form 
and language, doctrine and manners, heresies exposed and attacked—in short, the 
entire substance of the epistle—establish it as a production of the apostolic age 
and of the canonic literature. In this particular it presents very much stronger 
claims than the somewhat disputed second epistle of Peter and the epistle of 
Jude ; while on the other hand the idiomatical agreement between the apocalypse 
and the unquestionably genuine writings of St.John will sooner be accepted as 
proving it to be genuine and canonical than that this epistle is a forgery of the 
second century.” ] 
INTEGRITY. 


Beyond most other portions of the New Testament, the several parts of this 
epistle are conceded to belong to each other, and to stand or fall together. And 
yet to this general statement two brief sentences form rather remarkable ex- 
ceptions. The words in chapter ii, 23, translated, “He that acknowledgeth the 
Son hath the Father also,” are omitted in our common Version, but usually inserted 
by later editors, either in italics or enclosed in brackets, to indicate its lack of 
authority. It is, however, amply supported by the very best modern authorities, 
and isnow generally accepted as genuine. On the other hand, the famous passage 
constituting parts of the seventh and eighth verses of the fifth chapter, which two 
verses read, (in English,) “ For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the 
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are 
three that bear witness in earth,] the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these 
three agree in one,” has been the occasion of a great amount of learned discussion 
and controversy, which, however, may be said to have ended in completely dis- 
crediting the part contained above in brackets. See the notes, and especially the 
additional note at the end. 


ARRANGEMENT AND PURPOSE. 


On account of its aphoristic and apparently tautological character some 
(especially Calvin, Episcopius, et al.) have been induced to believe that there is 
no contextual connexion in the epistle. Liicke, acknowledging his indebtedness - 
to Knapp and Rickli, holds the proper theme of the epistle, the object, ground, 
and binding together of all its doctrinal and practical sayings, to be this prop- 
osition: “As the ground and root of all Christian fellowship is the fellowship 
which each individual has with the Father and the Son, in faith and in love, so 
this latter necessarily unfolds and exhibits itself in the former, namely, in the 
fellowship with the brethren.” Having laid this down, he divides the epistle 
into many sections, all unfolding in various ways this central truth. Liicke’s 


method has been judged to be defective, (see Diisterdieck,) as only following the 
526 


¢ 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN. 


steps of the writing without attempting to grasp the master thought which runs 
through the whole epistle and determines its character. It may nevertheless be 
correct as far as it proceeds. “He has,” says Alford, “given the sequence of 
thought, as it stands, but he has not accounted for it, (shown the purpose in hand.) 
The complete statement of the disposition of the matter of the epistle must tell 
us not only how the train of thought proceeds, but why it thus proceeds.” 

De Wette conceives the design of the epistle to be to confirm the readers in 
the Christian life, as consisting in purity (love) and faith, and to this end to 
awaken and sharpen the moral conscience by reminding them of the great moral 
axioms of the Gospel, and of the inseparableness of morality and faith, so guard- 
ing them against the influence of false teachers. 

Diisterdieck objects to this statement as too superficial, and failing to appre- 
ciate the full purport of the writer’s design, which he sees presented in two 
master thoughts, namely, 1) “God is light,” and 2) “God is righteous.” These 
themes are impressed on the reader both by positive and negative unfolding, 
and by polemical defense against erroneous teachers; and this being done, each 
principal portion is concluded with a corresponding promise. And both of these 
chief thoughts tend throughout to illustrate and enforce the great subject of the 
whole, FeELLowsute with Gop THE FATHER AND THE Lorp Jesus CuristT. 

Presenting these great truths as spiritual and life-giving realities, to be 
apprehended experimentally rather than speculatively, the apostle is able to show 
why the epistle was written, the ταῦτα ἔγραψα (chapter v) answering to the ταῦτα 
γράφομεν of chapter i, 4, to teach them, so that they may surely believe that our 
fellowship with the Father and with one another rests on our fellowship with 
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. See Alford. 


PERSONS ADDRESSED. 


Nothing in the epistle itself directly indicates who the persons were to whom 
it was primarily addressed. Its designation as a catholic epistle implies the 
persuasion of the early Church that its design was somewhat general, and that its 
instructions were intended not entirely for one particular Church but for many, 
and all over whom the writer exercised his apostolical watchcare. And yet 
evidently the writer had in mind a class of persons with whom he stood in close 
personal relations, and who were exposed to the seductive doctrines of unsound 
and heretical teachers. Augustine says that it was addressed to the “ Parthians,” 
and (apparently on his authority) this inscription appears insome copies of the Vul- 
gate ; but while this statement is not sustained by external evidence, it is rendered 
improbable by the fact that it does not appear that John had any relations to the 
Christians of that country. The prevalent and altogether credible tradition that 
John was for a long time very intimately related to the Church of Ephesus, 
and only a little more remotely to other Churches in that region, seems to make 
it probable that this epistle was primarily intended for the same Churches to 
whom he afterward conveyed Christ’s own messages as given in Revelation, 
chapters i, ii, iii. Lardner’s declaration may therefore be accepted as altogether 
probable and quite satisfactory, “that it was primarily meant for the Churches 
in Asia under John’s inspection, to which he had already orally delivered his 
doctrine.” 

CONTENTS. 
The writer does not appear to have followed any systematic plan in the composi- 


tion of the epistle, but rather to have written out of a fullheart. Of the contents 
527 


PREFACE TO THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN. 


of the letter Fairbairn gives the following analysis: “ He asserts the preexistent 
glory and the real humanity of our Lord, in opposition to false teachers, and for the 
comfort of the Church. (Chapter i, 1-7.) Then follows a statement of the sin- 
fulness of man and the propitiation made by Christ, this propitiation being well cal- 
culated to stir up to holiness and love. (Chapter i, 8; ii, 17.) Jesus and the 
Christ are asserted to be one, in opposition to the false teachers. (Chapter 
ii, 22.) The next chapter seems devoted to a statement of the singular love of God 
in adopting us to be sons, and of the happiness and the duties arising out of it, 
especially that of brotherly love. (Chapter 111.) The following chapter is prin- 
cipally occupied with marks by which to distinguish the teachings of the Spirit of 
God from those of false teachers and of antichrist, with repeated exhortations to 
love of the brethren. (Chapter iv.) The apostle then shows the connexion 
between faith, renewal, love to God and to the brethren, obedience, and victory 
over the world, and concludes with a brief summary of what had been already 
said. (Chapter v.)” It appears quite evident, that the writer had in view certain 
false teachers who were then troubling the Church, and by whose influence the 
Christians were in danger of being seduced from the faith of Jesus as the incar- 
nate Son of God; and the whole epistle bears strong internal evidence that it was 
intended to combat the beginnings of certain well known heresies that soon after- 
ward so greatly divided and devastated the Church. 


PLACH AND TIME OF WRITING. 


Tradition has usually placed the writing of this epistle at Ephesus, though it 
was said by some to have been written in Patmos. From internal evidence it 
appears to belong to Asia Minor, but to what particular city or place there is no 
means of determining. The claim in favour of Ephesus appears the most prob- 
able, but even for this we have no historical data. 

There is a like uncertainty in respect to its date, though it is generally sup- 
posed that it was written after the gospel, and that the gospel is referred to in 
1Johni,4. Liicke concludes, from its resemblance to the gospel in its apologetical 
and polemical allusions, that it indicates the existence of a state of society that 
proves it to have been written after the date of St. Paul’s epistles. From the 
expression, “ This is the last time,” (chapter ii, 18,) assuming that to refer to the 
ending of the Jewish Church and nation, with the destruction of Jerusalem, it 
has been argued that it was written before the occurrence of that great catastro- 
phe, [though it having occurred would have more certainly indicated that this was 
indeed “the last time.”| The plea that the epistle was written when its author 
had attained a very great age is certainly not sustained by any signs of senility 
in either its conceptions or statements, though the frequent use of the expression 
“little children,” and generally its loving, fatherly spirit, may indicate the quiet 
serenity of age. Altogether the question respecting both the time and the place 
of the writing of this epistle can be only proximately settled; it was pretty cer- 
tainly written at, or not far from, Ephesus, during the later years of the lifetime 
of its apostolic author; and possibly, but scarcely probably, before the destruction 


of Jerusalem. 
528 


THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


JOHN. 


CHAPTER I. 
HAT *which was from the beginning, 
which we have heard, which we have seen 
with our eyes, *which we have looked upon, 
and cour hands have handled, of the Word of 
Life; 2 (For ‘the Life ὁ was manifested, and 
we have seen 7f, ‘and bear witness, £and show 
unto you that eternal Life, »which was with 


the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 
3 ‘That which we have seen and heard de- 
clare we unto you, that ye also may have fel- 
lowship with us: and truly «our fellowship is 
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 
4 And these things write we unto you, ! that 
your joy may be full. 6 "This then is the 
message which we have heard of him, and de- 


3.13: — John Ἷ 2 Pet. 1. 18; chap. 
“John 20, 27. eaten ἢ 4511. 25; 14.6, 
Tim. 3. 163 chap. 3. 5. 


NOTES ON CUAPTER 1. 

[St. John gives his readers an assurance that his 
evangelical statement is founded on his own infal- 
lible evidence respecting the dignity, the doctrine, 
and the deeds of Jesus Christ, and that it has no 
other object than to enlarge and establish more 
firmly the communion of the true disciples of 
Jesus ; that with the same view he now writes to 
them, in order to strengthen their faith, and thus 
rendet complete their joy in the Lord. —Liicke.] 

. That which was from the beginning— 
That glorious personage, Jesus Curist the Lorn, 
who was from eternity; him, being manifested in 
the flesh, we have heard proclaim the doctrine of 
eternal life; with our own eyes have we seen him, 
not transiently, for we have looked upon him fre. 
quently; and our hands have handled—frequent- 
ly touched—his person ; and we have had every proof 
of the identity and reality of this glorious being 
that our senses of hearing, seeing, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ 
ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, and feeling, καὶ αἱ 
χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν, could possibly require. 

2. For the Life was manifested—The Lord 
Jesus, who is the creator of all things, and the 
fountain of life to all intellectual beings, and from 
whom eternal life comes, was “ manifested” in the 
flesh, and we have seen /im, and bear witness 
to him as the fountain and author of eternal life ; 
for he who was from eternity with the Father was 
manifested unto us his apostles. 

3. That which we have seen and heard— 
We deliver nothing by hearsay, tradition, or con- 
jecture. [A highly involved sentence, including the 
first three verses, the substance of which is con- 
densed into the words these things, ταῦτα, of 


a John 1. 1; chap. 
4, 14.—c Luke 24. ἮΝ 
—e Rom. 16. 26; 1 


verse 4. The whole sentence, expressed in idio- | 


matic English, may be rendered, “In order that 
(ἔνα) ye may have fellow ship (κοινωνία, common in- 


terest) with us, we declare unto you that which we | 


have seen and heard, that which was from the be- 
ginning, which we have heard, which we have 
Vol. 11.--ϑΆ 


seen | 


J John 51. 24; Acts 2. 32—g Chap. 5. 20-—/ John 1. 1, 2 
—i Acts 4. 20.—k John 17. A: 1 Cor. 1, 9; chap, 2, 24.— 
¢Jobn 15. 11; 16, 24; ;2John 12, —m ο hap. Ris 


with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our 
hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life ; 
(for the Life was manifested, and we have seen if, 
[him, | and bear witness, and show unto you that eter- 
nal Life, which was with the Father, and was mani- 
fested unto us,) and truly our fellowship is with the 
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these 
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” ] 
That ye also may have fellowship with us— 
[The apostle here brings out that he (along with 
the rest of the apostles) has fellowship with the 
Father and with the Son, and no doubt in order to 
intimate by this that his readers, if they have fel- 
lowship with him, are thereby received with him 
into that fellowship.—Huther. ] 

4. That your joy may be Π1]]--Πεπληρωμένη ; 
may be filled up, or out, made complete.] Ye have 
already tasted that the Lord is good; but I now 
show you the height of your Christian calling, that 
your happiness may be complete, {being brought into 
the fulness of the blessing of the grace of C hrist. ] 

5. This then is the message—| Kai ἔστιν αὕτη 
ἀγγελία, and this is the message, the thing an- 
nounced. ] (See John i, 18.) God is light— 
[What the Son has announced from the Father, 
that the apostle, having received from the Son, has 
re-announced to us.—Hrasmus.| “ Light” implies 
every essential excellence, especially wisdom, holi- 
ness, and happiness. Darkness implies all imper- 
fection, and principally ignorance, sinfulness, and 
misery. ‘ Light” is the purest, the most subtile, 
the most useful, and the most diffusive of all God’s 
creatures; it is, therefore, a very proper emblem 
of the purity, perfection, and goodness of the di- 
vine nature. God is to human souls what the light 
is to the world; without the latter all would be dis- 
mal and uncomfortable, and terror and death would 
universally prevail; and without an indwelling 
God even religion would be at best only an empty 
science, a dead letter, a system unauthoritative and 
uninfluencing, and the soul a trackless wilderness, 

529 


A, M. 4013. A. D. 69. 
Year of Rome, 822. 


I. JOHN. 


Confession of sin necessary to 
salvati n from it, 


clare unto you, that "God is light, and in him 
is no darkness at all. 6 °If we say that we 
have fellowship with him, and walk in dark- 
ness, we lie, and do not the truth. 7 But if 
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we 
have fellowship one with another, and rthe 
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us 


from all sin. & 41} we say that we have no 
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the trath is not 
inus. 9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faith- 
ful and just to forgive us ow? sins, and to 
‘cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If 
we say that we have not sinned, we make hin 
a liar, and his word is not in us. 


m John 1. 9; 8. 12: 9. 5: 12. 35, 36. 02 Cor. 6, 14; chap. 2. 4. 
— 71 Cor. 6. 11; Eph. 1. 7; Heb. 9. 14; 1 Pet. 1. 19; chap. 
2.2; Rev. 1. d. 


q1 Kings 8. 16: 2 Chron, 6. 36; Job 9, 2; 15. 11: 95. 4: Prov. 
20, 45 Eecles, 7. 20; Janes 3. 2, r Chap. 2. 4.—ws Psa. 32. ὃ: 
Prov. 28. 15. —7 Psa. ὃ]. 2; verse 7. 


a howling waste, full of evil, of terror, and dismay. 
No wonder the apostle lays this down as a first and 
grand principle, stating it to be the essential ‘“ mes- 
sage” which he had received from Christ to deliver 
to the world. 

6. If we say that we have fellowship—Hav- 
ing “fellowship” (κοινωνία, communion) with God, 
necessarily implies a partaking of the divine nature. 
Now, if we profess to have such communion, and 
yet walk in darkness—live an irregular and sinful 
life—[we are false in our profession, ψευδόμεθα, and 
are enacting a falsehood, οὐ ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 
[Ῥευδόμεθα (we lie) expresses the moral objec- 
tionableness of such a contradiction between ihe 
deed and the word. The negative clause (do not 
the truth) is not a mere repetition of the same 
thought, but introduces along with it a new idea, 
... namely, the practice of ἀλήθεια (the truth) in 
word and deed. (See John iii, 21.)—Huther.] The 
Gnostics, against whose errors it is supposed this 
epistle was written, were great pretenders to 
knowledge, to the highest degrees of the divine il- 
lumination and the nearest communion with the 
fountain of holiness, while their manners were ex- 
cessively corrupt. 

7. But if we walk in the light—If, having 
received the principle of holiness from him, we live 
a holy and righteous life. We have fellowship 
one with another—That is, we have communion 
with God, and God condescends to hold communion 
with us. Those who are deeply experienced in di- 
vine things converse with God, and God with them. 
What John says is no figure; God and a holy 
heart are in continual correspondence. The 
blood of Jesus Christ—The meritorious efficacy 
of his passion and death having purged our con- 
sciences from dead works, now cleanseth us, 
καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς, continues to cleanse us, that is, to 
keep clean what it has made clean, for it requires 
the same merit and energy to preserve holiness in 
the soul of man as to produce it. [The work of 
redemption is a whole, and not mechanical but or- 
ganic and moral, so that this cleansing takes place 
inside the fellowship of the Church—of the fellow- 
ship essential to and established for redemption.— 
Braune.| |“ The blood of Jesus Christ,” according 
to the Hebrew idiom, denotes the bloody death of 
Christ, the principal point of his redeeming activity 
on earth. St. Paul chiefly connects with this ex- 
pression the power of justification, δικαίωσις ; but 
St. John here connects with it the power of puri- 
JSying from sin. The notions are essentially one ; 
the form only differs.—Liicke. | 

8. If we say that we have no sin—This is 
tantamount to verse 10: “Jf we say that we have 
not sinned.” “ All have sinned, and come short of 
the glory of God ;” and therefore every man needs 
a Saviour, such as Christ is. [Purification from 
sin (as a continuous process, expressed by the 


present tense) presupposes the existence of sin in: 


530 


believers; the denial of this is self-deception. 
(See J. Wesley’s Sermon on ‘Sin in Believers.’’) 
The first person plural, ἔχομεν, (we have,) is to be 
noticed as showing that having sin is true of all 
Christians, (but not therefore dominating in them.)]| 
We deceive ourselves—By supposing that we 
have no guilt, no sinfulness, and consequently have 
no.need of the blood of Christ as an atoning sacri- 
fice ; this is the most dreadful of «ll deceptions, as 
it leaves the soul under the guilt and pollution of 
sin, exposed to hell, and utterly unfit for heaven. 
The truth is not in us—We have no knomledge of 
the Gospel of Jesus, the whole of which is founded 
on this most awful truth—all have sinned, all are 
guilty, all are unholy; and none can redeem him- 
self. Hence it was necessary that Jesus {Christ 
should become incarnated, and suffer and die to 
bring men to God. 

9. If we confess our sins—If, from a deep 
sense of our guilt, impurity, and helplessness, we 
humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our 
iniquity, his holiness, and our own utter helpless- 
ness, and implore mercy for his sake who has died 
for us; he is faithful, because to such he has 
promised mercy, (Psa. xxxii, 5, Prov. xxviii, 15.) 
and just, for Christ has died for us, and thus made 
an atonement to the divine justice; so that God 
can now be just, and yet the justifier of him that 
believeth in Jesus. [If God is just when he justifies 
the penitent and believing sinner, (Rom. iii, 26,) not 
to justify, in the same conditions, would argue in- 
justice; for the same act, among the same con- 
ditions, must in all cases possess the same ethical 
qualities.| And to cleanse us from all unright- 
eousness—Not only to forgive the sin, but to 
purify the heart. 

10. If we say that we have not sinned— 
[Not a mere repetition, but a confirmation and in- 
tensification of verse 8... . If we deny the fact of 
our commission of sins in our Christian state, we 
make him (God) a liar—The climax gradually 
reached of the falsehood of verse 6, and the se/7- 
deception of verse 8. See Alford.] 


Observe here, 1) Sin exists in the soul after two 
modes or forms: (1) In guwi/t, which requires for- 
giveness or pardon. (2) In pollution, which re- 
quires cleansing. 2) Guilt, to be forgiven, must 
be confessed ; and pollution, to be cleansed, must be 
also confessed. In order to find mergy, a man must 
know and feel himself to be a sinner, that he may 
fervently apply to God for pardon; in order to ob- 
tain a clean heart, a man must know and feel its 
depravity, acknowledge and deplore it before God, 
in order to be fully sanctified. 38) If few are par- 
doned, it is because most men do not feel and confess 
their sins; and few are sanctified or cleansed from 
all sin, because many Christians do not feel and 
confess their own sore, and the plague of their 
hearts. 4) As the blood of Jesus Christ, the merit 


Jesus Christ is the propitiation 
and advocate of sinners. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4073. A. 1D. 69. 
Year of Kome, 822, 


CHAPTER II. 
Y little children, these things write I un- 
to you, that ye sin not. And if any man 
sin, ὅν have an advocate with the Father, 
Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And “he is the 
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours 


only, but “also for the sins of the whole world. 
3 And hereby we do know that we know 
him, if we keep his commandments. 4 4 Ie 
that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his 
commandments, *is a liar, and the truth is not 
in him. & But ‘whoso keepeth his word, ¢in 


1 Tim. 2. δ: Heb. 7. 25; 9. 24.—d Rom. 3. 25; 
5.18; chap. 1. 7: 4. 10.—cJohn 1. 29; 4. 423 11. 51, δὲ: 


a Rom. 8, 34: 
2 Cor. 


of his passion and death, applied by faith, purges 
the conscience from all dead works, so the same 
cleanses the heart from ail unrighteousness. 5) As 
all unrighteousness is siz, so he that is cleansed 
from all unrighteousness is cleansed from all sin. 
To attempt to evade this, and plead for the contin- 
uance of sinin the heart through life, is ungrateful, 
wicked, and even blasphemous; for as he who 
saus he has not sinned (verse 10) makes God a liar, 
who has declared the contrary through every part 
of his revelation; so he that says the blood of 
Christ either cannot ov will not cleanse us from all 
sin, gives also the lie to his Maker, who has declared 
the contrary, and thus shows that the word—the 
doctrine—of God is not inhim. [And yet since this 
cleansing is a work ever proceeding, the perpetual 
tendency to relapse into sin is here recognised. 
The same grace that cleansed the soul at the first 
is perpetually required to keep it clean. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 

1. My little children—Texvia μου, my beloved 
children ; the address of an affectionate father to 
children whom he tenderly loves. The term also 
refers to the apostle’s authority as their spiritual 
father, and their obligation to obey as his spiritual 
children. These things—Tavra, which had been 
named in what goes before, these are there written 
for a purpose, namely, that ye sin not, wa μὴ 
ἁμάρτητε, in order that you may not fall into sin.] 
[The object of writing this passage was to bring 
about in them the forsaking of sin. The very an- 
nouncement there made, that if we confess our 
sins he in his faithfulness and righteousness will 
cleanse us from all sin, sufficiently substantiates what 
the apostle here says.— A/ford.| | That ye sin not 
—This is the language of the whole Scripture ; of 
every dispensation, ordinance, institution, doctrine, 
and word of God. ‘Sin not,” do not run into ruin ; 
live not so as to promote your own misery; be 
happy, for it is the will of God that ye should be 
so; therefore he wills that ye should be holy: 
holiness and happiness are inseparable; sin and 
misery are equally so. Andif any man sin— 
If, through ignorance, inexperience, the violence of 
temptation, unwatchfulness, ete., ye have fallen 
into sin, and grieved the Spirit of God, do not con- 
tinue in the sin, nor under the guilt; do not de- 
spair of being again restored to the favour of God; 
your case, it is true, is deeply deplorable, but not 
desperate; there is still hope, for we have an 
advocate with the Father: we still have Him 
before the throne who died for our offences, and 
rose again for our justification ; and there he makes 
intercession for us. He is the righteous ; he who 
suffered, the gust for the wrjust, that he might 
bring us to God. Do not, therefore, despair, but 
have immediate recourse to God through him. 
[‘‘ An advocate,” παράκλητον, (see on John xvi, 16, 
where the Holy Spirit is so named with special ref- 
erence to the work of the comrorrer. Here the 
sense is evidently forensic, aud the paraclete, here 


} the religion of Christ. 


chap. 4. 14.——d. Chap. 1. 6; 4. 20.—e Chap. 1. 8.—/ John 14. 


21, 23 4, 12. ° 


referring to Christ,) is our apvocaTE, cause 
patronus, a legal assistant, whether as witness or 
pleader, or both in one. In this case Christ is both : 
he presents the propitiation, (his own blood,) and 
also pleads our cause before the throne.| [The 
office of Christ as παράκλητος (advocate) with God is 
founded on this, that he himself has become the 
ἱλασμός (atoning sacrifice) for our sins. 
Without Christ’s redeeming and atoning activity on 

earth, his activity in heaven (in our behalf) eculd 
not be conceived.—Liicke.] _[Grotius uses this pas- 
sage as a strong support of his doctrine of satesfac- 
tion, “de placatione et reconciliatione, de redemp- 
tione, de expatione nostra per Christi mortem facta,” 
saying, “Christ has, as our ἱλασμός, or ἱλαστήριον, 
that is, as a (our) sin offering, reconciled God and 
us by nothing else but by his voluntary death as a 
sacrifice ; has by this averted the wrath of God from 
us. | 

2. And he is the propitiation—T/acwoc, the 

atoning sacrifice, for our sins. This is the proper 
sense of the word as used in the Septuagint, where 
it often occurs; and is the translation of asham, an 
oblation for sin, (Amos viii, 14 ;) chattath, a sacrifice 
for sin, (Ezek. xliv, 27;) kippur, ἘΝ atonement. 
(Num.y, 8.) See the note on Rom. iii, 25, and particu- 
larly the note on Luke xviii, 18. ~The word is used 
only here and in chapter iv, 10. And not for ours 
only—It is not for us apostles that he has died, nor 
exclusively for the Jewish people, hut περὶ ὅλου τοῦ 
κόσμου, for the whole world, Gentiles as well as 
Jews—all the descendants of Adam. The apostle 
does not say that he died for any select part of the 
inhabitants of the earth, or for some out of every 
nation, tribe, or kindred; but for ALL MANKIND; 
and the attempt to limit this is a violent outrage 
against God and his word. [‘* The whole world ” is 
here mentioned in contradistinction to all Christians, 
to whom St. John speaketh in this place ; that whole 
world of which he says below (chapter v, 19) that 
it lieth in wickedness.—Dr. Barrow. | 

3. And hereby [ἐν τούτῳ, in or by this ; that is, 
the signs next named] we do know that we 
know him—If we keep the commandments of 
rod, loving him with all our heart, and our neigh- 
bour as ourselves, we have the fullest proof that 
we have the true saving knowledge of God and his 
Christ. The Gnostics pretended to much knowl- 
edge, but their knowledge left them in possession 
of all their bad passions and unholy habits; nor is 
any man properly acquainted with God who is still 
under the power of his sins. 

4. He that saith, I know him—This is a severe 
blow against those false teachers, and against all 
pretenders to religious knowledge who live under 
the power of theirsins ; and against all Antinomians, 
and false boasters in the righteousness of Christ as 
a covering for their personal unholiness. They are 
all /iavs, and no truth of God is in them. 

5. But whoso keepeth his word—Conscien- 
tiously observes his doctrine, the spirit and letter of 
Is the love of God per- 

531 


A. M. 4073. A. Ὁ. 69. 
Year of Rome, 822. 


I. JOHN. 


Love and obedience the evidence 
of abiding in God. 


him verily is the love of God perfected : * here- 
by know we that we are in him. 6 ‘He that 
saith he abideth in him * ought himself also so 
to walk, even as he walked. 7% Brethren, "1 
write no new commandment unto you, but an 
old commandment "which ye had from the 
beginning. The old commandment is the 
word which ye have heard from the begin- 
ning. $ Again, "a new commandment I write 


unto you, which thing is true in him and in 
you: °because the darkness is past, and pthe 
true light now shineth. 9 4 He that saith he 
is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in 
darkness even until now. #0 © He that loveth 
his brother abideth in the light, and ‘there is 
none t occasion of stumbling in him. ΕΠ But 
he that hateth his brother is in darkness, "and 
walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither 


hChap. 4. 13.—i John 15. 4, 5.— Matt. 11. 29; John 13. 
15; 1 Pet. 2. 21. 72 John 5.— Chap. 8. 113 2 John 5, 
m John 13. 34; 1d. 12. 


o Rom, 13. 12; Eph. 5. 8: 1 Thess, 5. 5, 8.—p John 1. 9; 8. 12; 
12. 35. gq 1 Cor, 13. 2; 2 Pet. 1.9; chap. 3. 14, 18. γ" Chap, 
3. 14.—s 2 Pet. 1. 10, t Gr. scundal.—u John 12. 3d. 


fected—The design: of God’s love in sending Jesus 
Christ into the world to die for the sin of man, 
τετελείωται, is accomplished in that man who re- 
ceives the doctrine and applies for the salvation 
provided for him. [It is according to the economy 
of grace that he who diligently and watchfully 
keeps God’s commandments in both the letter and 
the spirit shall steadily grow in grace, and in him 
the love of God (his love to God) shall be ever- 
more approximating to fulness.] Hereby know 
we that we are in him —[Ey τούτῳ, (see 
verse 3,) that is, by thus continually growing up 
into him, coming nearer .and nearer to that ideal 
perfection of which God himself is the essentially 
perfect prototype. | 

6. Abideth in him—Living a life of devotion 
and obedience to God, and of benevolence and 
beneficence to his neighbour. Thus Christ walked; 
and he has left usan example that we should follow 
his steps. To ‘be in Christ,” (verse 5,) is to be 
converted to the Christian faith and to have re- 
ceived the remission of sins. Yo abide in Christ, 
is to continue in that state of salvation, grow- 
ing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. [The phrases ἐν Χριστῷ and ἐν αὐτῷ 
occur often in the New Testament, as indicating the 
saved soul’s relations to Christ, certainly implying 
peculiar and very intimate relations of the two to 
each other. To be saved iz Christ is much mote 
than simply to be saved by him. See John xv, 1-7.] 

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment 
—tThere seems to be a contradiction between this 
and the next verse. But the apostle appears to 
speak, not so much of any difference in the essence 
of the precept itself, as in reference to the degrees 
of light and grace belonging to the Mosaic and 
Christian dispensations. It was ever the command 
of God that men should receive his light, walk by 
that light, and love him and one another. But this 
commandment was renewed by Christ with much lat- 
itude and spirituality of meaning; and also with 
much additional light to see its extent, and grace to 
observe it. It may therefore be called the ΟΡ 
commandment which was from the beginning; and 
also a NEW commandment revealed afresh and illus- 
trated by Christ, with the important addition to the 
meaning of Thow shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; 
ye shall love the brethren so as to lay down your 
lives for each other. (See on John xiii, 84.) In- 
stead of ἀδελφοί, brethren, ἀγαπητοί, beloved, is 
without doubt the trwe reading. [But the sense is 
the same. | 

8. Which thing is true in him and in you— 
It is true that Christ loved the world so well as to 
lay down his life for it ; and it was true in them, in 
all his faithrul followers at that time, who were 
ready to lay down their lives for the testimony of 
Jesus. 

532 


There is a saying in Synopsis Sohar, page 


94, note 51, that may cast some light on this pas- 
sage: That way in which the just have walked, al- 
though it be oun, yet may be said to be NEw in the 
love of the righteous. The love that the righteous 
bear to God and to each other is a renewal of the 
commandment. [The commandment, ἐντολή, in 
each case (verses 7 and 8) is the same, but seen 
in different aspects. Thus Alford: ‘“ The ἐντολή is 
the command to walk as Christ walked, passing as 
the passage advances into the law of love. The 
ἐντολῇ (commandment) is not καινῇ, (new,) but 
παλαιά, (old,) seeing that they had it ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, 
From the beginning of their faith, and it was in fact 
the sum of the λόγος (doctrine) which they ἄκουσαν, 
(heard.)”] The darkness is past — The thick 
darkness of the heathen world, and the comparative 
darkness of the Mosaic dispensation, are now pass- 
ing away; and the pure and superior light of 
Christianity is diffusing its beams everywhere. He 
does not say that the darkness was all gone by, but 
παράγεται, it is passing away ; he does not say that 
the fulness of the light had appeared, but ἡ δὴ φαίνει, 
it is now shining, and will shine more and more to 
the perfect day. 

9. He that saith he is in the light—He that 
professes to be a convert to Christianity, even in the 
lowest degree, And hateth his brother— Does not 
love him, Is in darkness—T[Is without the] saving 
knowledge of the truth. [The “light,” τὸ φῶς, de- 
notes the holy sphere of the divine life. ... The 
apostle regards his “brother,” particularly the 
believer in Christ, as begotten of God, the love of 
the brethren, as the children of a loved father, rests 
on the love of God, who has regenerated them. 
(Chapter iii, 10; v, 1.)] 

10. He that loveth his brother—That is, 
[primarily his fellow-belicver, but also, in a some- 
what different sense,|] his neighbour, his fellow- 
creature, whether Jew or Gentile, so as to bear him 
continual goodwill, and to be ready to do him 
every kind office, abideth in the light; not 
only gives proof that he has received Christ Jesus 
the Lord, but that he walks in him, that he retains 
the grace of his justification, and grows therein. 
And there is none occasion of stumbling in 
him—Kai σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ ov ἔστιν, and there is 
no stumbling block in him ; he neither gives nor re- 
ceives offence ; love prevents him from giving any to 
his neighbour, and love prevents him from receiving 
any from his neighbour, because it leads him to 
put the best construction on every thing. Many 
fall into sin because they do not see the snares that 
are in the way ; and they do not see the snares be- 
cause they either have not received, or do not abide 
in, the light. 

11. But he that hateth his brother is in 
darkness—[‘0 δὲ μισῶν, but he hating, a positive 
term, signifying a real ill will; for, as Bengel says, 


Description of the different states 
in the family of God. 


CHAPTER II. 


A. M. 4013, A. Ὁ. 69, 


Year of Rome, 822. 


he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded 
his eyes. 12 I write unto you, little children, 
because ἡ your sins are forgiven you for his 
name’s sake. 1% I write unto you, fathers, 
because ye have known him ¥ that is from the 
beginning. I write unto you, young men, be- 
cause ye have overcome the wicked one. I 
write unto you, little children, because ye have 
known the Father. 14 I have written unto 
you, fathers, because ye have known him that 


is from the beginning. I have written unto 
you, young men, because * ve are strong, and 
the word of God abideth in you, and ye have 
overcome the wicked one. 28 »¥ Love not the 
world, neither the things that are in the world. 
If any man love the world, the love of tlie 
Father is not in him. £6 For all that és in 
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust 
of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of tle 
Father, but is of the world. 17 And the 


® Luke 24. 47; ἱ Acts 4, 12; 10, 43; 13. 38: chap. 1. 7.——2w Chap. 
. 1.—~ Eph. 6. 10. —y Rom. 12, 2. 


“Where there is no love there is hatred, for the 
heart is never empty;” τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. (See 
verse 10)] He is still in his heathen or uncon- 
verted state; and walketh in darkness, his con- 
duct being a proof of that state; and knoweth 
not whither he goeth — Having πὸ proper 
knowledge of God or eternal things. 

12. I write unto you, little children—Tenvia, 
beloved children. (Seeonverse 1.) [Of all of whom 
it may be said, that their sins are forgiven for his 
(Christ’s) name’s sake,] who had died for them, and 
was now their Mediator at the right hand of God. 

13. I write unto you, fathers — |Ilarépec, 
either aged men, or those who had been believers 
for a long time; for there were many such in the 
Ephesian | Church. ] Ye have known him 
from the beginning—[Tov ἀπ’ ἀργῆς, him a 
was) from the beginning, (that is, Christ, John i, 1.)| 
I write unto you, young men—{[ Νεανίσκοι, young 
persons.| These were confirmed disciples of Ὀ hrist ; 
persons who were well grounded in the truth, had 
been thoroughly exercised in the Christian warfare, 
and were in the prime of life and in the zenith of their 
faith and love. [The proper attribute of youth is 
to carry on the parts of life; if soldiers, to be en- 
gaged in all active service; that of age, to contem- 
plate, and arrive at sound and matured knowledge. 
—Alford.| [There may also be here an allusion to 
the peculiar force of temptation felt by the young, 
which these had overcome.| I write unto you, 
little children—Iladia, not Texvia, (verse 12,) 
{probably including all the before named classes. | 
If the apostle does not use these two words indiffer- 
ently, four states instead of tiree are here described : 
1) Farurrs, πατέρες, those who had been converted 
at the very commencement of Christianity, and had 
seen the eternal Word manifested in the flesh. 
2) YOUNG MEN, νεανίσκοι, youths in the prime of 
their spiritual life, valiant so/diers, fighting under 
the banner of Christ, who had confounded Satan in 
his wiles, and overcome him by the blood of the 
Lamb. 38) LirrLe cuitpren, παιδία, disciples of 
Christ, not of very long standing, nor of much ex- 
perience, but who had known the F'ather ; that is, 
persons who had been made sons, God having sent 
the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, whereby they 
eried, Abba, Father! 4) BrLovep CHILDREN, 
Texvia, the most recent converts, and particularly 
those among young men and women who, from 
their youth, simplicity, openheartedness, and affee- 
tionate attachment to God and his cause, were pe- 
culiarly dear to this aged apostle of Jesus Christ. 
All these are represented as having their sins Sor- 
given them on account of his name, διὰ τὸ ὄνομα 
αὑτοῦ, that is, for the sake of Jesus, or on account 
of his merit or worthiness. 

14. Ye have known him that is from the be- 
ginning—(In regard to the fathers, πατέρες, the 


ar 1. 10; James 4, 4.——a Eccles. 5. 11.—b1 Cor. 
7. 31; James 1. 10; 4. 14; 1 Pet. 1. 24. 


2 Matt, 6, 24; 


apostle brings out the same thing ἢ in both evoups, 
(verses 13 and 14 ,) that they had“ known him” (that 
was) “ from the beginning.” (It is much disputed 
whether the words. an’ ἀρχῆς, from the beginning, 
should be understood of Christ, or of the early date of 
their conversion. Both senses are grammatically 
admissible, and both are in harmony with the con- 
text.) John ascribes that knowledge to the fathers, 
because he might with justice assume that they had 
not contented themselves with a superficial knowl- 
edge of Christ. In regard to the young men, it is 
said in both groups that they had overcome the 
wicked one, τὸν πονηρόν, the devil; not that the 
same was not true also of the fathers ; but Jolin 
attributes this eminently to the young men, because 
they, in accordance with their age, had wore recently 
obtained this victory, and their care must be specially 
not to lose what they had lately won. . . . They 
are said to be strong in spirit, ἰσχυροί, with special 
reference to the fight to which they are called. 
This conquering power is not their own moral 
strength, but the effect of the word of God that 
abode (μένει, continued) in them, (through continuous 
faith.) See Huther.] 

Love not the world — Though these 
several classes were so well acquainted with divine 
things, and had all tasted the powers of the world 
to come; yet so apt are men to be drawn aside by 
sensible things that the Holy Spirit saw it necessary 
to caution these against the love of the world—the 
inordinate desire of earthly things. Covefousness 
is the peculiar vice of old age: Ye fathers, love not 
the world. The things which are in the world, its 
profits, pleasures, and honours, have the strongest 
allurements for youth ; therefore, ye young men, 
little children, and babes, love not the things of this 
world. Let those hearts abide faithful to God who 
have taken him for their portion. The love of 
the Father is not in him—The love of God and 
the love of earthly things are incompatible. If you 
give place to the love of the world, the love of God 
cannot dwell in you. “The love of the Father,” 
ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πατρὸς, is to be understood of neither 
the love of God to us, nor the divinely originated 
spirit of universal love in the soul, but (of our) love 
to God.—Huther ] 

16. For all that is in the world—All that it 
can boast of, all that it can promise, is only tran- 
sient gratification, and even this promise it cannot 
fulfil; so that its warmest votaries can complain 
loudest of their disappointment. The lust of the 
flesh—Sensual desires which seek their gratifica- 
tion in [whatever ministers- to the appetites. ] 
Lust of the eyes—Inordinate desires after finery 
of every kind—gaudy dress, splendid houses, superb 
furniture, expensive equipage, trappings, and deco- 
rations of all sorts. Pride of life—Cravings after 
honours, titles, and pedigrees ; boasting of ancestry, 

555 


A. M. 4073. A, Ὁ. 69. 
Year of Rome, 822. 


world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but 
he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 
98 «Little children, “it is the last time: and 
as ye have heard that eantichrist shall come, 
feven now are there many antichrists ; where- 


I, JOHN. 


Fulfilment of the predictions that 
antichrist should come. 


by we know δ that itis the last time. 89 = They 
went out from us, but they were not of us; 
for ‘if they had been of us, they would no 
doubt have continued with us: but they went 
out, «that they might be made manifest that 


ὃ cree 


¢ John 21. 5,—d Heb. 1. 2.——e2 Thess, 9.3; 2 Pet. 2 
τ 2 John 7.—g1 Tim. ‘4, 1;2 πὸ 3 


3.—TJ Matt. 24. 5, 24; 


h Deut. 13. 13; Psa. 41. 9: Acts 20. 30.—7 Matt. 24. 24: John 
. 37; 10. 28, 29; 2 Lim. 2. 19.——zk 1 Cor. 11. 19, 


family connexions, great offices, honourable ac- 
quaintance, and the like. Is not of the Father— 
Nothing of these inordinate attachments either 
comes from or leads to God. They are of this 
world; here they begin, flourish, and end. They 
deprave the mind, divert it from divine pursuits, 
and render it utterly incapable of spiritual enjoy- 
ments. [᾿Ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκὸς, appelite—éxBvuia 
τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, taste, esthetic desire —7 ἀλαζονία τοῦ 
B.ov, worldly ambition—are all of them not originally 
evil in themselves, but because of the depravity of 
the moral nature in man they have become 
occasions of sin. The highest forms of spiritual 
sanctification and practical devotion to God’s 
service do not contemplate their extirpation, 
but rather their radical and thorough renovation, 
and their complete subordination to the indwelling 
Spirit of God. These in their now perverted state 
constitute that “world,” the “love” of which, as a 
dominant principle, “isnot of the Father,” but in di- 
rect and earnest opposition to him. To extirpate 
rather than to sanctify and properly restrain, and to 
subordinate to the properly spiritual elements in- 
wrought by the Holy Ghost, is the fatal error of 
asceticism. St. Paul’s purpose to keep his body 
under, not to destroy it, is the true economy of the 
Christian life. 

17. The world passeth away — All these 
things are continually fading and perishing ; and the 
very state in which they are possessed is changing 
perpetually. And the lust thereof—The men of 
this world, their vain pursuits and delusive pleas- 
ures, are passing away in their successive gener- 
ations, and their very memory perishes. But he 
that doeth the will of God—That seeks the 
pleasure, profit, and honour that comes from above, 
shall abide forever, always happy through time and 
eternity, because God, the unchangeable source of 
felicity, is his portion. [With the w rorld passes away 
also the ἐπιθυμία (lust, desire) which dwells in it, 
(and is of it.) Doing the will of God is put over 
against the world, ὁ κόσμος, which in its ἐπιθυμία 
(lust) does not do the will of God. The expression 
as used by the apostle is synonymous with Joving 
God, for the doing of the divine will is the effect of 
love to him. The abiding forever, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, is 
in antithesis to the passing away, παράγεται, of the 
world, κόσμος. To the world belongs death, to the 
children of God eternal life. See Huther. | 

18. Little children, it is the last time—This 
place is variously understood. This is the last dis- 
pensation of grace and merey to mankind; the 
present age is the conclusion of the Jewish state, 
as the temple and holy city are shortly to be de- 
stroyed. But as there are many who suppose that 
this epistle was written after the destruction of 
Jerusalem, consequently the words cannot, on that 
supposition, refer to this. [Why not? if that event 
was understood to indicate “ the last time. ”| Others 
think that ἐσχάτη ὥρα should be translated, a most 
difficult, perilous, and wretched time ; a time in which 
all kinds of vices, heresies, and pollutions shall have 
their full reign; that time which our Lord predicted 

534 


Matt. vii, 15; xxiv, 11, 12, 24, 25. Now the apostle 
may allude to these predictions ; but all these refer 
to atime antecedent to the destruction of Jerusalem. 
I am therefore inclined to think, whatever may be 
here the precise meaning of the “last time,” that the 
epistle before us was written while Jerusalem yet 
stood. Antichrist shall come — Who is this 
ἀντίχριστος, antichrist? Any person, thing, doc- 
trine, svstem of religion, polity, ete.. which is 
opposed to Christ, and to the spirit and spread of 
his Gospel, is antichrist. Even Protestantism may 
therefore have its antichrist as well as Popery. 
Every man who opposes the spirit of the Gospel, 
and every teacher and writer who endeavours to 
lower the Gospel standard to the spirit and taste of 
the world, is a genuine “antichrist,” no matter 
where or among whom he is found. The heresies 
which sprang up in the days of St. John were the 
‘‘antichrist” of that time. As there has been a 
succession of oppositions to Christianity in its spirit 
and spread through every age since its promulga- 
tion in the world, so there has been a succession 
of antichrists. We may bring this matter much 
lower; every enemy of Christ, every one who op- 
poses his reign in the world, in others or in himself, 
is an antichrist ; and consequently every wicked 
man is an antichrist. But the name has been gen- 
erally applied to whatever person or thing systemat- 
ically opposes Christ and his religion. The last 
time—[' Eo yary ὥρα, indicated by the appearance 
of the antichrists, ἀντίχριστοι, may be, in fact, the 
whole Christian era. In Old Testament propheey 
the appearance of the Messiah was promised ἐν ταῖς 
ἐσχαταῖς ἡμηραῖς, in the last days. (See Isa. ii, 2; 
Hos. iii, 5; Micah iv, 1; see also Acts ii, 17.) In 
the New Testament is also found the idea that 
Christ appeared in “the last time.” (See Heb. i, 2; 
1 Peter i, 20.) Inasmuch as the period. which 
begins with the birth of Christ is now the last, 
preceding the συντελεία, the consummation, (when- 
ever and whatever that may be,) it may be described 
by the expression “the last time.” . . . This is the 
view given by most of the old commentators ; but it 
seems evident, however, that the apostle cannot here 
mean the whole period ‘extending from the first ap- 
pearance of Christ to his second coming, but only 
the time immediately preceding its termination. 
See Huther. | 

19. They went out from us—These heretics 
had belonged to our Christian assemblies, they 
professed Christianity, and do so still; but they have 
given up or explained away its most essential prin- 
ciples ; they have mingled the rest with heathenish 
rites and Jewish glosses. They were not of us 
—Before they left our assemblies they gave proofs 
that they had departed from the faith. [Jolim does 
not say that they never were of 7s, but that at the 
time of their goiny out they were not of us, having 
ceased to be such by listening to the false teachers, 
and partaking of their spirit.] For if they 
had been of us—lIf they had continued to be 
faithful to the Christian doctrines, they would not 
have departed from us to form a sect ofthemselves. 


He is antichrist who denies the 
Father and the Son. 


CHAPTER II. 


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SSE a a ee ὃ eee ρ 


they were not all of us. 20 But'!ye have an 
unction ™from the Holy One, and "ye know 
ull things. 28 I have not written unto you 
because ye know not the truth, but because ye 
know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 
22 °Who is a liar but he that denieth that 
Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that de- 


nieth the Father and the Son. 28 rp Whoso- 
ever denieth the Son, the same hath not the 
Father: [but] ahe that acknowledgeth the Son 
hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore 
abide in you, ‘which ye have heard from the 
beginning. If that which ye have heard from 
the beginning shall remain in you, *ye also 


72 Cor, 1. 21: Heb. 1. 9; verse 27.—m Mark 1. 24: Acts 3. 14. 
— John 10. 4,5; 14. 26; 16. 13; verse 27. 


o Chap, 4. 3: 2 John 7.—p John 15. 23: 2 John 9, x John 14, 
7, 9,10; chap. 4. 15.—7 2 John 6.—s John 14. 23; chap. 1. 3. 


That they were not all of us— These false 
teachers probably drew many sincere souls away 
with them; and to this the apostle may allude when 
he says? “they were not ALL of us.” Some were ; 
others were not. |They all pretend to be “of us,” 
and the heathen confound them with us; but their 
secession from us and opposition to us clearly prove 
that they are “not all of us.” — Bishop Words- 
worth. | 

20. But ye have an unction — Xpicua, an 
ointment. Probably this is an allusion to the holy 
anointing oil of the law, and to Psa. xlv, 7: God 
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness—he hath 
given thee the plenitude of the Spirit, which none 
of thy fellows — none of the prophets — ever 
received in such abundance. By this evidently 
not only the gifts of the Spirit, but the Holy 
Spivit himself, is intended. [To every true Christ- 
ian the Holy Ghost was communicated; he was 
filled with Christ’s Spirit. He received this gift 
as soon as he entered into the Saviour’s com- 
munion, and was conscious of possessing it as 
long as he continued in that communion. Inas- 
much as the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ, 
(2 Cor. iii, 17, Eph. iii, 16, Phil. i, 26,) is by 
Christ himself called the Spirit of truth, who was 
to teach his disciples and guide them into all truth, 
(John xiv, 17, xv. 26, xvi, 3,) we here find, in con- 
formity to these declarations, καὶ oidare πάντα, and 
ye shall know all things—all that concern the truth 
of the Gospel.—Liicke.| Ye know all things— 
[Ilavra, every man.] St. John is guarding the 
Christians against seducers and deceivers, who were 
even then disturbing and striving to corrupt the 
Church. Accordingly, he desires them to try the 
spirits whether they were of God, (chapter iv, 1,) 
by that anointing—that spiritual light and discern- 
ment which they had received from God; and also 
by comparing the doctrine of these men with whad 
they had heard from the beginning. 
here mentioned seems to mean the spirit of illumi- 
nation, or knowledge and discernment in spiritual 
things. By this they could readily distinguish the 
false apostles from the true. 

21. I have not written, etc.—I write to you, 
not because ye are ignorant of these things, but 
because you know them, and can by these judge of 
the doctrines of those false teachers, and clearly 
perceive that they are /iars. [Not that I would 
teach you these things, but I would confirm those 
already taught.—A. Lapide, in Huther.] 

22. Who is a liar but he that denieth that 
Jesus is the Christ—Here we see some of the false 
doctrines which were then propagated in the world. 
There were certain persons who, while they ac- 
knowledged Jesus to be a divine teacher, denied 
him to be the “ Christ,” that is, the Messtan. He is 
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the 
Son—He is “antichrist ” who denies Jesus to be the 
Son of God, and who denies God to be the Father 
of the Lord Jesus; thus he denies the Father and 


The anointing | 


the Son. The Jews in general, and the Gnosties in 
particular, denied the miraculous conception of 
Jesus ; with both he was accounted no more than a 
common man, the son of Joseph and Mary. These 
were antichrists, who denied Jesus to be the Christ. 
[Ὁ ἀντίχριστος is obviously here used not as predi- 
cating the one person in whom the character shall 
be finally and centrally realized, but as setting 
forth identity of character with him, and participa- 
tion in the same development of the anti-Christian 
principle.—A/ford. | 

23. Whosoever denieth the Son—He who 
denies Jesus to be the Son of God, he hath not 
the Father, because no one can be a child of God 
except by faith in Christ Jesus. He that ac- 
knowledgeth the Son hath the Father also— 
This clause is printed by our translators in Italics, 
to show it to be of doubtful authority, as it was 
probably wanting in the chief of those MSS. which 
they consulted, as it was in Tindal’s Text, printed 
1548; and in all the early printed editions (which 
I have seen) previously to 1566; the Bible of 
Richard Cardmarden, printed in English at Rouen, 
where this clause is inserted in a different letter 
between brackets. But that the clause is genuine, 
and should be restored to the text without any 
mark of spuriousness, as I have done in the text of 
this work, is evident from the authorities by which 
it is supported. [It is now generally accepted by 
the best authorities.] [The antichrists denied that 
Jesus, the definite person whom the apostles had 
seen, heard, and handled, is the Christ. In whatever 
sense this denial is to be taken, the apostle speaks 
merely of the fact, as known to his readers. . . . 
And in the denial of the Son is involved necessarily 
the denial of the Father, since the Father cannot 
be known without the Son, . . . or otherwise than 
through him; that is, the Son manifested in the 
flesh, the Christ, which is Jesus. So that in St. 
John’s development of the argument there are 
three essentially connected points: the denial of 
the Christ, of the Son, of the Father. The 
middle link of the chain, the denial of the Sun of 
God, shows how the denial of the Father is of 
necessity involved in the denial of Christ... . The 
anti-Christian false doctrine consists mainly in ne- 
gation—in the denial of the fundamental Christian 
truth that Jesus is the Christ. But in this is in- 
volved the denial of the essence of the Son as well 
as of the Father; and again in this denial is involved 
the losing —the virtual not having —of the Son 
and the Father, . .. And this necessary connexion 
between denying and not having is perfectly clear 
the moment we understand the ethical character, 
the living realism, of St. John’s way of regarding 
the subject.—Dusterdieck. | 

24. Let that therefore abide in you—[’Ev ὑμῖν, 
in you, is used emphatically in contrast with what 
is said of the false teachers.] Which ye have 
heard from the beginning—[Meaning the whole 
Gospel, (see verse 7,) but here especially the funda- 

535 


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I. JOHN. 


The wonderful love of God to man 
and its effects, 


shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. | him at his coming. 29 *If ye know that he 


25 ‘And this is the promise that he hath 
promised us, even eternal life. 26 These 
things have I written unto you "concerning 
them that seduce you. 27 But vthe anoint- 
ing which ye have received of him abideth in 
you, and “ye need not that any man teach 
you: but as the same anointing *teacheth you 
of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and 
even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in 
yhim. @8 And now, little children, abide in 
him; that, when he shall appear, we may 
have confidence, *and not be ashamed before 


is righteous, °ye know that 4every one that 
doeth righteousness is born of him, 


CHAPTER III. 

EHOLD, what manner of love the Father 
hath bestowed upon us, that *we should 

be called the sons of God: therefore the world 
knoweth us not, 'because it knew him not. 
2 Beloved, «now are we the sons of God. and 
‘jt doth not yet appear what we shall be: but 
we know that, when he shall appear, ¢ we shall 
be like him; for ‘we shall see him as he is. 


11.—wz Chap. 3. 7; 2 John 7. 
: 33,34; Heb, 8. 10, 11. 7 John 14. 263 
16. 13; verse 20.— y Or, ἐ7. z Chap. 3. 2.—a Chap. 4. 17.— 
6 Acts 22. 14.—-c Or, know ye.—d Chap. 3. 7, 10.—a John 


My Pa 
31.3 


ΤΟΣ ὦ John 15. 18, 19; 16. 8: 17. 295.—cIsa. 56. 5; Rom. 8, 
15: Gal. 3. 26: 4.6; chap. 5. 1. d Rom ἃ. 18; 2 Cor, 4. 17. 
6 Rom. 8. 29; 1 Cor. 15. 49; Phil. 3. 21: Col. 3. 4; 2 Pet. 1. 4,— 
F Job 19. 26: Psa. 16. 11; Matt. 5. 8; 1 Cor. 13. 12; 2 Cor. 5. 7. 


mental doctrine that Jesusis the Christ. . . . If the 
word remain in you, ye also shall remain in the Son, 
and in the Father. That our remaining in the Son is 
the immediate result of the word remaining in us, 
is explained by the fact that the words of Christ 
substantially contain nothing else than a self reve- 
Jation or explanation of his person and his appear- 
ing, and similarly the evangelical proclamation of 
the apostles is only the copy of this preaching of 
Christ himself.— Hither. | 

25. This is the promise—God has promised 
eternal life to all who believe on Christ Jesus. So 
they who receive his doctrine, and continue in com- 
munion with the Father and the Son, shall have 
this eternal life. 

26. These things have I written — Hither 
meaning the whole epistle, or what is contained in 
the preceding verses, from the beginning of the 18th 
to the end of the 25th. Them that (would) se- 
duce you—Ilepi τῶν πλανώντων ὑμᾶς, that is, the 
deceivers that were among them, and who were 
labouring to pervert the followers of Christ. 

27. But the anointing which ye have re- 
ceived—That ointment, the gifts of the Holy 
Spirit, mentioned verse 20, where see the note. 
Ye need not that any man teach you—+t. 
John does not say that those who had once received 
the teaching of the divine Spirit had no further 
need of the ministry of the Gospel; no, but he 
says they had no need of such teaching as their 
false teachers proposed to them; nor of any other 
teaching that was different from that anointing, 
that is, the teaching of the Spirit of God. No man, 
howsoever holy, wise, or pure, can ever be in such a 
state as to have no need of the gospel ministry ; 
they who think so give the highest proof that they 
have never yet learned of Christ or his Spirit. And 
is truth—Because it is the Spirit of truth. (John 
xvi, 13.) 

28. And now, little children, (rexvia, beloved 
children,) abide in him—In Christ Jesus. Let his 
word and Spirit continually abide in you, and have 
communion with the Father and the Son. That, 
when he shall appear—[’Ev τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, 
at his parousia, appearing, or in his presence. The 
apostle acted in all things with devout reference to 
the account they should render to Christ for their 
ministry. The time of accounting is spoken of as 
the occasion of Christ’s self-manifestation in judg- 
ment; which to each one is a parousia ; but the 
idea of a common and simultaneous calling to 
judgment of all men does not seem to be the 
meaning of this term as used in various places. ] 

29. If ye know that he is righteous—That 

536 


God is a holy God. Ye know (also) that every 
one who doeth righteousness—W ho lives a holy 
life, following the commandments of God, Is born 
of him—Becorten “of him;” he is made a par- 
taker of the divine nature, without which he could 
neither have a holy heart nor live a holy life. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 5 

1. Behold, what manner of love — Whole 
volumes might be written upon this and the two 
following verses, without exhausting the extraordi- 
nary subject contained in them, namely, the love of 
Godtoman. The apostle himself, though evidently 
filled with God, and walking in the fulness of his 
light, does not attempt to describe it; he calls on 
the world and the Church to ‘ behold” it, to look 
upon it, to contemplate it, and wonder at it. What 
manner of Ιονο--- Ποταπὴν ἀγάπην, what great 
love, both as to quantity and quality ; for these ideas 
are included in the original term. The length, the 
breadth, the depth, the height, he does not attempt 
to describe. The Father hath bestowed—For 
we had neither claim nor merit. That we should be 
called—tThat is, constituted or made. The sons of 
God—Who were before children of the wicked one, 
animal, earthly, devilish ; therefore, the love which 
brought us from such a depth of misery and degra- 
dation must appear the more extraordinary and im- 
pressive. After κληθῶμεν, that we might be called, 
καί ἐσμεν, and we are, is added by |many of the 
very best authorities, and they are now generally 
accepted.] Therefore the world—[‘O kécvyoc. | 
All who know not God, and are seeking their 
portion in this hfe. Knoweth us not—Do not 
acknowledge, respect, love, or approve of us. In 
this sense the word γινώσκειν is here to be under- 
stood. The “world” KNEW well enough that there 
were such persons; but they did not recognise 
them, [in their distinguishing character of children 
of God.]| Because it knew him not—The world 
did not acknowledge Jesus [in either his divinity 
or his Messianic works. } 

2. Now are we the sons of God—He speaks 
of those who are begotten of God, and who work 
righteousness. See the preceding chapter. And 
it doth not yet appear what we shall be— 
Οὔπω ἐφανερώθη, it is not yet manifest ; though we 
know that we are the children of God, we do not 
know that state of glorious excellence to which, as 
such, we shall beraised. [Now we are children; of 
that we may be fully assured; but in respect to 
our future state of blessedness we are not as yet 
clearly informed. In respect to that we still walk 
by faith, not by sight.) When he shall appear 


He that abideth in Christ 
is preserved from sin. 


CHAPTER III. 


A. M. 1973. Α. Ὁ. 69. 
Year of Rome, $22. 


Φ © And every man that hath this hope in him|™ whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, nei- 


purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Who- 
soever committeth sin transgresseth also the 
law: for "sin is the transgression of the law. 
& And ye know ‘that he was manifested «to 
take away our sins; and 'in him is no sin. 
G Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: 


ther known him. Ὁ Little children, "let no 
man deceive you: *he that doeth righteous- 
ness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 
$ e He that committeth sin is of the devil; for 
the devil sinneth from the beginning. For 
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 


g Chap. 4. 17. —h Rom. 4. 15; chap. δ. 17. —7Chap. 1.2. 
Pag Isa. 53. 5, 6, 11; 1 Tim. 1, 15; Heb. 1. 3; 9. 26; 1 Peter 


- Εὰν φανερω)ῇ, when he shall be manifested. [The 
subject of φανερωθῇ is οὔτος, (understood,) referring 
to Θεοῦ, (above,) God, not Christ. The manifesta- 
tion here spoken of is not that of Christ, “at his 
coming,” but of God the Father revealed in the 
beatific vision ; and the being like him, ὅμοιοι, is the 
Spiritual assimilation of saved souls to the image 
of God. (Rom. xii, 2; Col. iii, 10.)] Weshall be 
like him ... we shall see him—[’0jdye0q, 
(God.) Toman, in his earthly body, God is certainly 
invisible; but it is different with the glorified man 
in his spiritual body; then he will not merely know, 
(the believer has knowledge already,) but see, God, 
Jace to face. (1 Cor. xiii, 12.)\—Huther.] 

3. And every man that hath this hope in 
him—(The hope of seeing God in the open vision 
of the glorified state becomes a powerful incentive 
to labour for the present purification of both the 
heart and the life.] [This self-purification neces- 
sarily follows from the Christian’s hope, because 
the object of this is to be like God, and therefore 
also to be holy... . The active impulse of this 
does not lie in the natural freewill of man, but in 
the hope which presupposes God’s work of  salva- 
tion in man. This purification takes place after 
the pattern (καθώς) of Christ, (ἐκεῖνος, verse 3,) 
who is ἁγνός, that is, “pure from every sinful 
stain.” . . . The purity of Christ is the pattern for 
Christians, which the Christian by self-purification 
strives to copy in his life also.—Huther. | 

4. Whosoever committeth sin—[Ild¢ ὁ ποιῶν 
ἁμαρτίαν, (every one doing sin,) corresponding with 
the beginning of verse 3, πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα. 
The apostle is anxious to emphasize the truth of the 
thought as being without exception. To “ commit 
sin,” as the antithesis of ¢o do righteousness, (chap. ii, 
29.) is contrasted with purifieth himself. (Verse 8.) 
See Huther.] Sin is the transgression of the law 
—The spirit of the law as well as of the Gospel is, 
that “we should love God with all our powers, and 
our neighbour as ourselves.” All disobedience is 
contrary to love; therefore “sin is the transgres- 
sion of the law,” whether the act refers immediately 
to God or to our neighbour, [Ἢ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ 
ἀνομία, sin is lawlessness, (the abstract opposite 
of righteousness, which is the essential spirit and 
substance of the divine law. Rom. vii, 12.) The 
figurative idea of actively passing over a line 
(transgressing) is not found in ἀνομία, which ex- 
presses not a concrete action but an abstract prin- 
ciple. Sin, as ἀνομία, is, when realized in the soul, 
an essential disconformity to the divine righteous- 
ness, the opposite of God’s essential holiness. ] 

5. And ye know that he was manifested to 
take away our sins—He came into the world to 
destroy the power, pardon the guilt, and cleanse 
from the pollution, of sin. This was the very de- 
sign of his manifestation in the flesh. He was 
born, suffered, and died for this very purpose. 
[The end of redemption, (by Christ,) (τὰς ἁμαρτίας 
apy, that he might take (bear) away sin,) prohibits 


22 Cor..5. 21; Heb. 4, 15; 9. 28; 1 Peter 9, 22 —m Chap. 2. 4: 
4. 8; 3 John 11,—~w Chap. 2. 26.—o Ezek. 18. 5-9; Rom. 2. 13; 
chap. 2. 29, p Matt, 13, 28; Jolin 8. 44. 


deemer to sin. The primary meaning of ἄρῃ, as 
here used, is the actual removal of indwelling sin, 
though the idea of suffering for sin lies behind it. 
Christ’s sin/essness is recognised with reference to 
both his fitness for the work of redeeming us, 
(Heb. vii, 26,) and his being the pattern toward 
which we are to aspire.] 

5. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not— 
Because his heart is purified by faith, and he is a 
worker together with God, and consequently does 
not receive the grace of God in vain. (See on 
verse 3.) Hath not seen him — [Abiding in 
Christ and sinning are irreconcilable opposites ; not, 
indeed, that genuine Christians never do sin, nor 
that every one whosins at any time is therefore not 
in Christ; for the apostle shows (see chapter i, 
8-10; ii, 1, 2; iii, 3) that there is still in believers a 
liability to fall into sin. But just in proportion as 
the soul abides in Christ by a living, active faith, 
may all sin be avoided. Abiding in Christ and sin- 
ning are alternative opposites; the full prevalence 
of either is the certain exclusion of the other.] 
[The believer] who sins against God doth not see 
him, neither doth he know him; the eye of his faith 
is darkened, so that he cannot see him as he for- 
merly did; and he has no longer the experimental 
knowledge of God as his Father and portion. 

7. Let no man deceive you—Hither by as- 
serting that “‘ you cannot be saved from sin in this 
life,” or, “that sin will do you no harm and cannot 
alter your state, if you are adopted into the family 
of God; for sin cannot annul this adoption.” He 
that doeth righteousness is righteous, according 
to his state, nature, and the extent of his moral 
powers. Even as he (Christ) is righteous—Allow- 
ing for the disparity that must necessarily exist be- 
tween that which is bowrded, and that which is with- 
out limits. As God, in the infinitude of his nature, 
is righteous; so they, being filled with him, are in 
their limited nature righteous. [We should ever 
bear in mind that St. John here and everywhere 
speaks, not of the different degrees of perfection 
which struggling Christians have reached, but the 
ideal and absolute (essential) difference between 
Christian virtue and piety, and sin in general. 
Liicke.] 

8. He that committeth sin is of the devil— 
He who “ committeth sin is a child of the devil,” and 
shows that he has still the nature of the devil in 
him. For the devil sinneth from the beginning 
—He was the father of sin, brought sin into the 
world, and maintains sin in the world by living in 
the hearts of his own children, and thus leading 
them to transgression. [Ex τοῦ διαβόλου (of the 
devil) must not be rationalized away, so as to deny 
the personal existence of the devil. It is the dis- 
tinct opposite correlative of ἐκ tov Θεοῦ, (verse 
10, e¢ αἰ.) and implies a personal root and agency 
just as much as the other does.—A/ford.] [As 
man’s righteousness is from God, but becomes his 

537 


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Year of Rome, 322. 


4that he might destroy the works of the devil. 
9 * Whosoever is born of God doth not com- 
mit sin; for *his seed remaineth in him: and 
he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 
10 In this the children of God are manifest, 
and the children of the devil: ‘whosoever 
doeth not righteousness is not of God, "nei- 
ther he that loveth not his brother. ΗΑ For 


1 JOHN. 


Marks of the children of God and 
of the children of the devil. 


v this is the * message that ye heard from the 
beginning, * that we should love one another. 
1.2 Not as ¥ Cain, who was of that wicked one, 
and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he 
him? Because his own works were evil, and 
his brother’s righteous. ἘΦ Marvel not, my 
brethren, if the world hate you. £4 *We 
know that we have passed from death unto 


q Gen, 3. 15: Luke 10, 18; 
δ. 18. — #1 Pet. 1. 23. 
@ Chap. 1.3; 2.7 


John 16. 11; Heb. 2. 14.—7C Shap. 
~Chap. 2. οὗ, -- ὦ Chap. Bitch 


x John 13. 34; 15. 12: 
y Gen. 4. 4.8; Heb. 11, 43 Jude 11.—<¢ Joho 1a. 12, 19; 
2 Tim. 3. 12.—wua Chap. 2 «10. 


verse 23; chap. 4. 7, 21; 2 John 5.— - 
17. 14; 


own by his willing acceptance of - so his sinful- 
ness is not the spontaneous production of the soal, 
but is in man the result of diabolical influence, 
which was originally made man’s own by being 
voluntarily accepted, and is now the property of 
the individual, primarily by his relation to the first 
transgressor, but continued and made effective in 


each case by the freewill of the person himself.] ἃ 
[An ἀρχῆς (‘from the beginning.”) What 


and others understand it 
(Whose creation?) Others, to 
avoid all chance of dualism, make it mean not 
from the time of his creation, but from that of 
his fall. And still others take it to express the 
beginning of sin. (John viii, 44.) This tempter to 
sin has ever been the depositary of the thought and 
life of sin ; the fountain out of which sin has come, 
as God is the fountain out of which has come right- 
eousness.—A/ford.| |In respect to the origin of sin 
in the spiritual cosmos, and of the devil, its great em- 
bodiment and author, (as a reality,) the Scriptures 
are profoundly silent. The idea of his being a 
fallen angel is not found in the Old Testament, nor 
in the New, except in 2 Peter and Jude. Its post- 


does this mean? Bede 


of the creation. 


exilian appearance in Jewish literature is now 
fairly ascertained, and its Zoroastrian origin as- 


sured. To us, in our present state, he is simply 
the tempter, through whom siz came at first, and 
who is still its perpetual embodiment and source. ] 
For this purpose—Lic¢ τοῦτο, for this very end— 
with this very design was Jesus manifested in the 
flesh, that he might destroy, ἵνα λύσῃ, that 
he might loose, the bonds of sin, and dissolve the 
power, influence, and connexion of sin. (See on 
verse 3.) 

9. Whosoever is born of God—Teyevvyuévoc, 
begotten “ of God.” Doth not commit ἔπι. [Τὸ be 
“born of God” and to ‘commit sin” are mutually 
exclusive contraries, for the child is of the same na- 
ture with him of whom he is born. .. . By his seed, 
σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, is to be understood the divine element 
of which the zew man is produced, and which, as the 
essence of his being, keeps him from sin.— Huther ἢ 
[The phrase ov δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν (he cannot sin) 
indicates the sufficiency of divine grace to preserve 
the faithful child of God from falling into sin; but 
it does not exclude the possibility of temptation, 
nor the exclusion of man’s free agency. On God’s 
part all needful provisions are made against sin, 
but now, as always, even the child of God may 
yield to temptation, "and choose death by sin.] 

10. In this the children of God are manifest 
—Here is a fearful text. Who isa child of the 
devil? He that commits sin. Who is a child of 
God? He that works righteousness. By this text 
we shall stand or fall before God, whatever our 
particular creed may say to the contrary. Neither 
he that loveth not his brother—No man is of 
God who is not ready at all times to do any act of 
kindness for the comfort, relief, and support of any 

538 


human being. For as God made of one blood all 
the nations of men to dwell upon the face of the 
whole earth, so all are of one family; and con- 
sequently all are brethren, and should love as 
brethren. 

11. For this is the message—See chapter i, 5. 
Nrom the beninning—[That is, of the message, 7 
ἀγγελία, the Gospel.]| That we ‘should love ove 
another—All are dependent upon all; all upon 
each, and each upon all. Mutual love makes this 
dependence pleasant and doubly profitable. 

2. Not as Cain—Men should not act to each 
other as Cain did to Abel. He murdered him be- 
cause he was better than himself. But who was 
Cain? ’Ex τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν, he was of the devil; and 
such are they who for ambition, gain, ete , murder 
each other in wars and political contentions. To 
attempt to justify the principle, and excuse the in- 
stigators, authors, abettors, etc., of such wars, is as 
vain as it is wicked. They are opposed to the 
nature of God, and to that message which he has 
sent to man from the beginning : Love one another. 
Love your enemies. And wherefore slew he 
him—Because his brother was righteous, and he 
was wicked ; and the seed of the wicked one which 
was in him induced him to destroy his brother, be- 
cause the seed of God—the divine nature—was 
found in him. [Cain murdered his brother ; 
therefore he (must have) hated him; and hate be- 
longs to the children of the evil one, and this classes 
him at once among those whose works are evil, and / 
who hate those who, like Abel, are testified to (Heb. 
xi, 4) that they are the children of God because they 
work righteousness. Whatever might be the excit- 
ing oceasion of the murder, this lay at the root—the 
hatred which the children of the devil ever bear to 
the children of God.—A/ford.| [Philo, in his 
writings, De Sacrificiis Abelis et Caini, interprets 
the history of Gen. iv after such a manner that 
Cain appears as the representative of the selfish 
sophistical principle, as the father of all sensual, 
covetous, contentious, uncharitable, and ungodly 
men; but Abel, on the contrary, as the prototype 
and ‘the father of all who are pious, sincere, and 
righteous.—Liicke. | 

13. Marvel not...if the world hate you— 
Expect no better treatment from unconverted Jews 
and Gentiles than Abel received from his wicked 
and cruel brother. This was alesson to the Church 
preparatory to martyrdom. Expect neither justice 
nor mercy from the men who are enemies of God. 
They are either full of malice and envy, hateful, 
hating one another, or they are specious, hollow, 
false, and deceitful. 

14. We know that we have passed from 
death unto life—‘ Death” and “ life” are repre- 
sented here as two distinct territories, states, or 
kingdoms, to either of which the inhabitants of 
either may be removed. The believers to whom 
St. John writes had been once in the region of 


f A. Μ. 4013. A. Ὁ. 69. 
τὰ that ΠΝ ΣΕ apenas CHAPTER IIT. Year of Rome, 822. 


life, because we love the brethren. He that 
loveth not Ais brother abideth in death. 
15 © Whosoever hateth his brother is a mur- 
derer: and ye know that 4no murderer hath 
eternal life abiding in him. 16 “ Hereby per- 
ceive we the love ef God, because he laid down 
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our 
lives for the brethren. 17 But ‘whoso hath 
this world’s good, and seeth his brother have 
need, and shutteth up his bowels ef compas- 
sion from him, how dwelleth the love of God 
in him? 18 My little children, "let us not 


love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed 
and in truth. 19 And hereby we know ‘that 
we are of the truth, and shall kassure our 
hearts before him. 20 ! For if our heart con- 
demn us, God is greater than our heart, and 
knoweth all things. 2 ™Beloved, if our 
heart condemn us not," then have we confidence 
toward God. 22 And ° whatsoever we ask, 
we receive of him, because we keep his com- 
mandments, pPand do those things that are 
pleasing in his sight. 28 4 And this is his 
commandment, That we should believe on the 


SON 3, 9,11: —e Matt. : 


Ξ 5]. 8: —-e John 3. ig: 

JF Deut. 15. 1: 
h Rzek. 33. 31; Rom. 12.9; Eph. 4, 15; James 2 
1, 22.—7 John 18. 373 chap. 1. 8. 


. 21, 22; chap. 4. 20.—d Gal. 
15. 13; Rom. ὅ, 8; Eph. 5. 2, δ: 


Luke 3. 11. —g Chap. 4. 20. 
. 15, 163 1 Pet. 


k αν. persuade,—l1 Cor. 4. 4. m Job 22. 26. n Heb, 
10, 23; chap 2. 28: 4. 17.—o Psa. 34. 15: 145. 18, 19: Prov. 15. 
29; Jer. 29. ΤῊ Matt. 7, 8: 21.22; Mark Ll. 94: John 14. 13; 15. 


7; 16 93. 34: James 5. 16; chap. d . 14.— p John 8, 29; 9. 31. 
3. 


—q John 6, 29; 17. 


death, where sin and death reigned ; but they had 
left that kingdom of oppression and wretchedness, 
and had come over to the kingdom of “life,” 
whose king was the Prince and Author of life. 
Because we love the brethren—|This love > 
simply the sign and mark (and fruit as well) « 

recognition that our justification (and ee tie he 
also) has taken place; that we are justified, (and 
made new creatures in Christ.) —Brawne, in Lange. | 

15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a 
murderer—He has the same [ruling] principle in 
him which was in Cain, and it may lead to the 
same consequences. [The living spirit in man 
being incapable of a state of indifference, he who 
has banished brotherly love has in fact abandoned 
himself to the rule of the opposite state. In the 
ethical depth of the apostle’s view, love and hate, 
like light and darkness, life and death, necessarily 
replace, as well as exclude, one another.—<4/ford. | 
No murderer hath eternal life — Eternal life 
springs from an indwelling God; and God cannot 
dwell in the heart where hatred and malice dwell. 
[Socinus gives this in the form of a syllogism. No 
homicide has eternal life abiding in him. But he 
who hates his brother is a homicide. Therefore, 
he who hates his brother, has not eternal life abid- 
ing in him. By this syllogism, he adds, the apostle 
shows that he who does not love his brother abides 
in death. ] 

16. Hereby perceive we the love of God— 
This sixteenth verse of this third chapter of John’s 
first epistle is, in the main, an exact counterpart of 
the ape verse of the third chapter of St. 
John’s gospel: God so loved the world, that he gave 
his only begotten Son, ete. Here the apostle says, 
We perceive, ἐγνώκαμεν, we have known, the love 
of God, beeause he laid down his life for us, “ΟἹ 
God” is not in the text, but it is necessarily under- 
stood, or [its equivalent] τοῦ Χρίστου, of Christ. 
A higher proof than this of his love Christ could 
not have possibly given to the children of men. 
We ought to lay down our lives for the 
brethren—[By this the climax is stated, as in 
John xv, 13; but even every self-denying sacrifice 
for our brethren belongs to the laying. down the 
life, to which we are bound by the example of 
Christ, and by virtue of our fellowship in him.— 
Huth er. | 

17. But whoso hath this world’s good— 
Here is a test of this love. Whatever love we may 
pretend to mankind, if we are not charitable and 
benevolent, we give the’ lie to our profession, 
This world’s good—Tov βίον τοῦ κόσμου, the life 
of this world, that is, the means of life ; for so βίος 


pe often used. (See Mark xii, 44; Luke viii, 43; 
12, 80; χα, 4) 

8. My little children, (rexvia, beloved chil- 
dren,) let us not love in word—In merely allow- 
ing the general doctrine of love to God and man to 
be just and right. Neither in tongue—In mak- 
ing professions of love. Butin deed—By humane 
and mercifulacts. And in truth—F ecling the dis- 
position of which we speak. 

19. Hereby we know that we are of the 
truth—That we have the true religion of the Lord 
Jesus. [‘* Hereby,” ἐν τούτῳ, in this, that is, by the 
strength and truthfulness of our love. (See verses 
10 and 16. )] We are of the truth—[Tie¢ ἀληθείας, 
that pure objective “truth ” which is the common 
substratum and essential quality of the Spirit him- 
self, of the Word, of those who are born of the 
Word by the Spirit.—A/ford.]| And shall assure 
our hearts—Be persuaded in our consciences, that 
we have the truth as it isin Jesus. He that loves 
feels that he does love; and he who fee/s that he 
loves God and man has true religion; and he who 
is careful to show the fruits of this love, in obedi- 
ence to God and humane acts to man, gives others 
the fullest proof that he has the loving mind that 
was in Jesus, [‘‘ And shall assure (πείσομεν) our 
hearts.” Our human affections.] Before him— 
[Not at his future coming, but now. The conscious- 
ness of the depth and sincerity of our love of the 
brethren becomes the assurance of our hearts be- 
fore God.] 

20, 21. If our heart condemn us—["Ey7poofev 
αὐτοῦ, judges us unfavourably; we may be quite 
sure that he, knowing more than our heart does, 
judges us more unfav vourably still. If our heart 
condemn us not—Again, ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ» judging 
and seeing in the light of his countenance, then 
we know “that we are at one with him, and those 
consequences follow which are set forth in verse 22. 
—Alford.] 

22. Whatsoever we ask—In such a spirit. 
We receive of him—For he delights to bless the 
humble, upright, and sincere soul. [The necessary 
limitation lies in the subject itself; the child of 
God asks for nothing which is contrary to his 
Father’s will.—Huther.| Because we keep his 
commandments—Namely, by loving him and lov- 
ing our neighbour. These are the great command- 
ments both of the old covenant and the new. And 
whoever is filled with this love to God and man will 
do those things which are pleasing to him; for 
love is the very soul and principle of obedience. 

23. That we should believe on the name of 
his Son—We are commanded to believe on Christ, 

539 


A. M. 4073, A. Ὁ. 69. 
Year of Rome, 822, 


LL JOHN: 


The Church directed to try their teachers, 
whether they be of God. 


name of his Son Jesus Christ, "and love one 
another, ‘as he gave us commandment. 
24 And the that keepeth his commandments 
“dwelleth in him, and he in him. And * here- 
by we know that he abideth in us. by the 
Spirit which he hath given us. 


CHAPTER IV. 
ELOVED, ‘believe not every spirit, but 
‘try the spirits whether they are of God: 
because «many false prophets are gone out 


into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit 
of God: 4Every spirit that confesseth that 
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 
<3 And ¢every spirit that confesseth not that 
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: 
and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof 
ye have heard that it should come; and ‘even 
now already is it in the world. 4 ¢ Ye are of 
God, little children, and have overcome them: 
because greater is he that is in you, than "he 
that is in the world. 5 iThey are of the 


2) 99- 
9, 39: 


r Matt. 22 
1 Pet. 4. 8: 


John 13. 34; 15. 12; Eph. 5. 2; 1 Thess. 4. 9; 


verse 11; chap. 4. 21. 5 Chap. 2 


14, 23; 15. 10: chap. 4. 12.—w John 17. 21, ete. —7 Rom. 8. 9; 
chip. 4. 13. —-«a Jer. 29. 8; Matt. 24. 4. --- 1 Cor. 14. 29; 
1 Thess. 5. 21; Rev. 2, 2. 


ce Matt. 24.5, 24; Acts 20. 30; 1 Tim. 4. at 2 Pet. 2. 1; chi AD. 
2.18; 2 John 7 a@\ Cor, 19. δ: chap. # iL Chap. 2 ee 
2 Jolin 7.—/72 Thess. 2. 7: chap. 2. 18, 29, .-—g Chap. 5. 2:3: 


ἢ, John 15. 31; 14. 80; 16. 11: 1 Cor, 9 123 Eph. 2. 2; 6. 12.— 


i John 8. ὃ 


that for the sake of his passion and death we may 
be justifie? from all things from which we could 
not be justified by the law of Moses; and being 
through him redeemed from the guilt of sin, restored 
to the divine favour, and made partakers of the 
Holy Ghost, we are enabled to love another, as 
he gave us commandment; for without a re- 
newal cf the heart, love to God and man is impos- 
sible, and this renewal comes by Christ Jesus. 

24. Dwelleth in him—That is, in God. [‘‘ Dwell- 
eth in him,” μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ, the great keynote of the 
epistle. This keeping the commandments of God 
is the abiding in God.—Alford | And he (God) 
in him—The believer. And hereby —[’Ev τούτῳ, 
that is, by the witness of the indwelling Spirit.] 
We know—We know not by conjecture or infer- 
ence that we are in the favour of God, but by the 
testimony of God's own Spirit in our hearts; and 
this testimony is constant and abiding. Every 
[true Christian] i is a temple of the Holy Ghost, and 
wherever he is, he is both light and power. By his 
power he works ; by his light he makes both him- 
self and his work known. Peace of conscience 
and joy in the Holy Ghost must proceed from the 
indwelling of that Holy Spirit; and those who have 
these blessings must know that they have them. 
And this Spirit in the soul of a believer is not only 
manifest by its effects, but it bears its own witness 
to its own indwelling. So that a man not only 
knows that he has this Spirit from the fruits of 
the Spirit, but he knows that he has it from its own 
direct witness. (See John xiv, 21.) 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. Beloved, believe not every spirit—Do not 
be forward to believe every teacher to be a man 
sent of God. As in those early times every teacher 
professed to be inspired by the Spirit of God, be- 
cause all the prophets had come thus accredited, 
the term “spirit”? was used to indicate the man 
who pretended to be and teach under the Spirit's 
influence. (See 1 Cor. xii, 1-12; 1 Tim. iv, 1.) 
[This passage (verses 1-- 6) takes up again, with 
reference to this portion of the epistle, the similar 
warning given in the former portion. (Chapter ii, 
18, 19.) It is intimately connected with what has 
immediately preceded. By brotherly love we are 
to know that we are of the truth, (chapter iii, 19,) 
and the token that he abideth in us is to be the 
Spirit which he gives us. This Spirit—the Spirit of 
truth—it becomes then all important for us to be 
able to distinguish, and not to be led astray by any 
false spirits pretending to his character and office. 
Such false spirits there are, which are not of God, 
but of the world, and which make up that spirit of 

540 


antichrist of which prophecy has already spoken. 
—Alford| Try the spirits—Aoxidlere τὰ πνεί- 
ματα, put these teachers to the proof. Try them 
by that testimony which is known to have come 
from the Spirit of God, the word of revelation 
already given. Many false prophets—Teachers 
not inspired- by the Spirit of God. Are gone 
out into the world—Among the Jewish people 
particularly, as well as among those who are carnal 
and have not the Spirit. [The name ψευδοπροφῆ- 
tat ( false prophets) indicates that the teachers 
proclaimed their doctrine, not as the result of 
human speculation, but as a revelation communi- 
cated to them by the Holy Spirit.—Huther. | 

2. Hereby—[|’Ev πούτῳ, by this, as a criterion, 
(see chapter iii, 10, 16, 19, 24.)] Know ye the 
Spirit of God — We know that the man who 
teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, 
and that he is come in the flesh, is of God; is in- 
spired by the divine Spirit; for no man can call 
Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost. 

3. Every spirit—-Every teacher. That con- 
fesseth not that Jesus... is not of God— 
Has not been inspired by God. The words ἐν σαρκὶ 
ἐληλυθότα, is come inthe flesh, are wanting in several 
highly respectable authorities, and Griesbach left 
them out of the text; [so also Tischendorf, but 
they are generally accepted by modern critics. ] 
Spirit of antichrist—All the opponents of Christ’s 
incarnation, and consequently of his passion, death, 
and resurrection, and the benefits to be derived 
from them. [The believing confession of One, 
Jesus Christ, uniting in himself the Godhead and 
the manhood, even ‘the confession of the historical 
Christ, is essentially Christian, (and indispensable 
to the true faith.)— Braune.]| Ye have heard 
that it should come—See 2 Thess. ii, 7. Hven 
now already is it in the world—| the persons 
of these false prophets. (Verse 1.)—A/ford. | 

4. Ve are of God, . . . and have overcome 
them—|As faithful, and born of God, .. . they al- 
ready had overcome the anti-Christian principle, the 
world in general ; and because this total victory 
conditions and secures the victory in detail over 
the separate powers of the anti- Christian world, St. 
John says, “Ye have overcome them,” that is, the 
anti- Christians, (verse 3,) taken as a collective force, 

. for God’s Spirit, which remains in you, is 
greater than the world, (the antichrist.)—Liicke. | 

5. They are of the world—They have no 
spiritual views, they have no spirituality of mind; 
they seek the present world and its enjoyments. 
Their conversation is worldly, and worldly men 
hear them in preference to all others. Thus they 
have their partisans. 


a Exhortations to entertain love to God 


and to one another. 


CHAPTER IV. 


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world: therefore speak they of the world, and 
kthe world heareth them. 6 We are of God: 
‘he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is 
not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we 
the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 
7 » Beloved, let us love one another: for love 
is of God; and every one that loveth is born 
of God, and knoweth God. s& He that loveth 
not, °*knoweth not God; for pGod is love. 
9 «In this was manifested the love of God 
toward us, because that God sent his only 
begotten Son into the world, ‘that we might 
live through him. 10 Herein is love, * not 


that we loved God, but that he loved us, and 
sent his Son, ‘to be the propitiation for our 
sins. ΑἹ Beloved, "if God so loved us, we 
ought also to love one another. 12 No man 
hath seen God at any time. If we love one 
another, God dwelleth in us, and ~ his love is 
perfected inus. ἘΞ *Hereby know we that 
we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath 
given us of his Spirit, 84 And ¥we have 
seen and do testify that the Father sent the 
Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 * Who- 
soever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of 
God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 


A Jolin 15. 19; 17. 14. ——Z John & 47: 10. 27; 1 Cor. 14. 37; 
2 Cor. 10. 7.7m Isa, 8. 20; Jolin 11. 17. n Chap.,.3. 10, 11, 23. 
—o Chap. 2. 4; 3. 6.—p Verse 16. q John 3. 16; Rom, ὅ. 
8: 8. 32; chap. 3. 16.—7' Chap. ὃ. 11.—=s John 15. 16; Rom. 


6. We are of God—We, apostles, [and all who 
old with us,] have the Spirit of God, and speak 
and teach by that Spirit. He that knoweth God 
—Who has truly spiritual discernment. Heareth 
us; acknowledges that our doctrine is from God ; 
that it is spiritual, and leads from earth to heaven. 
Hereby know we the spirit of truth—The 
doctrine and teacher most prized and followed by 
worldly men are not from God; they savour of the 
flesh, impose no restraints, prescribe no cross- 
bearing, and leave every one in full possession of 
his heart’s lusts and easily besetting sins. And hy 
this, false doctrine and false teachers are easily 
discerned. [The apprehension and recognition of 
God is the peculiar property of God’s children, not 
any natural faculty in which one unrenewed man 
differs from another. All rationalistical interpre- 
tations of these words are quite beside the pur- 
pose.—A/ford. | 

7. [After the apostle, induced by the appearance 
of the anti-Christian nature, has characterized (con- 
tradistinguished) the spirit of truth and the spirit 
of error, he passes on directly to a detailed account 
of the elements of faith and love alluded to in 
chapter iii, 28.—Huther.]| Beloved, let us love 
one another—<And ever be ready to promote each 
other’s welfare, both spiritual and temporal. For 
love is of God—He that loveth most has most of 
God in him; and he that loveth God and his 
neighbour, as before described and commanded, 
is born of God, is a true child of his heavenly 
Father, for he is made a partaker of the divine 
nature ; and this, his love to God and man proves. 
[Being born of God does not follow from love, but 
love follows from being born of God. Verse 10.] 

8. He that loveth not (as already described) 
knoweth not God—Has no experimental knowl- 
edge of him. God is love—An infinite fountain of 
benevolence and beneficence to every human being. 

[Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν͵, for God is love, is assigned 
as a reason why Christians should love one another. 
(Verse 7.) ᾿Αγάπη is used without the article, be- 
cause it is considered as a general definition of the 
nature of God. Love is not so much a quality 
(an attribute) which God has, as the all-embracing 
total of which he is—Huther.] [And yet this does 
not exclude the existence of other perfections in 
equal fulness, as ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστίν͵, God is light. 
(Chapter i, 5.) And these several perfections, 
though absolute in his person, are nevertheless 
conditioned, each by the others, in the divine dis- 
pensations. ] 

9. In this was manifested the love of God— 


\ 
h 


i τι͵. ττς.Ὠιιιι -“““Γ͵'[.ςς-ς-.-ὀο’;᾿;Ἠοῦ60Ὃῷ6Δ5ὼΔὼὺὼὺΧώὼὃ2ὲ..-..-.-- 


5. 8,10; Tit. 3. 4.-----Φ Chap. 2. 2.—z Matt. 18. 38; John 15, 12, 
13: chap. 3. 16. —r Joh 1. 18: 1 Vim. 6. 16; verse 30, ---- 
aw Chap. 2. 5: verse 18. —a John 14. 20: chap. 3, 24. y John 
1.14; chap. 1. 1,2. 5 John 3. 17.—wua Rom. 10. 9; chap. ὃ. 1,4. 


The mission of Jesus Christ was the fullest proof 
that God could give, or that man could receive, of 
his infinite love to the world. That we might 
live through him—The whole world was sen- 
tenced to death because of sin; and every indi- 
vidual was dead in trespasses and sins ; and Jesus 
came to die in the stead of the world, and to quicken 
every believer, that all might live to Him who died 
for them and rose again. (John iii, 16.) 

' 10. Not that we loved God—aAnd that he was 
thereby induced to give his Son to be the pro- 
pitiation for oursins. We were enemies to God, 
and yet Christ died for [us, while we were yet alto- 
gether] ungodly. (See Rom. v, 6-11, and the notes 
there.) So it was God’s love, not our merit, that 
induced him to devise means that his banished ones 
might not be forever expelled from him. 

11. If God so loved us—Without any reason 
or consideration on our part, and without any desert 
in us; we ought also, in like manner, to love 
one another; and not suspend our love to a 
fellow-creature, either on his moral worth or his 
love to us. We should love one another for God’s 
sake; and then, no unkind carriage of a brother 
would induce us to withdraw our love from him ; 
for if it have Gop for its motive and model it will 
never fail. 

12. No man hath seen God at any time— 
[We cannot immediately return to the invisible God 
the love which he has shown to us; for no man has 
ever seen him, (John i, 18,) that is, he is not to be 
seen by any. But if we love our brethren whom 
we do see, God abides in us, we are his children, 
objects of his love, and so, by love to our brethren, 
love to God is perfected in us.—Liicke. | 

13. Hereby know we, etc.—See the note on 
chap. iii, 24. 

14. And we have seen—Jesus Christ mani- 
fested in the flesh. (See chap. i, 1, etc.) And do 
testify—Bear witness, in consequence of having 
the fullest conviction that the Father sent the 
Son to be the Saviour of the world. We have 
had the fullest proof of this from his doctrine and 
miracles which we heard and saw during the whole 
time that he sojourned among men. [The language 
here is certainly such as would be inappropriate to 
any but an eyewitness.—Speaker's Com. | 

15. Whosoever shall confess—Much stress 
is laid on this confession, because the false teach- 
ers denied the reality of the incarnation; but this 
confession implied also such a belief in Christ as 
put them in possession of his pardoning mercy and 
indwelling Spirit. 

541 


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16 And we have known and believed the love 
that God hath to us. 'God is love; and che 
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God 
in him. £7 Herein is ¢our love made perfect, 
that ewe may have boldness in the day of 
judgment: ‘ because as he is, so are we in this 
world. 4&8 There is no fear in love; but per- 
fect love casteth out fear: because fear hath 
torment. He that feareth is not made per- 
fect in love. 49 We love him, because he 
first loved us. 20 »If a man say, I love God, 
and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he 


ETS ON 


Saviour of the world. 


that loveth not his brother whom he hath 
seen, how can he love God ‘whom he hath 
not seen? 28 And «this commandment have 
we from him, That he who loveth God love 
his brother also. 
CHAPTER YV. 

\ HOSOEVER * believeth that® Jesus is the 

Christ is © born of God: 4and every one 
that loveth him that begat loveth him also that 
is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that 
we love the children of God, when we love 


b Verse 8 eChap. 3. 24; 6 12..—d Gr. love with us. 
— eJames 2. 13; chap. 2. b8: 3 49, 21. ——/ Chap. 3. 3. — 
g Verse 12. A Chup. 2. 4: πε 7 


“Verse 12.——k ae 
3B, 25: John 1. 
1, 13.—d John 15. δ: 


. 51, 39; John 18. 84: 
2. 23, 98; 4. ἃ 


15. 12; chap. 
oo. ΠΝ 


16. God is love—See on verse 8. He that 
dwelleth in love—He who is full of love to God 
and man is full of God, for God is love ; and where 
such love is, there is God, for he is the fountain 
and maintainer of it. 

17. Herein— Ev τούτῳ, in this. See on verse 2. 
Is our love made perfect — By God dwelling 
in us, and we in him. Thus the love is made 
perfect ; when it fills the heart it has all its de- 
grees ; it is all in all; and all in every power, pas- 
sion, and faculty of ‘the soul, May have bold- 
ness in the day of judgment --- Παρρησίαν ; 
freedom of speech and liberty of access; seeing 
in the person of our Judge him who has died 


for us, regenerated our hearts, and who him- 
self fills them. As he is — Pure, holy, and 
loving. So are we in this world—Being saved 


from our sins, and made like to himself in right- 
eousness and true holiness. No man can contem- 
plate the ‘day of judgment” with any comfort 
or satisfaction but on this ground, that the blood 
of Christ hath cleansed him from all sin; and that 
he is kept by the power of God, through faith, unto 
salvation. This will give him εἰ boldnes s in the day 
of judgment.” [Ev τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, “in the 
day of judgment,” when we shall be called to render 
our account to God. It is not necessary to refer 
this to a general day of judgment, but rather to the 
perpetually occurring judgment of God, manifested 
through our own Christian consciousness. (See 
chap. iii, 21.)] 

18. There is no fear in love—The man who 
feels that he loves God with all his heart can never 
dread him as his Judge. The perfect love (that 
fulness of love, which he has received) casteth 
out fear—Removes all terror relative to this day of 
judgment. He that feareth—He who is still un- 
certain concerning his interest in Christ. Is not 
made perfect in love—Has not yet received the 
abiding witness of the Spirit that he is begotten of 
God; nor that fulness of love to God and man 
which excludes the enmity of the carnal mind, and 
which it is his privilege to receive. We must not 
suppose that the love of God shed abroad in the 
heart is ever imperfect in itself; it is only so in 
degree. There may be a lesser or greater degree of 
what is perfect in its kind; so it is with respect to 
the love which the followers of God have; they may 
have measures or degrees of perfect love without 
its fulness. There is nothing imperfect in the 
love of God, whether it be considered as existing in 
himself or as communicated to his followers. Nor 
are we to suppose that the love of God casts out 
every kind of fear from the soul; it only casts out 
that which has torment. A filial fear is consis- 

542 


tent with the highest degrees of love; and even 
necessary to the preservation of that grace. This 
is properly its guardian; and without this, love 
would soon degenerate into listlessness or pre- 
sumptuous boldness. 

19. We love him, because he first loved us 
— This is the foundation of our love to God. 
1) We love him because we find he has loved us, 
2) We love him from a sense of obligation and 
eratitude. 3) We love him from the influence of his 
own love ; from his love shed abroad in our hearts 
our love to him proceeds. It is the seed whence 
our love springs 

20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth 
his brother—This, as well as many other parts of 
this epistle, seems levelled against the Jews, who 
pretended much love to God while they hated the 
Gentiles ; and even some of them who were brought 
into the Christian Church brought this leaven w “ith 
them. It required a miracle to redeem St. Peter’s 
mind from the influence of this principle. (See 
Acts x.) Whom he hath seen—We may have 
our love excited toward our brother. 1) Bya con- 
sideration of his excellences or amiable qualities. 
2) By a view of his miseries and distresses. The 
first will excite a love of complacency and delight; 
the second a love of compassion and pity. Whom 
he hath not seen — [ff he love not his brother, it 
is a proof that the love of God is not in him; and 
if he have not the love of God, he cannot love God, 
for God can be loved only through the influence of 
his own love. (See on verse 19.) The man who 
hates his fellow does not love God. He who does 
not love God has not the love of God in him, and 
he who has not the love of God in him can neither 
love God nor man. 

21. That he who loveth God love his 
brother also—The love of God and the love of 
man can never be sdparated ; he who loves God 
will love his brother; he who loves his brother 
gives this proof that’ he loves God, because he 
loves with a measure of that love which, in its in- 
finitude, dwells in God. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. Whosoever believeth, etc.—Expressions of 
this kind are to be taken in connexion with the 
subjects necessarily implied in them. He that be- 
lieveth that Jesus is the Messiah, and confides in 
him for the remissiorf of sins, is begotten of God; 
and they who are pardoned and begotten of God 
love him in return for his love, and love all those 
who are his children. 

2. By this we know that we love the chil- 
dren of God—Our love of God’s followers is a 


God sent his Son to be the Φ 


The love of God enables the believer 
to overcome the world, 


God, and keep his commandments. 
this is the love of God, that we keep his com- 


inandments: and ‘his commandments are not | but by water and blood. 
Α For £ whatsoever is born of God | that beareth witness, because the Spirit is 


grievous. 


overcometh the world: and this is the victory | 


that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
& Who is he that overcometh the world, but 
the that believeth that Jesus is the Son of 


eJohn 14. 15, 21, 23; 15. 10: 2 John 6.—F Micah 6. 8; Matt, 
11. 30.—g Jolin 16. 33; chap. 3. 9; 4. 4,.-—/1 Cor. 15. 57: chap. 


CHAPTER V. 


3 ¢For|God? 6 This is he that came ‘by water and 


A. M. 4013. A. Ὁ. 69. 


Year of Rome, §22. 


blood, eren Jesus Christ; not by water only, 
k And it is the Spirit 


truth. ¥% For there are three that bear record 
in heaven, the Father, !'the Word, and the 
Holy Ghost: "and these three are one. 
s And there are three that bear witness in 


4. 15.—i John 19. 34.—ZA John 14. 17: 15. 26: 16. 13; 1 Tim, 
3. 16.—/ Jolin 1. 1; Rev. 19, 18.— 7m John 10. 30, 


proof that we love God. Our love to God is the 
cause why we love his children; and our keeping 
the commandments of God is the proof that we 
love him. 

3. For this is the love of God—This the love 
of God necessarily produces. It is vain to pretend 
love to God while we live in opposition to his will. 
His commandments—To love him with all our 
heart, and our neighbour as ourselves, is not griev- 
ous—not burdensome; for no man is burdened with 
the duties which his own love imposes. The old 
proverb explains the meaning of the apostle’s 
words, “ Love feels no loads.” Love to God brings 
strength from God; through his love and his 
strength, all his commandments are not only easy 
and light, but pleasant and delightful. 

4. For whatsoever—|Ilay, a//. The neuter is 
here used as gathering together in one, under the 
category of “borr of God,” the we, ἡμεῖς, implied 
in the last verse. The whole mass of the born of 
God conquer the world. And this is the victory 
... our faith—The identification of the victory 
with the faith which gained it is a concise and em- 
phatie way of linking the two inseparably  to- 
gether, so that wherever there is faith there is 
victory —A/ford.| [The active antagonism of the 
world, τὸν κόσμον, to those who are “ born of God,” 
and that the salvation of these is effected only by 
conquering “the world” in battle, is conspicuously 
implied in all that is here said.] 

5. He that believeth that Jesus is the Son 
of God—tThe person who believes this comes to 
God for the benefits of the incarnation and passion 
and eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ, and re- 
ceives the blessings which are secured through the 
divine mission of Christ. 

6. This is he that came by water and blood 
—Jesus was attested to be the Son of God and 
promised Messiah by “ water,” when, at his bap- 
tism, the Spirit of God came down from heaven 
upon him, and the voice from heaven said, This is 
my beloved Son, in whom Iam well pleased. Jesus 
Christ came also by “ blood.” He shed his blood 
for the sins of the world; and this was in accord- 
ance with all that the Jewish prophets had written 
concerning him. Here the apostle says that the 
Spirit witnesses this; that he came not by water 
only—being baptized, and baptizing men in his own 
name that they might be his followers and disci- 
ples ; but by water and blood—By his sacrificial 
death, without which the world could not be saved, 
and he could have had no disciples. Moses in- 
itiated the people into the covenant of God by 
bringing them under the cloud and through the 
sea. Aaron confirmed that covenant by shed- 
ding the blood, sprinkling part of it upon them, and 
the rest before the Lord in the holy of holies. 
Moses came only by “ water,’ Aaron only by 
“blood;” and both came as types. But Curist 
came both by “ water ” and “ blood” —not typically, 


but really; not by the authority of another, but by 
his own. Jesus initiates his followers into the 
Christian covenant by the baptism of water, and 
confirms and seals to them the blessings of the 
covenant by an application of the blood of the 
atonement; thus purging their consciences and 
purifying their souls. It may be said, also, that 
the Spirit bears witness of Jesus by his testimony 
in the souls of genuine Christians, and by the 
spiritual gifts and miraculous powers with which 
he endowed the apostles and primitive believers. 
(See John xv, 26,27.) ‘When the Comforter is 
come... the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from 
the Father, he shall testify of me; and ye also 
shall bear witness, because ye have been with me 
from the beginning.” This place the apostle seems 
to have in his eye ; and this would naturally lead 
him to speak concerning the three witnesses, the 
Spirit, the water, and the BLoop. (Verse8.) [The 
words of prayer in our baptismal service, by refer- 
ring the water from the pierced side to baptism, 
would seem to imply the application to the other 
sacrament also: ‘* Who for the forgiveness of our 
sins did shed out of his most precious side both 
water and blood; and where these sacra‘Yents are 
present, and rendered vitally effective by a present 
faith, they two with the promised Spirit are the 
three that bear witness on earth, that is, in the 
Church. Without the witness of the present Spirit, 
the sacraments themselves cease to be witnesses ; 
without the sacraments, the Spirit’s testimony lacks 
its divinely ordained attestation. ] 

". There are three that bear record—The 
FarHer, who bears testimony to his Son; the 
Worn, (or Λόγος, Logos,) who bears testimony to 
the Father; and the Hoty Guost, who bears testi- 
mony to the Father and the Son, And these three 
are one in essence, and agree in the one testimony, 
that Jesus came to die for, and give life to, the 
world. But while accepting the doctrine here 
implied, it must still be conceded that beyond all 
question this verse is not genuine. To make the 
whole more clear, and that every reader may see 
what has been added, I shall set down these verses, 
with the inserted words in brackets. “6. And it is 
the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit 
is truth. 7. For there are three that bear record 
{in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy 
(host, and these three are one. 8. And there are 
three that bear witness in earth,] the Spirit, and 
the water, and the blood, and these three agree in 
one. 9. If we receive the witness of men, the 
witness of God is greater,” ete. Any man may 
see, on examining the words, that if those included 
in brackets, which are wanting in the MSS. and 
Versions, be omitted, there is no want of connec- 
tion; and as to the sense, it is complete and per- 
fect without them ; and, indeed, much more so than 
with them. [See additional note at the end of the 
chapter. 

tage 543 


A. Μ. 4013. A. Ὁ. 69, 
Year of Rome, 522. 


I. JOHN. 


He that believeth on the Son of God 
hath the witness within himself. 


sarth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: lthe Son of God hath not life. #8 »These 


and these three agree in one. 9 If we receive 
othe witness of men, the witness of God is 
greater: °’for this is the witness of God which 
he hath testified of his Son. 40 He that be- 
lieveth on the Son of God P hath the witness in 
himself: he that believeth not God hath made 
him a liar; because he believeth not the record 
that God gave of his Son. ΕΠ * And this is 
the record, that God hath given to us eternal 
life, and ‘this life isin his Son. #2 ‘He that 
hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not 


things have I written unto you that believe on 
the name of the Son of God; ‘that ye may 
know that ye have eternal life, and that ye 
may believe on the name of the Son of God. 
24 And this is the confidence that we have 
win him, that, *if we ask any thing according 
to his will, he heareth us: 28 And if we 
know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions that we de- 
sired of him. ἘΦ If any man see his brother 
sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, 


osha: Me 18, —o Matt. 3 3. ene 17. ὅ.--- Rom. 8. 165 Gal. 


δ᾽, —q Jolin ὃ. 33; ὅ. 38.—7 Chap. 2. 25 


8. The Spirit, and the water, and the blood 
—(‘ The Spirit ’—in the word confirmed by mira- 
cles; “the water”—in baptism, wherein we are 
dedicated to the Son, (with the Father and the 
Holy Spirit.) typifying his spotless purity, and the 
inward purifying of our nature; ‘and the blood ” 
—represented in the Lord’s Supper, and applied to 
the consciences of believers; and all these har- 
moniously agree in the same testimony, that Jesus 
Christ is the divine, the complete, the only Saviour 
of the world.—Wesley.| By the written word, 
which proceeded from the Holy Spirit, that Spirit 
is continually witnessing upon earth, that God hath 
given unto us eter nal life. By baptism, which 
points out our regeneration and the renewing of 
the Holy Ghost, and which is still maintained as an 
initiatory rite in the Christian Church, we have an- 
other witness on earth of the truth, certainty, im- 
portance, and efficacy of the Christian religion. 
The same may be said of the “‘ blood,” represented by 
the holy eucharist, which continues to show forth 
the death and atoning sacrifice of the Son of God 
till he come. (See the note on verse 6.) 

9. If we receive the witness of men— 
Which all are obliged to do, and which is deemed 
a sufficient testimony to truth in numberless cases. 
The witness of God is greater—He can neither 
be deceived nor deceive, but man may deceive and 
be deceived. [No special testimony (of men) need 
be thought of, as touching this present case—the 
proposition is general... . The testimony here 
spoken of is not any particular testimony, as the 
prophecies concerning Christ, etc.; it is general, as 
the testimony of men, with which it is compared. 
The particular thing testified is introduced in the 
following words.— Alford. 

10. He that believeth on the Son of God— 
This is God’s witness to a truth the most important 
and interesting to mankind. God has witnessed 
that whosoever believeth on his Son shall be saved, 
and have everlasting life; and shall have the witness 
of it in himself, the Spirit bearing witness with his 
spirit that he is a child of God. To know, to feel, 
his sin forgiven, to have the testimony of this in 
the heart from the Holy Spirit himself, is the 
privilege of every true believer in Christ. [The 
testimony spoken of is not merely an historical one, 
but abiding and present ; and these verses (10, 12) 
explain to us what that testimony is.—A//ord.] 

11. This is the record—The great truth to 
which the Spirit, the water, and the blood bear 
testimony. God hath given to us eternal life 
—A right te endless glory, and a meetness for it. 
And this life is in his Son—It comes by and 
through him; he is its author and its PURCHASER; 
it is only in and through nim. [The essential prac- 

544 


sJohn 1. 4; chap. 4. 9.—7 John 3. 86; 5, 24———w John an. 31. 
Ὁ Chap. 1. 1, 2.—w Or, concerning him.—a Chap. 3 2, 


tical substance of this record (μαρτυρία) may be 
divided into two parts ; declaring in the first place 
that God really has given to us eternal life; and, 
secondly, that this eternal life is granted to us in 
his Son; (that is, to the quickened spiritual con- 
sciousness of the individual.) (See John iii, 33.)— 
Liicke. | 

12. He that hath the Son hath life—As the 
eternal life is given in the Son of God, it follows 
that it cannot be enjoyed without him. No man 
can have it without having Christ; therefore he 
that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath 
not the Son ... hath not life—An indwelling 
Christ and GLory ; no indwelling Christ, No glory. 
God’s record must stand. (See Jolin iii, 56.) 

13. That ye may know that ye have eter- 
nal life—I write to show your privileges—to lead 
you into this holy of holies—to show what beliey- 
ing on the Son of God is, by the glorious effects it 
produces : it is not a blind reliance for, but an 
actual enjoyment of, salvation; Christ living, work- 
ing, and reigning in the heart. And that ye 
may believe—That is, continue to believe; for 
Christ dwells in the heart only by Farrn, and faith 
works by Love, and love continues only by OBEDI- 
ENCE. He who obeys, loves; he who loves, be- 
lieves; he who believes, has the witness in him- 
self; he who has this witness, has Christ in his 
heart, the hope of glory. 

14. This is the confidence—Ilappyacia, the 
liberty of access and speech, that, if we ask any 
thing according to his will—Th: it is, which he 
has promised in his word. He heareth us—|Re- 
gards our askings, to grant or withhold the specific 
thing asked, but always to bestow the consolations 
of his Spirit.] Prayer is the language of depen- 
dence on God. Faith and prayer are not boldly to 
advance claims upon God ; we must take heed that 
what we ask and believe for is agreeable to the 
pate will of God. 

15. And if we know that he hear us—[Kai 
ἐὰν οἴδαμεν. By the indicative after ἐάν this 
knowledge is emphasized as something undoubt- 
edly belonging to the believer. — Huther.] We 
know that we have the petitions—The answer 
to the “petitions.” That we desired of him— 
For he cannot deny himself. We are not to ask 
to-day for mercy ‘that we now need, and not re- 
ceive it till to-morrow, or some future time. God 
gives it to him who prays, when it is needful. 

10. If any man see, ete—’ Ἐάν τις idn, here 
the particle ἐάν, followed by a verb in the sub- 
junetive mood, shows that the ease is simply a hy- 
pothetical one, and not assured, as in verse 15.] 
His brother—[Tov ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. By this term 
we are to understand not the neighbour i in general, 


Whosoever is born of God 
sinneth not. 


and Yhe shall give him life for them that sin 


not unto death. *There is a sin unto death: 
«I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 ' All 
unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not 
unto death. 28 We know that * whosoever 
is born of God sinneth not; but he that is 


v Job 42, 8; James 5. τὰ 15. Sage Matt. 12. 31, 32: Mark 3. 29 
Luke 12. 10: Heb. 6. 4, 6 +10. %.—u Jer. 7. 163 14. 11; John 


but the Christian brother. —Huther.] [There is 
here a necessary implication, 1) that a Christian may 
fall into sin, and yet not wholly apostatize; and in 
all such cases it is the privilege and the duty of 
Christians to pray for the sinning brother, with 
the assurance that they do not pray in vain: 

2) and also that it is fearfully possible for one 
who has really become “a brother” in Christ to 
sin unto death, after which there is no more re- 
pentance, nor does the Spirit in the hearts of be- 
lievers intercede for such.] A sin which is not 
unto death—[IIpd¢ θάνατον, unto death, is the sin 
which leads to damnation—spiritual death leading 
certainly to eternal death. But as all sin does this, 
if not effectually resisted by grace, the distinction 
in the text must imply an inevitableness of ten- 
dency. The guilt incurred by some sins into which 
Christians may fall is not absolutely irreversible ; 
for those who may have fallen into such it is law- 
ful anda duty to pray. But there is another order 
of sins, whose inevitable sequence is death, with 
all that is expressed by that term as applied to the 
wages of sin. The objection to this obvious sense 
of the text is not from Scripture, nor reason, but 
from sentiment.| And he (God) shall give him 
life—[ Them that sin not unto death. Them in the 
second clause simply extends the Aim of the first 
to all of the same class.] [The restoration of the 
divine life, from which, by an act of sin, he was in 
peril, and indeed in process of falling, but his sin 
was not an actual, absolute fall—A/ford.] [But 
for the unscriptural dogma of “ final perseverance,” 
absolutely assured to the regenerate, there would 
be no difficulty in applying this language to the 
“reconversion”” of the actually backslidden soul— 
its evident intent.] [As to this, (the sin unto death,) 
four tests are positively discoverable in the text it- 
self: a) It does not mean a single sin, (one individual 
action,) but six of a peculiar kind—* there is a sin.” 
b) From the emphatic way in which “brother ” is 
used, it could only occur among Christians in the full 
communion of the Church. ὁ) It would seem to 
be such a sin as was in some sense perceptible and 
visible—“if any man see.” d) According to the 
Johannic sense of the word, the “death” spoken of 
cannot be bodily death from the judgment of God; 
nor the mere spiritual losses, however grave and 
real, of a deserved excommunication. It must 
mean moral and spiritual death, (chapter iii, 24,) 
depravation of the life. (Verse 12.) It might seem 
that its lineaments were traced in the previous part 
of this epistle. By heresy, by unbelief, by obstinate 
worldliness, by want of love, issuing in a Cain-like 
hatred, we may reverse the blessed transition 
“from death unto life,’ (chapter iii, 14,) and pass 
from “life unto death,” that is, toa state of spiritual 
(not yet necessarily eferna/) death. The completion 
of this state is the passing out from the light of 
Christ and his Church into darkness, possibly apos- 
tasy and idolatry, or into atheism. This explana- 
tion seems to meet the whole context from verse 16 


on. St. John does not state whether such a sin- 
ner’s case is absolutely hopeless, or whether he is | for sin. 


Won, 4 — 35 


CHAPTER V. 


begotten of God *keepeth himself, und that 


Α. ΜΝ. 4073. A. Ὁ. 69, 
Year of Rome, £22. 


wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we 
know that we are of God, and¢ the whole world 
lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that 
the Son of God is come, and ‘hath given us an 
ph aCe ae éthat we may know hin that 


d James 


17. a i 8. 4.—c1 Pet. 1. 28; chap. 3. 9. 
1. 27.—e Gal. 1. 4. Luke 94, 45. ——g John 17. 3. 
definitely capable of conversion. But he will not 
desire Christians to intercede for those who, as far 
as in them lies, have voluntarily dipped the roots 
of their souls in poison, and sought to destroy their 
Christian life. The reference is here, as so often, 
to the Gospel of St. John. Even among Christians 
there was the possibility of incurring the doom 
of which Jesus warned the unbelieving Jews, “ Ye 
shall die in your siz... in your sixs.” (John 
τ 2d -24,)—Speaker’s Commentary. | 

All unrighteousness is sin—Ilaca ἀδικία. 
cone act contrary to justice is “sin Y—is a trans- 
gression of the law which condemns all injustice. 
[If the first term is taken abstractly, the ἀδικία and 
ἁμαρτία are simply synonymous; if concretely, then 
this sentence declares that in every act of injustice 
or wrong “sin” is the ruling element. ] 

8. Whosoever is born of God sinneth not 
—This is spoken of adult Christians; they are 
cleansed from all unrighteousness, consequently 
from all sin. (Chapter i, 7-9.) [Though (liability to) 
sin is still found in the life of the believer, who as 
such is born of God, yet it is nevertheless foreign 
to him, opposed to his (renewed) nature, and in the 
strength of faith he is ever becoming more and 
more free from it.—Huther.] Keepeth himself 
—That is, in the love of God, (Jude 21,) by building 
up himself on his most holy faith, and praying in 
the Holy Ghost. And that wicked one—The 
devil. Toucheth him not—Finds nothing of his 
own nature in him on which he can work, Christ 
dwelling in his heart by faith. 

19. We know that we are of God—Have the 
fullest proof of the truth of Christianity, and of 
our own reconciliation to God through the death of 
his Son. The whole world lieth in wicked- 
ness— Ev τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται, lieth in the wicked one; 
is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies 
fast asleep and carnally secure, deriving its heat 
and power from its infernal fosterer. ‘In this 
short expression,” says Mr. Wesley, “the horrible 
state of the world is painted in the most lively 
colours; a comment on which we have in the 
actions, conversations, contracts, quarrels, and 
friendships of worldly men.” [The Christian con- 
sciousness in response to the voice of the Spirit in 
the soul attests our gracious state, that we are of 
God. The we, ἡμεῖς, the implied subject of ἐκ τοῦ 
Θεοῦ ἐσμίν, represents the whole commonwealth of 
believers, the Holy Catholic Church, who are not of 
the world. “The whole world,” ὁ κόσμος 6/0c, the 
great undistinguished residue of mankind, all men 
not in God—in Christ. Lieth in the wicked one, 
is in the bosom of Satan. ‘ We” and “the whole 
world” are alternate opposites, as are also “God ” 
and the wicked one. Christians are such by vir- 
tue of their ingrafting into Christ; the ‘ world,” all 
unconverted men, are in Satan. ‘ Lieth,” κεῖται, 
lies passively, unrvesistingly, under the dominance of 
“the God of this world.” ] 

20. We know that the Son of God is come 
—lIn the flesh, and has made his soul an offering 
And hath given us an understanding 

545 


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TL -SOLN: 


Believers admonished against 
entertaining undue love. 


is true; and we are in him that is true, even in 
his Son Jesus Christ. ®This is the true God, 


‘and eternal life. 2H Little children, * keep 
yourselves from idols. Amen. 


Aisa. 9. 6; 44.6; 54.5; John 20, 28; Acts 20.28; Rom. 9.5; 1 Tim, 


3.16; Tit. 2. 13; Heb. 1. 8.7 Verses 11, 12, 183.—+4 1 Cor. 10. 14. 


—A spiritual understanding, that we may know 
him who is true, even the TRUE Gop, and receive 
eternal life from him through his Son, ΙΝ whom 
we are by faith, as the branches in the vine, deriv- 
ing all our knowledge, light, life, love, and fruitful- 
ness from him. And it is through this revelation 
of Jesus that we know the ever-blessed and glori- 
ous Trinity; and the Trinity— Father, Word, and 
Holy Ghost—in the eternal, undivided unity of the 
ineffable Godhead. 

21. Little children—Texvia, beloved children ; 
John concludes with the same affectionate feeling 
with which he commenced. Keep yourselves 
from idols—Avoid the idolatry of the heathens ; 
not only have no false gods, but have the true God. 
Have no idols.in your houses, none in your churches, 
none in your hearts. Have no object of idolatrous 
worship; no pictures, relics, consecrated tapers, 
wafers, crosses, ete., by attending to which your 
minds may bedivided, and prevented from worship- 
ping the infinite Spirit in spirit and in truth. The 
apostle, says Dr. Macknight, cautioned his disciples 
against going with the heathens into the temple of 
their idol gods, to eat of their feasts upon the sac- 
rifices they had offered to these gods; and against 
being present at any act of worship which they 
paid them; because, by being present, they par- 
ticipated in that worship, as is plain from what St. 
Paul has written on the subject. (See 1 Cor. 
viii, 10.) 

ADDITIONAL NOTE. 

[The question respecting the genuineness of the 
passage concerning the “three heavenly witnesses ” 
(1 John v, 7) is no longer an open one, there being 
nothing of any real value to plead inits favour. It is 
not found in any Greek MS. written before the inven- 
tion of printing, with a single unimportant exception. 
(See below.) It is not found in any of the older 
Versions, except the Vulgate, and even the older 
copies (before the eighth century) of that do not 
contain it; and it is never quoted or referred to by 
the Greek Fathers, and not certainly by any of the 
Latins. During the celebrated Arian controversy, 
which engaged all the learning of its age, and was 
extended over a long period of time, no writer 
refers to it, as would certainly have been the case 
had it been in existence. A passage in Tertullian 
has been supposed to refer to it, but the probabili- 
ties are against it; and one in Cyprian has some 
resemblance to it, but not such as to prove that it 
has any reference to it. Words of nearly equivaient 
import are found in some of the more inconsider- 
able controversial writings of the latter part of the 
fifth century and later times, but they do not 
usually appear as quotations. As a question of 
criticism, this subject is briefly disposed of by Huther 
in terms that will receive the assent of all who will 
examine the evidence in the case: “The weight of 
the evidence against the genuineness of the dis- 
puted words is so strong that it is opposed to the 
fundamental principles of a sound and unprejudiced 
criticism to regard them as genuine.” 

[The words, as a part of the text, begin to appear 
in the Latin MSS. (of the Vulgate) in the eighth or 
ninth century. In the sixteenth century they were 
found in most copies of the Vulgate, and of course 

546 


they appear in the translations made from that 
Version. It is first found in Greek in the fa- 
mous Complutensian Polyglot, prepared under the 
auspices of Cardinal Ximenes, (A. Ὁ, 1504-1514.) 
The Greek MSS. used in constructing this work 
were of recent date and of but little authority, and 
the compilers, in not a few cases, corrected the 
Greek text from the Vulgate, and by that means 
the text in question was carried over from the 
Latin of the Vulgate to the Greek of the Polyglot. 
Erasmus, in his earlier editions, rejected them, and 
so also did Aldus Manutius, in the Venetian edition 
of 1522; but in his later editions Erasmus accepted 
them on the authority of Codex 34, (which is be- 
lieved to be identical with the Codex Montefiori, 
and Stephanus and Beze did the same. Luther 
never admitted the words to any of his translations ; 
but they appear in the German Bible printed in 
Zurich in 1529, mutilated in part, and in small 
print. After this date they are found in most 
editions, sometimes in brackets, and sometimes 
without any marks of discredit. 

[The words in question are found in the Codex 
Montefiori, preserved in the library of Dublin 
University, (G. 97,) an octavo cursive Greek MS. of 
the whole New Testament, written in the fifteenth 
or sixteenth century. It is doubtless the ‘Codex 
Britannicus,” referred to by Erasmus as his sole 
authority for inserting the disputed words in his 
later editions. As a critical authority it is entirely 
without value. The text came into our English 
Bibles from the Vulgate, which was the authority 
almost explicitly followed by the earliest translators, 
and their Versions have been followed in all other 
generally accepted Versions, though the best En- 
elish scholars of the century (among them es- 
pecially Dr. A. Clarke) have been agreed in reject- 
ing them as not sustained by any competent au- 
thority. 

| Alford, after traversing the whole subject, and 
arriving at the only rational conclusion pessible, 
that the words are spurious, adds: ‘Something re- 
mains to be said on internal grounds, on which we 
have full right to enter now that the other is se- 
cured. And on these grounds it must appear on any 
fair and unprejudiced consideration that the words 
are, 1) Alien from the context. 2) In themselves in- 
coherent and betraying another hand than the 
apostle’s. For the context, as above explained, is 
employed in setting forth the redlity of the sub- 
stance of the faith which overcomes the world, 
even of our eternal life in Jesus the Son of God. 
And this is shown by a threefold testimony sub- 
sisting in the revelation of the Lord himself and 
reproduced in us his people. And this testimony is 
the water of baptism, the blood of atonement, and 
the Spirit of truth, concurrent in their witness to 
the one fact that he is the Son of God, and that we 
have eternal life in him. Now between two steps of 
this argument—not as a mere analogy referred to 
at its conclusion—insert the words, ‘For there are 
three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are 
one,’ and who can fail to see, unless prejudice 
have blinded his eyes, that the context is disturbed 
by the introduction of an irrelevant matter?” 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE 


OF 


ἀκ Ge es Ii 


OHN’S Second Epistle is addressed to some one whom the writer calls ἐκλεκτῇ 
κυρίᾳ, which some have regarded as designating the Church collectively ; 
others, a particular congregation; and others, an individual, which last seems 
to be altogether the most probable. But among those who accept this application 
there are three distinct renderings of the words themselves: 1) ‘The Lady 
Electa;” 2) “The elect kuria ;” and 3) “The elect lady,” as in our English Ver- 
sion. Accepting the last of these as the most probable, though either of the 
others if accepted would not change the sense, it would appear that at the time 
of the writing the apostle was with the sister of the person addressed. He ex- 
presses the hope soon to see the latter and converse with her on matters of which he 
could not then write. The purpose of the epistle—and probably the same things are 
intended by those respecting whom he hopes soon to converse with—seems to be to 
warn her against the false teachers, and to dissuade her from showing them undue 
kindness; and to give force to his exhortation he styles himself ὁ πρεσβύτερος, 
the elder. We also commends to her the practice of the great principle of dove, 
which with him means right affection, springing from a sound faith, and issuing 
in right conduct; and in this spirit, so characteristic of St. John, he denounces the 
“deceiver,” whom he calls “antichrist.” 


THE AUTHORSHIP. 


There is no reason to doubt that this epistle was written by the apostle John, 
as it bears the genuine impress of his writing. 

Irenzeus quotes verse 11, directly referring it to “John, the disciple of the 
Lord.” Clement of Alexandria quotes 1 John ν, 16,17, with the remark: “And 
John is seen to show in the darger epistle that there are different kinds of sins;” 
which shows that he recognised more than one epistle of John. Tertullian, in 
one place, speaks of what John asserts in his “first epistle,” (¢ prima quidem 
epistola,) which shows his knowledge of at least one other. Cyprian, on the 
contrary, quotes numerous passages from the first epistle of John, but without 
seeming to recognise the existence of any other. Dionysius, bishop of Alex- 
andria about the middle of the third century, speaks of a second and third epis- 
tle ascribed to the apostle John. Origen, after remarking that St. John left 
one epistle οὐ a very few lines, also speaks of a second and third, respecting 
which he adds: “ All do not affirm that these are genuine, but both of them are not 


of a hundred lines.” Eusebius, after stating that the first epistle of John was 
547 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN. 


acknowledged without dispute, both by the Christians of bis time and by the 
ancients, says: “ But the remaining two are disputed.” 

In the Canon of Muratori two epistles of John are recognised, of which one 
is our first epistle, and probably the other is our present second epistle. This 
epistle, and also the third of John, are wanting in the ancient Syriac Version ; 
nor were they received by the Syrian Church as late as the first half of the sixth 
century. It is, however, found in the Memphitic, Thebaic, A&thiopic, and 
Armenian Versions. Jerome remarks that the second and third epistles of John 
“are asserted to be those of the presbyter John, of whom another tomb is shown, 
even to-day, at Ephesus, although some suppose that both monuments belong to 
the same John the evangelist.” 

The epistle was not in the Canon of Chrysostom, but it formed a part of that of 
Cyril of Jerusalem, of Rufinus, of Epiphanius, and of Augustine. Its genuineness is 
acknowledged by Bleek and Neander, and favoured by De Wette. See Harman. 

The epistle has all the marks of a private letter designed for personal Christian 
greetings, and perhaps very gentle admonition; and though quite worthy of its 
great author as a contribution to either doctrine or reproof, and while its value 
may not be great, yet it may still be useful, as giving a slight glance into the 
contemporary private life of the Church. 

548 


THE SECOND EPISTLE 


= OF 


JOHN. 


HE elder unto the elect lady and her chil- 

dren, *whoin I love in the truth; and not 
1 only, but also all they that have known ‘the 
truth; 422 For the truth’s sake, which dwell- 
eth in us, and shall be with us for ever. 
-3 ©Grace ‘be with you, mercy, and peace, 
from God the Father, and from the Lord Je- 


Gal. 2. 5, 14; 
Heb. 10. 36. 


a1 John 3. 18: verse 3; 3 John 1.—/ John 8. 32; 
1; 5.7; Col. 1.5; 2 Thess. 2. 13; 1 Tim. 2. 4; 
NOTES ON II. JOHN. 
1. The elder—John the apostle, who was now 
a very old man, generally supposed to be about 
ninety, and therefore he uses the term ὁ πρεσβύτερος, 
presbyter or elder, not as the name of an office, but 
as designating his advanced age. This title led 
some of the ancients to attribute this epistle to a 
person called John the presbyter, a member of the 
Church at Ephesus, and not to John the apostle. 
The elect lady—'Ex/exrij xupia. As κυρία (kuria) 
may be the feminine of κύριος (kurios) lord, there- 
fore it may signify /ady ; and so several, both an- 
cients and moderns, have understood it. Others 
have considered it the proper name of a woman, 
Kyria ; and that this is a very ancient opinion is 
evident from the Peshito Syriac, the oldest Version 
we have, which uses it as a proper name, as does 
also the Arabic. Some have thought that Helecta 
was the name of this matron, from the word 
ἐκλεκτή, which we translate “ elect,” and which here 
signifies the same as excellent, eminent, honourable, 
or the like. Others think that a particular Church 
is intended, which some suppose to be the Church 
at Jerusalem, and that the “elect sister” (verse 13) 
means the Church at Ephesus; but these are con- 
jectures which appear to me to have no good 
ground. I am satisfied that no metaphor is here 
intended ; that the epistle was sent to some eminent 
Christian matron not far from Ephesus, who was 
probably a deaconess of the Church, who, it is 
likely, had a Church at her house, or at whose 
house the apostles and travelling evangelists fre- 
quently preached and were entertained. This will 
appear more probable in the course of the notes. 
Whom I love in the truth—Whom I love as the 
Christian religion requires us to love one another. 
And not I only—She was well known in the 
Churches; many had witnessed or heard of her 
fidelity and partaken of her hospitality; so that 
she had a good report of all Christians in that 
quarter. 
2. For the truth’s sake—On account of the 
Gospel. Which dwelleth in us—By the grace 


sus Christ, the Son of the Father, ¢in truth 
and love. 4 I rejoiced greatly that I found 
of thy children ‘ walking in truth, as we have 
received a commandment from the Father. 
ὅ And now I beseech thee, lady, ποῖ as 
though I wrote a new commandment unto 
thee, but that which we had from the begin- 


ΟἹ Tim, 1. 2.—d Gr. shall be. ee ΠΈΣΕ 1.----73 John 3.— 
ΟἹ Jobn 2. 7,8; 3.1 


which it has proclaimed. And shall be with us 
—For God will preserve not only the Christian re- 
ligion but its truth—all its essential doctrines— 
forever. And they that abide in the truth shall go 
whither that truth leads, that is, to glory. [This 
salutation is eminently Johannean, in both its sub- 
stance and form.] 

3. Grace be with you—This is addressed to 
her, her household, and probably that part of the 
Church which was more immediately under her 
care. The Son of the Father—The apostle still 
keeps in view the miraculous conception of Christ, 
a thing which the Gnostics absolutely denied; a ἡ 
doctrine which is at the groundwork of our sal- 
vation. 

4. That I found of thy children walking in 
truth—The children mentioned here may either be 
her own children, or those members of the Church 
which were under her care, or some of both. The 
apostle was glad to find, by some means not named, 
that the work of God was prospering in the place 
where she lived, and also in her own household. 
[“ Walking in the truth:” not only in honesty 
and uprightness (of outward conduct,) but in that 
“truth” which is derived from and is part of the 
truth of God and Christ. (See on verse 1.) ᾿Εκ τῶν 
τέκνων, “of thy children:” the apostle had prob- 
ably lit upon some of the children of the κυρία, 
(lady,) and [now for her comfort] sends her word of 
their good report. Respecting the rest, (whom he 
had not seen,) he makes no mention or insinuation. 

—Alford.| 

5. Not as though I wrote (οἱ γ ὡς γράφων, not as 
writing) a new commandment—But only gently 
reminding the person addressed of a duty already 
recognised and practised by her.] That which 
we had from the beginning—The commandment 
to love one another was what they had heard from 
the first publication of Christianity, and what he 
wishes this excellent woman to inculcate on all 
those under her care. The mode of address here 
shows that it was a person, not a Church, to which 
the apostle writes. 

549 


A.M. 4100, A. D. 96. ΤΊ ssity of a iding in 
Yeur of Rome, 549. 13 JOHN. iia dackinelot Christ 
ning, "that we love one another. 6 And|God. He that abideth in the doctrine of 


ithis is love, that we walk after his command- 
ments. This is the commandment, That, Καὶ as 
ye have heard from the beginning, ye should 
walk in it. % For 'imany deceivers are en- 
tered into the world, ™who confess not that 
Jesus Christ is coine in the flesh. "This is a 
deceiver and an antichrist. & °Look to your- 
selves, Pthat we lose not those things which 
we have 4 wrought, but that we receive a full 
reward. 9. * Whosoever transgresseth, and 
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not 


Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not 
this doctrine, receive him not into your house, 
‘sneither bid him God speed: ΕΠ For he that 
biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil 
deeds. 4&2 ‘Having many things to write 
unto you, I would not write with paper and 
ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak 
“face to face, ¥that vour joy may be full. 
13 « The children of thy elect sister greet thee. 
Amen. 


h John 13. 34; 15. 12; Ephesians 5. 2; 1 Peter 4, 85 ee 
23,7 John 14. 15, 913 15. 10; 1 John 2 2. Sesh — 1 John 
; 4.—11 John 4: 1. ΞΞ aha 4. ni John 2 ἊΣ 225 
4. 3. —o Mark 13.9. —~p Galatians 3. oe Hebrews 10, 32, 33. 


—- gq Or, gained : Some copies read, which ye have gained, 


now 


Fe that ve receive, ete. ar te John 2. 23, — Le SaI Ae 
16. 173 1 Corinthians 5. 11; 16. 22; Galatians 1. 8, 9; 2 Tim- 
othy 3. 5; Titus 3. 10, ——2¢3 John 13. —— wz Gr, mouth to 
moutli. Ὁ John 17, 13; 1 John 1. 4. —w Or; your, — 
ΟἹ Peter ὅ, 13. 


6. And this is love—That is, our love is shown 
and proved by our walking according to the com- 
mandments of God; for love is the principle of 
obedience. [᾿Αγάπη, love, here (as in other places 
in these epistles) denotes Christian love simply, of 
which the basis is the love of God, and the essen- 
tial manifestation of which is to love the breth- 
ren.— Liicke. } 

7. For many deceivers, etc.—Of these he had 
spoken before. (See 1 John iv, 1, ete.) And these 
appear to have been Gnostics, for they denied that 
Jesus was come in the flesh. And this doctrine, 
so essential to salvation, none could deny but a de- 
ceiver and an antichrist. Instead of εἰσῆλθον, 
are entered in, the best MSS. and Versions have 
ἐξῆλθαν, are gone out. [The necessity for fresh ex- 
hortation to walk in love lies in the fact that there 
are many deceivers gone forth, denying the truth, 
of whom we are to beware, and not, by extending 
to them a spurious sympathy, to become partakers 
with them.—A/ford. | 

8. Look to yourselves—Be on your guard 
against these seducers; watch, pray, love God and 

each other, and walk in newness of life. That we 
lose not those things which we have wrought 
—That we apostles, who have been the means of 
your conversion, may not be deprived of you as our 
crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus, 
[The now generally accepted reading of this spas 
sage is βλέπετε ἑαυτούς, ἵνα μὴ ἀπολέσητε ἃ ἦργα 
σάμεθα, ἀλλὰ μισθὸν πλήρῃ ἀπολίβητε: Look fi 
yourselves that you do not lose that which we have 
wrought, but that ye receive a full reward. The 
idea is a complex one. | 

9. Whosoever transgresseth — Παραβαίνων: 
he who passes over the sacred enclosure, or goes be- 
yond the prescribed limits, and abideth not in 
the doctrine, but indulges himself either in ex- 
cesses of action or passion, hath not God for his 
Father, nor the love of God in his heart. Hath 
both the Father and the,Son—He who abideth 
in the doctrine of Christ, his body is a temple of 
the Holy Trinity, and he has communion with the 
Father as his Father, and with the Son as his 
Saviour and Redeemer. [Instead of παραβαίνων, 
transgressing, a decisive preponderance of the best 
authorities have προάγων, going before, or ahead. 
It seems here to include two ideas, going beyond 
the line of truth, (perhaps referring to the vaunted 
progress of advanced Gnostic thought,) and carry- 
ing others with him—leading them, with bold and 
selfwilled ambition, outside the barriers. —Speak- 
ers Commentary. | 

10. If there come any unto you—Under the 

550 


character of an apostle or evangelist, to preach in 
your house; and bring not this doctrine, that 
Jesus is come in the flesh, and has died for the re- 
demption of the world. Receive him not into 
your house—Give him no entertainment as an 
evangelical teacher. Let him not preach under 
your roof. Neither bid him God speed—Kai 
χαίρειν αὐτῷ μὴ λέγετε, and do not say, Health to 
him—do not salute him with Peace be to thee /—the 
usual salutation among friends and those of the 
same religion in the East; which those of the same 
religion will use among themselves, but not to 
strangers. [The exercise of the love of the breth- 
ren is conditioned and limited by the truth, and is 
not to be extended to those who are enemies and 
impugners of the truth. Those who harbor or 
encourage such make common cause with them and 
their evil deeds.—A/ford. ] 

11. Is partaker of his evil deeds—No sound 
Christian should countenance any man as a gospel 
minister who holds and preaches erroneous doc- 
trines ; especially concerning the Lord Jesus. Nor 
can any Christian attend the ministry of such 
teachers without being criminal in the sight of 
God. We should not deny such the common offices 
of humanity, charity, and mercy; far less should 
we persecute such on account of their heretical or 
heterodox sentiments. 

12. Having many things to write—That is, 
I have many things that I might write to thee, but 
I think it best not to commit them to paper, be- 
cause I hope to visit thee shortly, and speak fully 
of those matters, which will be a means of increas- 
ing the comfort both of thee and thy family, as 
well as my own. There is more comfort in mutual 
interviews among friends than in epistolary corre- 
spondence. 

13. The children of thy elect sister—Prob- 
ably her own sister, living at Ephesus; and, being 
acquainted with the apostle’ 5. writing, desired to be 
thus remembered to her. ‘ Elect,” both in this and 
the first verse, signifies excellent, eminent, or hon- 
ourable. (See verse 1.) Amen is wanting in the 
most ancient MSS. and in most of the Versions; but 
ἡ χάρις μέτα cov and μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν, grace be with thee, 
or with you, is found in several MSS. and Ver- 
sions. 

This epistle is remarkable for the spirit of Chris- 
tian love which it breathes, and scarcely less so 
for its warnings against the heretical teachers. 
They were to hold no communion with them, and 
afford them no support as teachers, but not perse- 
cute them.. Thus far, we have apostolical author- 


| ity; farther, we have none, 


THE THIRD EPISTLE 


OF 


ἘΦ πόδιν 


HE elder unto the well beloved Gaius, 

awhom I love 'in the truth. 2 Beloved, 
I «wish above all things that thou mayest 
prosper and be in health, even as thy soul 
prospereth. 8% For I rejoiced greatly, when 
the brethren came and testified of the truth 
that is in thee, even as ¢thou walkest in the 


a2 John 1.— 2? Or, truly.-—c Or, pray.—d 2 Jolin 4. 


truth. 4 Ihave no greater joy than to hear 
that «my children walk in truth. 5 Beloved, 
thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to 
the brethren, and to strangers; © Which 
have borne witness of thy charity before the 
church: whom if thou bring forward on their 
journey ‘after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: 


61 Cor. 4. 15; Philem. 10.—/Gr. worthy of God. 


This epistle being of nearly the same complexion 
with the former, and evidently written about the 
same time, and incontestably by the same person, 
it is not necessary to give it any particular pref- 
ace, as the subject of the authenticity of all John’s 
three epistles has been treated already so much at 
large. 

This and the preceding epistle are, by Dr. Lard- 
ner, supposed to have been written between A. ἢ. 
80 and 90. There are no notes of time in the epis- 
tles themselves to help us to fix any date, there- 
fore all is conjecture concerning the time in which 
they were written; but to me it appears as likely 
that they were written before the destruction of 
Jerusalem as after; for it is scarcely to be sup- 
posed that so signal a display of the justice of 
God, and such a powerful argument in favour of 
Christianity and of the truth of Christ’s predic- 
tions, could be passed unnoticed and unappealed 
to by any of the inspired persons who wrote after 
that event. However, where there is no positive 
evidence, conjecture is useless. 


NOTES ON IL JOHN. 

1. The elder—(See on the first verse of the 
preceding epistle, and also the preface.) The well 
beloved Gaius—Taioc, Gaius, is the Greek mode 
of writing the Roman name Caius. Several per- 
sons of the name of Caius occur in the New Testa- 
ment; [but which one of these, or whether some | 
other may not be intended, is matter of pure con- 
jecture. } 

2. I wish above all things—Ilepi πάντων 
εὔχομαι, above all things I pray that thou mayest 
prosper and be in health, καὶ ὑγιαίνειν. The prayer 
of St. John for Gaius includes three particulars: 
1) Health of body; 2) Health of soul; and 3) Pros- 
perity in secular affairs. ‘“ 7hat thou mayest PRos- 
PER and be in HEALTH, as thy SOUL PROSPERETH.” 
For these three things, so necessary to the comfort | 
of life, every Christian is authorized to pray, [for | 
himself and for others,] and we should have more of | 
all three if we devoutly prayed for them. 


3. When the brethren came—Probably the 
same of whom he speaks in the fifth and following 
verses, and who appear to have been itinerant 
evangelists. The truth that is in thee—The 
soundness of thy faith and the depth of thy re- 
ligion. 

4. To hear that my children—The apostle 
probably uses the term “ children” here in respect 
to those immediately under his pastoral care; and, 
as an old man, addressing his juniors both in age 
and grace; and there is much both of propriety 
and dignity in the appellation coming from such a 
person. 

5. Thou doest faithfully—Ilicrév ποιεῖς, thou 
hast acted as the faith—the Christian religion—re- 
quired thee to act, in all that thou hast done, both to 
the brethren at home and to the strangers, the 
itinerant evangelists, who, in the course of their 
travels, have called at thy house. There is not a 
word here about the pilgrims and penitential jour- 
neys which the papists contrive to bring out of 
this text. [The apostle in this praise has specially 
in view what Gaius had done to the brethren who 
had come to him, and all this had been done by 


| him πιστὸν, “ faithfully,” as a believer, and also as 


a servant of the Church, for Christ’s sake. } 

6. Which—[0i, who, that is, the brethren and 
strangers to whom Gaius had ministered.] Have 
borne witness of thy charity—Of thy love and 
benevolence. Before the Church—The believers 
at Ephesus; for to this Church the apostle seems to 
refer. Whom if thou bring forward—lIf thou 
continue to assist such, as thou hast done, thou 
shalt do well—The:“ brethren” of whom St. 
John speaks may have been apostles; the “stran- 
gers,” assistants to these apostles, as John Mark was 
to Barnabas. Both were itinerant evangelists. 
After a godly sort—'A¢iwe τοῦ Θεοῦ: in a man- 
ner worthy of God, in such a way as he can ap- 
prove. [He who honours such faithful servants of 
God, honours Christ who sends them. ... The 
apostle expects Christians to do this action worthi/y 
of (in reference to) God, implying that this is the 

551 


A. Μ. 4059. A. Ὁ. 85. 
Year of Rome, 835. 


Ill. JOHN. 


The bad conduct of Diotrephes, 
Commendation of Demetrius, 


” Because that for his name’s sake they went 
forth, ¢taking nothing of the Gentiles. 5 We 
therefore ought to receive such, that we 
might be fellow helpers to the truth. 9 I 
wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who 
loveth to have the preeminence among them, 
receiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I come, Ϊ 
will remember his deeds which he doeth, prat- 
ing against us with malicious words: and not 
content therewith, neither doth he himself re- 
ceive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that 
would, and casteth them out of the church. 


Π1 Beloved, 
but that which is good. 


“follow not that which is evil, 
‘He that doeth good 


is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen 
God. 22 Demetrius " hath good report of all 


men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also 
bear record; !and ye know that our record is 
true.. #3 “I had many things to write. but 
1 will not with ink and pen write unto thee: 
14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we 
shall speak "face to face. Peace be to thee. 
Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by 
name. 


158. 1. 16, 17 


3. 6,9. 


2, 15.—Ah Psa. 37, ὅτι 3 1 Pet. 3, 11.--- 


g1 Cor, 9. 
41 John 2. 29; 


standard by which every action is to be measured. 
—Speaker’s Com.] 

4. For his name’s sake they went forth— 
For the sake of preaching the Gospel of the grace 
of God, and making known Jesus to the heathen. 
Taking nothing of the Gentiles—Receiving no 
emolument for their labour, but in every respect 
showing themselves to be truly disinterested. 
Sometimes, and on some special occasions, this 
may be necessary; but the labourer is wor thy of 
his hire is the maxim of the author of Christianity. 

And those congregations of Christians are ever 
found to prize the Gospel most, and profit most by 
it, who bear all expenses incident to it, and vice versa. 
But some construe é&7A0av, they ene out, with ἀπὸ 
τῶν ἐθνῶν, from the Gentiles, or rather, by the Gen- 
tiles, and give the passage this sense: They went out, 
that i is, were driven out by the Gentiles, taking noth- 
ing with them, that is, leaving all their property be- 
hind, so that they Ww ere in a state of great destitution. 
A curious reading here, (now accepted as correct, ) 
ἐθνικῶν, heathenish men, for ἐθνῶν, Gentiles, which 
latter might imply those who were converted from 
among the Gentiles, while the sense of the other 
term seems to be restrained to those who were 
still unconverted, may seem to strengthen the 
above interpretation. 

8. We therefore ought to receive such— 
Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, 
and have professed the truth at the hazard of their 
lives, and the loss of all their worldly substance. 
We ought, ὀφείλομεν, it is a matter of debt and duty, 
ὑπολαμβάνειν, to take up, undertake for, ov kindly 
receive. Fellow helpers to the truth—<And 
thus encourage the persecuted, and contribute to 
the spread and maintenance of the Gospel. [And 
so they who by their gifts aid those who carry the 
Gospel to the Aeathenish men, whether at home or 
abroad, become fellow helpers (συνεργοί) in the work 
of the Lord. (2 Cor. vi, 1.)] 

9. I wrote (somewhat, τι) unto the Church 
—[The “7c” does not imply that the thing written 
was specially important, nor on the other hand does 
it depreciate; but merely designates indefinitely. 

. The contents of the epistle are not hinted at. 
“Unto the Chureh ; ;” the ἐκκλεσία is apparently the 
Church of which Gaius was a member.—<A//ord. | 
But Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre- 
eminence—Aorpurevur, who loves the presidency, 
or chief place in the Church. He was doubtless an 
officer in the Church, at least a deacon, probably a 
bishop ; and, being such, he magnified himself in 
his office. Receiveth us not—Does not acknowl- 
edge the apostolical authority. [It does not ap- 
pear, says Alford, that Diotrephes was, as Bede 

552 


k1 Tim. 3. 7,—d John 21. 24.—m 2 John 12.—~7 Gr. mouth 
to mouth. 


and others have said, a heresiarch; and yet it is 
evident that a rather violent conflict, leading to 
schism, had arisen many times among the professed 
Christians. | 

10. If I come, I will remember—lI will show 
him the authority which, as an apostle of Jesus 
Christ, I possess. Prating against us—-[®/vapov 
ἡμᾶς, speaking idly, of us; λόγοις πονηροῖς, with 
wicked words.| Diotrephes may have been a con- 
verted Jew, who was unwilling that the Gentiles 
should be received into the Church; or a Judaizing 
Christian, who wished to incorporate the law with 
the Gospel, and calumniated the apostles who 
taught otherwise. This would give a fuller mean- 
ing “to the words, neither doth he himself re- 
ceive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that 


| would, and casteth them out of the Church. 


11. Follow not that which is evil—M7 μιμοῦ 
τὸ κακὸν, do not imitate that wicked man, that is, 
Diotrephes. Be merciful, loving, and kind. For 
whatever profession any man may make, it will 
ever appear that he that doeth good is of God; 
he alone is the person who uses rightly the 
grace received from God, and he alone shal! enjoy 
the divine approbation. While he that doeth 
evil—-He who is unfeeling, unmerciful, unkind. 
Hath not seen God—Has no proper knowledge 
of that God whose NAME is mercy, and whose Na- 
TURE is love. 

12. Demetrius hath good report—Perhaps 
another member of the Courch where Gaius was; 
or he might have been one of those whom the 
apostle recommends to Gaius; possibly the bearer 
of this letter from John to Gaius. [The truth of 
God was the mirror in which the work of Demetrius 
was reflected ; and his form thus seen in the mirror 
of God’s truth, in which the perfect form of Christ 
is held up to us, (1 John ii, 6; iii, 5, 16,) appeared 
in the likeness of Christ. —Alford.| " 

13. I had many things to write—That is, I 
have many things that I might write; but having 
the hope of seeing thee shortly, I will not commit 
them to paper. Ink and pen (μέλανος καὶ καλάμου) 
are here mentioned; paper and ink (χάρτου καὶ 
μέλανος) in the preceding epistle. 

14. Peace be to thee—Hip#vy σοι. Mayest 
thou possess every requisite good, both of a spirit- 
ual and temporal kind. Our friends salute thee 
—Desire to be affectionately remembered to thee. 
Greet the friends by name—Remember me to 
all those with whom I am acquainted, as if I had 
specified them by name. [The reason why St. John 
mentions φίλοι, and not ἀδελφοί, is probably to be 
found in the personal character of the epistle, as 
from friend to friend.—A/ford. | 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


J CER, 


ITS AUTHORSHIP. 


ESPECTING the writer of this epistle, our only trustworthy information is 
that given by himself in his opening words: “Jude, a servant of Jesus 
Christ, and brother of James.” As the word servant, δοῦλος, is wholly indefinite 
beyond the fact of discipleship, and as it was often used indiscriminately by all 
classes of believers, its use in this case avails nothing for the identification of the 
writer. The second designation is likewise of very uncertain import, since there 
were certainly two, perhaps three, Jameses of apostolical character—James the 
son of Zebedee, James the son of Alpheus, and, perhaps, “James the brother of 
the Lord ”—and each of the last two, it is supposed, had a brother named Judus 
or Jude. It would seem the most obvious that the reference is to the well-known 
James, sometimes called the first bishop of Jerusalem, respecting whom there is 
also much doubt whether he was that one of the twelve known as “James the 
Less,” or whether he was “the brother of the Lord,” a son of Joseph and Mary. 
(See preface to the epistle of James.) If the writer was the brother of James the 
Less, then he was himself one of the twelve; and if of “the Lord’s brethren,” 
then his own apostleship would stand or fall with that of his brother; and there 
seems to be some evidence that these “brethren of the Lord” were accepted as 
of equal rank and authority with the original apostles. 


ITS GENUINENESS AND CANONICITY. 


Scarcely any other of the New Testament writings has been so much called in 
question as this epistle. It is not found in the oldest and best MSS.; it is 
wanting in the Peshito, but is named in the Canon of Muratori. It is not named 
by Irenzus, but is quoted by Clement of Alexandria, and by Tertullian, as the 
apostle Jude’s. Origen also says of it: “Jude wrote an epistle of a few lines, 
but filled with words powerful in heavenly grace.” In the Latin translation 
of Origen by Rufinus, he is spoken of as an apostle, but not only is the word 
“apostle,” as there used, of uncertain meaning, but also the words used are prob- 
ably those of the translator, as he is known to have used great liberties with the 
text. Eusebius places this epistle among disputed books; but says also, that it 
had been “ publicly read in most churches,” as had also several of the canonically 
apocryphal books. It is contained in the Canon of Cyril of Jerusalem (A. D. 350) 
and in that of Gregory Nazianzen, (A. D. 375,) but with the remark that some did 


not receive it. Athanasius has a passage that seems to be a quotation from this 
553 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. 


epistle; and it was received by Didymus and Rufinus, (about A. 1). 375-400.) 
Jerome accepted it as “one of the seven catholic epistles;” but not so Chrysostom. 
It was contained in the Memphitic, Thebaic, Ethiopian, and the Armenian 
Versions. It was included in the canon formed by the council of Laodicea, (A. D. 
363,) and confirmed by the third council of Carthage, (A. 1). 397;) which fact, 
though of but little critical value, proves that it was then generally accepted, 
especially among the African Churches, with which it had most favour from the 
beginning. It is evident that this epistle, in very nearly the shape in which it 
now stands, was not unknown in the early Church; but that its title to a place 
among the genuine apostolic writings was doubted by many. It was accepted 
during the Middle Ages without question, and though not much valued by the 
Reformers, its canonicity was not much questioned by them. 

From all the evidence before him, Michaelis concludes that the canonical 
authority of this epistle is extremely dubious; that its author is either unknown 
or very uncertain. Others have spoken of it in strains of unqualified commenda- 
tion and praise, and think that its genuineness is established by the matters 
contained in it, which in every respect are suitable to the character of an inspired 
apostle of Christ. 

Modern scholars and critics generally accept it as canonical, (by ecclesiastical 
authority,) and though of uncertain authorship, and containing some things of a 
doubtful kind, yet worthy of respectful consideration, though not to be accepted 
as of suflicient authority to prove any otherwise uncertain point of doctrine. 


TO WHOM ADDRESSED, AND ITS DATE. 


Respecting both these questions there is an absolute want of trustworthy 
authority beyond what is found in the epistle, which certainly is very meager. 
The researches of a hundred years since his time have added little or nothing to 
the following, from Michaelis: 

“Tam really unable to determine who the persons were to whom this epistle 
was sent; for no traces are to be discovered in it which enable us to form the 
least judgment on this subject; and the address with which this epistle commences 
is so indeterminate, that any Christian community might be denoted by it. 
Though this epistle has a very great similarity to the second epistle of Peter, 
there is no ground for assuming that it was sent to the same persons, namely, the 
Christians who resided in Pontus, ete., because no mention is made of them in 
this epistle. Nor can it have been sent to the Christians of Syria and Assyria, 
where (it is said) Jude preached the Gospel, if he be the same person as the 
apostle of the Syrians; for in this case the epistle would not have been written 
in Greek, but in Syriac or Chaldee, and would certainly have been received into 
the old Syriac Version. 

“ With respect to the date of this epistle, all that I am able to assert is, that it 
was written after the second epistle of Peter; but how many years after I confess 
I am unable to determine, at least from any certain data. The expression, ‘in the 
last time,’ which occurs verse 18, as well as in II. Pet. iii, 3, is too indeterminate to 
warrant any conclusion respecting the date of this epistle; for though, on the one 
hand, it may refer to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, it may, on the 
other hand, refer to a later period, and denote the close of the apostolic age; for 
in the first epistle of St. John a similar expression occurs which must be taken in 


this latter sense. The inference, therefore, that the epistle of St. Jude was written 
504 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. 


before the destruction of Jerusalem, is very precarious, because it is drawn from 
premises which are themselves uncertain. 


RELATIONS OF JUDE TO II. PETER. 

The similarity, and even identity, of certain parts of this epistle with matters 
found in the second epistle of Peter is obvicus, and it is not to be supposed that 
the two statements were of independent origins. Either Peter quoted from Jude, 
or Jude from Peter. Those who hold the former, say that Peter used Jude’s 
matter, which was older than his own, in an abridged form; while those who 
favour the latter, claim that Jude, in writing his epistle, finding the subject of 
which he designed to write already treated of by an apostle, took his matter, but 
enlarged ‘and elaborated it in fuller details, and with the addition of other 
instances and authorities. Both sides of this question have been taken and sus- 
tained by great authorities, and with an abundant display of learning, but noth- 
ing conclusive has been reached. he question of priority between the two 
epistles is at best only a matter of inference, and this is made to do service on 
both sides. Origen classed second Peter as apocryphal, but quoted Jude as an 
epistle of whose authority he had no doubt; and nearly the same may be said of 
Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian; though Dr. Lardner believed that a more 
thorough reading of those Fathers would discover, even in them, decided prefer- 
ences for II. Peter over Jude. He adds: “ For I really cannot comprehend how 
any impartial man who has to choose between these two epistles, which are very 
similar to each other, can receive the epistle of St. Jude, the contents of which 
labour under great difficulties, and at the same time reject, or even consider as 
dubious, the second epistle of St. Peter, the contents of which labour under no 
such difficulties.” 

Still another theory, which the critics seem not to have noticed, may not be 
altogether unworthy of attention. The matter common to the two epistles is 
well known to exist in certain apocryphal Jewish writings, which were evidently 
known to the authors of both these epistles, or else the legends contained in them 
were commonly accepted tradition at that time, and with which both writers 
were acquainted, and therefore each might draw his matter from a common 
source, independently of the other. What is now known respecting the Book: of 
Enoch, and that of The Death of Moses, seems to render probable this view of 
the subject. 

THE DISPUTE ABOUT THE BODY OF MOSES. 

On this point, Dr. Lardner remarks: 

“Origen found in a Jewish Greek book called the Assumption of Moses, which 
was extant in his time, this very story related concerning the dispute of the 
Archangel Michael with the devil about the body of Moses. And from a com- 
parison of the relation in his book with St. Jude’s quotation, he was thoroughly 
persuaded that it was the book from which St. Jude quoted. 

“ Besides the account given by Origen, there is a passage in the works of 
(Ecumenius which likewise contains a part of the story related in the Assumption 
of Moses, and which explains the reason of the dispute which St. Jude has men- 
tioned concerning Moses’s body. According to this passage, Michael was em- 
ployed in burying Moses; but the devil endeavoured to prevent it by saying that 
he had murdered an Egyptian, and was therefore unworthy an honourable burial. 

“There is still extant a Jewish book, written in Hebrew, and entitled Ze 
Death of Moses, which some critics supposed to be the same work as that which 


52 


PREFACE TO THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. 


Origen saw in Greek. Now if this were so, it would throw a great light on our 
present inquiry; but I have carefully examined it, and can assert that it is a 
modern work, and that its contents are not the same as those of the Greek book 
quoted by Origen.” 

The book here referred to, as it now exists, is certainly altogether worthless 
and puerile, and very likely it has been freely interpolated and ΠῚ since it 
was seen by Origen. But that Father’s evident cast of mind, and his method of 
allegorizing, lays him open to the suspicion of being capable of setting a high 
estimate upon a wholly worthless book. And if Jude is found to have quoted 
from such a book, that fact may be used to disparage his epistle. So Dr. Lardner 
believed, though he would not believe (for dogmatic reasons) that Jude could 
have used ΠῚ writing, which he stigmatizes as “stuff.” But ποῦ ἃ little of “such 
stuff’ may be found among the πον ἘΠ writings of that age, and also in those of 
the later Fathers, and especially of those who claimed to be of the school of Origen. 
There is certainly great similarity of tone and methods of thought between these 
disparaged Jewish writings and some things in Jude, and also in II. Peter. 
Thoughtful readers will give to these things their due consideration; and what- 
ever doubts may be suggested respecting this epistle, neither the authority nor the 
integrity of the Holy Scriptures will be affected by any conclusion to which in- 
telligent criticism may conduct the devout believer. 


THE PROPHECY OF ENOCH. 


In verses 14, 15, the writer of this epistle quotes from an apocryphal work, 
then extant, Zhe Book of Enoch, and which, though long unknown, is now 
recovered and published, both in the Coptic (in which language it was found) and in 
several modern versions. “The book” (says Dr. J. R. Lumby, in the Speaker's 
Commentary) “was known in the early centuries of Christianity, and passages 
are quoted from it in the Chronography of Georgius Syncellus, a monkish his- 
torian who lived at Constantinople at the end of the eighth and the beginning of 
the ninth century. His extracts were no doubt made from a copy of the work in 
Greek, as were those which appear to indicate a knowledge of the book in Justin 
Martyr and Anatolius, and the quotations in Clemens Alexandrinus and Origen, 
and in the (apocryphal) Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. It may also, with 
much probability, be assumed that it was from a Greek version that Tertullian 
and Augustine drew their knowledge of it. 

Michaelis, in whose days none of the recent discoveries of original documents 
had been made, reading the passage simply as a critical scholar, concedes that 
there is here a tacit recognition of the book in question as a genuine prophecy of 
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam,” (which the book itself purports to be,) and 
remarks: “St. Jude has a quotation (verse 14, 15) from an apocryphal book called 
the Prophecies of Enoch ; or, if not from any written book, from oral tradition. 
It is manifest, however, that the book called the Prophecies of Enoch was a mere 
Jewish forgery, and that, too, a very unfortunate one, since in all human prob- 
ability the use of letters was unknown in the time of Enoch, and consequently he 
could not have left behind him any written prophecies. But St. Jude, in the 
place where he speaks of Enoch’s sayings, does not speak of them as prophecies 
which had been made known to’ him: (Jude) by a particular revelation; on the 
contrary, he speaks of them! in such a manner as-implies that his readers were 


already acquainted with them.” 
556 


THE GENERAL EPISTLE 


OF 


ΠΣ 


——— oe 


UDE, the servant of Jesus Christ, and 

«brother of James, to them that are sanc- 
tified by God the Father, and preserved in 
Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, 
and “peace, and love, be multiplied. ὃ Be- 
loved, when I gave all diligence to write unto 
you ¢of the common salvation, it was needful 


for me to write unto you, and exhort yow that 
f ye should earnestly contend for the faith which 
was once delivered unto the saints. 4 £ For 
there are certain men crept in unawares, » who 
were before of old ordained to this condemna- 
tion, ungodly inen, ‘turning * the grace of our 
God into lasciviousness, and 'denying the only 


a Luke 6. 16; Acts 1. 13.—0 John 17. 11,12, 15:,1 Pet. 1. 5. 
—c Rom, 1. 7,—d 1 Pet. 1. 2; 2 Pet. 1.2 eo ee -- 
F Phil. 1. 27; 1 ‘Tim. 1. 18; 6.12; 2 Tim. 1.13; 4.7 
NOTES ON JUDE. 
1. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ—Prob- 
ably Jude the apostle, who was surnamed Thad- 


deus and Lebbeus, was son to Alpheus, and 
brother to James the Less, Joses, and Simon. See 


Matt. x, 3, and collate with Luke vi, 16; Matt. 
xiii, 55. (See the preface.) Brother of James 
—Supposed to be James the Less, bishop of Jeru- 
salem, mentioned here, because he was an eminent 
person in the Church. (See the preface to St. 
James.) To them that are sanctified by God 
—Instead of ἡγιασμένοις, to the sanctified, a con- 
siderable number of respect table authorities have 
ἠγαπημένοις, to them that are beloved; and before 
ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, in God, some MSS., with the Syriac and 
Armenian, have ἐθνέσιν, to the Gentiles, in God the 
Father. The first is only a probable reading, the 
second is much less so. St. Jude writes to all 
believers everywhere, and not to any particular 
Church; hence this epistle has been called a gen- 
eral (catholic) epistle. ‘“ Sanctified ” signifies here 
consecrated to God through faith in Christ. Pre- 
served in (or by) Jesus Christ — That is, those 
who continued unshaken in the Christian faith ; 
the phrase implies, also, that none can be preserved 
in the faith that do not continue in union with 
Christ, by whose grace alone they can be “ pre- 
served” and called. This should be read con- 
secutively with the other epithets, and should be 
rather, in a translation, read first than last, to dle 
saints in God the Father, called and preserved by 
Christ Jesus. Saints is the same as Christians; to 
become such they were ‘‘called” to believe in 
Christ by the preaching of the Gospel, and having 
believed, were“ preserved ” by the grace of Christ 
in the life and practice of piety. 

2. Mercy unto you—For even the best have 
no merit, and must receive every blessing and grace 
in the way of “mercy.” Peace—With God and 
your consciences. Lovwe—Both to God and man. 
Be multiplied—Be unboundedly increased. 

ὃ. When I gave all diligence—This phrase, 


oGal. 2. 4: 2 Pet. 2. ac — hh Rom. 9. 21, 22; 1 Pet. 2. 8, —— 
i2 Pet, 2. 10,—& Tit. 2.11; Heb. 12. 15,—Z Tit. 1. 16; 2 Pet. 
2131 John 2, 22, 


πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ποιούΐμενος, is a Grecism for being 
exceedingly intent upon a subject; taking it up 
seriously with determination to bring it to good 
effect. Some think that St. Jude intimates that he 
had at first purposed to write to the Church at 
large, on the nature and design of the Gospel; but 
seeing the dangers to which the Churches were ex- 
posed because of the false teachers, he changed his 
mind, and wrote pointedly against those false doc- 
trines, exhorting the believers strenuously to con- 
tend for the faith, The common salvation— 
The Christian religion, and also the salvation which 
it brings, is called “common” because it equally 
belongs to Jews and Gentiles; it is the saving 
grace of God which has appeared to every man, 
and equally offers to every human being that re- 
demption which is provided for the whole world. 

4. For there are certain men crept in un- 
awares — Ilapecediyocav; they had got into the 
Church under specious pretences; and, when in, 
began to sow their bad seed. Before of old or- 
dained—Oi πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι; such as were 
long ago proscribed, and condemned in the most 
public manner; this is the import of the word 
προγραφεῖν in this place, and there are many ex- 
amples of this use of it in the Greek writers. To 
this condemnation—To a similar punishment to 
that immediately about to be mentioned. In the 
sacred writings all such persons, false doctrines, 
and impure practices have been most openly pro- 
scribed and condemned; and the apostle imme- 
diately produces several examples, namely, the dis- 
obedient Israelites, the unfaithful angels, and the 


impure inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. This 
is most obviously the apostle’s meaning. Turning 


the grace of our God into lasciviousness— 
Making the grace and mercy of God a covering for 
crimes ; intimating that men might sin safely who 
believe the Gospel, because in that Gospel grace 
abounds. The only Lord God, and our Lord 
Jesus Christ—Movoy δεσπότην ὌΝ καὶ Κύριον 
ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀρνούμενοι. [The words Θεὸν 


557 


A. M. 4069, A. Ὁ. 65. God’s judgments shown on the 
Year of Rowe, 818. JUDE. wilfully disobedient. 
Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5 I] as *Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about 


will therefore put you in remembrance, though 
ye once knew this, how that ™the Lord, hav- 
ing saved the people out of the land of Egypt, 
afterward ®*destroyed them that believed not. 
6 And °the angels which kept not their P first 
estate, but left their own habitation, 4 he hath 
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness 
runto the judgment of the great day. 7% Even 


them in like manner, giving themselves over to 
fornication, and going after 'strange flesh, are 
set forth for an example, suffering the ven- 
geance of eternal fire. & 4 Likewise also these 
silthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise do- 
minion, and vspeak evil of dignities. 9 Yet 
wy Michael the archangel, when contending with 
the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, 


m1 Cor. 10. 9. 6. 64 E 
17, 19. —-o John 8, 44. — p Or, principality. 
Rev. 20. 10. 


n Num, 14. 29,37; 26. 64; Psa. 106, 26; Heb. 
q2 Pet. 


2. 


s Gen, 29. 24; Deut. 29, pays Ἵ Pet. 2. 0.--- τ, other. —- 
10:1} Pet. 2. 10.—vwv Exod. 33 ; Rev. 


καὶ are not found in most of the oldest and best 
MSS., nor is it agreeable to the New Testament usage 
to apply that term to Christ.] It is very likely 
that it was originally inserted as a gloss, to as- 
certain to whom the title of τὸν μόνον δεσπότην, 
the only sovereign, belonged; and thus make two 
persons where only one seems to be intended. 
The passage evidently belongs solely to Jesus Christ, 
and may be read thus: Denying the only sovereign 
Ruler, even our Lord Jesus Christ. The Simoni- 
ans, Nicolaitans, and Gnostics denied God to be 
the creator of the world; and Simon is said to 
have proclaimed himself as Farner to the Samari- 
tans, as Son to the Jews, and as the Hoty Guosr 
to all other nations. All such most obviously 
denied alike Hather, Son, and Spirit. 

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance 
—That is, how such persons were proscribed, and 
condemned to bear the punishment due to such 
crimes. Though ye once knew this—The word 
ἅπαξ, here translated “once,” has greatly puzzled 
many interpreters. It has two recognised mean- 
ings. 1) It signifies once, one time, as opposed to 
twice, or several times. 2) Altogether, entirely, per- 
fectly. St. Jude is to be understood as saying, 7 
will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye 
are THOROUGHLY instructed in this. Saved the 
people—Delivered them from the Egyptian bond- 
age. Afterward destroyed them—Because they 
neither believed his word nor were obedient to his 
commands. This is the fist example of what was 
mentioned verse 4. 

6. The angels which kept not their first es- 
tate—Tyv ἑαυτῶν ἀρχὴν ; their own principality. 
The words may be understood of tlreir having in- 
vaded the office or dignity of some others, or of 
their having by some means forfeited their own. 
This is spoken of those generally termed the fallen 
angels; but from what they fell, or from what cause 
or for what crime, we know not. It is generally 
thought to have been pride; but this is mere 
conjecture. These are produced as the second 
example. But left their own habitation — 
[Τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον, their own habitation, possession, 
dominion.| This seems to intimate that they had 
invaded the office and prerogatives of others, and 
attempted to seize on their place of residence and 
felicity. He hath reserved in everlasting 
chains—That is, in a state of confinement from 
which they cannot escape. Under darkness— 
Alluding probably to those dungeons or dark cells 
in prisons where the most flagitious culprits were 
confined. The judgment of the great day—The 
final judgment, when both angels and men shall 
receive their eternal doom. (See on 2 Pet. ii, 4.) 
In Sohar Hxzod., fol. 8, ¢. 82: “ Rabbi Isaac asked : 
Suppose God should punish any of his heavenly 
family, how would he act? R. Abba answered: 
He would send them into the flaming river, take 

558 


away their dominion, and put others in their 
place.” Some suppose that the saints are to oc- 
cupy the places from which these angels, by trans- 
gression, fell. [A baseless supposition. ] 

7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah — What 
their sin and punishment were may be seen in 
Gen. xix, and the notes there. This is the third 
example to illustrate what is laid down in verse 4. 
Are set forth for an example—Both of what 
God will do to such transgressors, and of the posi- 
tion laid down in verse 4, namely, that God has in 
the most open and positive manner declared that 
such sinners shall meet with the punishment due to 
their crimes. Suffering the vengeance of eter- 
nal fire—Subjected to such a punishment as an 
endless fire can inflict. Some apply this to the 
utter subversion of these cities, so that by the 
action of that fire which descended from heaven 
they were totally and eternally destroyed; for as to 
their being rebuilt, that is impossible, seeing the 
very g eround on Ww hich they stood is burned up, and 
the whole plain is now the immense lake Asphal- 
tites. (See on Gen. xix.) The jirst sense applies 
to the inhabitants of those wicked cities ; the second, 
to the cities themselves ; in either case the words 
πυρὸς αἰωνίου signify an eternally destructive fire; 
it has no end in the punishment of the wicked 
Sodomites, ete.; it has no end in the destruction 
of the cities; they were totally burnt up, and never 
were and never can be rebuilt. In either of these 
senses the word αἰώνιος, eternal, has its grammat- 
ical and proper meaning. 

8. Likewise also these filthy dreamers—He 
means to say that these false teachers and their 
followers were as unbelieving and disobedient as 
the Israelites in the wilderness; as rebellious 
against the authority of God as the fallen angels; 
and as impure and unholy as the Sodomites; and 
that consequently they must expect similar punish- 
ment. Our translators, by rendering ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι 
filthy dreamers, seem to have understood St. Jude 
to ‘mean, in plain English, self-pollution, with all its 
train of curses and cursed effects on body, soul, and 
spirit. The idea of our translators seems to be 
confirmed by the words σάρκα μὲν μιαίνουσι, they 
indeed pollute the flesh. Despise dominion — 
Κυριοτήτα δὲ ἀθετοῦσι, they set all government at 
naught; they will come under no restraints; they 
despise all law, and wish to live as they list. 
Speak evil of dignities—Adfac δὲ βλασφημοῦσιν, 
they blaspheme or speak injuriously of supreme 
authority. (See 2 Pet. ii, 10,11.) They treat gov- 
ernors and government with contempt, and calum- 
niate and misrepresent all divine-and civil institu- 
tions. 

9. Yet Michael the archangel—Of this per- 
sonage many things are spoken in the Jewish 
writings. ‘‘ Rabbi Judah Hakkodesh says: Wher- 
ever Michael is said to appear, the glory of the 


_ Cautions against the indulgence 
of a prestunptuous spirit, 


JUDE. 


A, M. 4969. A. Ὁ. 65, 
Year of Rome, 818. 


durst *not bring against him a railing accusa- 
tion, but said, ¥ The Lord rebuke thee. 107 But 
these speak evil of those things which they 
know not: but what they know naturally, as 
brute beasts, in those things they corrupt them- 


@w2 Pet. 2. 11.—-y Zech. 3. 2.—<2 Pet. 2, 12. 
1 John 3. 12. 


a Gen, 4. 5; 


divine Majesty is always to be understood.” So 
that it seems as if they considered Michael in some 
sort as we do the Messiah manifested in the flesh. 
Let it be observed that the word “ archangel ” is 
never found in the plural number in the sacred 
writings. There can be properly only one “ arch- 
angel,” one chief or head of all the angelic host. 
Nor is the word devil, as applied to the great 
enemy of mankind, ever found in the plural; there 
can-be but one monarch of all fallen spirits. ‘ Mi- 
chael” is this “archangel,” and head of all the an- 
gelic orders ; the “devil,” great dragon, or Satan, 
is head of all the diabolic orders. (See Rev. xii, 7.) 
Disputed about the body of Moses — What 
this means I cannot tell; or from what source St. 
Jude drew it, unless from some tradition among his 
countrymen. There is something very like it in 
Debarim Rabba, see. ii, fol. 263, 1: “Samael, that 
wicked one, the prince of the ‘satans, carefully 
kept the soul of Moses, saying: When the time 
comes in which Michael shall lament, I shall have 
my mouth filled with laughter. Michael said to 
him: Wretch, I weep, and thou laughest. Rejoice 
not against me, O mine enemy, because [have falien; 
for I shall rise again: when I sit in darkness, the 
Lord is my light. (Micah vii, 8.) By the words 
because I have fallen, we must understand the death 
of Moses; by the words 7 shall rise again, the 
government of Joshua,” ete. [Jude supposes his 
readers familiar with the incident referred to. The 
Jews had from ancient times various traditions of 
the burial of Moses, and a contest about his soul. 
According to Gicumenius, the tradition runs that 
God had charged Michael the archangel with the 
burial of Moses; that Satan opposed him, bringing 
an accusation against him relating to the murder 
of the Egyptian; in consequence of which he was 
unworthy of such honourable burial. Jude, like 
Paul, (2 Tim. iii, 8,) probably drew from this 
tradition; the Spirit of God directing him to ex- 
tract the truth from these traditions. — Fronmuller 
in Lange. (See the preface.)] Another contention 
of Michael with Satan is mentioned in Yaleut 
Rubeni, fol. 48,3: “At the time in which Isaac 
was bound there was a contention between Michael 
and Satan. Michael brought a ram, that Isaac 
might be liberated, but Satan endeavoured to carry 
off the ram, that Isaac might be slain.” The con- 
tention mentioned by Jude is not about the sacri- 
fice of Isaac, nor the souw/ of Moses, but about the 
Bopy of Moses ; but why or wherefore we know not. 
Some think the devil wished to show the Israelites 
where Moses was buried, knowing that they would 
then adore his body; and that Michael was sent to 
resist this discovery. Durst not bring against 
him a railing accusation—Dr. Macknight says: 
In Dan. x, 18, 21; xii, 1, Michael is spoken of as 
one of the chief angels who took care of the Israel- 
ites as a nation; he may, therefore, have been the 
‘angel of the Lord before whom Joshua the high 
priest is said (Zech, iii, 1) to have stood, Satan 
being at his right hand to resist him; namely, in his 
design of restoring the Jewish Church and State, 


Dee ee OOO SS SS 
sss... 


selves. ΕἸ Woe unto them! for they have 
gone in the way "οἵ Cain, and *ran greedily 
after the error of Balaam for reward, and per- 
ished ¢in the gainsaying of Core. 12 ¢These 
are spots in your «feasts of charity, when they 


bNum, 22. 7. 21; 2 Pet. 2. 15.—cNum. 16. 1, etc.—d 2 Pet. 
2. 13.—eé1 Cor. 1], 21. 


‘alled by Jude the body of Moses, just as the 
Christian Church is called by Paul the body of 
Christ. Zechariah adds, And the Lord, that is, the 
angel of the Lord, (as is plain from verse 1,) said 
unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan ! even the 
Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee.’ This 
is the most likely interpretation which I have seen; 
and it will appear the more probable when it is 
considered that, among the Hebrews, Bopy is often 
used for a thing itself.- So, in Rom. vi, 6, σῶμα 
τῆς ἁμαρτίας, the body of sin, signifies sin itself: so 
the body of Moses may signify Moses himself; or 
that in which he was particularly concerned, name- 
ly, his institutes, religion. ete. It may be added, 
that the Jews consider Michael and Samael, one as 
the friend, the other as the enemy, of Israel. 
Samael is their accuser, Michael their advocate. 
“ Michael and Samael stand before the Lord; Satan 
accuses, but Michael shows the merits of Israel. 
Satan endeavours to speak, but Michael silences 
him: Hold thy tongue, says he, and Jet us hear 
what the Judge determines: for it is written, He 
will speak peace to his people, and to his saints, 
(Psa. Ixxxv, 9.)” 

10. Speak evil of those things which they 
know not—They do not understand the origin and 
utility of government; and they revile that which 
ever protects their own persons and their property. 
This is true in most insurrections and seditions. 
But what they know naturally—They are des- 
titute of reflection; their minds are uncultivated ; 
they follow mere natural instinct, and are slaves to 
their animal propensities. As brute beasts—'Qc 
τὰ ἄλογα Coa; like the irrational animals; but in 
the indulgence of their animal propensities they 
corrupt themselves beyond the example of the 
brute beasts. A fearful description; and as true 
as fearful. 

11. They have gone in the way of Cain— 
They are haters of their brethren, and they that are 
such are murderers; and by their false doctrine 
they corrupt and destroy the souls of the people. 
[Like Cain, who in spite of the warning of God fol- 
lowed his own wicked lusts, these, acting on the 
selfish impulses of their nature, and in contempt of 
the warnings of God, continued in their wicked 
courses. See Fronmuller.] The error of Balaam 
—For the sake of gain they corrupt the word of 
God and refine away its meaning, and let it down 
so as to suit the passions of the profligate. This 
was literally true of the Nicolaitans, who taught 
most impure doctrines, and followed the most 
lascivious practices. Gainsaying of Core—See 
the account of the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and 
Abiram, and their company, in Num. xxii. It ap- 
pears that those persons opposed the authority of 
the apostles of our Lord, as Korah and his asso- 
ciates did that of Moses and Aaron; and St. Jude 
predicts for them a similar punishment. In this 
verse he accuses them of murder, covetousness, and 
rebellion against the authority of God. 

12. Spots in your feasts of charity—[=miAddec ; 
rocks, breakers, threatening shipwreck.] It appears 

559 


A.M. 4069, A.D. 65. 
Year of Rome, $18. 


feast with you, feeding themselves without 
fear: ‘clouds they are without water, £ carried 
about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, 
without fruit, twice dead, ® plucked up ΡΥ the 
roots; 8% ‘Raging waves of the sea, * foam- 
ing out their own shi ame; wandering stars, 'to 
whom is reserved the blackness of darkness 


JUDE. 


Description of false teachers in the 
infaney of Christianity. 


for ever. 24 And Enoch also, ™the seventh 
from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Be- 
hold, "the Lord cometh with ten thousand of 
his saints, 18 To execute judgment upon all, 
and to convince all that are ungodly among 
them of all their ungodly deeds which they 
have ungodly committed, and of all their °hard 


J Prov. 
i Isa, 57. 20. 


25. 14; 2 Pet. 2. 17.—-g Eph. 4. 14.—A’ Matt. 15. 13.— 
k Phil. 3. 19.—22 Pet. 2. 17.—7m Gen. 5. 18. 


γι Deut. oe 2); Dan. 7 
Rev. 1. 7.—-o1 Sam. : 


10; fee 14.5: Matt. 25.31; 
Psa. δι. 18: 94.4; 


i ea 1» 
‘Mal. 3. 13. 


that these persons, unholy and impure as they were, 
still continued to have outward fellowship with the 
Church! This is strange: but it is very likely that 
their power and influence in that place had swal- 
lowed up, or set aside, the power and authority 
of the real ministers of Christ; a very common 
case when worl‘ly, time-serving men get into the 
Church. The “feasts of charity,” the ἀγάπαι or 
love feasts, of which the apostle speaks, were in use 
in the primitive Church till the middle of the fourth 
century, when, having been abused, they were, by 
the council of Laodicea, prohibited to be held in 
the Churches, and fell into disuse. In the early 
Chureh the richer members would occasionally 


make a general feast, at which all the mem- 
bers attended, and the poor and the rich ate 


together. The fatherless, the widows, and the 
strangers were invited to these feasts, and their 
eating together was a proof of their love to each 
other ; whence such entertainments were called 
love feasts. The love feasts were at first cele- 
brated before the Lord’s supper; in process of 
time they appear to have been celebrated after it. 
But they were never considered as the Lord’s sup- 
per, nor any substitute for it. Feeding them- 
selves without fear—Eating, not to suffice na- 
ture, but to pamper appetite. It was this which 
brought the love feasts into disrepute in the Church, 
and was the means of their being at last wholly 
laid aside. Clouds ... without water — The 
doctrine of God is compared to the rain, (Deut. 
xxxii, 2,) and clouds are the instruments by which 
the rain is distilled upon the earth. These false 
teachers are represented as ‘clouds ;” they have 
the form and office of the teachers of righteous- 
ness, and from such appearances pure doctrine 
may be naturally expected; but these are “ clouds 
without water; ” they distil no refreshing showers, 
because they have none; they are carried away and 
about by their passions, as those light fleecy clouds 
are carried by the winds. (See on 2 Peter ii, 17.) 
Trees whose fruit withereth — Δένδρα φθινο- 
πωρινὰ, galled or diseased trees; for although there 
are blossoms, and the fruit shapes or is set, the 
galls in the trees prevent the proper circulation of 
the sap, and therefore the fruit never comes to 
perfection. Hence the apostle immediately adds, 
without fruit; that is, the fruit never comes to 
maturity. This metaphor expresses the same thing 
as the preceding. They have the appearance of 
ministers of the Gospel, but they have no fruit. 
Twice dead— First, naturally and practically dead 
in sin, from which they had been revived by the 
preaching and grace of the Gospel. Secondly, dead 
by backsliding, or apostasy from the true faith, by 
which they lost the grace they had before received ; 
and are now likely to continue in that death, be- 
cause plucked up by the roots; their roots of 
faith and love being no longer fixed in Christ Jesus. 

13. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out 
their own shame—The same metaphor as in Isa. 

560 


lvii, 20: The wicked are like the troubled sea, when 
it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 
These are like the sea in a storm, where the swells 
are like mountains; the breakers lash the shore, 
and sound like thunder; and the great deep, stirred 
up from its very bottom, rolls its muddy, putrid 
sediment, and deposits it upon the beach. Such 
were those proud and arrogant boasters, those 
headstrong, unruly, and ferocious men, who swept 
into their own vortex the souls of the simple, and 
left nothing behind them that was not indicative of 
their folly, their turbulence, and their impurity. 
Wandering stars—’ Aorépec πλανῆται, planets; the 
fixed stars never change their place, but the planets 
have their revolution round the sun; and to appear- 
ance, there is an irregularity in their motions. So 
these are as uncertain, anomalous meteors, ignes 
fatui, wills-o-the-wisp; dancing about in darkness, 
and leading astray simple souls who have ceased 
to walk in the light, and have no other guide but 
those devious meteors. The blackness of dark- 
ness—They are such as are going headlong into 
that outer darkness where there is wailing, and 
weeping, and gnashing of teeth. 

14. Enoch” also, the seventh from Adam— 
He was the seventh patriarch, and is distinguished 
thus from Enoch, son of Cain, who was but the 
third from Adam. Of the book of Enoch, from 
which this prophecy is thought to have been taken, 
much has been said; but as the work is apocry- 
phal, and of no authority, I shall not burden my 
page with extracts. (See the preface.) Perhaps the 
word ἐπροφήτευσε, prophesied, means no more than 
preached, spoke, made declarations, etc., concein- 
ing these things and persons; for doubtless he re- 
proved the ungodliness of his own times. It is 
certain that a book of Enoch was known in the 
earliest ages of the primitive Church, and is quoted 
by Origen and Tertullian, and is mentioned by St. 
Jerome in the Apostolical Constitutions, by Niceph- 
orus, Athanasius, and probably by St. Augustine. 
Such a work is still extant among the Abyssinians. 
Ten thousand of his saints—This seems to be 
ὍΠΗΙ from Dan. vii, 10. [See at thé end. ] 

15. To execute judgment—This was originaily 
spoken to the antediluvians ; and the coming "οὗ the 
Lord to destroy that world was the thing spoken of 
in this prophecy or declaration. But as God had 
threatened this, it required no direct inspiration to 
foretell it. “To execute judgment,” ete. This is 
a very strange verse as to its composition, and is 
loaded with various readings; the MSS. and Ver- 
sions being at little agreement among themselves 
on its phraseology. Αὐτῶν, which we translate 
‘‘among them,” is omitted by the best MSS. and 
Versions, and is, in all probability, spurious. Many 
also omit ἀσεβείας after ἔργων, ungodly deeds. 
Many insert λόγων, words or speeches, after σκληρῶν, 
hard; and this word our translators have supplied. 
And instead of ἁμαρτωλοί, “ sinners,” the Sahidie 
has avépwro, men. There are others of less note ; 


Description of the character of 
the false teachers, 


JUDE. 


A. Με 4069. A. Ὁ. 65. 
Year of Rome, 818. 


speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken 
against him. 8&6 These are murmurers, com- 
plainers, walking after their own lusts; and 
Ptheir mouth speaketh great swelling words, 
4having men’s persons in admiration because 
of advantage. 17 ‘But, beloved, remember 
ye the words which were spoken before of the 
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How 
that they told you ‘there should be mockers 
in the last time, who should walk after their 
own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they ‘who 


separate themselves, "sensual, having not the 
Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, * building up 
yourselves on your most holy faith, ἡ praying 
in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in 
the love of God, * looking for the mercy of our 
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And 
of some have compassion, making a difference: 
2:3 And others ¥save with fear, * pulling them 
out of the fire; hating even *the garment 
spotted by the flesh. 24 "Now unto him that 
is able to keep you from falling, and © to pre- 


p2 Pet. 2 2. 18, - 
—s1 Tim. 4.1; 2 
18. 1; Ezek. 14. 7 
2.14; James 3. 3. 


Prov. 28. 21; James 2 2, οἷ" 
fim. 3.1; 4.31.8 Pet. 1: 
ὃ. Hos. 4. 14; 9. 10; 


9—r2 Pet. 3. 2 
3..3.—t# pro 


Col. 2.7: 1 Tim. 1. 4.—0e Rom, 8. 2%: Eph. δ, 18.—a Tit. 
2 185 3 bet. ‘3. 12.——y Rom. 11. 14: 1 Tim. 4. 16.-—-z2 Amos 4, 


but the frequent recurrence of ALL and UNGODLY 
makes the construction of the sentence very harsh. 
[For a fuller account of the Book of Enoch, see 
the preface and the note on that topic at the close 
of the epistle. ] 

16. These are murmurers — Grudging and 
grumbling at all men, and at all things. ‘Com- 
plainers — Μεμψίμοιροι, complainers of their fate 
or destiny ; finding fault with God and all his 
providential dispensations, making and governing 
worlds in their own way; persons whom neither 
God nor man can please. Walking after their 
own lusts—Taking their wild, disorderly, and im- 
pure passions for the rule of their conduct, and not 
the words of the prophets and apostles. Great 
swelling words—Y πέρογκα ; see 2 Pet. ii, 18. 
Having men’s persons in admiration—Time- 
servers and flatterers; persons who pretend to be 
astonished at the greatness, goodness, sagacity, 
learning, wisdom, etc., ete., of rich and great men, 
hoping thereby to acquire money, influence, power, 
friends, and the like. Beoause of advantage — 
᾿Ὠφελίας χάριν, for the sake of lucre. All the flat- 
terers of the rich are of this kind; and especially 
those who profess to be ministers of the Gospel, 
and who, for the sake of a more advantageous set- 
tlement or living, will soothe the rich even in their 
sins. With such persons a rich man is every 
thing; and if he have but a semblance of grace, 
his piety is extolled to the skies. 

17. Remember .. . the words—Instead of 
following those teachers and their corrupt doctrine, 
remember what Christ and his apostles have said, 
for they foretold the coming of such false teachers 
and impostors. 

18. Mockers in the last time—See the notes 
on 1 Tim. iv, 1; 2 Tim. iii, 1, ete.; and particularly 
2 Pet. iii, 2, 3, ete. ; to which Jude seems to refer. 
“The last time ’—the conclusion of the Jewish polity. 

19. Who separate themselves—From the true 
Church, which they leave from an affectation of 
superior wisdom. Sensual — Yvyxoi, animal ; 
living as brute beasts, guided simply by their own 
lusts and appetites, their Bible being the manifold 
devices and covetousness of their own hearts; for 
they have not the Spirit; they are not spiritually 
minded, and have no Holy Ghost, no inspiration 
from God. 

20. Building up yourselves — Having the 
most holy faith, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, 
and the words of his apostles, for your foundation ; 
founding all your expectations on these, and seek- 
ing from the Christ who is their sum and substance 
all the grace and glory ye need. Praying in the 
Holy Ghost—Holding fast the divine influence 
which ye have received, and under that influence 

Vor, I1.—36 


Heb: 10. 25.—w1 Cor. | 11; Zech. 3, 2 4.1 Cor. 3. 16 a Zech, 8. 4, 3; Rev. 3. 4.— 
ὃ Rom, 16. 25; Eph. 3. 20.—e Col. 1. 
making prayer and caientinn to God. The 


prayer that is not offered through the influence of 
the Holy Ghost is never likely to reach heaven. 

21. Keep yourselves in the love of God— 
By building up yourselves on your most holy faith, 
and praying in the Holy Ghost; for without this 
we shall soon lose the love of God. Looking for 
the mercy of our Lord—For although they were 
to build themselves up, and to pray in the Holy 
Ghost, and keep themselves in the love of God, yet 
this building, praying, and keeping cannot merit 
heaven; for, after all their diligence, earnestness, 
self-denial, watching, obedience, etc., they must 
look for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, to 
bring them to EYERNAL LIFE, 

22. And of some have compassion, making 
a difference—Ye are not to deal alike with all 
those who have been seduced by false teachers; ye 
are to make a difference between those who have 
been led away by weakness and imprudence and 
those who, in the pride and arrogance of their 
hearts, and their unwillingness to submit to whole- 
some discipline, have separated themselves from 
the Church, and become its inveterate enemies. 

23. And others save with fear—‘ Some of 
them snatch from the fire; but when they repent, 
have mercy upon them in fear.’—Syriac. “ And 
some of them rebuke for their sins; and on others 
have mercy when they are convicted; and others 
save from the fire and deliver them.”—Erpen’s 
Arabic. Mr. Wesley’s note has probably hit the 
sense: “Meantime watch over others as well as 
yourselves; and give them such help as their 
various needs require. For instance, 1) Some that 
are wavering in judgment, staggered by others’ or 
by their own evil reasoning, endeavour more deeply 
to convince of the truth as it is in Jesus. 2) Some 
snatch with a swift and strong hand out of the 
fire of sin and temptation. 38) On others show 
compassion, in a milder and gentler way; though 
still with a jealous fear, lest you yourselves be in- 
fected with the disease you endeavour to cure. See 
therefore that, while ye love the sinners, ve retain 
the utmost abhorrence of their sins, and of any, the 
least, degree of or approach to them.” Hating 
even the garment spotted by the flesh— 
Fleeing from all appearance of evil. There may 
be an allusion to a case of leprosy, for that infected 
the garments of the afflicted person, and these gar- 
ments were capable of conveying the contagion to 
others. 

24, Now unto him that is able to keep you 
from falling—W ho alone can preserve you from sin, 
and from falling into anv kind of error that might 
be prejudicial to your souls, and thus to present 
you faultless, or, as many cthers read, ἀσπιλοὺς, 

561 


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Year of Rome, 518. 


JUDE. 


Ascription of praise to God 
our Saviour. 


sent you faultless before the presence of his 
glory with exceeding joy, 25 ὁ Τὸ the only 


wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, do- 
minion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 


d Rom. 16. 27; 


1 imi 7/s 2, 8 


without spot, alluding to the spotted garments 
of the leprous. Before the presence of his 
glory—Where nothing can stand that does not 
resemble himself. With exceeding joy — In 
finding yourselves eternally out of the reach of the 
possibility of falling, and for having now arrived at 
an eternity of happiness. 

25. To the only wise God—Who alone can 
teach, who alone has declared the truth ; that truth 
in which ye now stand. See on Rom. xvi, 2/7. 
Our Saviour—Who has by his blood washed us 
from our sins, and made us kings and priests unto 
God the Father. Be glory—Be ascribed all light, 
excellence, and splendour. Majesty—All power, 
authority, and preeminence. Dominion—All rule 
and government. And power—aAll energy and 
operation to every thing that is wise, great, good, 
holy, and excellent. Both now— In the pres- 
ent state of life and things. And ever — Εἰς 
πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας, to the end of all states, places, 
dispensations, and worlds; and to a state which 
knows no termination, being that ETERNITY in which 
this “glory, majesty, dominion,” and ‘“ power” in- 
effably and incomprehensibly dwell. Amen—So 
let it be, so ought it to be, and so it shall be. 
After “to the only wise God our Saviour,” many 
excellent MSS., Versions, ete., add διὰ ᾿Τησοῦ Χριστοῦ 
τοῦ Kupiov ἡμῶν, by Jesus Christ our Lord; and after 
“dominion and power” they add πρὸ παντὸς τοῦ 
αἰῶνος, before all time; and both these readings 
Griesbach has received into the text. [And they 
are now generally accepted.] The text, therefore, 
may be read thus: 70 the only wise God our 
Saviour, by Christ Jesus our Lord, be glory and 
majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and 
now, and through all Futurity. Amen Let the 
whole creation join in one eternal ‘ Amen!” 


ADDITIONAL NOTE—THE BOOK OF ENOCH. 


[The reference (verses 14, 15) to a prophecy of 
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam,” in a canonical 
book of the New Testament, is a curious and some- 
what startling fact. In the fifth chapter of 
Genesis, which is made up of the genealogies of 
the antediluvian patriarchs, in the direct line from 
Adam to Noah, consisting of ten persons, in the 
seventh place occurs the name of Enoch, the son of 
Jared and the father of Methuselah, who was the 
grandfather of Noah, the tenth in the line. The 
whole biography of Enoch is comprised in verses 
18 to 24 of that chapter, giving the name of his 
father, (Jared,) and his (the father’s) age at the 
birth of his son, (Enoch,) and how long he lived 
afterward; then giving the age of Enoch at the 
birth of Methuselah, and how long he lived after that 
event, the account concluding with the significant 
but somewhat enigmatical statement, ‘And Enoch 
walked with God: and he was not; for God took 
him.” It is somewhat remarkable that in all the 
subsequent parts of the canonical Scriptures of the 
Old Testament there does not appear to be a 
single reference to any of the remarkable facts of 
the life and the ‘“‘translation” of Enoch, nor, in- 
deed, any recognition that such a man had ever 
existed. In the apocryphal book of Leclesiasticus, 

562 


xlix, 14) he is named among the 
“famous men,” and as ‘ translated,” or “taken” 
up “from the earth ;” and the same thing re-ap- 
pears with considerable amplification in Hebrews, 
(xi, 5,) by which the tradition of his translation 
becomes incorporated into a canonical book. The 
translation of Enoch, and also that of Elijah, be- 
came a fruitful theme for speculation with the 
Church fathers, the predominant literalistie and 
materialistic portion of them accepting the trans- 
lation as real, so bearing two human bodies into 
heaven, and therefore proofs and pledges of the 
resurrection of the body without essential changes ; 
while the more spiritual school, represented by 
Origen, hesitated to accept what to them seemed to 
be so gress a conception of the nature of the future 
life. A little later in the history of the Church, 
Enoch and Elijah were held to be the “two wit- 
5.) spoken of in Rev. xi, 3, ete. 


(chap. xliv, 16; 


nesses 

[Jude makes a quotation from a prophecy, either 
written or oral, which he evidently assumes to be 
the veritable production of the Enoch whose his- 
tory is given in the place that has been named, 
though to suppose that any such a prophecy had 
floated down through the ages from antediluvian 
times, outside of the recognized “Scriptures ” of 
the Jewish Church, is a rather violent presumption. 
The identification of the author of the book quoted 
from, with “ Enoch, the seventh from Adam,” is 
evidently an error, and one of a rather flagrant 
character to be found in a canonical book. That 
there is such a book is now well known, and its 
history is rather remarkable. It appears to have 
been well known during the second century, and 
afterward, for it is referred to by Justin Martyr, 
Irenzeus, Anatolius, Clement of Alexandria, and 
Origen. Tertullian quotes from it as a book “not 
received by some, nor admitted into the Jewish 
canon,” but still he defends it. Extracts and frag- 
ments from it may be found scattered through the 
Church literature of the Middle Ages, but the work 
itself was for a long time believed to be lost. 
But during the eighteenth century it became known 
that a book answering to it existed in Abyssinia, 
and at length, in 1778, the traveler Bruce brought 
home from Africa three MSS. containing the com- 
plete work in an Ethiopic translation, which was 
published at Oxford—more than fifty years later— 
in 1888. The Ethiopic text has since been edited 
from five MSS. by Dillman, and published at Leip- 
sic, with a German translation. An English trans- 
lation has also been issued by the Clarks of Edin- 
burgh, thus bringing it within the reach of any 
who may wish to read it. The Ethiopic tr anslation 
evidently belongs to the third or fourth century, 
and probably was made from the Greek; but 
whether that was its original form, or itself a trans- 
lation from an older Aramaic original, is an open 
question, 

[The date of the original writing is variously fixed 
somewhere within the three hundred years, half 
before and half after the birth of Christ; and it 
very well reflects the Jewish thought of that age, 
out of which the apostles gathered certain names 
and facts that are not found in the Old Testament. 


PREFACE 


TO 


te: BES Rs Ve A EON 


OF 


BL SON PH ie 


ee 


ITS AUTHORSHIP. 


hee author of the Apocalypse describes himself as the “servant” of Jesus 
Christ, (chapter i, 1;) as one who bore witness “of the word of God, and of 
the testimony of Jesus Christ,” (chapter i, 2;) expressions which seem to identify 
him with the writer of John i, 14; xix, 35, and 1 Johni, 2. He is the “ brother” 
of those whom he addresses, and partaker with them in the “tribulation and 
kingdom and patience which are in Christ Jesus.” (Chapter i, 9.) The angel 
who speaks to him addresses him as his “ fellow servant,” and as of his “ brethren 
the prophets.” (Chapter xxii, 8, 9.) The writer also names himself Jou, (chap- 
ter i, 1, 4, 9, and xxii, 8,) a not unusual name in both the Old and New Testa- 
ments, and in other Jewish writings; and yet among the many bearers of the 
name there could have been but little doubt in the early Church respecting the 
person referred to in the various places in which the name occurs in the New 
Testament, that he was no other than John the son of Zebedee, the brother of 
James, both of whom were prominent among the twelve apostles. Accordingly, 
it is agreed with almost complete unanimity among all classes and schools of 
critics, that a strong preponderance of evidence points to the John of the twelve 
apostles as the author of the Apocalypse. 


I. Exrernat Eviwence IN THE EASTERN CHURCH. 


Andreas, bishop of Cesarea, toward the close of the fifth century composed a 
connected commentary on the Apocalypse, in which he cited in proof of its in- 
spiration the testimony of Gregory Nazianzen and Cyril, as well as the more 
ancient writers, Papias, Ireneus, Methodius, and Uippolytus. Papias is spoken 
of as “a successor of the evangelist John, whose Revelation lay before him.” 
Most of the works of Papias are lost, and we know of them chiefly from references 
and extracts made by Eusebius in his Church History; and though Papias might 
not be accepted as either a reliable interpreter or as an authoritative guide in 
theology, still there can be no question as to the value of his testimony respecting 
the existence of the Apocalypse in his time. Papias was a millenarian, and Euse- 
bius wrote in opposition to all properly chiliastic views; but yet he neither ques- 
tioned Papias’s referenee to the Apocalypse, nor depreciated the book as a Christ- 


ian authority; and he also remarks, rather incidentally, that “ he (Papias) has 
563 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


also handed down in his books other accounts which Aristion has given of the 
Lord’s words; and also traditions of the presbyter John.” The introduction of 
a second John into this record, has been laid hold of by some as presenting a 
possible alternative author of the book of Revelation, although the apostle John 
is clearly recognised as another and a greater than the presbyter. [But all this 
matter about the “presbyter John” seems much more like a subterfuge than a 
solid argument. | 

It is recorded by Irenzeus that the apostle John lived till the times of Trajan, 
(A. D. 96,) and that both Polycarp and Papias were among his hearers, and that 
both of these Fathers suffered martyrdom at nearly the same time, (not far from 
A.D. 155;) and as it is known that Polycarp was of a great age at the time of his 
death, it is altogether probable that both he and Papias were disciples of the 
apostle John. Justin Martyr published his Apology about A. D. 145, in which 
he treats the Apocalypse as a sacred book, and names the apostle John as its 
author. Melito, bishop of Sardis, (about A. D. 169,) is said by both Eusebius and 
Jerome to have written “concerning the Apocalypse of St. John,” by which name 
they evidently understood the apostle John to be intended. Apollonius, who ᾿ 
was bishop of Ephesus, (about A. D. 170-180,) living just where St. John had 
lived and died, in his treatise against the Montanists refers to the Apocalypse, 
which he says explicitly was written by St. John; and at about the same date 
Theophilus of Antioch, as quoted by Eusebius, names among his authorities, 
(μαρτυρίαι,) “the Apocalypse of John.” Trenzeus, bishop of Lyons, (A.D. 130-202,) 
who claimed to have been conversant with men who had associated with the 
"apostles, refers in the clearest terms to “the visions which John saw,” and seems 
not to have entertained any doubt in respect to either the genuineness or the 
authorship of the work. Clement of Alexandria (A. D. 165-220) and Origen (A. D. 
186-253) both refer to the Apocalypse as to a divine book; and in the same list 
may be named Hippolytus, Methodius, Gregory, Cyril of Alexandria, and Basil. 
Ephraem Syrus, though he used the Peshito Version as his standard New Testa- 
ment, in which the Apocalypse is not found, nevertheless refers to it, as to any 
other parts of the Scriptures, and he ascribes it to St. John. Eusebius treats the 
question somewhat critically; but although, as an anti-chiliast, he had strong 
reasons for rejecting it had he entertained any doubt respecting it, he frequently 
refers to it as “ Holy Scripture.” In all the Eastern Church, therefore, during the 
second and third centuries, the Apocalypse was known and generally accepted as 
the work of the apostle John; and by many, not all, it was received as an un- 
doubted portion of the inspired word of God. 


11. Exrernat Evipencr ΙΝ THE WESTERN CHURCH. 

The Muratorian Fragment (A. Ὁ. 142-157) may be regarded as a summary of 
the decision of the Western Church as to the Canon of the New Testament down 
to the middle of the second century, and in this the Apocalypse is named, and 
ascribed to the “blessed John.” It is also named in the Codex Claromontanus 
of the third century. The Montanists regarded the Apocalypse as the work of the 
apostle John, and Tertullian (A. 1). 160-240) quotes from it freely as undoubtedly 
written by him; Cyprian (A. D. 250) knows no difference of canonical authority 
between the Gospels and the Apocalypse, and Victorinus (martyred A. D. 303) 
wrote a commentary upon it, and fully conceded both its canonicity and its 
Johannean origin. And Lactantius (A. D. 320) quotes it by name in company 


with John’s Gospel. Though for doctrinal reasons (its apparent support of 
564 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 
a EE λϑυεισοςς οὐὐνοι 
Montanism and Millenarianism) it was sometimes called in question, yet even 
so careful a critic as Dr. 8. Davidson observes: “The historical tradition relative 
to the Apocalypse seems to have been interrupted by doctrinal views alone. Had 
no Montanism or Millenarianism appeared, we should have heard of no voice 
raised against John’s authorship.” 

There was, however, another side to this question, and it is only just to con- 
cede that the book was either rejected or treated as of doubtful authority by not 
a few really able writers among the Fathers. Dionysius of Alexandria (A. D, 
248-265) gives the unfavorable views of some of his predecessors concerning the 
Apocalypse, and then says for himself that the book is covered with such a thick 
veil that he cannot penetrate its meaning; yet he confesses that it may have a 
sense too deep for him, in which statement of the case he has been imitated by 
some eminent modern biblical scholars. Eusebius of Cesarea, the church his- 
torian, seems to have held the whole question of the Apocalypse an open and 
unsettled one. Though it is found in inost of the lists or catalogues of the sacred 
books, still it is wanting in others. It is not in the Peshito, nor in the catalogue 
of Cyril of Jerusalem, nor in the Canon of Gregory Nazianzen, nor that of Chry- 
sostom, nor in that of the Synod of Laodicea. It was rejected by Theodoret; and 
by Nicephorus, patriarch of Constantinople, (A. 1). 806-815,) it was placed among 
disputed writings. 

“At the period of the Reformation,” says De Wette, “doubts respecting the 
apostolic origin of the Apocalypse generally again awoke with criticism, and 
Erasmus, Carlstadt, Luther, and Zwingle expressed themselves, either by hints or 
decidedly, against it.” Modern critics have also expressed doubts on this sub- 
ject, but these have rested rather on internal than external reasons. 


III. Internat Evivence. 


Turning from the outward evidence in the case to the inward, we find that 
the ablest critics have been divided in respect to their verdict. It is confessed on 
all hands that there are very considerable differences in the style of the Apocalypse 
and that of the acknowledged writings of the apostle John; but it is also claimed 
that these are readily accounted for by considering the widely different char- 
acters and purposes of those writings, these being simply narrative and didactic 
in form, while that is highly poetical and imaginative. Though it is granted that 
the gospel and epistles of John were written by divine inspiration, it is still evi- 
dent that in uttering prophecies received in eestasies the individual would be 
more fully lifted out of himself, and that his language would to some extent be 
subject to the same spiritual influences that possessed his whole soul. [It is im- 
possible for a writer, in such an ecstatic state, not to speak and write in a lofty 
and symbolic style. The human spirit labours to give utterance to its magnifi- 
cent conceptions; language is taxed to its utmost; and the mind, excited to the 
highest degree of tension, lays hold upon whatever will express its deep emo- 
tions. And it must be borne in mind that John wrote in the very midst of his 
awful visions.— Harman. | 

But this difference extends only to the tone and imagery of the Apocalypse 
as contrasted with the plainer and less picturesque language of the gospel and 
epistles. To a closer examination of the words and phrases and forms of expres- 
sion, and the mental conceptions, it will be found that a marked similarity is 
clearly to be seen. Certain words and forms’ of statement that are character- 


istic of the gospel and epistles of John, and are but seldom met with in any 
565 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


other parts of the New Testament, are found again in like frequency in the 
Apocalypse. The specifically Johannean conception of doctrines, and the re- 
markable alternations of gentleness and severity toward those spoken of, are the 
same in all of the books commonly ascribed to the apostle John. Its doctrinal 
conceptions, which constitute such a conspicuous feature of the book, are not only 
eminently evangelical, but also specifically Johannean, and as such they are dis- 
tinguished from the peculiarities of other New Testament writers. In reading 
the Apocalypse, whether critically or devotionally, one seems to catch in its un- 
dertones the characteristics of the fourth gospel and of the Johannean epistles— 
criteria of identity that can neither be counterfeited nor their evidence set aside. 


PLACE AND TIME OF ITS COMPOSITION. 

That John saw the visions of the Apocalypse on the island of Patmos, (Rev. 
i, 9,) whither he had been banished on account of the word of God, διὰ τὸν λόγον 
Tov Θεοῦ, is the undisputed tradition of the ancient Church, against which no valid 
reason has ever been urged. Whether all the visions were seen at once, or in 
close connexion, or at considerable intervals of time, and whether the writing 
them out and setting the whole prophecy in order as the seer was directed to do 
was accomplished during the apostle’s exile, (of the continuance or end of which 
we have no information,) or whether that was done after his return to Ephesus, is 
_alike uncertain and unimportant. Patmos was certainly the place where the 
Revelation was received; and not improbably it was there reduced to writing, 
though it is not altogether absurd to conjecture that this may have been com- 
pleted at Ephesus. 

The precise date of these transactions is not so easily determined, some con- 
tending for the time of Nero and others for that of Domitian. IJrenzeus, who is 
quoted by Eusebius, says explicitly that the Apocalypse was written near the end of 
the reign of Domitian Cesar; and with this view most of the Latin Fathers agree. 
Epiphanius makes its date as early as the reign of Claudius, but alleges no 
proof for his assertion. Between these extremes many writers have fixed on the 
time of Nero as the most probable date of these things. In the Muratorian 
Fragment, John is named as Paul’s predecessor, whom the latter followed in writ- 
ing epistles to the Churches; and as Paul suffered martyrdom under Nero, 
(A. D. 68,) this would remove the composition of the Apocalypse to a still earlier 
date. Both Tertullian and Origen refer to John’s exile, but they fail to indicate 
its date. Victorinus and Sulpicius attribute John’s banishment to Domitianus 
Cesar; and understanding that name to indicate the Emperor Domitian, the last of 
the Cesars, the early Church by a kind of common consent accepted the time of 
his reign, near the end of the first century, as the date of this book, which, how- 
ever, has the disadvantage of implying that all these things occurred when John 
must have been not less that ninety years old. But while the preponderance of 
the early testimony is favourable to this later date, it is still quite evident that 
very little was really known about it, and that the prevailing traditions rested on 
a very uncertain foundation. Origen, who was certainly the most critical of the 
early Christians writers, much more so than any of his predecessors, refrains from 
expressing any opinion himself on the date of the Apocalypse, because John him- 
self, in giving the place of the vision, had failed to fix its time, and no other writer 
had supplied this lack of definite information. ‘Such an opinion,” says Stuart, 
“from such aman as Origen, the greatest critical scholar of the first three cen- 


turies, is entitled to very serious consideration, and I do not perceive how we are 
566 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


to draw less from it than the conclusion, that Origen did not regard the question 
respecting the time when the Apocalypse was written, as settled by any thing 
within his knowledge. . . . After the ancient testimony given above, it is almost 
superfluous to repeat that all succeeding writers hang upon Irenzeus for support. 
The testimony (so derived) in respect to the matter is evidently swecessive and 
dependent, not coetaneous and independent. We may safely follow, then, the 
plain and unequivocal evidences of the time when the Apocalypse was written 
which are contained within the book itself.” The question, therefore, between 
the times of Nero and Domitian must remain an open one, to be determined 
exegetically, and agreeably to each one’s accepted theory of the proper interpre- 
tation of the Apocalyptic prophecies, and in respect to which the present tenden- 
cies of opinions are evidently toward the earlier date. 


SCHEMES OF INTERPRETATION. 


As the author of this Commentary gives no theory by which to interpret its 
prophecies, and indeed confesses that he has none, for the benefit of the readers 
of this revised edition the following summary of the principal systems as held 
and taught by the various schools of interpreters is subjoined. It is taken, slightly 
abridged, from the Speaker's Commentary. 


I. Tue PrEtTERIST SYSTEM. 


According to this system, the successive statements of the Revelation apply 
chiefly to the history of the Jewish nation down to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and to the history of pagan Rome. Among the earliest expositors of this class 
is to be named Alcazar, (1614,) who prepared the way for the commentaries of 
Hugo Grotius, (1644,) Bossuet, and Wetstein, and more recently of Stuart and 
F. D. Maurice. Rationalistic writers, as they deny the predictive element of _ 
prophecy, must of course be “Preterists.” The horizon of the prophet’s vision 
does not extend, they assert, beyond his own lifetime; and consequently all that 
St. John has written must relate to events that occurred before his death. In 
carrying out this principle Eichhorn follows Grotius; but he argues as if the 
Apocalypse were composed at the end of the reign of Nero. According to 
Herder, Hartwig, Kappe, and others, the Apocalypse relates chiefly to the over- 
throw of the Jewish state; according to Ewald, De Wette, Bleek, and others, to 
Rome and the pagan emperors. Other rationalists, like Eichhorn, make the 
book apply both to the Jews and to pagan Rome. To these names may be added 
those of Réville, Reuss, Renan, and Mr. Desprez, (of England, 1870.) 


Tl. Tue Hisroricat or Contrxvowus System. 


The “historical ” school includes the great majority of commentators. To it 
belong those who uphold the “ year-day ” theory; as well as they who interpret 
chronologically. Writers of this school differ widely among themselves. They 
differ, for example, as to the questions, @) Whether the Apocalypse is strictly 
continuous, or consists of “synchronous” prophecies, (Mede, Hengstenberg,) re- 
garding the seals, trumpets, and vials as being complementary; b) Whether the 
sixth seal refers to Constantine, (Elliott,) or to the first French Revolution, 
(Faber.) In this class we also find the names of Abbot Joachim, (1180,) of De 
Lyra, (1520,) Wiclif, Bullinger, Brightman, Vitringa, (who wrote in reply to 
Bossuet,) Sir Isaac Newton, (who agrees generally with Mede,) Robert Fleming, 

567 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


--- 


Gaussen, etc. A general tendency to allegorize is another characteristic of this 


school. 
11. Tue Futurist System. 

The “ Futurists ” apply the predictions of the Apocalypse to the events which 
are immediately to precede, or immediately to follow, the second advent of 
Christ. The writers of this school usually (although they are not always con- 
sistent) interpret literally: Israel is the literal Israel; the temple is the literal 
temple rebuilt at Jerusalem ; three and a half “times,” forty-two months; twelve 
hundred and sixty days are three and a half natural, literal years. It is clear that 
there can be no discussion as to the accuracy or inaccuracy of the results of this 
system of interpretation in any of its forms. The future defies criticism. Ribera 
(1592) seems to have been the earliest Futurist. He has been followed by La- 
cunza (ben Ezra, born in 1731,) Tyso, Maitland, De Burgh, Todd, W. Kelley. 
[Modern “ Adventists” (Millerites) are substantially “ Futurists.” ] 


IV. Tue SprrirvuaL System. 


There is yet another principle of interpretation which adopts for its leading 
idea the great conception of St. Augustine, as to the “ Philosophy of History.” 
This system may be styled the “spiritual,” and has for its adherents (more or less 
closely) Hofmann, Ebrard, Auberlen, and Hengstenberg. ‘The last named is also 
ranked among the adherents of the “historical” and allegorical system. The 
majority of such writers consider that to predict the future conversion of Israel, 
and the return of God’s ancient people to their land, was the chief object of St. 
John. Ebrard closes his commentary with this concise statement, which all con- 
sistent “spiritualists ” must accept: “The Book of Revelation does not contain 
presages of contingent, isolated events; but it contains warning and consolatory 
prophecies concerning the great leading forces which make their appearance in 
the conflict between Christ and the enemy. So full are its contents that every 
age may learn therefrom, more and more, against what disguises of the serpent 
one has to guard oneself; and also how the afflicted Church at all times receives 
its measure of courage and of consolation.” 

The “spiritual” system of interpretation receives support from the apoca- 
lyptic symbolism, which has found favour with many. The imagery of the book 
describes very naturally, in accordance with the whole spirit of prophecy, the 
various conditions of the kingdom of God on earth, during its successive struggles 
against the prince of this world. The figurative utterances of the seer are 
specially suited for this purpose, owing to the latitude of application which all 
symbolism allows; and this, without distorting the sense or offering afly violence 
to the language of a single passage. Reuss, indeed, objects that this system does 
not really differ from the “ historical,” inasmuch as it merely substitutes the re- 
ligious history of the kingdom of God for the political history of the Church; 
but this objection is manifestly unsound, for whereas the “spiritual” applica- 
tion is never exhausted, but receives additional illustrations as time rolls on, the 
“historical” system assumes that single events, as they come to pass in succession, 
exhibit the full accomplishment of the different predictions of the Apocalypse. 


PLANS OF THE APOCALYPSE. 
® I. The “ Pretevist.” (Wetstein.) 
Wetstein supposes the book of the Apocalypse to have been written a con- 


siderable time before the destruction of Jerusalem. The events described from 
568 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


the fourth chapter to the end he supposes to refer to the Jewish war, and to the 
civil commotions which took place in Italy while Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian 
were contending for the empire. These contentions and destructive wars occu- 
pied the space of about three years and a half, during which, Professor Wetstein 
thinks, the principal events took place which are recorded in this book. On these 
subjects he speaks particularly in his notes, at the end of which he subjoins what 
he calls his ἀνάκεφας λαιώσις, or synopsis of the whole work, which I proceed 
now to lay before the reader. 

“This prophecy, which predicts the calamities which God should send on the 
enemies of the Gospel, is divided into two parts. The first is contained in the 
closed took; the second, in the open book. 

I. The first concerns the earth and the third part, that is, Judah and the 
Jewish nation. 

II. The second concerns many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings, 
(chapter x, 11;) that is, the Roman empire. 

1. The book written within and without, and sealed with seven seals, (chapter 
v, 1,) is the bill of divorce sent from God to the Jewish nation. 

2. The crowned conqueror on the white horse armed with a bow (chapter vi, 2) 
is Artabanus, king of the Parthians, who slaughtered multitudes of the Jews in 
Babylon. 

3. The red horse, (verse 4,) denotes the Sicarii and robbers in Judea, in the 
time of the proconsuls Felix and Festus. 

4. The dlack horse, (verse 5,) the famine under Claudius. 

5. The pale horse, (verse 8,) the plague which followed the robberies and the 
famine. 

6. The sowls of those who were slain, (verse 9,) the Christians in Judea, who 
were persecuted, and were now about to be avenged. 

The great earthquake, (verse 12,) the commotions which preceded the Jew- 
ish rebellion. 

8. The servants of God from every tribe, sealed in their foreheads, (chapter 
vii, 3,) the Christians taken under the protection of God, and warned by the 
prophets to flee immediately from the land. 

9. The silence for half an hour, (chapter viii, 1,) the short truce granted at 
the solicitation of king Agrippa. 

Then follows the rebellion itself. 

1. The trees are burnt, (verse 7,) denoting the ravages of the fields and villages, 
and unfortified places of Judea, which first felt the bad effects of the sedition. 

The burning mountain cast into the sea, which in consequence became blood, 
(verse 8;) and, 

3. The burning star falling into the rivers, and making the waters bitter, 
(chapter viii, 10, 11,) the slaughter of the Jews at Cesarea and Scythopolis. 

4, The eclipsing of the sun, moon, and stars, (verse 12,) the anarchy of the 
Jewish commonwealth. 

5. The locusts like scorpions hurting men, (chapter ix, 3,) the expedition of 
Cestius Gallus, prefect of Syria. 

6. The army with. arms of divers colours, ete, (verses 16, 17,) the armies 
under Vespasian in Judea. 

About this time the Roman emperors Nero and Galba died; after which fol- 
lowed the civil war, signified by the sounding of the seventh trumpet. (Chapter 


x, 7,115 xi, 15.) 
569 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


1. The two prophetic witnesses, two olive trees, two candlesticks, (chapter xi, 
3, 4,) teachers in the Church, predicting the destruction of the Jewish temple 
and commonwealth. 

2. The death of the witnesses, (verse 7,) their flight, and the flight of the 
Church of Jerusalem, to Pella, in Arabia. 

3. The resurrection of the witnesses, after three days and a half, (verse 11,) 
denoting that the predictions began to be fulfilled at a time in which their accom- 
plishment was deemed impossible; and the doctrine of Christ begins to prevail 
over Judea, and over the whole earth. 

4. The tenth part of the city fell in the same hour, and seven thousand names 
of men slain, (verse 13,) imports the seizure of Jerusalem by the Idumeans; and 
that many of the priests and nobles, with Annas, the high priest, signified by 
names of men, that is, men of name, were slain by the Zealots. 

5. The woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of 
twelve stars on her head, (chapter xii, 1,) the Christian Church. 

6. The great red dragon seen in heaven, with seven heads, seven diadems, and 
ten horns, (verse 6,) the first six Cesars, who were all made princes at Rome, 
governing the armies and the Roman people with great authority; especially 
Nero, the last of them, who, having killed his mother, cruelly vexed the Christ- 
ians, and afterward turned his wrath against the rebellious Jews. 

7. The seven-headed beast from the sea, having ten horns surrounded with dia- 
dems, (chapter xiii, 1,) Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, who were shortly to reign, 
and who were proclaimed emperors by the army. 

8. This beast, having a mouth like a lion, the body like a leopard, the feet like a 
bear, (verse 2.) represents the avaricious Galba; the rash, unchaste, and incon- 
stant Otho; Vitellius, cruel and sluggish, with the German army. 

9. One head, that is, the seventh, cut off, (verse 3,) Galba. 

10. Hewho leadeth into captivity shall be led into captivity; he who killeth 
with the sword shall be killed with the sword, (verse 10,) Otho, who subdued 
the murderers of Galba, and slew himself with a dagger; Vitellius, who bound 
Sabinus with chains, and was himself afterward bound. 

11. Another beast rising out of the earth, with two horns, (verse 11,) Ves- 
pasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian, elected emperors at the same time 
in Judea. 

12. The number of the wild beast, 666, the number of a man, TEITAN, Titan 
or Titus: T, 300; Εἰ, δ; 1,10; T, 300; A,1; N, 50—making in the whole 666. [But 
some very respectable MSS. have 616 for the number; if the N be taken away 
from Teitan, then the letters in Teita make exactly the sum 616.|- ΄ 

13. A man sitting upon a cloud, with a crown of gold upon his head, and a 
sickle in his hand, (chapter xiv, 14,) Otho and his army, about to prevent sup- 
plies for the army of Vitellius. 

14. An angel of fire commanding another angel to gather the vintage; the 
winepress trodden whence the blood flows out 1,600 furlongs. The followers of 
Vitellius laying all waste with fire, and the Bebriaci conquering the followers of 
Otho with great slaughter. 

Then follow the seven plagues: 

1. The grievous sore, (chapter xvi, 2,) the diseases of the soldiers of Vitel- 
lius through intemperance. 

2. The sea turned into blood, (verse 3,) the fleet of Vitellius beaten, and 


the maritime towns taken from them by the Flavii. 
570 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


3. The rivers turned into blood, (verse 4,) symbolize the slaughter of the ad- 
herents of Vitellius at Cremona and elsewhere, near rivers. 

4. The scorching of the sun, (verse 8,) the diseases of the Vitellii increasing, 
and their exhausted bodies impatient of the heat. 

5. The seat of the beast darkened, (verse 10,) all Rome in commotion through 
the torpor of Vitellius. 

6. Euphrates dried up, and a way made for the kings of the east; the three 
unclean spirits like frogs. The Flavii besieging Rome with a treble army, one 
part of which was by the bank of the Tiber. 

The shame of him who is found asleep and naked; Vitellius, (verse 15 ;) Arma- 
geddon, (verse 16 ;) the pretorian camps. 

7. The fall of Babylon, (verse 19,) the sacking of Rome. 

1. The whore, (chapter xvii, 1,) Rome. 

2. The seven kings, (verse 10,) Cesar, AuGustus, Tipertus, CaLicuta, Ciav- 
pius, Nero, and GALpa. 

3. The eighth, which is of the seven, (verse 11,) Otho, destined by adoption to 
be the son and successor of Galba. 

4. The ten horns, (verses 12-16,) the leaders of the Flavian factions. 

5. The merchants of the earth, (chapter xviii, 11;) that is, of Rome, which was 
then the emporium of the whole world. 

6. The beust and the false prophet, (chapter xix, 20,) Vespasian and his family, 
contrary to all expectation, becoming extinct in Domitian, as the first family of 
the Cesars, and of the three princes, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. 

7. The millennium, or a,thousand years, (chapter xx, 2,) taken from Psa, 
xe, 4, a time appointed by God, including the space of forty years from the 
death of Domitian to the Jewish war under Adrian. 

8. Gog and Magog, going out over the earth, (verse 8,) Barchochebas, the 
false Messiah, with an immense army of the Jews, coming forth suddenly from 
their caves and dens, tormenting the Christians, and carrying on a destructive 
war with the Romans. 

9. The New Jerusalem, (chapter xxi, 1, 2,) the Jews being brought so low 
as to be capable of injuring no longer; the whole world resting after being ex- 
piated by wars; and the doctrine of Christ propagated and prevailing everywhere 
with incredible celerity. 

Wetstein contends (and he is supported by very great men among the ancients 
and moderns) that “the book of the Revelation was written before the Jewish 
war, and the civil wars in Italy; that the important events which took place at 
that time, the greatest that ever happened since the foundation of the world, were 
worthy enough of God’s notice, as the affairs of his Church were so intimately 
connected with them; that his method of exposition proves the whole book to 
be a well connected, certain series of events; but the common method of interpre- 
tation, founded on the hypothesis that the book was written after the destruction 
of Jerusalem, is utterly destitute of certainty, and leaves every commentator 
to the luxuriance of his own fancy.” 


II. Tue Historica. 


Those who consider the Apocalypse as a prophecy and scenical exhibition of 
what shall happen to the Christian Church to the end of the world, lay this 
down as a proposition, which comprises the subject of the whole book: The contest 


of Christ with his enemies; and his final victory and triumph over them. See 
571 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


1 Cor. xv, 25; Matt. xxiv; Mark xiii; Luke xxi. But what is but briefly hinted 
in the above Scriptures is detailed at large in the Apocalypse, and represented by 
various images, nearly in the following order: 

1. The decrees of the divine providence, concerning what is to come, are 
declared to John. 

2. The manner in which these decrees shall be executed is painted in the most 
vivid colours. | 

3. Then follow thanksgivings to God, the ruler and governor of all things, for 
these manifestations of his power, wisdom, and goodness. 

After the exordium, and the seven epistles to the seven Churches of Asia 
Minor, to whose angels or bishops the book seems to be dedicated, (chapters i, 
ii, ili,) the scene of the visions is opened in heaven, full of majesty; and John 
receives a promise of a revelation relative to the future state of the Church. 
(Chapters iv, v.) 

The enemies of the Church of Christ which the Christians had then most to 
fear were the Jews, the heathens, and the false teachers. All these are overcome 
by Christ, and over them he triumphs gloriously. First of all, punishments are 
threatened to the enemies of the kingdom of Christ, and the preservation of his 
own followers in their greatest trials determined; and these determinations are 
accompanied with the praises and thanksgivings of all the heavenly inhabitants, 
and of all good men. (Chapters vi—x.) 

The transactions of the Christian religion are next recorded. (Chapters xi- 
xiv, 5.) The Christians are persecuted, 

1. By the Jews; but they are not only preserved, but they increase and 
prosper. 

2. By the heathens; but in vain do these strive to overthrow the kingdom of 
Christ, which is no longer confined within the limits of Judea, but spreads among 
the Gentiles, and diffuses itself over the whole Roman empire, destroying idol- 
atry, and rooting out superstition in every quarter. (Chapters xii, xiii, 1--10.) 

3. Lulse teachers and impostors of various kinds, under the name of Christians, 
but enemies of the cross of Christ, more intent on promoting the interests of 
idolatry or false worship than the cause of true religion, (chapter xiii, 11-18,) 
exert their influence to corrupt and destroy the Church; but, notwithstanding, 
Christianity becomes more extended, and true believers more confirmed in their 
holy faith. (Chapter xiv, 1-5.) Then new punishments are decreed against the 
enemies of Christ, both Jews and heathens, and the calamities to come on the Jew- 
ish nation before its final overthrow are pointed out. (Chapters xiv, xv.) Next 
follows a prediction of the calamities which shall take place during the Jewish 
war, and the civil wars of the Romans during the contentions of Otho and Vitel- 
lius, (chapter xvi, 1-16,) who are to suffer most grievous punishments for their 
cruelties against the Christians. (Chapter xvii.) The Jewish state being now 
finally overthrown, (chapter xviii,) the heavenly inhabitants give praise to God 
for his justice and goodness; Christ is congratulated for his victory over his 
enemies, and the more extensive progress of his religion. (Chapter xix, 1-10.) 

Opposition is, however, not yet totally ended: idolatry again lifts up its head, 
and new errors are propagated; but over these also Christ shows himself to be 
conqueror. (Chapter xix, 11-21.) Finally, Satan, who had long reigned by the 
worship of false gods, and other superstitions and wickedness, is deprived of all 
power and influence; and the concerns of Christianity go on gloriously. (Chap- 


ter xx, 1-6.) But toward the end of the world new enemies arise, and threaten 
572 σεν 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


destruction to the followers of Christ; but in vain is their rage, God appears in 
behalf of his servants, and inflicts the most grievous punishments upon their 
adversaries. (Chapter xx, 6-10.) The last judgment ensues, (verses 11-15,) all 
the wicked are punished, and the enemies of the truth are chained so as to be able 
to injure the godly no more; the genuine Christians, who had persevered unto 
death, are brought to eternal glory; and, freed from all adversities, dwell for- 
ever in blessedness that knows no bounds. (Chapters xxi and xxii.) See Rosen- 
miiller. 

Eichhorn takes a different view of the pln of this book; though in substance 
not differing much from that above. According to this writer the whole is rep- 
resented in the form of a drama, the parts of which are the following: I. The 
title. (Chapter i, 1-3.) II. The prologue, (chapter i, 4-iii, 22;) in which it is 
stated that the argument of the drama refers to the Christians; epistles being 
sent to the Churches, which, in the symbolic style, are represented by the number 
seven. Next follows the drama itself, the parts of which are: 

The predude, (chapter iv, 1-vili, 5;) in which the scenery is prepared and 
adorned. 

Act the first. (Chapter viii, 6-xii, 17.) Jerusalem is taken, and Judaism 
vanquished by Christianity. 

Act the second. (Chapter xii, 18-xx, 10.) Rome is conquered, and heathen- 
ism destroyed by the Christian religion. 

Act the third. (Chapter xx, 11-xxii, 5.) The New Jerusalem descends from 
heaven; or, the happiness of the life to come, and which is to endure forever, is 
particularly described. (Chapter xxii, 6-11.) Taken in this sense, Eichhorn 
supposes the work to be most exquisitely finished, and its author to have had a 
truly poetic mind, polished by the highest cultivation; to have been accurately 
acquainted with the history of all times and nations, and to have enriched himself 
with their choicest spoils. 

My readers will naturally expect that I should either give a decided prefer- 
ence to some one of the opinions stated above, or produce one of my own. I ean 
do neither, nor can I pretend to explain the book: I do not understand it; and 
in the things which concern so sublime and awful a subject, I dare not, as my 
predecessors, indulge in conjectures. I have read elaborate works on the subject, 
and each seemed right till another was examined. I am satisfied that no certain 
mode of interpreting the prophecies of this book has yet been found out, and I 
will not add another monument to the littleness or folly of the human mind by 
endeavouring to strike out a new course. I repeat it, 1 do not understand the 
book; and I am satisfied that not one who has written on the subject knows any 
thing more of it than myself. As to other matters, 1 must leave them to God, 
or to those events which shall point out the prophecy; and ¢hen, and probably not 
till then, will the sense of these visions be explained. 

A conjecture concerning the design of the book may be safely indulged: thus, 
then, it has struck me, that the book of the Apocalypse may be considered as a 
PROPHET continued in the Church of God, uttering predictions relative to all times, 
which have their successive fulfilment as ages roll on; and thus it stands in the 
Christian Church in the place of the succession or ῬΕΟΡΗΕΤΒ in the Jewish 
Church; and by this especial economy PROPHECY IS STILL CONTINUED, IS ALWAYS 
SPEAKING, and yet a succession of prophets rendered unnecessary. Tf his be so, 
we cannot too much admire the wisdom of the contrivance which still continues 


the voice and testimony of prophecy, by means of a very short book, without the 
573 


PREFACE TO THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


assistance of any extraordinary messenger, or any succession of such messengers, 
whose testimony would at all times be liable to suspicion, and be the subject of 
infidel and malevolent criticism, howsoever unexceptionable to ingenuous minds 
the credentials of such might appear. 

After having lived in one of the most eventful eras of the world; after hav- 
ing seen a number of able pens employed in the illustration of this and other 
prophecies; after having carefully attended to those facts which were supposed 
to be the incontestable proofs of the fulfilment of such and such visions, seals, 
trumpets, thunders, aud vials of the Apocalypse; after seeing the issue of that 
most terrible struggle which the French nation, the French republic, the French 
consulate, and the French empire, have made to regain and preserve their liber- 
ties, which, like arguing in a circle, have terminated where they began, without 
one political or religious advantage to them or to mankind; and after viewing 
how the prophecies of this book were supposed to apply almost exclusively to 
these events, the writers and explainers of these prophecies keeping pace in their 
publications with the rapid succession of military operations, and confidently 
promising the most glorious issue in the final destruction of superstition, despe- 
tism, arbitrary power, and tyranny of all kinds, nothing of which has been real- 
ized; I say, viewing all these things, I feel myself at perfect liberty to state that, 
to my apprehension, all these prophecies have been misapplied and misappre- 
hended; and that the KEY to them is not yet intrusted to the sons of men. My 
readers will therefore excuse me from any exposure of my ignorance or folly by 
attempting to do what many, with much more wisdom and learning, have at- 
tempted, and what every man to the present day has failed in, who has preceded 
me in expositions of this book. I have no other mountain to heap on those 
already piled up; and if I had, I have not strength to lift it: those who have 
courage may again make the trial; already we have had a sufficiency of vain 
efforts. 

[More than fifty years have passed since the above was written, during which 
time whole libraries have been produced on the subject, which have not even 
approximately settled any thing; and large portions of the Protestant world have 
been standing on tiptoe in expectation of the “speedy” denouement of the great 
drama of Revelation, which, however, does not appear. Three difficulties seem to 
stand in the way of all calculations respecting these matters: 1) The beginning of 
the cycle is not determined. 2) Its duration is uncertain. 3) It is not known 


what will occur at its ending. | 
b74 


pete By Ea ΘΕΤΈΟΝ 


; OF 


ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 


CHAPTER I. 
HE Revelation of Jesus Christ, * which 
God gave unto him, to show unto his 
servants things which must shortly come to 
pass; and che sent and signified it by his 
angel unto his servant John: 2 4 Who bare 
record of the word of God, and of the tes- 


> 


timony of Jesus Christ, and of all things 
*that he saw. $8 ‘Blessed is he that read- 
eth, and they that hear the words of this 
prophecy, and keep those things which 
are written therein: for &the time ¢@ at 
hand. 

4 JOHN to the seven churches which are 


a John 3. 32; 8. 26; 12. 49, . —h Verse 3: chap. 4. 1.—c Chap. 
22.16 : 


s verse 9; chap. 6.9; 12. 17 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. 

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ—The word 
ἀποκάλυψις, apocalypse, signifies literally, a revela- 
tion, or discovery of what was concealed or hidden. 
It is here said that this “ revelation,” or discovery of 
hidden things was given by God (the Father) to 
“ Jesus Christ ; ” that Christ gave it to his angel; 
that this angel showed it to John; and that John 
sent it to the Churches. Thus we find it came from 
God to Christ, from Christ to the angel, from the 
angel to John, and from John to the Church. It 
is properly, therefore, the revelation of God, sent 
by these various agents to his servants at large. 
[The man Christ Jesus, even in his glorified state, 
receives from the Father, by his hypostatie union 
with him, that revelation which by his Spirit he im- 
parts to ‘his Chureh. —Alford.| Things which 
must shortly come to pass—If the book were 
written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
the prophecies in it relate to that destruction and 
the civil wars among the Romans, which lasted but 
three or four years, then it might be said the 
“revelation” is of things which “must shortly 
come to pass.” But if we consider the book as re- 
ferring to the state of the Church in all ages, the 
words here, and those in verse 3, must be under- 
stood of the commencement of the events predicted. 
[ Alford, rather sharply antagonizing Hengstenberg, 
makes ἐν τάχει signify certainly rather than shortly, 
referring to Luke xviii, 8 for a like use of the 
phrase. (See preface.)] [The plain and obvious 
sense of ἐν τάχει (in this place) is speedily, quickly, 
shortly; so ὁ καιρὸς ἐγγύς (verse i ae inter- 
prets it. (See Rev. ii, 16; mye 11: 14. χχὶϊ ἢ, 

2, 20.) If any thing clear can be nae out from 
the Apocalypse, it is at least clear that chapters 
iv-xi have special reference to Jerusalem and 
Judea.—Stuart. 

2. Who bare record of the word of God— 
Is there a reference here to the first chapter of 
John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God,” etc.? Of this 
“Word” John did bear record. Or, does the 


᾽᾽ 


J Luke 1]. chap. 22, ta Rom. 13. 


é1 John 1. 1. . 11; 
James 5. 8: 1 Pet 4. τι chap. 22. 10. 


writer mean the fidelity with which he noted and 
related the word—doctrines or prophecies—which 
he received at this time by revelation from God ? 
This latter seems more consistent with the latter 
part of the verse. 

3. Blessed is he that readeth—This is to he 
understood of the happiness or security of the 
persons who, reading and hearing the prophecies of 
those things which were to come to pass shortly, took 
proper measures to escape from the impending 
evils. The time is at hand—Kither in which they 
shall be all fulfilled or begin to be fulfilled. 
[Ὁ yap καιρὸς ἐγγύς. (See chapter xxii, 10.) This 
adjective is used in the New Testament to indicate 
nearness, Whether of time or place, but with a kin- 
dred phrase, as in verse 1. Alford construes it, 
because of its relations to God’s eternity, as not to 
be circumscribed by merely natural limitations. 
He remarks: ‘The nearness hogas of is to be 
understood, as the ἐν τά χει, (verse 1,) which see. We 
know little now of relative nearness or distance in 
point of time ; when the day of the Lord shall have 
opened our eyes to the true measure, we shall see 
how near it always is.” This seems to say that 
words which attempt to indicate nearness, in sub- 
jects of prophecy, have no meaning. | 

These three verses contain the introduction to the 
entire revelation; now the dedication to the seven 
Churches commences. 

4. John to the seven Churches. . .in Asia 
—The apostle begins this much in the manner of 
the Jewish prophets. They often name themselves 
in the messages which they receive from God to 
deliver to the people; for example, ‘‘ The vision of 
Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning 
Judah and Jerusalem,” ete. The “ Asia” here 
mentioned was what is called Asia Minor, or Pro- 
consular Asia. We are not to suppose that these 
Churches were the only Christian Churches then in 
Asia Minor: but these “seven” were those which 
lay nearest to the apostle, and were more partic- 
ularly under his care; though the message was sent 
to the Churches in general, and perhaps it concerns 

575 


A. M. 4100. A.D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 5-19. 


REVELATION. 


Ascription of praise to Jesus for 
redemption and elevation, 


in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from 
him * which is, and ‘which was, and which is 
to come; "and from the seven Spirits which 
are before his throne; & And from Jesus 
Christ, !who is the faithful witness, and the 
firstbegotten of the dead, and "the prince 
of the kings of the earth. Unto him °that 
loved us, pand washed us from our sins 


h Exod, 3. 14; verse 8.—7 John 1. 1.—ZA Zech. 3. 9; 4. 10; 
Chiape. ls 4 os 2. Ὁ: ZJohn & 14; 1 Tim, Ὁ. 13; chap, 8. 14. 
— m1 Cor. 15. 20; Col. 1. 1%. 2 Eph. 1. 20; chap. 17. 14; 
19, 16. —oJobn 13. 34; 15. 9: Gal. 2. 20.—yp Heb. 9. 14; 


in his own blood, ὦ And hath 4made us 
kings and priests unto God and his Father; 
‘to him be glory and dominion for ever and 
ever. Amen. % ‘Behold, he cometh with 
clouds; and every eye shali see him, and t they 
also which pierced him: and all kindreds of 
the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, 
Amen. $ "J am Alpha and Omega, the be- 


1 John 1. 7. 41 Pet, 2.5,9; chap. 5. 10; 20. 6.——7'1 Tim. 6. 
16; Heb. 13. 21; 1 Pet. 4. 113 5. 11. «Dan. 7. 13; Matt. 24. 303 
26. 64; Acts 1. 11. t Zech, 12. 10; John 19, 57. w Isa, 41. 45 
44. 6; 48. 12; verses 11, 173 chap. 2. 8; 21. 6; 22.-13. 


the whole Christian world. Grace be unto you 
—This form of apostolical benediction we have 
often seen in the preceding epistles. F'rom him 
which is, and which was, and which is to 
come—This phrase is purely Jewish, and is sup- 
posed to include in itself all duration, past, present, 
and future. And for that purpose it is exceedingly 
appropriate, and strongly expresses the eternity of 
God; for we have no other idea of time than as 
past, or now existing, or yet to exist; nor have we 
any idea of eternity [outside of time] but as the 
eternity that was before time, and the endless du- 
ration that shall be when time is no more. That 
which “was” is the eternity before time; that 
which “is” is ¢ime itself ; and that which ‘is to 
come” is the eternity which shall be when time is 
no more. [The words following ἀπό are all (in the 
genitive case) taken together as one indeclinable 
noun, corresponding to and expressive of Jehovah, 
which is indeclinable, and admits of no variation of 
form.—S/uart.|. The seven Spirits . . . before 
his throne—[“ Spirits,” that is, angels, or minis- 
tering spirits.| The ancient Jews, who represented 
the throne of God as the throne of an eastern 
monarch, supposed that there were seven minister- 
ing angels before this throne, as there were seven 
ministers attendant on the throne of a Persian 
monarch. We have an ample proof of this in Tobit 
xii, 15: “7 am Raphael, one of the seven holy 
angels which present the prayers of the saints, and 
which go in and out before the glory of the Holy 
One.” Sometimes they were represented as seven 
cohorts or troops of angels, under whom are thirty 
inferior orders. That seven angels are here meant, 
and not the Holy Spirit, is most evident from the 
place, the number, and the tradition. Those who 
imagine the Holy Ghost to be intended suppose the 
number ‘seven” is used to denote his manifold 
gifts and graces. (See chapter iii, 1; iv, 5; and 
v, 6.) 

5. And from Jesus Christ —[Here Χριστοῦ 
(Christ) stands connected with πρωτότοκος and ap- 
χων, (without any connectives.) both indicative of 
supremacy ; that is, the Saviour, the anointed One. 
means the lawfully constituted supreme Lord and 
King.—Stuart.| The faithful witness—The true 
teacher, whose testimony is infallible, and whose 
sayings must all come to pass. The firstbegotten 
of the dead—See the note on Col. i, 18. The 
prince of the kings—'O ἄρχων, the chief or head, 
of all earthly potentates; who has them all under 
his dominion and control, and can dispose of them as 
he will. Unto him that loved us—This should 
begin a new verse, as it is in the commencement of 
anew subject. Our salvation is attributed to the 
love of God, who gave his Son; and to the love of 
Christ, who died for us. (See John iii, 16.) 
Washed us from our sins—The redemption of 
the soul, including both remission of sins and 

τὺ 


purification from unrighteousness, is here, as in all 
the New Testament, attributed to the blood of 
Christ shed on the cross for man. (See 1 Johni, 7.) 

6. Kings and priests—See on 1 Pet. ii, 5, 9. 
But instead of βασιλεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς, kings and priests, 
the most reputable MSS., Versions, and Fathers 
have βασιλείαν ἱερεῖς, a kingdom and priests, that is, 
a royal priesthood. The regal and sacerdotal dig- 
nities are the two highest that can possibly exist 
among men; and these two are here mentioned to 
show the glorious prerogatives and state of the 
children of God. To him be glory—That is, tc 
Christ; for it is of him that the prophet speaks, 
and of none other. For ever and ever—Eic 
τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, to ages of ages ; or rather, 
through all indefinite periods; through all time, 
and to eternity. [Tov αἰώνων is omitted by many 
of the best authorities.] Amen — A word of 
affirmation and approbation; so it shall be, and so 
it ought to be. 

7, Behold, he cometh with clouds—This re- 
lates to his coming to execute judgment on the 
enemies of his religion; perhaps to his coming to 
destroy Jerusalem, as he was to be particularly 
manifested to them that pierced him, which must 
mean the incredulous and rebellious Jews. [Among 
the later Jews the Messiah is actually called the 
Cloud-man ; God is also said to have his dwelling 
among the clouds. (Psa. xevii, 2; xviii, 11.) The 
cloud is, so to speak, a material symbol of the 
divine presence, or the divine mystery, partly veil- 
ing, partly revealing. — Lange.]| And all kin- 
dreds of the earth—Ilacw αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς, all 
the tribes of the land. By this the Jewish people 
are most evidently intended, and therefore the 
whole verse may be understood as predicting the 
destruction of the Jews; and is a presumptive 
proof that the Apocalypse was written before the 
final overthrow of the Jewish state. [This language 
is borrowed from the ancient Hebrew Scripture, 
where the Jews are often spoken of as the ¢welve 
tribes, among whom all the land was partitioned, 
here designed to denote all who dwelt (might then 
be dwelling) in the land here referred to, the land 
where Christ was crucified. See Stuart.] Bven 
so, Amen—Nai, ἀμήν; yea, Amen. Itis true, so 
be it. Our Lord will come and execute judgment 
on the Jews and Gentiles. This the Jews and 
Romans particularly felt [at the destruction. of 
Jerusalem. | 

8. Iam Alpha and Omega—I am from eternity 
to eternity. This mode of speech is borrowed from 
the Jews, who express the whole compass of things 
by aleph and tau, the first and last letters of the 
Hebrew alphabet ; but as St. John was writing in 
Greek, he accommodates the whole to the Greek al- 
phabet, of which “alpha” and “omega” are the 
first and last letters. With the rabbins, from 
aleph to tau, expressed the whole of a matter, from 


Christ directs John to send his message 
to the seven Churches, , 


CHAPTER I. 


A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


ginning and the ending, saith the Lord, ¥ which 
is, and which was, and which is to come, the 
Almighty. 9 I John, who also am your 
brother, and “companion in tribulation, and 
xin the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, 
was in the isle that is called Patmos, »for the 
word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus 
Christ. 10 11 wasin the Spirit on «the Lord’s 


17: 16. 5. —-w Phil. 1. 7: 4. 14; 


-mVerse 4: chap. 4. 8; 1 16. 5 
Ἀ 2 Tim. 2, 12.—y Verse 2; chap. 


I, 
2 Tim, 1. 8.—a Rom. 8. 17; 
6. 9. 


the beginning to the end. The beginning and 
the ending—|This clause is not found in the best 
MSS. and is now generally rejected. ] 

9. Your brother —A Christian, begotten of 
God, and incorporated in the heavenly family. [No 
inference can be drawn against the apostleship of 
the writer from this designation of himself: It is 
eminently Johannean.} Companion in tribula- 
tion—Suffering under the persecution in which 
you also suffer. In the kingdom—Introduced by 
the spirit into the kingdom of God. And patience 
of Jesus—Meekly bearing all indignities, privations, 
and sufferings for the sake and after the example 
of our Lord and Master. [The conjunction of 
these terms seems to be made to express a par- 
taker, as in the kingdom, so in the tribulation and 
endurance which are in and by Christ.—A/ford. | 
The isle that is called Patmos—This island is 
one of the Sporades, and lies in the Alzean Sea, 
between the island of Icaria, and the promontory 
of Miletus. It is now call Pactino, Patmol, or Pal- 
mosa. It has derived all its celebrity from being 
the place to which St. John was banished by one 
of the Roman emperors—whether Domitian, Clau- 
dius, or Nero, is not agreed; most probably the 
latter. The island has a convent on a well fortified 
hill, dedicated to John the apostle. Patmos is the 
name of its capital and chief harbour. The whole 
island is about thirty miles in circumference. For 
the testimony of Jesus Christ—For preaching 
Christianity, and converting heathens to the Lord 
Jesus. [Διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, on account of the 
word of the Lord. Why was John in Patmos ? 
The traditional understanding has been, that he had 
been banished thither by some persecuting edict, 
and with that the language may be made to agree, 
though dca is not commonly used to express an un- 
desired necessity. Besides the usually received 
idea of anexile, two others have been suggested by 
eminent authorities: 1) that he was there in the 
prosecution of his apostolic office, preaching “ the 
word of the Lord,’ and 2) that he had been led 
thither, as Christ was “ driven into the wilderness,” 
to receive this apocalypse. | 

10. I was in the Spirit—That is, I received 
the Spirit of prophecy, and was under his influence 
when the first vision was exhibited. [᾿Εγονόμην ἐν 
πνεύματι, 7 became transported out of the ordinary 
every day (normal) consciousness, and placed in the 
condition of the prophet’s trance, ἔκστασις. (Acts 
x, 10; xi, 5; xxii, 17; 1 Cor. xiv, 2.) The contrast 
is, 1) To be in one’s ordinary state of mind, with 
the reflecting consciousness holding intercourse 
with the world through the senses; or, 2) in a 
higher or polarly opposed form of consciousness, 
in which direct spiritual consciousness predomi- 
nates. By ‘“ the Spirit,” therefore, we are undoubt- 
edly to understand, not the Spirit of God, but that 
spiritual life of man which stands contrasted with 
his relations to the (outward) world, which (how- 

Vor. I1.—37 


day, and heard beiiind me "ἃ great voice, as of 
a trumpet, I Saying, «I am Alpha and 
Omega, ‘the first and the last: and, What 
thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto 
the seven churches which are in Asia; unto 
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Perga- 
mos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and 
unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 12 And 


5 Acts 19, 10; 2 Cor, 12. 2; chap. 4. 2:17. 3: 21. 10.—a Jolin 
20. 26; Acts 20.7; 1 Cor, 16. 2.—J Chap. 4. 1; 10. 8.——c Verse 8. 
d Verse 17. 


ever) as a prophetic state is inconceivable without 
the operation of the Holy Spirit, and hence pre- 
supposes the more general life in the Spirit as its 
basis. (Rom. viii, 9.) — Lange.] [A state, says 
Ebrard, in which “connexion with surrounding 
objects through the senses is suspended and a con- 
nexion with the invisible world established.”] The 
Lord’s day—The first day of the week,.observed 
as the Christian sabbath, because on it Jesus Christ 
rose from the dead; therefore it was called the 
Lord’s day, and has taken place of the Jewish sab- 
bath throughout the Christian world. [On any 
probable hypothesis of the date of this book this 
is the earliest mention of the day by this name.— 
Alford.| And heard behind me a great 
voice—This voice came unexpectedly and sud- 
denly. He felt himself under the divine afflatus, 
but did not know what scenes were to be repre- 
sented. As of a trumpet—Thus God prepared 
Moses to receive the law. (See Exod. xix, 16, 
19, etc ) 

11. Tam Alpha and Omega, the first and 
the last—[This whole clause is wanting in the best 
MSS. ete.; probably it was taken from verse 8.] 
Saying ... What thou seest, write ina book— 
Carefully note down every thing that is represented 
to thee. John had the visions from heaven; but 
he described them in his own language and man- 
ner. Send it unto the seven Churches—The 
names of which immediately follow. In Asia— 
This is wanting in the principal MSS. and Versions. 
Ephesus—This was a city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, 
situated at the mouth of the river Cayster, on the 
shore of the Aigean Sea, about fifty miles south of 
Smyrna. (See preface to the epistle to the Ephe- 
sians.) Smyrna—Now called also Ismir, is the 
largest and richest city of Asia Minor. It is situ- 
ated about one hundred and eighty-three miles west 
by south of Constantinople, on the shore of the 
gean Sea. It is supposed to contain about one 
hundred and forty thousand inhabitants, Greeks, 
Armenians, Roman Catholics, Jews, and Turks, and 
a very few Protestants. It is a beautiful city, but 
often ravaged by the plague, and seldom two years 
together free from earthquakes. Pergamos—A 
town of Mysia, situated on the river Caicus. It 
was the royal residence of Eumenes, and the kings 
of the race of the Attali. It was anciently famous 
for its library, which contained, according to Plu- 
tarch, two hundred thousand volumes, It was here 
that the membrane Pergamenie, Pergamenian 
skins, were invented; from which we derive our 
word parchment. Pergamos was the birthplace of 
Galen; and in it P. Scipio died. It is now known 
as Pergamo and Bergamo, Thyatira—Now called 
Akissat and Ak-kissar, a city of Natolia, in Asia 
Minor, seated on the river Hermus, in a plain 
eighteen miles broad, and is about tifty miles south 
from Pergamos. Numeaous remarkable ancient 
inscriptions have been discovered in this place. 

577 


A. M. 4190. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, +49. 


REVELATION. 


Glorious description of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 


I turned to see the voice that spake with ine. 
And being turned, ¢I saw seven golden candle- 
sticks; 23 ‘And in the midst of the seven 
candlesticks sone like unto the Son of man, 
helothed with a garment down to the foot, and 
igirt about the paps with a golden girdle. 
14 His head and «Ais hairs were white like 
wool, as white as snow; and 'his eyes were as 
a flame of fire; 125 "And his feet like unto 
fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and 


"his voice as the sound of many waters. 
86 eAnd he had in his right hand seven 
stars: and Pout of his mouth went a sharp 
twoedged sword: and his countenance «was 
as the sun shineth in his strength. ΕΠ And 
‘when I saw him, 1 fell at his feet as dead. 
And she laid his right hand upon me, saying 
unto me, Fear not; 'I ain the first and the 
last: 18 "J am he that liveth, and was 
dead; and, behold, Υ1 am alive for evermore, 


e Exod. 25.37: Zech. 4. 2; verse 20.—/ Chap. 2. 1.—g Ezek. 
1, 26; Dan, 7. 13; 10. 16; chap. 14. 14.—A Dan. 10. 8.—z Chap. 
15. 6. kDan., 7. 9.— 2 Dan. 10. 6; chap. 2. 18: 19, 12, —— 
m Ezek. 1.7: Dan. 10.6; chap. 2. 18,—v7 Ezek. 43.2; Dan. 10. 6; 
chap. 14, 2; 19. 6. 


4, 125 chap. 2.12, 16; 19. 15, 21.—dq Acts 26. 13; chap. 10. 1.—— 
7 Ezek. 1. 28.—-< Dan, 8. 18 : 10. 10.—tIsa. 41. 4; 44. 6: 48. 12; 
chap, 2, 8; 22. 13; verse 11.—w Rom. 6. 9.—v Chap. 4. 9; 


5. 14. 


Sardis—Now called.Sardo and Sart, a town in 
Natolia, about forty miles east from Smyrna. It is 
seated on the side of mount Tmolus, and was once 
the capital of the Lydian kings, and here Croesus 
reigned. It is now a poor, inconsiderable village. 
Philadelphia—aA city of Natolia, seated at the 
foot of mount Tmolus, by the river Cogamus. It 
was founded by Attalus Philadelphus, brother of 
Eumenes, from whom it derived its name. It is 
now called Alah-sheker, and is about forty miles 
eastward of Smyrna. Laodicea—A town of Phryg- 
ia, on the river Lycus; first called Diospolis, or 
the city of Jupiter. It was built by Antiochus 
Theos, and named after his consort Laodice. (See 
fon Cole ar.) 

12. And I turned—For he had heard the voice 
behind him. ‘To see the voice—That is, the 
person from whom the voice came. [I gave 
full attention.]| Seven goiden candlesticks— 
Ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς, seven golden lamps. 
These seven lampstands represented the seven 
Churches, in which the light of God was con- 
tinually shining, and the love of God continually 
burning. And they are here represented as “ gold- 
en” to show how precious they were in the sight of 
God. This is a reference to the temple at Jeru- 
salem, where there was a candlestick or chandelier 
of seven branches, or rather six branches, three 
springing out on either side, and one in the centre. 
(See Exod. xxxvii, 17-23.) 

13. In the midst—[’Ev μέσῳ, intimates that he 
was in a position where he was surrounded by the 
seven lights.—Stwart.| Like unto the Son of man 
—This seems a reference to Dan. vii, 13. This was 
our blessed Lord himself. (Verse 18.) [Ὅμοιον υἱὸν 
ἀνθρώπου, one like a son of man; that is, like a man 
in form and appearance.]| Clothed with a gar- 
ment down to the foot — [’Evdedvuévov ποδήρη, 
arrayed in a podera, the priestly robe, covering the 
whole body to the feet.] This is a description of 
the high priest in his sacerdotal robes. (See on 
Exod. xxviii, 4, ete.) Jesus as our high priest, 
even in heaven, is still discharging the sacerdotal 
functions before the throne of God. Golden 
girdle—The emblem both of regal and sacerdotal 
dignity. 

14. His head and his hairs were white like 
wool—The whiteness or splendour of his head and 
hair doubtless proceeded from the rays of light and 
glory which encircled his head, and darted from it 
in all divections. The splendour around the head 
was termed by the Romans nimbus, and by us a 
glory; and was represented round the heads of 
gods, deified persons, and saints. It is used in the 
same way through almost all the nations of the 
earth. His eyes were as a flame of fire— 

578 


To denote his omniscience, and the all-penetrating 
nature of the divine knowledge. 

15. His feet like unto fine brass—An ecm- 
blem of his stability and permanence, brass being 
considered the most durable of all metallic sub- 
stances or compounds. The original word, χαλκο- 
λιβάνῳ, means the famous awrichaleum, or facti- 
tious metal, which, according to Suidas, was εἶδος 
ἠλέκτρου, τιμιώτερον χρυσοῦ, “ἃ kind of amber, 
more precious than gold.” It seems to have been 
a composition of gold, silver, and copper, and the 
same with the Corinthian brass, so highly famed 
and valued. His voice as the sound of many 
waters — (See Ezek. xliii, 2) [In allusion to the 
quiet majesty of the sea.—Hbrard. | 

16. In his right hand seven stars—The 
‘“‘stars” are afterward interpreted as representing 
the seven angels, messengers, or bishops of the 
seven Churches. Their being in the “right hand” 
of Christ, shows that they are under his special 
care and most powerful protection. [The idea con- 
veyed by this symbol is, that they who were repre- 
sented by the stars were altoyether at the disposal 
of him in whose hand theu were held. As to the 
imagery it is not necessary to inquire further.— 
Stwart.| Out of his mouth went a sharp two- 
edged sword—This is no doubt intended to point 
out the judgments about to be pronouneed by 
Christ against the rebellious Jews and persecuting 
Romans; God’s judgments were just now going to 
fall upon both. Or the “sharp two-edged sword ” 
may represent the word of God in general. (Heb. 
iv, 12; Eph. vi, 17.) And his countenance was 
as the sun shineth in his strength—His face 
was like the disk of the sun in the brightest sum- 
mer’s day, when there are no clouds to abate the 
splendour of his rays. (See Judges v, 31.) 

17. I fell at his feet as dead—(See Ezek. i, 28, 
and Dan. viii, 17.) The terrible splendour of such 
majesty was more than the apostle could bear, and 
he fell down deprived of his senses, but was soon 
enabled to behold the vision by a communication 
of strength frcm our Lord’s right hand. [There is 
no discrepaney in this bodily action with the 
spiritual nature of the vision, for ἐν πνεύματι 
(verse 10) does not supersede the existence (nor 
the simply muscular action) of the body.—A/ford. | 

18. I am he that liveth, and was dead—I am 
Jesus the Saviour, who, though the fountain of 
life, died for mankind ; and being raised again from 
the dead I shall die no more, the great sacrifice 
being consummated. And have the keys of 
hell and of death—So that I can destroy the 
living and raise the dead. The keys, here, signify 
his power and authority over life, death, and the 
grave. This is also a rabbinical form of speech, 


The seven candlesticks denote 
the seven Churches. 


CHAPTER I. 


A, M. 4100. A. D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849, 


Amen; and “have the keys of hell and of 
death. 19 Write *the things which thou 
hast seen, Yand the things which are, #and 
the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The 
mystery ‘of the seven stars which thou saw- 


a Psa. 08, 20; ana: 20, 1.—a: ΤΉΝ 12, etc.—vy Chap. 3,1, 
etc.—ze Chap. 4. 1, ete. 


[Ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς... aidov, mine are the keys of 
death and hades; that is, mine is the power to open 
the gates of the underworld, or region of the dead, 
and to rescue whomever I please from the power of 
death and hades—Stuart.] We should understand 
hades, here, not as hell, nor the place of separate 
spirits, but merely as the grave. [The resurrection 
of Christ vanquished death, and he came forth a con- 
queror. And having done this in his humanity, and 
as a part of his Messianie work, he did it for all 
men; the conquest was made in behalf of the whole 


race. 
Then first Aaman/ty triumphant 
Passed the crystal ports of light | 


19. Write the things which thou hast seen 
—These visions and prophecies are for general in- 
struction, and therefore every circumstance must 
be faithfully recorded. What he had “seen” was 
to be written; what he wus about to see, relative 
to the seven Churches, must be also written; and 
what he was to see afterward, concerning other 
Churches and States, was to be recorded like- 
wise. 

20, The mystery — That is, the allegorical 
explanation of the seven stars is the seven 
angels or ministers of the Churches ; and the alle- 
gorical meaning of the seven golden /amps is the 
seven Churches themselves. [The import of the 
ἄγγελοι, angels, has been much disputed. Very 
many commentators take them for the presiding 
presbyters, ov bishops of the Churches. This view 
derives probability from the analogy of the vision 
itself, in which, seeing that the candelabra repre- 
sent the Churches themselyes—existing vessels 
containing much light —the “stars,” concentrated 
sparks of light, should represent some actually ex- 
isting persons in, or connected with, the Churches. 
Again, throughout the seven epistles (chapters ii 
and iii) the angel is treated as representing and 
responsible for the particular Church. . As re- 
gards the symbolism, stars are symbols of the 
angels of the Churches, inasmuch as angels are 
beings of light. (Heb.i, 7; Psa. civ, 4; Job xxviii, 
We sa. xiv, 12.) That stars are also used to sym- 
bolize earthly authorities is what might be ex- 
pected from the very nature of the symbol, and 
should not be alleged here as against this interpre- 
tation of ἀγγελοι. The Churches themselves are 
represented by candlesticks, agreeably with the 
universal symbolism both of the prophetic and the 
evangelic Scriptures. (Prov. iv, 18; Isa. xxi, 1, 3; 
Matthew v, 14, 15; Luke xii, 35; Phil. ii, 15.)— 
Alford. | 

NOTES ON CHAPTER II. 
PRELIMINARY. 


[The preparation being thus made (by the majes- 
tic appearance of the Saviour and his condescend- 
ing kindness) for John to receive communications, 
and he being enjoined by Christ to commit to writ- 
ing both the explanation of what he had already seen 
and what was about to be disclosed, the seven 
epistles to the seven Churches are first dictated to 


est in my right hand, *and the seven golden 
candlesticks. The seven stars are ‘the an- 
gels of the seven churches: and ¢the seven 
candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven 
churches. 


Ὁ Mal. aay te chap. 2 van \3 
; Matt. 5. 15; Phil. 2 


a Verse 16,—Q/ Verse 12. ete.— 


d Zech. 4. 2 


him, that he may write them down, and send them 
to those Churches in order that they might be 
read. It is not necessary to affirm that John heard 
with his outward ear all the contents of these 
epistles ; for as he was in a state of ecstasy (chap- 
ter i, 10) it would be difficult to determine how 
much belonged to the outward and how much to 
the inward man. But, being in ‘he Spirit, he seems 
to himself to hear the w ords of the epistles; or the 
ideas which they comprise are so deeply impressed 
upon his mind and memory that he could easily 
commit them to writing. It is not necessary to 
suppose a mechanical and vérbal dictation of all 
the words. It is enough that the inner man be- 
comes so thoroughly imbued, in vision, with the 
subject-matter to be contained in the epistles, that 
John is altogether furnished for the work of writ- 
ing and sending them. He receives his commission 
to do this from the Lord Jesus Christ; and is in- 
structed so as to make an official communication 
from him, That the writing was done after sue- 
cessive intervals, and between parts of the vision, 
is the first and natural impression derived from 
a continuous reading of the whole. But it is not 
necessary to attach much importance to that sup- 
position; it is enough that John was under divine 
influence and guidance (ἐν πνεύματι) when he wrote 
these epistles, and that the Lord Jesus commis- 
sioned him to disclose to the Churehes the things 
which they contain, The epistles themselves seem 
to wear the appearance of having been dictated to 
the writer, and that they are even more than ordi- 
narily the result of special divine influence, as to the 
manner as well as the matter. Of this, however, 
not much use can be made in criticism, and yet the 
manner in which these epistles are composed de- 
serves special attention : 

[1. In each of the seven epistles the address to 
the Churches is prefaced by (a reference to) some 
of the characteristics ascribed to the Saviour, in 
chapter i, either as displayed in his person, or ex- 
plicitly aseribed to him. The regularity with which 
this is done (in each case) deserves to be specially 
noted. From all this it is plain that the writer, in 
composing the epistles, had his mind filled with the 
vision as related in chapter i, and that the same 
hand is plainly employed in both—that is, the 
vision in chapter i, and the epistles in chapters ii 
and iii. Throughout the plan is uniform; while 
the manner of executing it is constantly, indeed 
sedulously, varied. 

[2. After the salutation, and mention of the attri- 
butes belonging to Him who addresses the Churches, 
next in order comes (in each case) oida τὰ ἔργα, 
(1 know thy works,)—which means that all their de- 
meanour is known to Jesus Christ ; to which is added 
a specification of the various characteristics of 
each Church, whether for praise or blame. Two 
of the Churches, those of Smyrna and Philadelphia, 
received almost unmixed approbation ; to those of 

Sardis and Laodicea sharp rebukes are adminis- 
tered, while to those of Ephesus, Pergamos, and 
Thyatira, both praise and rebukes are addressed. 

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CHAPTER II. 
NTO the angel of the church of Ephesus 
write; These things saith *he that hold- 
eth the seven stars in his right hand, 'who 
walketh in the midst of the seven golden can- 
dlesticks; &% 91 know thy works, and thy la- 


REVELATION. 


Christ’s message to the Church 
at Ephesus. 


bour, and thy patience, and how thou canst 
not bear them which are evil: and “thou hast 
tried them ὁ which say they are apostles, and 
are not, and hast found them liars: 8 And 
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my 
name’s sake hast laboured, and hast ‘not 


a Chap. 1. 16, 20.—b Chap. 1. 13. —c Psa. 1. 6; verses 9, 13, 19; 
chaps. 3. 1, 8, 15. 


But the approbation in all cases comes first, and 
the blame, when given, later. 

[3. Encouragement, admonition, exhortation or 
warning, then follows, according to what the 
nature of the cases respectively demands. Particu- 
lars are stated wherein reformation is needed ; and 
grounds of hope and encouragement are placed be- 
fore those who are making vigorous efforts in the 
way of duty. All are admonished that the Lord 
Jesus Christ is at hand, and that he will punish or 
reward, as their respective conduct and character 
may require. 

[4. The closing parts of the epistles exhibit a 
remarkable uniformity, which is mingled with 
variety. Hach close exhibits the admonition, ‘O 
ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω Ti τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, 
(He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
to the Churches,) in the very same words. In con- 
nexion with this, ὁ νικῶν, (he that shall overcome,) 
or τῷ νικῶντι, (to him that shall overcome,) appears, 
and to each person (or Church) thus characterized 
promises are made, all of which vary in costume 
and manner, but convey substantially the same 
ideas. . . . Thus while all the epistles are exactly 
alike as to the admonition which urges them to 
hearken to Him who addresses the Churches, yet all 
vary in regard to the costume and tenor of the 
promises which are made, in case of final victory 
over spiritual enemies. 

[It should also be observed, that in nearly all of 
these: epistles the manner of the threat or the 
promise, near the close of the epistle, is intimately 
connected with the attributes of the Redeemer 
described at the commencement of it. Let the 
comparisons be carefully made, and the result must 
be a conviction that more closely interwoven com- 
position cannot be imagined. It is surely no ordi- 
nary hand that can perform such a task with so much 
skill. 

[{Ὁ may also be noted. that in conformity with 
the trichotomy of the book throughout, each of 
these epistles is divided into three parts, namely : 
a) A reference to some of the attributes of Him who 
addresses the Church. 6) Disclosures of the char- 
acteristics of the Church, with appropriate admoni- 
tion, encouragement, or reproof. c¢) Promises of 
reward to all who persevere in their Christian 
course and overcome the spiritual enemies who 
assault them. This ¢richotomy has no special in- 
fluence on the interpretation of these epistles, 
but it is worthy of special note as it reeards the 
rhetorical characteristics of the book, (which are 
certainly of a very high order.)—Abridged from 
Sfuart. | 


I must here advertise my readers, 1) That I do 
not perceive any metaphorical or allegorical mean- 
ing in the epistles to these Churches. 2) I con- 
sider the Churches as real; and that their spiritual 
state is here really and literally pointed out; and 
that they have no reference to the state of the 
Church of Christ in all ages of the world, as has 


d1 John 4, 1.—e2 Cor. ee 


2 Pet. 2. 1.—/ Gal. 6. 9: Heb. 


. De 


been termed the Ephesian state, the Smyrnian 
state, the Pergamenian state, the Thyatirian state, 
etc., etc., is unfounded, absurd, and dangerous ; and 
such expositions should not be entertained by any 
who wish to arrive at a sober and rational knowl- 
edge of the Holy Scriptures. 3) I consider the 
angel of the Church as signifying the messenger, 
the pastor, sent by Christ and his apostles to teach 
and edify that Church. 4) I consider what is 
spoken to this angel as spoken to the whole Church ; 
and that it is not his particular (personal) state 
that is described, but the states of the people in 
general under his care. 


Tue ΕΡΙΞΤΙΕ To THE CHURCH ΑΤ EPHESUS. 


1. Unto the angel of the Church of Ephe- 
sus—The Church at Ephesus is first addressed, as 
being the place where John chiefly resided ;' and 
the city itself was the metropolis of that part of 
Asia. The angel or bishop at this time was most 
probably Timothy, who presided over that Church 
before St. John took up his residence there, and: 
who is supposed to have continued in that office 
till A. D. 97, and to have been martyred a short 
time before St. John’s return from Patmos. Hold- 
eth the seven stars—Who particularly pre- 
serves, and guides, and upholds, not only the min- 
isters of those seven Churches, but all the genuine 
ministers of his Gospel in all ages and places. 
Walketh in the midst of the seven golden 
candlesticks—Is the supreme bishop and head, not 
only of those Churches, but of all the churches or 
congregations of his people throughout the world. 
[These two images—Christ holding the stars in his 
right hand, and walking among the golden candle- 
sticks—very beautifully symbolizes his intimate as- 
sociation with his ministers and Churches, with 
supervisory care and sustaining power. | 

2, I know thy works—Ta ἔργα cov, general 
demeanor, good and bad. Whatsoever is praise- 
worthy in any of these Churches is first mentioned ; 
thereby intimating that God is more intent on 
finding out the good than the evil in any person or 
Chureh ; and that those who wish to reform such 
as have fallen or are not making sufficient advances 
in the divine life should take occasion, from the 
cood which yet remains, to encourage them to set 
out afresh for the kingdom of heaven. And thy 
labour, and thy patience—[Kai τὸν κόπον καὶ τὴν 
ὑπομονῆν cov, thy active and passive virtues.] He 
knew their works in general. They had not 
ceased to labour, and they were enabled to bear 
persecution patiently, and to keep the faith; for 
they could not tolerate evil men, and they had 
put fictitious apostles to the test, and had found 
them to be liars, [yevdezc, untrue, not genuine dis- 
ciples of Christ,| pretending a divine commission 
while they had none, and teaching false doctrines 
as if they were the truths of God. 

3. And hast borne—[These («axotc) are here 
regarded as a burden, an incubus, which the 
Ephesian Church had thrown off. The assertion is 


been imagined; and that the notion of what has|as yet general; it is particularized in the next 


580 


Christ’s message to the Church 
at E;hesus. 


fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat 
against thee, because thou hast left thy first 
love. & Remember therefore from whence 
thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first 
works; for else I will come unto thee quick- 
ly, and will remove thy candlestick out of 


g Matt. 21. 41, 43. ——/ Verse 15. — i Matt. 11. Ve 18. 9, 43; 
____ Verses 11, 17, 29; chap. 3. 6, 13, 22; 13. § bia 
clause. — Alford.) And hast not fainted—[Trhis 
exhibits two aspects of the Church’s good conduct 
—suffering in general for Christ's name's sake, and 
endurance under these sufferi ings.—Lange.| [Ὕπο- 
μονὴν, (patience,) in verse 2, and the same word in 
verse 3, with a sense equivalent i in English, signifies, 
in the former case, both in Greek and | English, more 
especially the suffering side of patience, (that i is, I 
know what you suffer ;) in the latter, the spirit of 
Christ-like endurance under suffering, (that is, I 
recognise your godly spirit of endurance.) | 

4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against 
thee—The clause should be read, according to the 
Greek, thus: But [have against thee that thou hast 
left thy first love. They did not retain that strong 
and ardent affection for God and sacred things 
which they had when they were first brought to 
the knowledge of the truth and justified by faith in 
Christ. [The love of first conversion had waxed 
(comparatively) cold, and given place to a lifeless 
and formal orthodoxy. (2 Cor. vii, 11.)}—Alford.| 

5. Remember—Consider the state of grace in 
which you once stood; the happiness, love, and joy 
which you felt when ye received remission of sins; 
the zeal ye had for God’s glory and the salvation 
of mankind; your willing, obedient spirit, your 
cheerful self-denial, your fervour in private prayer, 
your detachment from the world, and your heaven- 
ly mindedness. Whence thou art fallen—Fallen 
from all those blessed dispositions and gracious 
feelings already mentioned. Or, remember what a 
loss you have sustained; for so ἐκπίπτειν is frequent- 
ly used by the best Greek writers. Repent—Be 
deeply humbled before God for having so careless- 
ly guarded the divine treasure. Do the first 
works—Resume your former zeal and diligence ; 
watch, fast, pray, reprove sin, carefully attend all 
the ordinances of God, walk as in his sight, and 
rest not till you have recovered all your lost ground, 
and got back the evidence of your acceptance with 
your Maker. I will come unto thee quickly— 
In the way of judgment. And will remove thy 
candlestick—Take aw ay my ordinances, remove 
your ministers, and send you a famine of the word. 
[These lamps (candlesticks) are symbols of the 
seven Asiatic Churches. To remove one of them 
from its place would be to withdraw it from the 
special and immediate presence and care of the 
Saviour, and thus to cut off its privileges and take 
away its precedence.—Stuar‘. | 

6. The deeds of the Nicolaitans—These were, 
as is commonly supposed, a sect of the Gnosties, who 
taught the most corrupt doctrines, and followed 
the most impure practices. They are supposed to 
have derived their origin from Nicolas, one of the 
seven deacons mentioned Acts vi, 5, where see the 
note. The ‘“Nicolaitans” taught the community 
of wives, that adultery and fornication were things 
indifferent, that eating meats offered to idols was 
quite lawful; and mixed several pagan rites with 
the Christian ceremonies. Augustine, Irenzeus, 
Clemens Alexandrinus, and Tertullian have spoken 
largely concerning them. [The manner in which the 


CHAPTER II. 


| 


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his place, except thon repent. 6 But this 
thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of "the 
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 ‘He that 
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the churches; To him that over- 
cometh will I give * to ez it of !the tree of life, 


k&Chap. 23. 2, 14. ——7Gen. 2. 9 


appellation (Nicolaitans) is used here and in verse 15 
would seem to import that the name was current in 
the Churches at Ephesus and Pergamos. That there 
were some persons in these Churches who practised 
the vices named in verse 14 there can be no good 
eround for doubt ; and also at Thyatira. (Verse 20.) 
Now, as these were the very same vices into which 
the Israelites of old fell, (Num. xxv, 1-3; Cor. x, 
7, 8)—and into which they fell, as it would seem, 
through the devices of Balaam (verse 14)—s0 those 
who practised them were called Balaamites, Νεκολαἷ- 
ται in Greek, [that is, conquerors—leaders into sin— 
of the people. | Whether some person by the name 
of Nicolaus was actually their leader, or whether 
mere popular impulse, guided by the nature of the 
vase, Invented and bestowed the appellation, must 
remain an uncertainty. Nor can it be of any im- 
portance to determine this. The whole aspect of 
the various cases (in verses 6, 15, and 20) seems 
plainly to denote that the name was actually cur- 
rent at the time, and that the practices intended to 
be designated by the use and application of it were 
then well known, so that no doubt could exist in 
the mind of the reader with regard to the meaning 
of John’s words. As to the rise of such a sect 
among Christians, one would indeed naturally think 
it to be strange. Yet the abuse of certain declara- 
tions of Paul (see 1 Cor. viii, 4, x, 25, and vi, 12) 
might easily give rise, among the ignorant and 
viciously inclined, to the indiscriminate eating of 
meats, and to the indulgence of carnal desires. 
Still these very things had been expressly forbid- 
den by the apostles, (Acts xv, 29; xxi, 25,) and 
therefore such vices are mentioned here, as we 
might well expeet, with an expression of severe 
displeasure against them. Such a view of the case 
seems to afford the most natural and easy solution 
of the difficulty in regard to the passage before us ; 
and by taking this course we are unembarrassed 
with the obstacles that lie in the way of tracing 
the heresy in question to Nicolaus, one of the seven 
deacons, while we educe from the passage a very 
significant meaning.—Stuart.] [See also Neander, 
Alford, Smith, ete. } 

ἡ. He that hath an ear—Let every intelligent 
person, and every Christian man, attend carefully 
to what the Holy Spirit, in this and the following 
epistles, says to the Churches. (See on Matt. 

15.) To him that overcometh—To hiin who 
continues steadfast in the faith, and uncorrupt in his 
life; who faithfully confesses Jesus, and neither 
imbibes the doctrines nor is led away by the error 
of the wicked ; will I give to eat of the tree of 
life. There is here an evident allusion to Gen. ii, 
9, where it is said, God made the tree of life to grow 
in the midst of the garden. This “tree,” in ail 
the lifegiving effects which it symbolizes, is secured 
and restored to man by the incarnation, death, and 
resurrection of Christ. The “tree of life” is fre- 
quently spoken of by the rabbins; and by it they 
generally mean the immortality of the soul, and a 
final state of blessedness. [ Zo eat of the tree of 
life, the heavenly-earthly antitypes of the tree of 

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which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 
s And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna 
write; These things saith "the first and the 
last, which was de: ad, and is alive: 9 "I know 
thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but 
thou art °rich ») and 7 know the blasphemy of 
Pthem which say they are Jews, and are not, 
abut are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear 
none of those things which thou shalt suffer: 
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into 
prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall 


REVELATION. 


Christ’s message to the Church 
in Sinyrna, 


have tribulation ten days: ‘be thou faithful 
unto death, and 1 will give thee ta crown of 
life. U2 »He that hath an ear, let him hear 
what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He 
that overcometh shall not be hurt of ¥the 
second death. ἘΦ And to the angel of the 
church in Pergamos write; These things saith 
whe which hath the sharp sword with two 
edges; 43 *I know thy works, and where 
thou dwellest, even ¥ where Satan's seat is: 
and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not 


o Luke 12, 21; 1 Tim. 
99: 9. 6.—ag Chap. ὃ. 9. 


m Chap. 1. 8, 17, 18. —— n Verse 2 
6. 18; James ἜΣ ὃ. ae Rom, 2. 17, 28, § 
— 7’ Matt. 10. 


8 Matt, 24, 13. ——tJames 1. 12; chap. 3. 11. — w Verse 7; 
chap. 13. 9. ——# Chap. 20. 14; 21. 8. —— wChap. 1. 16. — 
w Verse 2.—y Verse 9, 


life in the first paradise, an emphatic promise of 
eternal life, of the enjoyment of eternal nourish- 
ment to eternal rejuvenation.—Lange. | 


Tur EpiIstLE TO THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA. 


8. Unto the angel—This was probably the fa- 
mous Polyearp. [Scarcely. Polycarp suffered mar- 
tyrdom A. Ὁ. 155 (166%), and the latest possible date 
of the writing of the Apocalypse must therefore have 
been earlier than the beginning of the ‘“Sepiscopate ” 
of Polycarp.]| These things saith the first and 
the last—[See chapter i, 4, 7.] Which was 
dead—Who died for the redemption of the world ; 
and is alive, [and rose again to life,] to die no more 
for ever, his glorified humanity being enthroned at 
the Father’s right hand. [Appropriately does the 
speaker claim to be a living Saviour, in the most 
extensive use of the word, for how else could he 
perform the promises which he makes, or execute 
the threatenings which he utters. — Stuart.] 

9. know thy works —I know all that thou hast 
done, and all that thou hast suffered. The tribula- 
tion here mentioned must mean persecution, either 
from the Jews, the heathens, or from the heretics, 
who, because of their flesh-pampering doctrine, 
might have had many partisans at Smyrna, And 
poverty—Stripped probably of all their temporal 
possessions, because of their attachment to the 
Gospel. But thou art rich—Rich in faith, and 
heir to the kingdom of Christ. [It seems well to 
remind them, at the moment, of the infinite com- 
pensation of spiritual wealth which they were per- 
petually receiving.] The blasphemy of them 
which say they are Jews—There were persons 
there who professed Judaism, and had a synagogue 
in the place, and professed to worship the true 
God; but they had no genuine religion, and they 
served the devil rather than God. They applied a 
sacred name to an unholy thing; and this is one 
meaning of the word “ biasphemy »” in this book. 
[In contrast with ἐκκλησία (verse 8) is here placed 
συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, (the synagogue of Satan.) 
The former was specifically Christian, while the 
synagogue, by its rejection of Christ, had gone over 
to Sutan, the adversary. | 

10. Fear none of those things which thou 
shalt suffer —[A general warning of coming 

troubles preceded by a ringing word of cheer. ] 
Behold, the devil, etc. —[The prison is indicative 
of per secution on the part of the magistracy, which, 
however, in persecuting, is unwittingly the devil’s 
servant. (See chapter xii.)—Lange.]| Ten days 
—As the days in this book are what is commonly 
called prophetic days, each answering to a year, 
the ten days of tribulation may denote ten years 
of persecution ; and this was precisely the duration 
582 


of the persecution under Diocletian, during which 
all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted. 
Others understand the expression as implying fre- 
quency and abundance, as it does in other parts of 
Scripture. (See Gen. xxxi, 7, 41; Neh. xii, 12; 
Job xix, 3; Dan. i, 20.) Some think the shortness 
of the affliction is here intended, and that the 
“ten days” are to be understood as only a short 
time. Be thou faithful unto death—Be firm, 
hold fast the faith, confess Christ to the last, and 
at all hazards, and thou shalt have a crown of 
life ; thou shalt be crowned with life—have an 
eternal happy existence, though thou suffer tem- 
poral death. [The singular pronoun must not be 
construed as addressed to one person, but rather to 
the whole body of Christians upon whom the per- 
secution was about to fall. Fidelity “unto death,” 
ἄχρι θανάτου, refers not so much to a lifelong 
faithfulness as to the martyr spirit which continues 
to be trve in the very face of death.] [Over 
against the death of the body, which they were not 
to count dear to themselves, is set the “crown of 
tire.” ‘ A ecrown”’—the diadem of royalty, and the 
garland of victory. ] 

11. He that overcometh—The conqueror who 
has stood firm in every trial and vanquished all 
his adversaries. Shall not be hurt of the second 
death—That is, an eternal separation from God 
and the glory of his power; or what we commonly 
mean by final perdition. 


Tr EpistLe TO THE CuuRCH AT PERGAMOS. 


12. The angel of the Church in Pergamos 
—See the description of this place, chapter i, 2. 
Which hath the sharp sword—See on chap. i, 16. 
The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 
cuts every way; it convinces of sin, righteousness, 
and judgment; pierces between the joints and the 
marrow, divides between the soul and spirit, dis- 
sects the whole mind, and exhibits a regular anat- 
omy of the soul. It not only reproves and exposes 
sin, but it slays the ungodly, pointing out and de- 
termining the ‘punishment they shall endure. Jesus 
has the sword with the two edges, because he is the 
Saviour of sinners and the Judge of quick and dead. 

13. Where Satan’s seat is —‘“Ozov ὁ θρόνος 
τοῦ Σατανᾶ, where Satan has his throne. It was a 
maxim among the Jews, that where the law of God 
was not studied, there Satan dwelt; but he was 
obliged to leave the place where a synagogue or 
academy was established, Thou holdest fast my 
name—Notwithstanding that the profession of 
Christianity exposed this Church to the bitterest 
persecution, they held fast the name of Christian, 
which they had received from Jesus Christ, and 
didnot deny his faith ; for when brought to the trial 


Christ’s message to the Church 


at Pergamos. 


denied my faith, even in those days wherein 
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was 
slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 
14 But I have a few things against thee, be- 
cause thon hast there them that hold the doc- 
trine of * Balaain, who taught Balak to cast a 
stumblingblock before the children of Israel, 
ato eat things sacrificed unto idols, "and to 
commit fornication. 18 So hast thou also 
them that hold the doctrine cof the Nicolai- 
tans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent; or else 
I will come unto thee quickly, and 4 will fight 
against them with the sword of my mouth. 
17 ¢He that hath an ear, let him hear what 


2Num. 24. 14; 25. 1; 51.16; 2 Peter 2. 15; Jude 11.—a Acts 
15, 29: 1 Cor. 8. 9, 10; 10, 19, 20; verse 20.—/ 1 Cor. 6. 13, ete. 
—  ¢ Verse 6. — d Isaiah 11. 4; 2 Thess. 2. 8; Chap. 1. 16; 


CHAPTER II. 


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the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him 
that overcometh will I give to eat of the hid- 
den manna, and will give him a white stone, 
and in the stone fa new name written, which 
no man knoweth saving he that receiveth 7¢. 
18 And unto theangel of the church in Thya- 
tira write; These things saith the Son of God, 
who hath his eves like unto a flame of fire, 
and his feet ave like fine brass; 19 "I know 
thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, 
and thy patience, and thy works: and the last 
to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstand- 
ing I have a few things against thee, because 
thou sufferest that woman ‘Jezebel, which 


19, 15, 21.—e Verses 7, 11.— Chap. 3. 12; 19. 12..—g Chap. 
i 14 15. —h Verse 2.——71 Kings 16. 31; 21. 25; 2 Kings 


they openly professed themselves disciples and fol- 
lowers of their Lord and Master. Antipas was 
my faithful martyr—Who this Antipas was we 
cannot tell. We only know that he was a Christ- 
ian, and probably bore some office in the Church, 
and became illustrious by his martyrdom in the 
cause of Christ. It is supposed that he was mur- 
dered by some mob, who chose this way to vindi- 
cate the honour of their god Alsculapius, in oppo- 
sition to the claims of our Lord Jesus. [All of the 
apocryphal stories of the martyrdom of Antipas 
are entirely unworthy of credit.] 

14. I have a few things against thee — The 
good deeds of this Church are first sought out and 
commended ; what was wrong in them is touched 
with a gentle but effectual hand. The followers of 
Balaam, (that is, the Nicolaitans) and the Gnos- 
tics, were probably all the same kind of persons. 
(See on verse 6.) What the doctrine of Balaam 
was, see the notes on Num. xxii, xxiii, and xxiv. 
It appears that there were some then in the Church 
at Pergamos who held eating things offered to idols 
in honour of those idols, and fornication, indifferent 
things. They associated with idolaters in the 
heathen temples, and partook with them in their 
religious festivals. 

15. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans — Sce 
on verse 6. 

16. Will fight against them with the sword 
of my mouth—See on verse 12. He now speaks 
Ὁ for their edification and salvation; but if they do 
not repent, he will shortly declare those judgments 
which shall unavoidably fall upon them. 

17. The hidden manna—It was a constant 
tradition of the Jews that the ark of the covenant, 
the tables of stone, Aaron’s rod, the holy anoint- 
ing oil, and the pot of manna, were hidden by 
King Josiah when Jerusalem was taken by the 
Chaldeans; and that these shall all be restored in 
the days of the Messiah. This ‘‘ manna” was “ hid- 
den,” but Christ promises to give it to him that is 
conqueror. And will give him a white stone 
—It is supposed that by the “white stone” is 
meant pardon or acquittance, and the evidence of 
it; and that there is an allusion here to the cus- 
tom observed by judges in ancient times, who 
were accustomed to give their suffrages by white 
and black pebbles; those who gave the former 
were for absolving the prisoner, those who gave 
the latter were for his condemnation. This is 
probably what is elsewhere called, the earnest of 
the Spirit. (See on Eph. i, 14.) He then who has 
received and retains the witness of the Spirit that 


he is adopted into the heavenly family may hum- 
bly claim, in virtue of it, his support of the bread 
and water of life; the hidden manna—every grace 
of the Spirit of God; and the tree of life—im- 
mortality, or the final glorification of his body and 
soul throughout eternity. By this state of grace 
into which he is brought he acquires a new name, 
the name of child of God; the earnest of the 
Spirit shows him this “new name.” And this name 
of child of God no man can know or understand 
but he who has received the divine witness. As 
his friend and redeemer may be found everywhere, 
because he fills the heavens and the earth, every- 
where he may, on retaining his seal of adoption, 
claim direction, succour, support, grace, and glory ; 
and therefore the privileges of him who over- 
cometh are the greatest and most glorious that 
can be imagined. 


Tue EpIsTLE TO THE CuurRCH AT THYATIRA. 


18. These things saith the Son of God—See 
the notes on chap. i, 14, 15. 

19. I know thy works—<And of these he first 
sets forth their charity, τὴν ἀγάπην, their love to 
God and each other; and particularly to the poor 
and distressed; and hence followed their faith, 
τὴν πίστιν, their fidelity, to the grace they had re- 
ceived; and service, τὴν διακονίαν, and ministra- 
tion; properly pious and benevolent service to 
widows, orphans, and the poor in general. And 
thy patience—Tiv ὑπομονήν cov, thy perseverance 
under afflictions and persecutions, and thy con- 
tinuance in well-doing. I put “faith” before 
“service,” according to the general consent of the 
best MSS. and Versions. Thy works—The con- 
tinued labour of love, ana thorough obedience. 
The last to be more than the first—They not 
only retained what they had received at first, but 
grew in grace, and in the knowledge and love of 
Jesus Christ. This is a rare thing in most Christ- 
ian Churches; they generally lose the power of 
religion, and rest in the forms of worship; and it 
requires a powerful revival to bring them to such 
a state that their last works shall be more than 
their first. [This praise is the opposite of the 
blame conveyed by verse 5 to the Ephesian Church. 
—Alford.} 

20. That woman (thy wife) Jezebel—An 
allusion to the history of Ahab and Jezebel, 
(see 1 Kings xxi, 25,) [from which text the phrase 
is transferred entire, importing that this Jezebel 
was to the Church of Thyatira what that other 

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REVELATION. 


Christ’s message to the Church 
at Thyatira. 


calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to 
seduce my servants *to commit fornication, 
and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 28 And 
I gave her space 'to repent of her fornication ; 
and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast 
her into a bed, and them that commit adultery 
with her into great tribulation, except they 
repent of their deeds. 23 And I will kill her 
children with death; and allthe churches shall 


know that "I am he which searcleth the reins 
and hearts: and "I will give unto every one 
of you according to your works. 24 But un- 
to you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as 
many as have not this doctrine, and which have 
not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; 
9] will put upon you none other burden. 
25 But Pthat which ye have already, hold 
fast till Icome. 26 And he that overcometh, 


k Exod, 34. 15; Acts 15. 20, 29; 1 Cor. 16. 19, 20; verse 14. — 
7 Rom. 2. ἐς chap. 9, 20.—1Sam. 15. 7: 1 Chron. 28. 9; 29 
17; 2 Chron. 6. 30; Psa. 7. 9; Jer, 11. 205 17. 10; 20. 12; John 


2, 24,25; Acts 1. 24; Rom. 8, 27 —2 Psa. 62. 12; Matt. 16, 27; 
Rom. 2 6; 14. 12: 2 Cor. 5. 10; Gal. 6. 5; chap. 20. 12, — 
o Acts 15. 28.—p Chap. 3. 11. 


to Ahab. The very fact of the name Jezebel was 
being chosen, (for it is impossible, even were this 
actually the name of a woman, that it should 
be used here with any other than a symbolicai 
meaning,) coupled with τὴν γυναίκα σοῦ, (thy wife,) 
takes us out of the realms of simple facts into 
those of symbolism. The figure of ‘ Jezebel thy 
wife” being once recognised in its historical im- 
port, (as given in the Old Testament,) it would 
not be needful that an individual woman should be 
found to answer to it; the conscience of the 
Thyatirian Church could not fail to apply the severe 
reproof to whatever influence was being exerted 
in the direction here indicated. The sect or in- 
dividuals being once concentrated as Jezebel, ἡ 
λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν, would follow, of course, in 
the propriety of the figure. . . . This clause per- 
haps points to an individual; but there is no 
reason why a sect claiming prophetic gifts should 
not be indicated.— Alford. | 

21. I gave her space to repent—God first 
sent Elijah to Ahab to pronounce ἃ severe 
judgment upon him; upon which Ahab showed 
tokens of repentance, and so God put off his pun- 
ishment. By these means the like punishment 
pronounced against Jezebel was also put off. Thus 
God gave her time to repent, which she did not, 
but instead of that seduced her sons to the same 
sins, (See 1 Kings xxi.) According to the Mosa- 
ical law, the punishment of idolatrous seducers was 
not to be delayed at all; but God sometimes showed 
mercy, and now much more under the Christian 
dispensation, though that merey is often abused, 
and thus produces the contrary effect, as in the 
case of this Jezebel. (See Eccles. viii, 11.) [For- 
bearance had already been exercised, and the time 
had now come in which other measures would be 
resorted to. ἸΠορνείας αὐτῆς may possibly mean 
the corrupt and abominable doctrines which she 
taught; but it seems likely that doctrine and prac- 
tice went together.—Stuart, | 

22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed— 
This again alludes to the same history. Ahaziah, 
son of Ahab and Jezebel, by his mother’s ill in- 
struction and example, followed her ways. God 
punished him by making him fall down, as is sup- 
posed, from the top of the terrace over his house, 
and so to be bedridden for a long time under great 
anguish, designing thereby to give him time to re- 
pent; but when, instead of that, he sent to consult 
Baalzebub, Elijah was sent to pronounce a final 
doom against his impenitence. Thus the son of 
Jezebel, who had committed idolatry with and by 
her advice, was long east into the bed of affliction, 
and not repenting, died: in the same manner his 
brother Jehoram sueceeded likewise. All this 
while Jezebel had time and warning enough to re- 
pent ; and though she did not prevail with Jehoram 

584 


to continue in the idolatrous worship of Baal, yet 
she persisted in her own way, notwithstanding 
God’s warnings. The sacred writer, therefore, 
here threatens the Gnostic Jezebel to- make that 
wherein she delighteth, as adulterers in the bed of 
lust, to be the very place, occasion, and instrument 
of her greatest torment. So in Isaiah, the “bed” 
is made a symbol of tribulation and anguish of 
body and mind. (See Isa. xxviii, 20; Job xxxiii, 19.) 

23. And I will kill her children with death 
—That is, I will certainly destroy her offspring 
and memory, and thereby ruin her designs. Jeze- 
bel’s two sons, being both kings, were both slain; 
and after that, all the seventy sons of Ahab, 
(2 Kings x, 1;) in all which the hand of God was 
very visible. In the same manner God predicts 
the destruction of the heretics and heresies re- 
ferred to. (See verse 16.) It should seem by the 
expression, Iam he which searcheth the reins 
and hearts, that these heretics lurked about and 
sowed their pernicious doctrines secre/ly. But our 
Saviour tells them that it was in vain, for he had 
power to bring their deeds to light, searching into 
the wills and affections of men. The Son of God 
hath eyes like a flame of jive, to search into every 
thing, and burn up the chaff which cannot stand 
his trial; so also the depths of Satan (mentioned 
in the next verse) shall avail nothing to those who 
think by their secret craft to undermine the Christ- 
ian religion; he will not only bring to light but 
baffle all their evil intentions. (See chap. xvii, 9.) 

24. But unto youl say, and unto the rest 
—[‘Ypir, you, and τοῖς λοιποῖς, the rest, stand in 
apposition, and refer to the same persons, and so] 
it evidently shows that the rest of the epistle 
wholly concerns the faithful, who have not received 
the former doctrine of error. I will put upon 
you none other burden—Is a commendation of 
the sound part of the Church, that they have no 
need of any new exhortation or charge to be given 
them, no new advice but to persevere as usual. 
(See Rom. xv, 14, 15.) [‘‘ None other burden:” 
not the entire law of Moses.] The expression 
“burden” is taken from the history of Ahab, 
(2 Kings ix, 25:) “The Lord laid this burden upon 
him;” a word often used by the prophets to signity 
a prophecy threatening heavy things to be suffered. 
(See on Isa. xiii, 1, and Num. iv, 19.) It is worthy 
of remark that the Gnosties called their doctrine 
“the depths of God,” and “the depths of Bythos,” 
intimating that they contained the most profound 
secrets of divine wisdom. Christ here calls them 
the depths of Satan, being masterpieces of his 
subtlety. Perhaps they thought them to be of God. 

25. That which ye have—That is, the pure 
doctrine of the Gospel, of which they were now in 
possession. Hold fast till I come—Till 1 come 
to execute the judgments which I have threatened. 


Christ’s message to the Church 
at Sardis, 


CHAPTER ILI 


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and keepeth 4iny works unto the end, το him 
will [ give power over the nations: 27 * And 
he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the 
vessels of a potter shall they be broken to 
shivers: even as I received of my Father. 
28 And I will give him tthe morning star. 
29 «He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches. 


CHAPTER III. 
ND unto the angel of the church in Sardis 
write; These things saith he *that hath 


the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; 
"1 know thy works, that thou hast a name 
that thou livest, «and art dead. 2 Be watch- 
ful, and strengthen the things which remain, 
that are ready to die: for if pide not found 
thy works perfect before God. 4 Remember 
therefore how thou hast receiv ai and heard, 
and hold fast, and erepent. ‘If therefore thou 
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, 
and thou shalt not know what hour I will 
come upon thee. 4 Thou hast ¢a few names 
even in Sardis which have not 'defiled their 


4 John 6 


ae st ΠῚ 


29; 1 John 3, 23.— Matt. 19, 28; Luke 22. 29, 30; 
3: ch: ip. 3. 213 50. 4. pe 2. 8.9: 49. 14: Dan. 
7 22; chap. 12. 5: 19. 15.—t2 Pet. . 19; chap. 22. 16.— 
uw Verse 7.—da Chap. 1. 4,16; 4. ὃ; 5. δ᾽ 


26. Power over the nations—-Every witness 
of Christ has power to confute and confound all 
the false doctrines and maxims of the nations of 
the world, for Christianity shall at last rule over 
all; the kingdom of Christ will come, and the 
kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our 
God and of his Christ. [The power of Christianity 
over the heathen world, which power is to be per- 
fected at the end of the world, (as time advances,) 
begins with the victorious power of the Christian 
spirit over heathen works and ways.—Lange. | 

27. He shall rule [ποιμανεῖ, shepherdize] them 
with a rod of iron—He shall restrain vice by the 
strictest administration of justice; and those who 
finally despise the word and rebel shall be broken 
and destroyed, so as never more to be able to make 
head against the truth. [A preponderance of 
spiritual power over the carnal mind (see the para- 
ble of the leaven) is also expressed by the antith- 
esis of the iron sceptre and the earthen vessel 
dashed in pieces by it. Of course the dashing in 
pieces is a spiritual act, and one that is performed 
only in the proportion to the resistance offered.— 
Lange.| 

28. And I will give him the morning star 
—He shall bave the brightest and most glorious 
empire, next to that of Christ himself. It is well 
known that sw, moon, and stars are emblems, in 
prophetic language, of empires, kingdoms, and 
states. And as the morning star is that which im- 
mediately precedes the rising of the sun, it proba- 
bly here intends an empire which should usher in 
the universal sway of the kingdom of Christ. [1 
will clothe him with radiance like that of the “ morn- 
ing star.” (See Rev. xii, 1; xxii, 16; Psa. civ, 2.) 
—Stuart. | 

29. He that hath an ear—Let every Christ- 
ian pay the strictest regard to these predictions of 
Christ; and let them have a suitable influence on 
his heart and life. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER III. 
Tue Epistte ΤῸ THE Caurcn at Sarpis. 


1. The seven Spirits of God—See the note 
on chapter i, 4, 16, ete. Thou hast a name that 
thou livest—Ye have the reputation of Christians, 
and consequently of being alive to God, through 
the quickening influence of the divine Spirit; but 
ye are dead—Ye have not the life of God in your 
souls, ye have not walked consistently and steadily 
before God, and his Spirit has been grieved with 


you and he has withdrawn much of ‘his light and 
power. [The word νεκρός, dead, is here used in a 


ἢ Chap. 2. 2. cEph. 2. 1, 5; 1 Tim. 5. 6.—d 1 Tim. 6. 20; 
2 Tim. 1. 13; verse 11. é Verse 19.--- Matt. 24. 42, 43; 25 13; 
Mark 13. 33°; Luke 13. 39, 40: 1 Thess, 5. 2, 6; 2 Pet. 3. 10; chap. 
10. 15.—g Acts 1. 18. h Jude 23. 


modified sense ; for the speaker does not mean to 
deny that there are some Christians in Sardis ; but 
rather that they are generally in a cold and lifeless 
(not lively) state.—Stxart.] 

2. Be watchful—Ye have lost ground by care- 
lessness and inattention. Awake, and keep awake ! 
Strengthen the things which remain — The 
convictions and good desires, with any measure of 
the fear of God and of a tender conscience, which, 
although still subsisting, are perishing because the 
Holy Spirit, who is the author of them, being re- 
peatedly grieved, is withdrawing his power. Thy 
works perfect—Ilez τληρωμένα, filled up. They 
performed duties of all kinds, but no duty com- 
pletely. They were constantly beginning, but never 
brought any thing to a proper end. Their resolu- 
tions were languid, their strength feeble, and their 
light dim, [their beginnings became abortive.] 
They probably maintained their reputation before 
men, but their “ works” were not “ perfect ” before 
God. 

3. Remember—Enter into a serious considera- 
tion of your state. How thou hast received— 
With what joy, zeal, and gladness ye heard the 
Gospel of Christ when first preached to you. Hold 
fast—Those good desires and heavenly influences 
which still remain, [and the doctrines which have 
been delivered to you.] And repent—Be humbled 
before God, because ye have not been workers to- 
gether with him, but have received much of his 
grace in vain. If therefore thou shalt not 
watch—If you do not consider your ways, watch- 
ing against sin, and for opportunities to receive 
and do good. I will come on thee as a thief— 
As the thief comes when he is not expected, so will 
I come upon you if ye be not watchful, and will cut 
you off from life and hope. 

4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis— 
A few persons—‘ names” being put for those who 
bore them. When persons are admitted into the 
Church, or when baptized, their names are enrolled 
in a book. (See verse 5.) [Ὀνόματα (names) in 
the plural appears to be employed only when some 
enumeration is supposed to take place. So also 
the adjective ὀλίγα (few) implies some kind of 
enumeration in order to ascertain the fact which 
it asserts.—Siuart.] Have not defiled their gar- 
ments—Their sov/s. The Hebrews considered 
holiness as the garb of the soul, and evil actions as 
stains or spots on this garb. [This i is not absolute 
praise, as it is simply negative, (in form ;) still it 
is great praise, as the persons referred to have 
withstood the general infection—LZange.] [They 
had not corrupted their lives, not disgraced their 

585 


A. M. 4100, A. D. 98, 
Year of Rome, 549, 


garments; and they shall, walk with me ‘in 
white: for they are worthy. & He that over- 
cometh, "the same shall be clothed in white 
raiment; and I will not ! blot out his name out 
of the ™book of life, but 51 will confess his 
name before my Father, and before his angels. 
6 ° He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the churches. % And to the 
angel of the church in Philadelphia write; 
These things saith P he that is holy, 4 he that is 
true, he that hath the key of David, she that 
openeth, and no man shutteth; and 'shutteth, 


REVELATION. 


Christ’s message ‘o the Church 
at Philadelphia, 


and no man openeth; $ "I know thy works: 
behold, I have set before thee " an open door, 
and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little 
strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not 
denied my name. 9% Behold. I will make » them 
of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are 
Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, *I will 
make them to come and worship before thy 
feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my 
patience, ¥ I also will keep thee from the hour 
of temptation, which shall come upon 2all the 


4 Chup. 4. 4; 6. 11; 7.9, 13.—k Chap. 19. 8. 1 Exod, 32. 32; 
Psa, 69, 28. m Phil. 4.3; chap. 13. 8; 17. 8; 20. 125 21. 27.— 
m Matt. 10, 32; Luke 12. 8.—0o Chap. 2. 7.—p Acts 3. 14.—— 
αὶ John ὅ. 20; verse 14; chap. 1. 5; 6.10; 19, 11. 


Luke 1. 32; chap. 1. 18.—s Matt. 15. 


risa. 22, 22; 19,—— 
tJob 12. 14.—~w Verse 1. Ol Cor: 185. 92701, 2 12:—— 
ao Chap, 2. 9. —-a@Isa. 49. 23; 60. 14. —-y2 Peter 2, 9, — 


2 Luke 2. 1. 


professions by falling into sin.| They shall walk 
with me in white—They shall be raised to a 
state of eternal glory, and shall be forever with 
their Lord. [The “ white,” here, is not to be iden- 
tified with the undefiled garments which they now 
wear; it isa new and glorious hue of victory. (See 
chapter vi, 11; vii, 9; xix, 8.)—A/ford.| For 
they are worthy—["A£voi εἰσιν. Not the worthi- 
ness of personal merit, but the fitness induced by 
the grace of Christ, the Father’s love, the merits of 
Christ’s atonement, and the sanctification of the 
Holy Spirit. | 

5. I will not blot out his name—This may be 
an allusion to the custom of registering the names 
of those who were admitted into the Church in a 
book kept for that purpose, like the baptismal 
registers in churches. These are properly books 
of life, as there those who were born unto God 
were registered; as in the latter those who were 
born in that parish were enrolled. [The conditional 
promise not to blot out their names from the book 
of life implies that in any case of failure, the lia- 
bility to which is supposed, names already writ- 
ten in the book of life will be blotted out.] 
I will confess his name—I will acknowledge 
that this person is my true disciple, and a member 
of my mystical body. [The Church (both here and 
hereafter) is conceived of as a city, and those ad- 
mitted to dwell there are citizens, having their names 
inscribed in the register; and for all those who 
fulfil the prescribed conditions—repentance, faith, 
sanctification, and continuance in  well-doing— 
Christ, the head of that city of God, himself be- 
comes surety. | 

6. He that hath an ear—The usual caution 
and counsel carefully to attend to the things spoken 
to the members of that Church, in which every 
reader is more or less interested. 


ΤῊΝ Epistte ΤῸ THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA. 


7. He that is holy—In whom holiness essen- 
tially dwells, and from whom all holiness is derived. 
He that is true—He who cannot lie, and from 
whom all truth proceeds. He that hath the key 
of David—See this metaphor explained in note on 
Matt. xvi, 19. “The key” is the emblem of authority 
and knowledge; the key of David is the regal 
right or authority of David. He could dispose 
the affairs of his kingdom as he pleased. The 
kingdom of the Gospel and the kingdom of heaven 
are at the disposal of Christ. He can shut against 
whom he will; he can open to whom he pleases. 
If he shuts, no man can open; if he opens, no man 
can shut. 

586 


none can reverse them. [In Isaiah xxii, 22, the 
metaphor of the “key” stands connected with the 
house of David, which makes the meaning obvious. 
Access to, and control over, the house of David, 
that is, the regal house or palace, is plainly desig- 
nated by the “key.” . .. So here, the Messiah, who 
is the holy and the true, has power to perform all 
his promises, for his control is supreme and entire. 
(See Matt. xxviii, 18.)—S/uwart. | 

8. Ihave set before thee an open door— 
[Still holding on to the figure of the key.] I have 
opened to thee a ‘‘ door ᾽ to proclaim and diffuse my 
word; and, notwithstanding there are many adver- 
saries to the spread of my Gospel, yet none of 
them shall be able to prevent it. [Perhaps this 
originally referred to the opening of the door of 
the Church to the Gentiles, which was at that time 
a question violently controverted; its perpetual 
significance is in the ministrations of the divine 
providence and Spirit, affording the Chureh op- 
portunities to do good and to propagate itself in the 
world.| Thou hast a little strength—aA little 
authority or influence; and thou hast kept my 
word, and hast not denied my name, by taking 
shelter in heathenism when Christianity was perse- 
cuted. The “little strength” probably refers not 
to the littleness of their grace, but to the smali- 
ness of their numbers and influence. 

9. I will make them—Show them to be of the 
synagogue of Satan, which say they are 
Jews, pretending thereby to be of the synagogue 
of God, and consequently his true and peculiar 
children. I will make them to come and wor- 
ship—[As it was prophesied in the Old Testament 
that the Gentiles should be converted and come 
unto Zion, to the Jews, so here it is predicted that 
the Judaizing Jews shall in their conversion come 
to the Church of Christ as the true Ron. Cane 
To know that I have loved thee—That the 
(distinguishing) love which was formerly fixed on 
the Jews is now removed, and transferred to the 
Gentiles. [To the faithful of all nations. | 

10. The word of my patience—The doctrine 
which has exposed you to so much trouble and per- 
secution, and required so much patience and mag- 
nanimity to bear up under its attendant trials. 
The hour of temptation—A time of sore and 
peculiar trial which might have proved too much 
for their strength. He who is faithful to the 
grace of God is often hidden from trials and diffi- 
culties which fall without mitigation on those who 
have been unfaithful in his covenant. [Whether 
or no some particular persecution is here referred 
to, and if so what one, cannot now be determined. | 


His determinations all stand fast, and | To try them that dwell upon the earth.—[“I 


Christ’s message to the Church 
at Laodicea, 


world, to try them that dwell “upon the earth. 
il Behold, "1 come quickly: ©hold that fast 
which thew hast, that no man take “thy crown. 
12 Him that overcometh will I make ¢a pillar 
in the temple of my God, and he shall go no 
more out: and ‘I will write upon him the 

name of my God, and the name of the city of 
my God, which is new Jerusalem, which com- 
eth down out of heaven from my God: "and 
I will write upon him my new name. 13 'He 
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 


CHAPTER III. 


A. Μ. 4106. A.D. 96. 
Yeur of Rome, 849. 


saith unto the churches. B24 And unto the 
angel of the church * of the Laodiceans write; 
'These things saith the Amen, ™the faithful 
and true witness, "the beginning of the crea- 
tion of God; δ eI know thy works, that 
thou art neither cold nor hot: 1 would thou 
wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou 
art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will 
spew thee out of my mouth. IV Because 
thou sayest, PI am rich, and increased with 
goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest 


aisa. 24. 17. —0 Phil. 4. δ: chap. 1. 8: 23. 7; 12, 20:—— 
ec Verse 3; chi 1D. 2, 25. ποτὰ Chap. 2. 10.--- -ΩἹ Ring, 21; Gal. 
2. ee Ais 7 14. 1: ea τ σθαι. 4. 26; Heb. 12, 22; 


will exempt you from the severe trials of perse- 
cution which will be experienced by all the coun- 
tries around you, or I will mitigate those trials.” 
This shows that an active and widespread perse- 
cution was then either going on or about to be 
commenced when this book was written; (and it 
points to Nero’s lifetime, as the persecution ceased 
at his death.)—Stuart. | 

11. Behold, I come quickly—These things will 
shortly take place; and [I am coming with conso- 
lations and rewards to my faithful followers, and 
with judgments to my adversaries. [We must 
insist on the fact that this is no definition of time, 
in the common chronological sense; it is to be ap- 
prehended in an exalted and religious sense. The 
term ταχύ, quickly, always involves the surpris- 
ingness of the coming, as sudden and unexpect- 
ed.—Lange.| Take thy crown—(iod has pro- 
vided crowns and mansions for you; let none 
through your negligence occupy those seats of bless- 
edness. [Persever ‘ance is a condition essential to 
the final reward. | 

12. A pillar in the temple—The Church is 
the “temple;” Curist is the foundation on which 
it is built; and his ministers are the pillars by 
which, under him, it is adorned and supported. 
(See Gal. ii, 9.) I will write upon him the name 
of my God—That is, I will make him a priest 
unto myself. The priest had written on his fore- 
head, ‘“ Holiness to the Lord.” And the name of 
the city of my God—As the high priest had on 
his breastplate the names of the twelve tribes en- 
graved, and these constituted the “city” or Church 
of God, Christ here promises that in place of them 
the name of the Church shall be written, which 
is called the New Jerusalem, and which God has 
adopted in place of the twelve Jewish tribes. [To 
indicate its heavenly or spiritual nature, it is re- 
presented as descending from God out of heaven.— 
Stuart.| My new name—The Saviour of At L; 
the Light that lightens the GrenTILEs ; the Curis? : 
the Anointed One; the only Governor of his 
Church ; and the Repremer of a// mankind. There 
is here an intimation that the Christian Church is 
to endure forever; and the Christian ministry to 
last as long as time endures: 7716 shall go no more 
out forever. 


Tue EpIstLE TO THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS. 


14. These things saith the Amen—That is, 
He who is true or faithful; as immediately inter- 
preted, The faithful and true witness. (See chap. 
i, 5.) The beginning of the creation of God 
—That is, the head and governor of all creatures ; 
the king of the creation. (See on Col. i, 15.) By 


chap. 21. 2, 10 Chap. 22. 4. — 7 Chap. 2. 7.— k Or, in 
Luodicea, —UIsa. 65. 16 Chap. 1. 4: 8. 4 22. (6s 
verse 7,——7 Col. 1, 18. o Verse 1.—p Hos. 12.8; 1Cor. 4. 8 


his titles, here, he prepares them for the humili- 
ating and awful truths which he was about to de- 
clare, and the authority on which the declaration 
was founded. ['E ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ Θεοῖ", the 
CHIEF, 07 HEAD, of all created things. Τὰ him (not 
as subject, but source) the whole creation of God is 
begun and conditioned. He is its source and pri- 
mary fountain-head.—<d/ford. | [The word ἀργὴ, 
beginning, (better, the chief, dpywr,) is not an ex- 
pression of time, or historical sequence, but of 
headship or supremacy, in all the created universe. ] 

15. Thou art neither cold nor hot—They 
were listless and indifferent, and seemed to care 
little whether heathenism or Christianity prevailed; 
and yet they had such a general conviction of the 
truth and importance of Christianity that they 
could not readily give itup. I would thou wert 
cold or hot—That is, ye should be decided ; adopt 
some part or other, and be in earnest in your at- 
tachment to it. They had good dispositions which 
were captivated by evil ones, and they had evil 
dispositions which in their turn yielded to those 
that were good; even the divine justice and mercy 
seemed puzzled to know what to do to or with 
them. This was the state of the Laodicean Church. 
[¥uxpéc, cold, would imply a state absolutely un- 
christian ; ζεστός, hot, means a fervid and zealous 
state. Χλιαρός here designates fepid, as tepid 
water, Which is odious to the palate and provokes 
vomiting. . This balancing between Christ and 
the world, (especially) when dangers press and 
difficulties are frequent and formidable, is not al- 
lowed to soldiers of the cross.—Séuart. | 

16. Because thou art lukewarm—lIrresolute 
and undecided. I will spew thee out of my 
mouth—He alludes here to the known effect of 
tepid water upon the stomach; it generally pro- 
duces a nausea. I will cast thee off. Thou shalt 
have no interest in me. Though thou hast been 
near to my heart, yet now I must pluck thee thence, 
because slothful, careless, and indolent; thou art 
not in earnest for thy soul. [The ψυχρός, cold, 
as openly belonging to the world and having no 
part or lot in Christ’s Church, and actively opposed 
to it, and ξεστός, the opposite state of spiritual 
fervour, are intelligible and plainly marked condi- 
tions; at allevents, free from that danger of mixed 
motive and disregard of principle which belongs to 
the lukewarm state, inasmuch as a man in earnest, 
be he right or wrong, is ever a better man (guoad 
hoc) than one professing what he does not feel. — 
Alford.) 

17. I am rich —[Growing in wealth, self- 
sufficient, a climax of worldliness. This imagined 
self-sufficing may have been the outgrowth of 
an outwardly prosperous condition ; but rae 

58 


A. M. 4100. A. D. 96. ΠΤ, A Christ*’s message to the Church 
Yeur of Rome, 849. REV EL ATION. at ἘΝ ΚΕΣ 
! 
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, |2@ Behold, tI stand at the door, and knock: 


and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I coun- 
sel thee 4to buy of me gold tried in the fire, 
that thou mayest be rich; and τ white raiment, 
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the 
shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and 
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou may- 
est see. 19. * As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 


“if any man hear my voice, and open the door, 
¥] will come in to him, and will sup with him, 
and he with me. 28 To him that overcometh 
w will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even 
as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
Father in his throne. 22 * He that hath an 

ear, Jet him hear what the Spirit saith unto 
the churches. 


pie 55. 1; Matt. 13. 44; 26. 9.—r2 Cor. 5. 3's chap. 7. 135 
ee 15; 19. 8. s Job ὅ. 17; Prov. 3. 11, 12 ; Heb. 12. 5,6; James 


on 5. 
ake ba "30; ΤΟΣ θ. 
x en maids 


=A a —¥v John 14. 23.—vw Matt. 19. 
2 Tim. 2. 123 chap. 2. 26, 27.—— 


self- Secon related to the spiritual estate.] It 

was this most deceitful conviction that paralyzed 
their spiritual diligence; they rested in what they 
had already received, and seemed to think that 
once in grace must be still in grace. Thou art 
wretched—Tadaizwpoc, most wretched, worn out 
and fatigued with grievous labours. In the sight 
of God, the most abject slaves. And miserable 
-ὁ ἐλεεινὸς, most deplorable, to be pitied by all 
men. And poor—Having no spiritual riches, no 
holiness of heart. And blind—The eyes of thy 
understanding being darkened, so that thou dost 
not see thy state. And naked — Without the 
image of God, not clothed with holiness and purity. 
A more deplorable state, in spiritual things, can 
scarcely be imagined than that of this Church. 
And it is the true picture of many Churches, and 
of innumerable individuals, 

18. I counsel thee—O fallen and deceived soul ! 
Buy of me—[Of him alone can the beggar buy, 
(Isa. iv, 1, 2,) buy for naught, and yet buy inas- 
much as it is only under moral forms and conditions 
that the free gift is received. Its reception im- 
plies the surrender of a world of counterfeit value, 
and thus there is a difference between its bestowal 
and the actual (unconditioned) giving of alms to a 
beggar.—Lange.| Gold tried in [ἐκ ὑπὸ, by] the 
fire—Faith that shall stand in every trial. White 
raiment—Holiness of heart and life. Anoint 
thine eyes—The lightening influences of the Holy 
Spirit. [By “gold” may be understood the spiritual 
endowments of the soul, the riches of God’s grace; 
by the “‘ white raiment” the beautifying of the soul 
by indwelling righteousness, and by anointing the 
eyes with eyesalve, the reception of the illuminating 
power of the Spirit. This describes a true spir- 
itual enriching, in contrast to the fancied one, 
which was indeed only the most abject poverty. ] 

19. As many as I love—So it was the love he 
still had for them that induced him thus to repre- 
hend and thus to counsel] them. Be zealous—Be 
in earnest, to have your souls saved. He now stirs 
them up to diligence in the use of the means of 
grace, and repentance for their past sins and re- 
missness. 

20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock 
—Christ stands—waits long at the “door” of the 
sinner’s heart; he knocks — uses judgments, mer 
cies, reproofs, exhortations, ete., to induce sinners 
to repent and turn to him; he lifts up his voice— 
calls loudly by his word, ministers, and Spirit. 
ΓΕΥΟΘΆΙΗΣ there is here a reference to Canticles 
v, 2, and if so, the imagery there presented may be 
used to explain the ‘present. It is the bride- 
groom knocking at the door of his own bridal 
chamber, with the suggestion of the infidelity of 
the bride, and yet we have here the picture of 
rere and patiently waiting and calling, and 


suing for admittance to his own most sacredly con- 
secrated shrine.] If any man hear—lIf the sinner 
will seriously consider his state, and attend to the 
voice of his Lord. And open the door—This 
must be his own act, receiving power for this pur- 
pose from his offended Lord, who will not break 
open the door; he will make no forcible entry. 
I will come in to him—lI will manifest myself to 
him, heal all his backslidings, pardon all his in- 
iquities, and love him freely. Will sup with him 
—Hold communion with him, feed him with the 
bread of life. And he with me—I will bring 
him at last to dwell with me in everlasting glory. 
[A striking and decisive testimony to the practical 
freedom of man’s will to receive or reject the 
heavenly guest; without the recognition of which, 
the love and tenderness of the saying would be a 
hideous mockery. We open the door to Christ 
when we admit him, his voice, his commands, his 
example, to a share in our inner counsels and 
sources of actions, (and if to a share then the whole, 
for though he pleads as a suppliant for admission, 
he will enter only as a Sovereign.) To say that 
this can be done without grace is ignorance; to say 
that it is done only by that grace irresistibly 
exerted is far worse; it is to deprive his gracious 
pleading of all meaning.—A/ford. | 

21. To sit with me in my throne—In every 
case it is to him that overcometh, to the con- 
queror, that the final promise is made. He that 
conquers not is not crow ned, therefore every prom- 
ise is here made to him that is faithful unto death. 
Here is a most remarkable expression ; Jesus has 
conquered, and is set down with the FarHer upon 
the Father’s “throne;” he who conquers through 
Christ sits down with Christ upon his “ throne ;” but 
Christ’s throne and the throne of the Father is the 
same ; and it is on this same throne that those who 
are faithful unto death are finally to sit! How as- 
tonishing is this state of exaltation! The dignity 
and gr andeur of it who can conceivé ὃ 

This is the worst of the seven Churches, and yet 
the most eminent of all the promises are made to 
it, showing that the worst may repent, finally con- 
quer, and ‘attain even to the highest state of glory. 

22. He that hath an ear, ‘let him hear—Mr. 
W esley has a very judicious note on the conclusion 
of this chapter, and particularly on this last verse. 
He that hath an ear, ete. “This (counsel) stands 
in three former letters before the promise, in the 
four latter after it ; clearly dividing the seven into 
two parts, the first containing three, the last four 
letters. The titles given our Lord in the three 
Sormer letters peculiarly respect his power after his 
resurrection and ascension, particularly over his 
Church; those in the four latter, his divine glory 
and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. 
Again, this word being placed before the promises in 


Description of the throne of God, 
The four and twenty elders, 


CHAPTER IV. 

FTER this I looked, and, behold, a door 

was opened in heaven: and *the first 
voice which I heard was as it were of a 
trumpet talking with me; which said, 'Come 
up hither, «and I will show thee things which 
must be hereafter. 2 And immediately d] 
was in the Spirit: and, behold, ea throne was 
set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 
3 And he that sat was to look upon like ¢ 
jasper and a sardine stone: ‘and there was a 
rainbow round about the throne, in sight like 
unto an emerald. 4 And round about the 
throne were four and twenty seats: and upon 
the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, 


a Chap. 1. 10, > Chap. 11. 12.—-eChap. 1. 19; 22. 6.— 
d chin. ἮΝ a 2 V7. 3's 21. 10, Ἐπ: ἐπ 1; Jer. 17. 12; Ezek. 
1. 26: Dan. 7. 9.— Ezek, Ἷ 
ἀ μὰν. * 153 6. 11; 7. 9,13, 14; io ne 


the three former letters excludes the false apostles 
at Ephesus, the false Jews at Smyrna, and the par- 
takers with the heathens at Pergamos, from having 
any share therein. In the fowr /atter, being placed 
after them, it leaves the promises immediately 
joined with Christ’s address to the angel of the 
Church to show that the fulfilling of “these was 
near; whereas the others reach beyond the end of 
the world. It should be observed that the over- 
coming or victory (to which alone these peculiar 
promises are annexed) is not [primarily] the ordi- 
nary victory obtained by every believer, put a 
special victory obtained over great and peculiar 
temptations by those that are strong in faith.” 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

1. After this—[ After these things, μετὰ ταῦτα, 
indicating a succession of events, and probably a 
second ecstasy and vision, as is implied in the next 
verse.| A door was opened in (into) heaven— 
[The “door. . . opened” here denotes the disclo- 
sure of the highest revelation, and hence the insight 
of John. The voice is expressive of the heavenly 
inspiration and legitimation of this view. It distin- 
guishes the real ecstasy of the seer from an enthu- 
siastical and fanatical exultation.—Lange. | 

2. I was in the Spirit—Rapt in an ecstasy. 
(See chap. i, 10.) A throne was set—[Not that he 
saw the placing of the throne, but as already fixed. | 
And one sat on the throne—[The unnameable, 
indescribable Godhead. (See Rev. xx, 11.)] 

3. And he that sat—There is here no descrip- 
tion of the divine Being, so as to point ont any 
similitude, shape, or dimensions. The description 
aims to point out the surrounding glory and cfful- 
gence rather than the person of the almighty King. 
(See Num. xxiv, 10.) Jasper—["Iaozve, a beautiful 
stone of wavy colours, semi-opaque, granulous in 
texture, used in ancient. times for gems and orna- 
ments, but in more modern ones, on a larger scale, 
for pavements and tables.] Sardine—[dpdooc, a 
red stone, commonly supposed to answer to -our 
cornelian.—A/ford ] A rainbow—['Ipve, a veil of 
soft light to soften its radiance.] Hmerald— 
[Zuapaydoc, a stone of a lovely green colour, still 
well known in the arts. | 

4. Four and twenty elders—Perhaps this is 
in reference to the smaller sanhedrin at Jerusalem, 
which was composed of twenty-three elders ; or to 
the princes of the twenty-four courses of the Jew- 
ish priests which ministered at the tabernacle and 


CHAPTER IV. 


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‘clothed in white raiment; ‘and they lad on 
their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the 

throne proc veatled «lightuings and thunderings 
and voices: !and there were seven lamps of 
fire burning before the throne, which are “the 

seven Spirits of God. @ And before the throne 
there was "ἃ sea of glass like unto crystal: 
°and in the midst of the throne, and round 
about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes 
before Pand behind. Ὁ 4 And the first beast 
was like a lion, and the second beast like a 
calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, 
and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 
® And the four beasts had each of them * six 
wings about him; and they were full of eyes 


i Verse 10, ἜΤΕΙ ὌΠΑ: 8. ae 16, 18.—Z7 Ezek. 37. ἘΣ 5 Chron. 


4, 20; Ezek, : Zech, 4. 2 —m Chap. 1. 4: 1:5, 6: 

n Exod, 38. δι Sana πα 2k. 1, ὍΣ tei dey 8,— 
q Num, 2. 2, etc.; Ezek. 1. 10; 10. 14, risa. 6. 2. 

the temple, at first appointed by David. Clothed 


in white raiment—The garments of the priests. 
On their heads crowns of gold—An emblem 
of their dignity. [The white robes and crowns are 
the rewards of endurance and conquest. (See chap- 
ter ii, 10; iii, 5.)] 

5. Seven lamps of fire—Seven angels, the at- 
tendants and ministers of the supreme King. (See 
on chapter i, 4.) Lightnings and thunderings 
—|[Lightning and thunder are the ensigns of God’s 
presence and awful majesty. (Exod. xix, 16; Ezra 

8, 24.)—Stuart. | 

6. Four beasts — Téccepa ζῷα, four living 
ones. The word “beast” is very improperly used 
here and elsewhere in this description. 

The first beast was like a lion—It is sup- 
posed that there is a reference here to the four 
standards or ensigns of the four divisions of the 
tribes in the Israelitish camp, as they are described 
by Jewish writers. The first living creature was 
like a“ lion;” the standard of Jupan with the 
two tribes of Issachar and Zebulun, The second, 
like a calf or ox, which was the emblem of Eru- 
RAIM, With the two tribes of Manasseh and Benja- 
min. The third, with the face of a man, was the 
standard of ReuBeEN, with the two tribes of Simeon 
and Gad. The fourth, which was like a flying 
(spread) eagle, was the emblem on the ensign of 
Dan, with the two tribes of Asher and Naphtali. 
This traditionary description agrees with the four 
faces of the cherub in Ezekiel’s vision. [ But for any 
properly exegetical use all this is entirely worthless 

8. The four beasts had each of them six 
wings—Both the phraseology and the imagery of 
this book are rabbinical. We have almost a coun- 
terpart of this description in Pirkey Elieser, chap- 
ter4. ‘Four troops of ministering angels praise 
the holy, blessed God: The first is Michael, at the 
right hand; the next is Gabriel, at the left; the 
third is Uriel, before; and the fourth is Raphael, 
behind him. The. shechinah of the holy, blessed 
God is in the midst, and he himself sits upon a 


throne high and elevated, hanging in the air: and 
his magnificence is as amber in the midst of the 


fire. (Ezek. i, 4.) On his head is placed a crown 
and a diadem, with the incommunicable name Ye- 
hovah inscribed on the front of it. His eyes go 
throughout the whole earth ; a part of them is fire, 
and a part of them hail. At his right hand stands 
Life, and at his left hand Death; and he has a 
fiery sceptre in his hand. Before him is the veil 
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within: ? and athey rest not day and night, 
saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, *Lord God AI- 
mighty, ‘which was, and is, and is to come. 
9 And when those beasts give glory and hon- 
our and thanks to him that sat on the throne, 
«who liveth for ever and ever, 40 ¥ The four 
and twenty elders fall down before him that 
sat on the throne, “and worship him that liv- 
eth for ever and ever, *and cast their crowns 
before the throne, saying, ΕΠ yThou art 
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour 
and power: ?for thou hast created all things, 
and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 


CHAPTER V. 
δ᾽ aes 1 saw in the right hand of him that 
sat on the throne *a bock written within 


REVELATION. 


The book which John saw sealed 


with seven seals, 


and on the back side, 'sealed with seven seals. 
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with 
a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, 
and to loose the seals thereof? 8 And ne 
man οἴη heaven, nor in earth, neither under 
the earth, was able to open the book, neither 
to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because 
no man was found worthy to open and to read 
the book, neither to look thereon. & And one 
of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, 
4the Lion of the tribe of Juda, ethe Root of 
David, hath prevailed to open the book, ‘and 
to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I be- 
held, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of 
the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, 
stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having 
seven horns and 'seven eves, which are ‘the 


p Verse 6, —qGr. they have no rest. —rIsa. 6. 3. — 
Chap, 1. 8.—7¢ Chap. 1. 4.—w Chap. 1. 18; 5. 14; 15. 7.— 
© Chap. 5. 8 14.—2 Verse 7.-—a Verse 4. y Chap. ὃ. 12. 


Tiny 1. 1; Acts 17. 24; Eph. 3. 9; Col. 1. 16; chap. 
Gs 


a Ezek. 2. 9, 10,—2# Isa. 29. 11: Dan. 12. 4.—c Verse 13,.-—— 
d Gen. 49. 9,10; Heb. 7. 14.—e Isa. 11. 1, 10; Rom. 15. 12; chap. 
22. 16.—/f Verse 1: chap. 6. 1. g Isa. 53. 7; John J. 29, 363 
1 Pet. 1.19; chap. 13. 8; verses 9, 12.—A Zech. 3. 9; 4. 10.— 
ὦ Chap. 4. 5. 


spread, that veil which is between the sanctuary 
and the holy of holies; and seven angels minister 
before him within that veil; the veil and his foot- 
stool are like fire and lightning; and under the 
throne of glory there is a shining like fire and 
sapphire, and about his throne are justice and 
judgment.” [Others of the images in the text are 
found also delineated more at length in the writings 
of the rabbins.] 

10. Cast their crowns before the throne— 
In acknowledgment of the infinite supremacy of 
God, and that they have derived their being and 
their blessings from him alone. This is an allusion 
to the custom of prostrations in the East, and to 
the homage of petty kings acknowledging the 
supremacy of their suzerain. 

11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive— 
Thus all creation acknowledges the supremacy of 
God; andwe learn from this song that he made 
all things for his pleasure; and through the same 
motive he preserves. [This fourth chapter consti- 
tutes the magnificent exordium to the principal 
vision of the book. Chapter v is intimately con- 
nected with it, but it is rather to be regarded as a 
special proem to chapters vi-xi. The holy seer was 
duly prepared by such an august vision for the 
disclosures that follow.—Stuwart. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER V. 

1. A book written within and on the back 
side—That is, the book was full of solemn con- 
tents ‘‘ within,” but it was sealed; and on the 
“back side” was a superscription indicating its 
contents. It was a labelled book, or one written 
on each side of the skin, which was not usual. 
Sealed with seven seals—As seven is a number 
of perfection, it may mean that the book was so 
sealed that the seals could neither be counterfeited 
nor broken; that is, the matter of the book was 
so obseure and enigmatical, and the work it en- 
joined and the facts it predicted so difficult and 
stupendous, that they could neither be known nor 
performed by human wisdom nor power. [It would 
be quite natural to understand by this “sealed” 
book the secret counsels of the Almighty, which no 
creature can know or reveal, but which Christ, the 
Lion of Judah, has unsealed to men in his revela- 
tions of the Father.] 

2. A strong angel—One of the chief of the 

590 


angelic host. [Ἰσχυρός, strong to proclaim. So 
Homer represents his heralds.] Proclaiming— 
As the herald of God. To open the book, and 
to loose the seals—To loose the seals that he 
may open the book. Who can tell what this book 
contains? Who can open its mysteries ? The book 
may mean the purposes and designs of God rela- 
tive to his government of the world and the Church. 

3. And no man—Oivdeic, no person ov being. 
In heaven—Among all the angels of God. Wor 
in earth—No human being. Neither under the 
earth — Nor disembodied spirit, nor any demon. 
Neither angels, men, nor devils can fathom the 
decrees of God. Neither to look thereon— 
None can “look” into it unless it be opened, and 
none can open it unless the seals be unloosed. 
[Heaven, earth, and the underworld, by the com- 
mon usus loquendi of the Hebrews, denote the 
(whole) universe; as if it were said, no being in the 
universe could be found who was able to open the 
book and survey its contents.—S/war‘. | 

4. I wept much—Because the world and the 
Church were to be deprived of the knowledge 
of the contents of the book. [It had been prom- 
ised to him (chapter iv, 1) that he should be shown 
future events; and now it seemed as if this promise 
were about to be frustrated by the lack of one 
worthy to open the book.—A//ord. | 

5. The Lion of the tribe of Juda—Jesus 
Christ, who sprang from this tribe. (Matt. i, and 
Luke iii.) There is an allusion here to Gen, xlix, 9, 
“Judah is a lion’s whelp;” the “lion” was the 
emblem of this tribe, and was supposed to have 
been emblazoned on its ensigns. The Root of 
David—(See Isa. xi, 1.) Christ was the “root” 
of David as to his divine nature; he was a branch 
out of the stem of Jesse as to his hwnan nature. 
[The “ Root of David,” the branch or sucker came 
up from the ancient root, (Isa. xi, 1,) and so repre- 
sented it; not the divine root, which brought forth 
David, for the evident design here is to set forth 
Christ as sprung from the tribe of Judah and 
lineage of David, in his victory and his exaltation 
through suffering.—Alford.] Hath prevailed— 
By the merit of his incarnation, passion, and death, 
To open the book—To explain and execute all the 
purposes and decrees of God in relation to the 
government of the world and the Church, 

6. Stood aLamb—Christ, so called because he 


‘ 


The Lamb prevails to open the book. 
Praise given to the Lamb, 


seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the 
earth. % And he came and took the book 
out of the right hand «of him that sat upon 
the throne. 5 And when he had taken the 
book, 'the four beasts and four and twenty 
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every 
one of them “harps, and golden vials full of 
“odours, °which are the prayers of saints. 
9 And Pthey sung a new song, saying, 4 Thou 
art worthy to take the book, and to open the 
seals thereof: ‘for thou wast slain, and * hast 
redeemed us to God by thy blood ' out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; 
10 » And hast made us unto our God kings 


1: Chap. 4. 2. —JUChap. 4. 8, 10.—m Chap, 14. 23 15, 2.—— 
n Or, incense. —o Psa. 111. 2; chap 8, 3, 4.—v Psa. 40.'3; 
chap, 14. 3. qaChap. 4. 11. ——~7r Verse 6. — Acts 20. 28; 
Rom. 3. 24; 1 Cor. 6. 20; 7. 23; Eph. 1. 7; Col, 1. 14; Heb. 9. 
2; 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19; 2 Pet. 2.1; 1 Jolin 1,7; chap. 11. 4. 


was a sacrificial offering; ἀρνίον signifies a /it/le or 
delicate lamb. As it had been slain—As if now 
in the act of being offered. So important is the 
sacrificial offering of Christ in the sight of God, 
that he is still represented as being in the very act 
of pouring out his blood for the offences of man. 
Thus all succeeding generations find they have the 
continual sacrifice ready, and the newly shed blood 
to offer. Seven horns—a<As the horn is the em- 
blem of power, and seven the number of perfection, 
the “seven horns” may denote the all-prevailing 
and infinite might of Jesus Christ. (Heb. vii, 25.) 
Seven eyes—As these “seven eyes” are said to 
be the seven Spirits of God, they seem to denote 
the perpetual ministration of the Holy Spirit, 
spoken of in respect to its completeness as seven 
or sevenfold, and said to be sent forth into all 
the earth. (See on chapter i, 4.) [At the refer- 
ence to Christ as the one who could open the sealed 
book, he himself appears in the vision, in his 
priestly character, and also as the victim of sacri- 
fice, standing in the area before the throne, (év 
μέσῳ,) newly slain, ὡς ἐσφαγμένον, as being slain.] 
[This (being slain) is that whereby the Lion (verse 5) 
has overcome. . . . It is only in the omnipotence 
of all-suffering love that the greatness of (his) 
omnipotence could be proved.—Zbrard in Lange.] 
[As the seven burning lamps before the throne 
(chapter iv, 5) represented the Spirit of God im- 
manent in the Godhead, so the ‘seven eyes” of 
the Lamb represent the same Spirit in his sevenfold 
perfection, profluent from the incarnate Redeemer, 
and busied in his worldwide energy.—A/ford. | 

7. He came and took the book—This verse 
may be properly explained by John chapter i, 18: 
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only 
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, 
he hath pEcLARED him.” With Jesus alone are all 
the counsels and mysteries of God. 

8. The four beasts ... fell down before 
the Lamb—The whole Church of God, and all his 
children in heaven and earth, [all “ principalities 
and heavenly powers,”] acknowledge that Jesus 
Christ is alone worthy and able to unfold and exe- 
cute all the mysteries and counsels of God. (See 
on verse 9.) Having every one of them harps, 
and golden vials — There were “harps” and 
“vials; and each of the e/ders and living creatures 
had one. 
saints—The frankincense and odours offered at 
the tabernacle were emblems of the prayers and 
praises of the people. (See Psa. clxi, 2.) [The 


CHAPTER V. 


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and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 
in And I beheld, and [ heard the voice of 
many angels Yround about the throne, and the 
beasts, and the elders: and the number of 
them was “ten thousand times ten thousand, 
and thousands of thousands; 82 Saying with 
a loud voice, * Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, 
and strength, and honour, and glory, and bless- 
ing. 1 And Yevery creature which is in 
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, 
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in 
them, heard I saying, 5 Blessing, and honour, 
and glory, and power, be unto him *that sit- 


tDan. 4. 1; 6. 25; chap. 7. 9; 11. 9; 14, 6.—w Exod. 19. 6; 
1 Pet. 2. 5, 9: chap. 1. 6; 20. G; 22. 5.—wChap. 4. 4, 6.— 
10 Psa. 68. 17; Dan. 7. 10: Heb. 12. 22.——a@Chap. 4. 1].-- 
y Phil. 2. 10; verse 3.—2e1 Chron. 2%, 11; Rom, 9, ὃς: 10, 27; 


1 Tim, 6. 16; 1 Pet. 4. 11; 5. 11; chap. 1. 6.—a Chap. 6. 16; 7. 10. 


twenty-four elders, representing as they do the 
whole Church of God, offer their praises and the 
prayers of the whole Church; the harps symbolize 
the former, the censers—vials—the latter.— Alford. | 

9. A new song — Composed on the matters 
and blessings of the Gospel, which was just now 
opened on earth. (See Psa. xevi, 1; exliv, 9; 
Isa. xlii, 10.) [New occasions call forth new songs, 
and doubtless' new supplications also,—<Stuart.] 
Thou .. . hast redeemed us to God . . . out 
of every . . . nation—It appears, therefore, that 
the living creatures and the elders represent the 
aggregate of the followers of God ; or the Christian 
Church in all nations, and among all kinds of 
people, and perhaps through the whole compass of 
time; and all these are said to be redeemed by 
Christ’s blood, plainly showing that his life was a 
sacrificial offering for the sins of- mankind. Out 
of every kindred, ete.—[The “holy catholic 
Church” of the Apostles’? Creed, including all re- 
deemed souls. (Luke xiii, 29; Acts x, 35; 1 Cor. 
xii, 13.)] 

10. Kings and priests —See Exodus xix, 6; 
1 Pet. ii, 5, 9, and the notes there. And we shall 
reign on the earth—[Christians of all nations— 
the aggregate but scattered abroad Church—shall 
yet reign on and over the earth, not, however, as a 
worldly but a spiritual kingdom, governing by moral 
and spiritual forces. ] 

11, The voice of many angels—These also 
are represented as joining in the chorus with re- 
deemed mortals. Ten thousand times ten 
thousand—-“ Myriads of myriads and chiliads of 
chiliads;” that is, an infinite or innumerable mul- 
titude. (See Dan. vii, 10.) 

12. To receive power—That is, Jesus Christ is 
worthy to take, λαβεῖν, to have ascribed to him, 
“ power’? —omnipotence. Riches — Beneficence. 
Wisdom — Omniscience. Strength— Power in 
prevalent exercise. Honour—The highest reputa- 
tion for what he has done. Glory—The praise 
due to such actions. Blessing — The thankful 
acknowledgments of the whole creation. Here are 
seven different species of praise; and this is 
exactly agreeable to the rabbinical forms, which 
the author of this book keeps constantly in view. 

8. Every creature—All parts of the creation, 
animate and inanimate, are represented here by a 


Odours, which are the prayers of | personification, as giving praise to the Lord Jesus, 


because by him all things were created. We find 

the whole creation gives precisely the same praise, 

and in the same terms, to Jesus Christ, who is 
591 


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REVELATION. 


The opening of the first and 
second seals, 


teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for 
ever and ever. #4 P And the four beasts said, 
Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell 
down and worshipped him 4that liveth for 
ever and ever. 


CHAPTER. VI. 


ND I saw when the Lamb opened one of 

the seals, and [ heard, as it were the 
noise of thunder, "one of the four beasts say- 
ing, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold 


¢a white horse: 4and he that sat on him had 
a bow; eand a crown was given unto him: 
and he went forth conquering, and to conguer. 
8 And when he had opened the second seal, 
fT heard the second beast say, Come and see. 
4 «And there went out another horse that 
was red: and power was given to him that sat 
thereon to take peace from the earth, and that 
they should kill one another: and there was 
given unto him a great sword. & And when 
he had opened the third seal, » I heard the third 


p Chap. 19, 4.—q eae 4, 9, 10.—a Chap. 4. 5, 6,7, —b Chap. 
4.1 { Zech. 0, 8: chap. ΤΟΣ ΤΠ, 


d Psa, 45. 4, ὅ, LXX.—e Zech. 6. 11; chap. ΤῈ ue —/ Chap. 
4.7, Sarl Zech, 6. 2 hi Chap. 4 


undoubtedly meant here by the Lamb just slain, as 
they give to Gop who sits upon the throne. 

14. The four beasts said, Amen—Acknow]l- 
edging that what was attributed to Christ was his 
due. The four and twenty elders—The word 
εἰκοσιτέσσαρες, twenty-four, is wanting in the most 
eminent MSS. and Versions. [Its absence does not 
change the sense.]| Fell down and wor- 
shipped—'Erecav καὶ προσεκύνησαν, fell down on 
their knees, and then prostrated themselves, before 
the throne. This is the eastern method of adoration; 
first, the person worshipping fell down on his 
knees ; and then, bowing down, touched the earth 
with his forehead. This latter act was prostration. 
Him that liveth for ever—[This clause is want- 
ing in most of the best MSS., etc., and is now 
omitted by common consent, but the sense is still 
the same. | 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. 

[Chapters vi-xi: First catastrophe, or overthrow 
of the Jewish persecuting power.—Stuart.| [As 
preliminary to the exegesis of this section, I 
may observe that it is of the first importance to 
bear in mind that the openings of these seals corre- 
spond to the various arrangements of God’s provi- 
dence by which the way is prepared for the final 
opening of the closed book of his purposes to his 
glorified Church. That opening shall not fully and 
freely be made till his people will know even as 
they are known. And that will not be till they are 
fully gathered into his heavenly garner. This book 
the Lamb opens, containing, as it does, matters which 

*no man knows, nor the angels whieh are in heav- 
en, neither the Son, but (only) the Father,” (Mark 
xiii, 32,) first by the acts and procedures of his 
establishment of his reign over the earth, and then 
finally by his great second coming, (παρουσία, self- 
manifest: ition, y the necessary condition (the assured 
accompaniment) of his elect being gathered out of 
the four winds into his glory. When these prepa- 
rations have taken place, and Christ himself shall 
be fully revealed, (to the quickened spiritual con- 
sciousness of his saints,) then the last hinderance to 
our perfect knowledge will be removed, and the 
book of God’s eternal purposes will lie open, the 
theme of eternity’s praise.—A/ford. | 

1. When the Lamb opened one of the seals 
—lIt is worthy of remark that the opening of the 
seals is not merely a declaration of what God will 
do, but is the exhibition of a purpose then accom- 
plished ; for whenever the seal is opened the sen- 
tence appears to be executed. It is supposed, that 
from chapter vi to xi inclusive the calamities 
which should fall on the enemies of Christianity, 
and particularly the Jews, are pointed out under 
various images ; as well as the preservation of the 

592 


Christians under those calamities. One of the 
four beasts—Probably that with the face of a 
lion. (See chapter iv, 7.) Come and see— 
Attend to what is about to be exhibited. 

2. A white horse—Snupposed to represent the 
Gospel system, and pointing out its excellence, 
swiftness, and purity. He that sat on him—’ 
Supposed to represent Jesus Christ. A bow— 
The preaching of the Gospel, darting conviction into 
the hearts of sinners. A crown—The emblem of 
the kingdom which Christ was to establish on earth, 
Conquering, and to conquer—Overcoming and 
confounding the Jews first, and then the Gentiles ; 
spreading more and more the doctrine and influence 
of the cross over the face of the earth. [The 
loosing of the first seal sheds a joyful light over 
the whole dark history of the world. The Rider 
upon the white horse rides at the head of all the 
others. .. . He is the Prince, all the rest are es- 
quires. Thus all apparently fatal events must 
serve his purposes — redemption, and its diffu- 
sion through the world—not vet judgment, as at 
his forthgoing in chapter xix, 11.)—Lange.] 

8. The second beast—That which had the face 
of an ox. 

4, Another horse ... red—The emblem of 
war; perhaps also of severe persecution, and the 
martyrdom of the saints. Him that sat thereon 
—Some say, Christ; others, Vespasian ; others, the 
Roman armies ; others, Artabanus, king of the Par- 
thians, ete. ‘Take peace from the earth—To 
deprive Judea of all tranquillity. They should 
kill one another—This was literally the case with 
the Jews, while besieged by the Romans. A 
great sword—Great influence and success, pro- 
ducing terrible carnage. [I need not say how 
wildly that horse was p/uxging in the days after 
the death of Nero, and before the establishment of 
Vespasian.—F/. 7). Maurice.| “ Red:” [The colour 
of the war-horse of Zech. i, 8, and vi, 2, and of the 
dragon, (chapter xii, 8.) tier vy red,” dr * blood red,” 
showi ing his mission to be to shed blood. —Speaker’s 
Com.| [All these are unequivocal symbols of 
slaughter, that is, of war, signifying that by war or 
slauzhter the power of the ady ersary is to be weak- 
ened. —Stuar 41 [War in its mpst fearful form, 
that dark power to which is granted to take peace 
From the earth, to set on foot reciprocal slaughter 
on countless battle fields. —Lange.| [The key to 
the interpretation of this (the second) seal is to be 
found in Matt. x, 384; Luke xii, 51. It pease 
to us the taking away of peace from the earth, the 
slaying of one another, and the reign of the sword, 
as one of the destined concomitants of the growing 
ἐς conquering power of Christ.—A/7or ἀ7 

. The third beast—That which had the face 
of a man. A black horse—The emblem of 


Opening of the third, fourth, 
fifth, and sixth seals, 


CHAPTER VI. 


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beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and 
lo ‘a black horse; and he that sat on him had 
a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard 
a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, ΚΑ 
measure of wheat for a penny, and three meas- 
ures of barley for a penny; and 'see thou hurt 
not the oil and the wine. @ And when he had 
opened the fourth seal, "I heard the voice of 
the fourth beast say, Come and see. αὶ "And 
I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his 
name that sat on him was Death, and Hell fol- 
lowed with him. And power was given °unto 
them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill 
with sword, and with hunger, and with death, 
4and with the beasts of the earth. 9 And 


aZech, 6. 2.—Zk The word οὐ το" signifieth a measure con- 
taining one wine quart, and the twelfth part of a quart,— 
ZChap. 9. 4.—7n Chap. 4. 7. n Zech. 6. 3.—o Or, to him. 
---: Ezek. 14. 21.—g Lev. 26. 93 ---γ Chap. 8.3; 9. 13; 14. 18. 


famine. Some think that which took place under 
Claudius ; (see Matt. xxiv, 7;) the same which was 
predicted by Agabus. (Acts xi, 28.) A pair of 
balances—To show that the searcity would be such 
that every person must be put under an allowance. 

6. A measure of wheat for a penny — The 
χοῖνιξ, choinix, was a measure of dry things, and it 
is generally agreed that it contained as much as a 
man could consume in a day; and a penny, the 
Roman denarius, was the ordinary pay of a labourer. 
So it appears that, in this scarcity, each might be 
able to obtain a bare subsistence by his daily la- 
bour; but could not provide for a fami/y. Three 
measures of barley—This seems to have been 
the proportion of value between the wheat and the 
barley. Hurt not the oil and the wine—Be 
sparing of these; use them not as delicacies, but 
for necessity; because neither the vines nor the 
olives will be productive. [The rider of the b/ack 
horse symbolizes famine, (following the war typi- 
tied by the ved horse.) —Al/ford. | 

7. The fourth beast—That which had the face 
of an eagle. 

8. A pale horse—The symbol of death. Pal- 
lida mors, pale death, was a very usual poetic 
epithet ; of this symbol there can be no doubt, be- 
cause it is immediately said, His name that sat on 
him was Dearu. And hell (hades) followed with 
him—The abode of the dead, which received the 


slain. This is a very elegant prosopopeia, or per- 
sonification. And power was given unto them 


—([That is. to death and hades.] Over the fourth 
part of the earth—One fourth of mankind was to 
feel the desolating effects of this seal. To kill 
with sword— War. With hunger — Famine. 
With death—PestiLence. With the beasts of the 
earth—Lions, tigers, hyenas, ete., which would mul- 
tiply in consequence of the devastations occasioned 
by war, famine, and pestilence. [With regard to 
the question whether these four visions are to be 
regarded as consecutive or contemporaneous: In 
their fu/ness (that is, their fulfilment) I believe them 
to be contemporaneous, and each of them to extend 
through the lifetime of the Chureh.... As regards 
their ultimate fulfilment, there can be nodoubt that 
all these judgments on the world without, as well 
as the manifestation (of which they form a part) 
of the conquering career of the kingdom of Christ, 
will reach their culminating point before the com- 
ing of the great and terrible day of the Lord.— 
Alford.) 
Vol. IL—38 


when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw un- 
der ‘the altar tthe souls of them that were 
slain ‘for the word of God, and for “the testi- 
mony which they held: 4&0 And they cried 
with a lond voice, saying, ἡ How long, O Lord, 
“holy and true, *dost thou not judge and 
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the 
earth? ΕἸ Andy white robes were given unto 
every one of them; and it was said unto them, 
«that they should rest yet for a little season, 
until their fellow servants also and their breth- 
ren, that should be killed as they were, should 
be fulfilled. ἘΦ And I beheld when he had 
opened the sixth seal, *and, lo, there was a 
great earthquake; and the sun became black 


8 Chap. 20. 4.—7?Chap. 1. 9.—w2 Tim. 1. 8: chap. 12. 17; 
19, 10..—vSee Zech. 1. 12.—o Chap. 3. 7.—za Chap. 11. 18; 
19, 2.—v Chap. 3.4,5; 7. 9, 14. 2 Heb. 11. 40; chap. 14. 13.— 
a Chap. 16, 1&.—b Joel 2. 10,31; 3. 15; Matt. 24. 29; Acts 2. 20. 


9. The fifth seal—There is no living creature, 
nor other being, to introduce this seal, nor does 
there appear to be any new event predicted; but 
the whole is intended to comfort the followers of 
God under their persecutions, and to encourage them 
to bear up under their distresses. I saw under 
the altar—A symbolical vision was exhibited, in 
which John saw an “altar;” and under it the souls 
of them that were slain for the word of God— 
martyred for their attachment to Christianity—are 
represented as being newly slain as victims to idol- 
atry and superstition. [The representation here, in 
which they are seen under the altar, is simply sym- 
bolical, carrying out the likeness of them to victims 
slain on the altar—A/ford. ] 

10. And they cried with a loud voice— 
That is, their b/ood, like that of Abel, cried for 


vengeance. We sometimes say, Blood cries for 
blood ; for that is the order of divine justice. O 
Lord --- Ὁ Δεσπότης : sovereign Lord, supreme 


Ruler ; one having and exercising unlimited and un- 
controlled authority. Holy—In thine own nature 
hating iniquity: and true —in all thy promises 
and threatenings: dost thou not judge — the 
persecutors: and avenge our blood — inflict 
signal punishment: on them that dwell on the 
earth — probably meaning the persecuting Jews; 
they dwelt ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, upon that land. 

11. White robes—The emblems of purity, in- 
nocence, and triumph. [The white robe is, in this 
book, the vestment of acknowledged and glorified 
righteousness ; it was rather assured than actually 
bestowed.] They should rest yet for a little 
season—This is a delaration that, when the cup of 
the iniquity of the Jews should be full, they should 
then be punished in a mass. If this book was 
written before the destruction of Jerusalem, as is 
most likely, then this destruction is that which was 
to fall upon the Jews; and the /itéle time or season 
was that which elapsed between their martyrdom, 
or the date of this book, and the final destruction 
of Jerusalem by the Romans. What follows may 
refer to the destruction of the heathen Roman 
empire. 

12. The sixth seal—This seal also is opened and 
introduced by Jesus Christ alone. A great earth- 
quake—A most stupendous change in the civil and 
religious constitution of the world. If it refer to 
Constantine the Great, the change that was made 
by his conversion to Christianity might be very 
properly represented under the emblem of an “ earth- 

593 


A.M. 4100, A, Ὁ. 96, 5 
Year of Rome, 549, 


REVELATION. 


Events accompanying the opening 
of the sixth seal, 


as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became 
as blood; 83 ¢And the stars of heaven fell 
unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her 
untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty 
wind. 14 © And the heaven departed as a 
scroll when it is rolled together; and ‘every 
mountain and island were moved out of their 
places. 24 And the kings of the earth, and 
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief 
captains, and the mighty men, and every bond 
man, and every free man, ὅ hid themselves in 
the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 
16 * And said to the mountains and rocks, 


Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him 
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath 
of the Lamb: 47 'For the great day of his 
wrath is come; and who shall be able to 
stand ? 
CHAPTER VII. 
ND after these things I saw four angels 
standing on the four corners of the earth, 
“holding the four winds of the earth, that the 
wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the 
sea, nor on any tree. & And I saw another 
angel ascending from the east, having the seal 
of the living God: and he cried with a loud 


eChap. 8,10; 9. 1.—d Or, green figs. —e Psa. 102. 26; Isa. 
34 4; Heb. 1. 12, 18. —jJer. 3. 23; 4. 24; chap. 16. 20, — 
g Isa. 2. 19. 


h Hos. 10. 8; Luke 23. 30; chap. 9. 6.—-Isa. 13. 6, ete. ; 
Zeph. 1, 14, ete. ; chap. 16, [|| ΞΕ Psa. 76. 7.——u Dan. 7. 2.- 
4 Chap. 9. 4. 


quake,” and the other symbols mentioned in this and 
the following verses. The sun—The ancient pagan 
government of the Roman empire, was totally dark- 
ened ; and, like a black hair sackcloth, was degraded 
and humbled to the dust. he moon—The ecele- 
siastical state of the same empire became of blood 
—was totally ruined, its altars cast down, its tem- 
ples destroyed, or turned into places for Christian 
worship. 

13, The stars of heaven—The gods and god- 
desses, demi-gods, and deified heroes of their 
poetical and mythological “heaven” were pros- 
trated indiscriminately, and lay as useless as the 
figs or fruit of a tree shaken down before ripe by 
a tempestuous wind. 

14. And the heaven departed as a scroll— 
The whole system of pagan and idolatrous worship, 
with all its spiritual, secular, and superstitious in- 
fluences, was blasted, shrivelled up. And every 
mountain — All the props, supports, and depen- 
dencies of the empire were [in vision] taken away. 
And island—[lIsolated or remote colonies or coun- 
tries. } 

15, The kings of the earth, etc.—[Men of all 
classes and conditions, because of the complete sub- 
version of the civil order, were alarmed, and sought 
to escape from the impending ruin. | 

16. Said tothe mountains and rocks—-Expres- 
sions which denote the strongest perturbation and 
alarm. F'rom the face of him that sitteth on 
the throne—They now saw that all these terrible 
judgments came from the Almighty; and that 
Christ, the author of Christianity, was now judg- 
ing, condemning, and destroying them for their 
cruel persecutions of his followers. 

17. For the great day of his wrath—The de- 
cisive and manifest time in which he will execute 
judgment on the oppressors of his people. [The 
ery of the terrified trembling ones (unbelievers) to 
the mountains and rocks implies that they seek ab- 
solute concealment from the face of God and the 
wrath of the Lamb; this present life is so trans- 
formed for them into an invasion of that terrible 
beyond that they now picture even that beyond as 
more endurable than the life they now live.— 
Lange.| Who shall be able to stand—All these 
things may literally apply to the final destruction 
of Jerusalem, and to the revolution which took 
place in the Roman empire under Constantine the 
Great. Some apply them to the day of judgment, 
but they do not seem to have that awful event in 
view. These two events were the greatest that 
have ever taken place in the world from the flood 
to the eighteenth century of the Christian era; and 

594 


may well justify the strong figurative language used 
above. 


Though I do not pretend to say that my remarks 
on this chapter point out its true signification, yet I 
find others have applied it in the same way. Dr. 
Dodd observes, that the fall of Babylon, Idumea, 
Judah, Egypt, and Jerusalem have been described 
by the prophets in language equally pompous, figu- 
rative, and strong. ‘‘ Now,” says he, “‘it is certain 
that the fall of any of these cities or kingdoms was 
not of greater concern or consequence to the world, 
nor more deserving to be described in pompous 
figures, than the fall of the pagan Roman empire, 
when the great lights of the heathen world—the sun, 
moon, and stars, the powers civil and ecclesiastical— 
were all eclipsed and obscured, the heathen emper- 
ors and Cesars were slain, the heathen priests and 
augurs were extirpated, the heathen officers and 
magistrates were removed, the temples were demol- 
ished, and their revenues were devoted to better 
uses. This is, therefore, a triumph of Christ over 
his heathen enemies, and a triumph after a severe 
persecution ; so that the time and all the circum- 
stances, as well as the series and order of the 
prophecy, agree perfectly with this interpretation. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VII. 

[We are brought (in chapter vi) to the very 
threshold itself of the great day of the Lord’s com- 
ing, (whether the destruction of Jerusalem, or the 
overthrow of paganism, or the “day of judgment.’’) 
It has not yet happened; but the tribes of the earth 
are troubled at its immediate approach. . . . He is 
seen, as it were, coming; but before the vengeance 
is fully accomplished the elect of God must be 
gathered out of the four winds, of heaven, from 
among the inhabitants of the earth.—A/ford. | 

1. And after these things—Mera ταῦτα, after 
the preceding vision, [marking a change of scene.] I 
saw four angels—Instruments which God employs 
in the dispensation of his providence, [in caring for 
his saints.] On the four corners of the earth— 
On the extreme parts of the land. Holding the 
four winds—Preventing evil from every quarter. 
Barth...sea, nor on any tree—Keeping the 
whole of the land free from evil, till the Chureh of 
Christ should wax strong, and each of his followers 
have time to prepare for his flight from Jerusalem, 
previously to its total destruction by the Romans. 

2. The seal of the living God—This angel is 
represented as the chancellor of the supreme King, 
and as ascending frcm the east, ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς 
ἡλίου, from the rising of the sun. Some understand 


The sealing of the servants of God, 
The great number of the saved, 


voice to the four angels, to whom it was given 
to hurt the earth and the sea, 8 Saying, 
¢Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the 
trees, till we have 4sealed the servants of our 
God εἴπ their foreheads. 4M ‘And 1 heard the 
number of them which were sealed: and there 
were sealed a hundred and forty and four 
thousand of all the tribes of the children of 
Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed 
twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben 
aere sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of 
Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the 
tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of 
the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve 
thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were 
sealed twelve thousand. 9%. Of the tribe of 
Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the 
tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. 
Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve 
thousand. ὁ Of the tribe of Zabulon were 
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Jo- 
seph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the 


cChap. 6. δ: 9, 4. ——d Ezek. 9. 4; chap. 14. 1. —~e Chap. 
22. 4 ——/Chap. 9. 16. —g Chap. 14. 1.—/ Rom. 11. 25, — 
@Chap. 5. 9.—& Chap. 3. 5, 18; 4. 4; 6. 11: verse 14. 


this of Christ, who is called ἀνατολῇ, the east. (Luke 
i, 78.) Four angels, to whom it was given to 
hurt—Particular agents employed by divine provi- 
dence in the management of the affairs of the 
earth. 

3. Till we have sealed the servants of our 
God—Here is manifestly an allusion to Ezek. ix, 4. 
By sealing we are to understand consecrating the 
person in a more especial manner to God, and show- 
ing) by this mark ef God upon them, that they were 
under his more immediate protection, and that 
nothing should hurt them. It was a custom in the 
East, and indeed in the West too, to stamp with a 
hot iron the name of the owner upon the forehead 
or shoulder of his slave. It is worthy of remark 
that not one Christian perished in the overthrow of 
Jerusalem. 

4, I heard the number of them which were 
sealed—In the number of 144,000 are included all 
the Jews converted to Christianity; 12,000 out of 
each of the twelve tribes; but this must be only a 
definite for an indefinite number; for it is not to 
be supposed that just 12,000 were converted out of 
each of the twelve tribes. 

5-8. Of the tribe of Juda, ete.—VFirst, we are 
to observe that the tribe of Leviis here mentioned, 
though that tribe had no inheritance in Israel; but 


they now belonged to the spiritual priesthood. | for spoke. 


CHAPTER VII. 


A. Μ. 4100. Α. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thou- 
sand. 9 After this I belield, and, lo, "a great 
multitude, which no man could number, ‘of 
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 
tongues, stood before the throne, and before 
the Lamb, «clothed with white robes, and 
palms in their hands; £0 And cried with a 
loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God 
"which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
Lamb. ΑΕ "And all the angels stood round 
about the throne, and about the elders and 
the four beasts, and fell before the throne on 
their faces, and worshipped God, 12 °Say- 
ing, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and 
might, de unto our God for ever and ever. 
Amen. £3 And one of the elders answered, 
saying unto me, What are these which are 
arrayed in Pp white robes? and whence came 
they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou 
knowest. And he said to me, 4 These are they 
which came out of great tribulation, and have 


7Psa. 3. 8: Isa. 43. 11; Jer. 3. 23; Hos. 13. 4: chap. 19. 1. 
m Chan, 5. 13.—n Chap. 4. 6.—o Chap. ὃ. 13, 14.——p Verse 9. 
—gq Chap. 6. 9; 17. 6. 


different from that collected from the twelve tribes ; 
and it is here said to be of all nations, kindreds, 
people, and tongues. Clothed with white robes 
—As emblems of their Christian purity. [Washed 
in the blood of the Lamb. (Verse 14.)]| And 
palms in their hands — In token of victory 
gained over the world, the devil, and the flesh. 

10, Salvation to our God—That is, God alone 
is the author of the salvation of men; and this sal- 
vation is procured for and given to them through 
the Lamb, as their propitiatory sacrifice. 

11. All the angels, ete.—As there is joy in the 
presence of God among these holy spirits when one 
sinner repents, no wonder that they take such an 
interest in the gathering together of such innumer- 
able multitudes who are fully saved from their sins. 

12. Saying, Amen—Giving their most cordial 
and grateful assent to the praises attributed to God 
and the Lamb, [and uniting in that worship. ] 
Blessing, and glory, ete.—There are here seven 
different species of praise attributed to God, as in 
chapter v, 12, where see the note. [The same dox- 
ology, for substance, occurs in chapter v, 12... . 
There the ascription is to the Lamb, here to our 
God. The same praise is of course rendered to 
both.—Stuart. ] 

13. One of the elders answered—A Hebraism 
The question is here asked that the 


Secondly, that the tribe of Dan, which had an in-| proposer may have the opportunity to answer it. 


heritance, is here omitted; as also the tribe of 
Ephraim. Zhirdly, that the tribe of Joseph is here 
added in the place of Ephraim. Ephraim and Dan, 
being the principal promoters of idolatry, are left 
out in this enumeration. [With verse 9 a new scene 
seems to open, beginning with the usual formula, 
Μετὰ ταῦτα eidov, which is quite distinct from the 
preceding one. (Verses 1-8.) By many commenta- 


tors the time of this vision is supposed to be after | 


the consummation of the world’s history ; its place, 
HEAVEN. “In this sublime vision,” says Alford, 
“we are admitted to a sight of the finished state of 
glory in which the seventh seal shall be opened.”’} 
9. A great multitude—This appears to mean 


| 


14. Sir, thou knowest—That is, I do not know, 
but thou canst inform me. Came out of great 
tribulation — Persecutions of every kind. If 
these saints had not met with trouble and distresses, 
in all likelihood they had not excelled so much in 
righteousness and true holiness. When all avenues 
of worldly comfort are shut up we are more readily 
inclined to seek our all in God; and there is noth- 
ing sought from him that is not found in him. 
[Some have rendered this, rae great tribulation, 
which the original will allow, and understand it as 
referring to the Diocletian persecution.] And 
have washed their robes—Have obtamed their 
pardon and purity through the blood of the Lamb. 


the Church of Christ among the Gentiles, for it was | Their white robes cannot mean the righteousness of 


595 


A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 549. 


REVELATION. 


The opening of the seventh seal. 
Silence in heaven, 


washed* their robes, and made them white in 
ithe blood of the Lamb. £5 Therefore are 
they before the throne of God, and serve him 
day and night in his temple: and he that sit- 
teth on the throne shall dwell among thei. 
16 ‘They shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
any more; “neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. 2% For the Lamb which 
is in the midst of the throne ἡ shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto living fountains of 


waters: ἡ and God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes. 
CHAPTER VIII. 
ND * when he had opened the seventh seal, 
there was silence in heaven about the 
space of half an hour. 2 'And I saw the 
seven angels which stood before God; ©and to 
them were given seven trumpets. Ὁ And an- 
other angel came and stood at the altar, having 
a golden censer; and there was given unto 


Ica. 1.18; Heb. 9. 14; 1 John 1. 73 chap. 1. 5: see Zech. 3. 
3, 4, 5.—SIsa. 4. 5, 6; chap. 21. 3. tIsa. 49. 10.—w Psa. 
121. 6; chap. 21. 4. 


Psa. 23, 1; 36. 8; John 10. 11, 14.—2oIsa. 25. 8; chep. 
21. 4. —a Chap. 6, 1. b Matt. 18.10; Luke 1. 19.—e2 Chron. 
20, 25-28. 


Christ, for this cannot be washed and made white 
in his own blood. This white linen is said to be 
the righteousness of the saints, (chapter xix, 8,) and 
this is the righteousness in which they stand before 
the throne ; therefore it is not Christ’s (persona!) 
righteousness, but it is a righteousness wrought in 
‘them by the merit of his blood and the power of 
his Spirit. [The act (of washing) was a lifelong 
one, the continued purification of the man, ... by 
the application of the blood of Christ in its cleans- 
ing power.— Alford. | 
15. Therefore—Because they are washed in the 
blood ofthe Lamb. Are they before the throne 
—Admitted to the immediate presence of God. 
And serve him day and night in his temple 
—Without ceasing; being filled with the spirit of 
praver, faith, love, and obedience. [‘ Temple: ” 
ναός, sanctuary. The earthly life of the faithful is 
already represented by being made priests unto God. 
(Chapter i, 6; v, 10.) (How much more the 
heavenly ?)—Speaker’s Com.| Shall dwell among 
them—He lives in his own Church, and in the 
heart of every true believer. [Whatever interpre- 
tation we may give to the passages in question, it is 
a thought of unique grandeur that the glory or she- 
kinah of God is now in a permanent and apparent 
glory, to sink down from the throne upon the 
blessed and spread itself out over them.—Lange. | 
16. They shall hunger no more—They shall 
no longer be deprived of their religious ordinances, 
aud the blessings attendant on them, as they were 
when in a state of persecution. Neither shall 
the sun light on them—Their secular rulers, 
being converted to God, became nursing fathers to 
the Church. Nor any heat—Neither persecution 
nor affliction of any kind. These the Hebrews ex- 
press by the term heat, scorching, ete. |‘ Hunger” 
and “thirst,” and the satisfaction of both these 
needs, are throughout the Scriptures the fixed 
figures of spiritual circumstances. As the body is 
a fixed symbol of the soul, so the conditions of 
Wodily existence and satisfaction are a fixed symbol 
of the corresponding spiritual conditions.—Lange. | 
17. The Lamb—The Lord Jesus, enthroned with 
his Father in ineffable glory. Shall feed them— 
Shall communicate to them every thing calculated 
to secure, continue, and increase their happiness. 
Living fountains of waters—A spring, in the 
Hebrew phraseology, is termed living water, because 
constantly boiling up and ‘running on. By these 
perpetual fountains we are to understand endless 
sources of comfort and happiness, which Jesus 
Christ will open out of his own infinite plenitude to 
all glorified souls. These eternal living fountains 
will make an infinite variety in the enjoyments of 
the blessed. There will be no sameness, and con- 
sequently no cloying with the perpetual enjoyment 
596 


of the same things; every moment will open a 
new source of pleasure, instruction, and improve- 
ment; they shall make an eternal progression into 
the fulness of God. God shall wipe away (in 
the most affectionate and fatherly manner) all tears 
from their eyes—Shall remove all causes of dis- 
tress and grief. They shall have pure, unmixed 
happiness. Reader, this is the happiness of those 
who are washed from their sins. Art thou washed ? 
O, rest not till thou art prepared to appear before 
God and the Lamb. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. 

1. The seventh seal—This is ushered in and 
opened only by the Lamb. Silence in heaven— 
A sublime metaphor; “silence” being suggestive 
of the deep and solemn expectation of the stupen- 
dous things about to take place, which the opening 
of this seal had produced. [This image seems to 
have been borrowed from the silence kept by the 
people while the priest offered the incense. The 
silence here is preparatory to the sacerdotal act of 
the angel, in verse 3. (See Luke i, 10; 1 Chron. 
xxix, 25-29.)— Speaker's Com.| Half an hour— 
[‘‘ Silence” lasting but ‘half an hour” denotes that 
the consummation of all things, to which the 
seventh seal directly leads up, is to follow the 
opening of that seal after a period absolutely short. 
(For a period absolutely long, see chapter xx, 2, 
“the thousand years.” )—Speaker’s Com.| There is 
here, and in the following verses, a strong allusion 
to different parts of the temple worship ; a pre- 
sumption that the temple was still standing, and 
the. regular service of God carried on. ‘The 
“« silence” here refers to this fact—while the priest 
went in to burn incense in the holy place, all the 
people continued in silent mental prayer without till 
the priest returned. (See Luke i, 10.) The angel 
mentioned here appears to execute the office of 
priest, as we shall by and by see. 

2. The seven angels which stood before 
God—Probably the same as those called the seven 
spirits which are before his throne. (Chapter i, 4.) 
There is still an allusion here to the seven minis- 
ters of the Persian monarchs. (See Tobit, chapter 
Xi, 16.) 

3. Another angel—About to perform the office 
of priest. Having a golden censer—This was a 
preparation peculiar to the day of expiation. ‘On 
other days it was the custom of the priest to take 
fire from the great altar in a silver censer, but on 
the day of expiation the high priest took the fire 
from the great altar in a golden censer; and 
when he was come down from the great altar he 
took incense from one of the priests, who brought 
it to him, and went with it to the golden altar; and 
while he offered the incense the people prayed 


The first four of the seven angels 
sound their tru: pets. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


A. M. 41°90. A.D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


lim much incense, that he should “offer 77 
with ¢the prayers of all saints upon ‘the gold- 
en altar which was before the throne. 4 And 
ethe smoke of the incense, which came with 
the prayers of the saints, ascended up before 
God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the 
angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of 
the altar, and cast ἐξ "into the earth: and 
ithere were voices, and thunderings, and light- 
nings, «and an earthquake. 6 And the seven 
angels which had the seven trumpets prepared 
themselves to sound. 7 The first angel sound- 
ed, 'and there followed hail and fire mingled 
with blood, and they were cast "upon the 
earth: and the third part "of trees was burnt 
up, and all green grass was burnt up. δ And 
the second angel sounded, °and as it were a 
great mountain burning with fire was cast into 


came blood; 9 *And the third part of the 
creatures which were in the sea, and had life, 
died; and the third part of the ships were de- 
Βἰχοτοᾷ. 10 And the third angel sounded, 

sand there fell a great star from heaven, burn- 
ing as it were a lamp, ‘and it fell upon the 
third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains 
of waters; ΔΙ "And the name of the star is 
called Wormwood: ¥and the third part of the 
waiters became wormwood; and many men 
died of the waters, because they were made 
bitter. 12 » And the fourth angel sounded, 
and the third part of the sun was smitten, and 
the third part of the moon, and the third 
part of the stars; so as the third part of them 
was darkened, and the day shone not for a 
third part of it, and the night likewise. 
BB And I beheld, *and heard an angel fiving 
through the midst of heaven, saying wi ith a 


the sea: Pand the third part of the sea 4 be- 


d Ov, add it to the Berens: e Chap. 5. 8. ——f Exod. 30.1; 
chap. 6. 9.—dg Psa. 111. 2; pate 1. 10. —AOr, upon. — 
ὁ hap. 16, 18.——A:2 Sam. 22. 8; 1 Kins gs 1% 11; Acts 4. 31.— 
Ezek. 38, 22 . 2.18, chap. 9, 4. 


without in silence, which is the silence in heaven for 
half an hour.” (See Sir Isaac Newton.) Much 
incense, that he should offer it—Judgments of 
God are now about to be executed ; the saints, 
the genuine Christians, pray much to God for pro- 
tection. The angelic priest comes with “ much in- 
cense,” standing between the living and those con- 
signed to death, and offers his incense to God witu 
the prayers of the saints. 

4. The smoke of the incense, . with the 
prayers—Though incense itself be an emblem of 
the prayers of the saints, (Psa. exli, 2,) yet here 
they are said to ascend before God, as well as the 
incense. The angel presents the incense, and the 
prayers ascend witn it. The ascending of the in- 
cense shows that the prayers and offering were 
accepted. 

5. Cast it into the earth—That is, upon the 
land of Judea, (?) intimating the judgments and 
desolations which were now coming upon it, and 
which appear to be further opened in the sounding 
of the seven trumpets. There were voices—All 
these seem to point out the confusion, commotions, 
distresses, and miseries which were coming upon 
these people in the wars which were at hand. 

6. Prepared themselves to sound— IVar's are 
here indicated; the trumpet was the emblem of 
war. 

7. Hail and fire mingled with blood—This 
was something like the ninth plague of Egypt. 
(See Exod. ix, 18-24.) Inthe “hail and fire min- 
gled with blood ” some fruitful imaginations might 
find gunpowder and cannon balls, and canister 
shot, and bombs. They were cast upon the 
earth — Εἰς τὴν γῆν, into that land, Judea, thus 
often designated; [eic, to, or toward, indicating 
motion.]| And the third part of trees—|Follow- 
ing the preceding clause, and before that next 
named, are these words, now accepted as undoubt- 
edly genuine: καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῆς γῆς κατεκάῃ, and the 
third part of the earth was burnt up. Some authori- 
ties omit the next clause.] The /and was wasted ; 
the ¢rees—the chiefs of the nation—were destroyed ; 
and the grass—the common people—slain, or carried 
into captivity. High and low, rich and poor, were 


overwhelmed with one general destruction. This 
seems to be the meaning of these figures. Many 


Amos 7. 4.—p Chap. 16. 3—dq Ezek. 14. 19. 
—r Chap. 16. 3. xIsa. 14. 12; chap. 9 1.—7Chap. 16. 4 
—uRuth 1. 20. ® Exod, 15. 23; Jer. 9. 15; 23. 15.— vw Isa. 
13. 10; mings 9.——a: Chap. 14. 6; 19. 17, 


over. 51. 25; 


eminent men suppose that the irruption of the bar- 
barous nations on the Roman empire is here in- 
tended. It is easy to find coincidences when fancy 
runs riot. Later writers might find here the irrup- 
tion of the Austrians and British, and Prussians, 
Russians and Cossacks, on the French empire! 

8. A great mountain burning with fire—Sup- 
posed to signify the powerful nations which invaded 


the Roman empire. ‘ Mountain,’ in prophetic 
language, signifies a Aingdom. (Jer. li, 25, 27, 30, 
58.) Great disorders, especially when kingdoms 


are moved by hostile invasions, are represented by 
mountains being cast into the midst of the sea. 
(Psa. xlvi, 2.) Seas and collections of waters mean 
peoples, as is shown in this book, cLapter xvii, 15. 
Therefore, great commotions in kingdoms and 
among their inhabitants may be here intended, but 
to whom, where, and when these happened, or are 
to happen, we know not. The third part of the 
sea became blood—<Another allusion to the 
Egyptian plagues. (Exod. vii, 20, 21.) “ Third 
part” is a rabbinism, expressing a considerable 
number. 

9. The third part of the ships were de- 
stroyed—These judgments seem to be poured out 
upon some maritime nation, destroying much of its 
population and much of its ‘traffic. 

10, There fell a great star from heaven— 
This has given rise to various conjectures. Some 
say the star means Attila and his Huns; others, 
Genseric with his Vandals falling on the city of 
Rome ; others, Eleazer, the son of Annus, spurn- 
ing the emperor’s victims, and exciting the fury of 
the Zealots; others, Arius, infecting the pure 
Christian doctrine with his heresy, ete., ete. It 
certainly cannot mean a// these; and probably none 
of them. Let the reader judge. 

11. The star is called Wormwood—o called 
from the bitter or distressing effects produced by 
its influence. 

12. The third part of the sun was smitten 

.. moon, ... stars—Supposed by some to mean 
Rome, -with her senates, consuls, ete., eclipsed by 
Odoacer, king of the Heruli, and Theodoric, king 
of the Ostrogoths, in the fifth century. But all 
this is uncertain. 

13. I... heard an angel flying—Instead of 

597 


A.M. 4100, A.D, 90. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


Joud voice, ἡ Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters 
of the earth by reason of the other voices of 
the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet 
to sound! 
CHAPTER IX. 
ND the fifth angel sounded, ?and I saw 
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: 

and to him was given the key of 'the bottom- 
less pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless 
pit; ¢and there arose a smoke out of the pit, 
as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun 


and the air were darkened by reason of the. 


smoke of the pit. ὦ And there came out of 
the smoke “locusts upon the earth: and unto 
them was given power, ¢as the scorpions of the 

earth have power. 4 And it was commanded 


REVELATION. 


The fifth angel sounds. 
which follow. 


Effects 


them ‘that they should not hurt ¢the grass of 
the earth, neither any green thing, neither any 
tree; but only those men which have not "the 
seal of God in their foreheads. 6 And to 
them it was given that they should not kill 
them, ‘but that they should be tormented five 
months: and their torment zas as the torment 
of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 
6 And in those days «shall men seek death, 
and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, 
and death shall flee from them. % And 'the 
shapes of the locusts were like unto horses pre- 
pared unto battle; ™and on their heads were 
as it were crowns like gold, "and their faces 
were as the faces of men. And they had 
hair as the hair of women, and °their teeth 


Sie rae ane 10. 18; chap. 8, 10.— 0?” Luke 
20. 1.—c Joel 2, 2, 10. —d Exod. 
~ Chap. 6. 6.657 7. 3.— 9 Chup: 


y Chap. 9, 12 
; Verses 2, i1: ch: up. 17.8 ὃ 
Judg. 7. 12. 


8.3 
10. Ὁ 


8. 7.—h 566 Exod, 12. 23; 
chap. 11. 7.—A Job 3, 911 
ὦ Joel 2. 4.—2 Nah. 8. 11. 


: Ezek. 9. 4; chap. 7. 3.—7Z Verse 10; 
Isa. 2.19; Jer 8,3: chap. 6. i— 
m Dan. 7. 8.——o Joel i. 6. 


ἄγγελον πετωμένου, an Sao. almost every 
MS. and Version of note has ἀετοῦ πετωμένου, an 


eagle flying. The “eagle” was the symbol of the 
Romans, and was always on their ensigns. The 


three woes which are here expressed were probably 
to be executed by this people, and upon the Jews 
and their commonwealth. Taken in this sense the 
symbols appear consistent and appropriate; and 
the reading eagle instead of angel is undoubtedly 
genuine. [The absolute want of any thing ap- 
proaching to agreement among even the ablest, 
most scholarly, and discreet commentators respect- 
ing these visions of the trumpets renders quite 
hopeless any attempt to find among them a proba- 
Hf solution of the mysteries here set forth.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. 

[Chapters ix-xi. (The last three, the woe trum- 
pets.) These, as well as the first four, have a char- 
acter of their own, corresponding in some meas- 
ure to that of the visions at the opening of the 
three last seals. The particulars related under 
them are separate and detailed, not symmetrical 
and correspondent. And as in the seals, so here, 
the seventh forms rather the solemn conclusion 
to the whole than a distinct judgment of itself. 
Here also, as there, it is introduced by two episod- 
ical passages, having reference to the visions which 
are to follow, and which take up the thread of 
prophecy again at a period previous to things de- 
tailed before.— Alford. | 

1. A star fall from heaven—An angel encom- 
passed with light suddenly descended, and seemed 
like a “star” falling from heaven. (See Isaiah 
xiv, 12.) The key of the bottomless pit— 
Power to inundate the earth with a flood of tem- 
poral calamities and moral evils. (?) 

2. He opened the bottomless pit—To φρέαρ 
τῆς ἀβύσσου, the pit of the abyss. Some think the 
angel means Satan, and the bottomless pit hell. 
Some suppose Mohammed is meant; and Signior 
Pastorini professes to believe that Luther is in- 
tended! There arose a smoke—False doctrine, 
Ὁ ΕΠ the true light of heaven. (9) 

Locusts — Vast hordes of military troops. 
The description which follows certainly agrees bet- 
ter with the Saracens than with any other people 
or nation, but may also apply to the Romans. As 
the scorpions of the earth have power—Name- 
ly, to hurt men by stinging them. Scorpions may 
signify archers; and hence the description has been 

598 


applied to Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, who 
had many archers in his army. 

4. They should not hurt the grass—Neither 
the common people, the men of middling condition, 
nor the nobles. However, this appears rather to 
refer to the prudent counsels of a military chief, 
not to destroy the crops and herbage of which they 
might have need in theircampaigns. Which have 
not the 5681 of God—All false, hypocritical, and 
heterodox Christians. 

5. To them it was given—That is, they were 
permitted. That they should be tormented 
five months—HSome take these months literally, 
and apply them to the conduct of the Zealots, who, 
from May to September, in the year of the siege, 
produced dreadful contests among the people; or 
to the afflictions brought upon the Jews by Cestius 
Gallus when he came against Jerusalem, before 
which he lay one whole summer, or nearly five 
months. (See Josephus, Bell. Jud., 1. ii, e. 19.) 
Others consider the ‘‘months” as being propheti- 
cal months, each day being reckoned for a year; 
therefore this period must amount to one hundred 
and fifty years, counting thirty days for each month, 
as was the general custom of the Asiatics. [Pro- 
phetical arithmetic and chronology are especially 
uncertain.| Their torment was as the torment 
of a scorpion—The phraseology here is peculiar, 
and probably refers to the warlike weapon called a 
‘““ scorpion,” (that is, a poisoned arrow,) several of 
which, or men armed with them, Cestius Gallus 
brought with him in his army. 

6. In those days shall men seek death—So 
distressing shall be their sufferings “and torment 
that they ‘shall long for death in any form, to be 
rescued from the evils of life. 

7. The locusts were like unto horses—This 
description of the locusts appears to be taken from 
Joel ii, 4. The whole of this symbolical description 
of an overwhelming military force agrees very well 
with the troops of Mohammed. ‘The Arabs are the 
most expert horsemen in the world; they live so 
much on horseback that the horse and his rider 
seem to make but one animal. The Romans also 
were eminent for their cavalry. Crowns like 
gold—Not only alluding to their costly tiaras or 
turbans, but to the extent of their conquests and 
the multitude of powers which they subdued. 
Their faces were as the faces of men—That is, 
though locusts symbolically, they are really men. 

8. Hair as the hair of women—No razor 


The sixth angel sounds. Effects 
which follow. 


CHAPTER IX. 


A. M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had 
- breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; 
and the sound of their wings was Pas the sound 
of chariots of many horses running to battle. 
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, 
and there were stings in their tails: 4 and their 
power was to hurt men five months. ΕΠ τ And 
they had a king over them, which is * the angel 
of the bottomless pit, whose name in the He- 
brew tongue 7s Abaddon, but in the Greek 
tongue hath Ads name t Apollyon. £2 “One 
woe is past; and, behold, there come two 
woes more hereafter. ἘΦ And the sixth 
angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the 
four horns of the golden altar which is before 
God, #4 Saying to the sixth angel which had 
the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are 
bound ‘in the great pares Euphrates. 15 And 
the four angels. were loosed, which were pre- 


Mp Joel 2. 5, 6, 7.—¢@ Verse 5.-—7 Eph. 2. 2.—-s Verse 1.— 
ΠΡΟ is to say, A destroyer. —wChap. 8. 13. v Chap, 
6. 12. 


pared “for an hour, and a day, and a month, 
and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 
16 And *the number of the army Σ οὗ the 
horsemen were two hundred thousand thou- 
sand: #and I heard the number of them. 
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, 
and them that sat on them, having breastplates 
of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: *and 
the heads of the horses were as the heads of 
lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and 
smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was 
the third part of men killed, by the fire, and 
by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which 
issued out of their mouths. 2&9 For their 
power is in their mouth, and in their tails: 
‘for their tails were like unto serpents, and 
had heads, and with them they do hurt. 
20 And the rest of the men which were ποῦ 
killed by these plagues © yet repented not of 


wOr, at. —@7 Psa. 68. 17; 
2Chip. 7 
ὁ Deut, = 


Dan. 7. 10. — y Ezek, 38. 4.— 
Oe ae is a 12. 8; Isa. ὃ. 28, 29. ——b Isa, 9, 15, — 


passes upon their flesh. Their hair long, and their 
beards unshaven. Their teeth were as the 
teeth of lions—They are ferocious and cruel. 

9. They had breastplates ... of iron—They 
seemed to be invuinerable, for no force availed 
against them. The sound of their wings—Their 
hanging weapons and military trappings, with the 
clang of their shields and swords when they make 
their fierce onsets. (See Joel ii, 5-7.) 

10. They had tails like unto scorpions— 
This may refer to the consequences of their vic- 
tories. They infected the conquered with their 
pernicious doctrines. Their power was to hurt 
men five months—The locusts make their prin- 
cipal ravages during the five summer months. 
But probably these may be prophetic months, as 
above, in verse 5—150 years. 

11. A king over them—A supreme head; 
some think Mohammed, some think Vespasian. 
The angel of the bottomless pit—The ciief en- 
voy of Satan. Abaddon—aA destroyer. Apollyon 
—From az ὃ, intensive, and ὁλλύω, to destroy. The 
meaning is the s same both in Hebrew and Greek. 

12. One woe is past—That is, the woe or deso- 
lation by the symbolical scorpions. There come 
two woes more—In the trumpets of the sixth 
and seventh angels. 

13. The four horns of the golden altar— 
This is another not very obscure indication that the 
Jewish temple was yet standing. 

14. Loose the four angels—These four angels, 
bound, or hitherto restrained, in the Euphrates— 
are by some supposed to be the Arabs, the Sara- 
cens, the Tartars, or the Turks; by others, Ves- 
pasian’s four generals, one in Arabia, one in 
Africa, one in Alexandria, and one in Palestine. 

15. For an hour, and a day, and a month, 
and a year—We have in this place a year re- 
solved into its component parts. Probably 
more is meant than that these four angels were at 
all times prepared and permitted to inflict evil on 
the people against whom they had received their 
commission. There are some who understand these 
divisions of time as prophetical periods, and to 
these I must refer, not professing to discuss such 
uncertainties. 


two hundred millions ; an army that was never vet 
got together from the foundation of the world, and 
could not find forage in any part of the earth. 
Perhaps it only means vast numbers, multitudes 
without number. Such a number might be literal- 
ly true of the locusts. Those who will have their 
particular system supported by the images in this 
most obscure book tell us that the number here 
means all the soldiers that were employed in this 


war, from its commencement to its end! Those 
who can receive this saying let them receive it. 


7. Breastplates of fire, ... jacinth, and brim- 
stone—That is, red, blue, and yellow; the first is 
the colour of jive, the second of jacinth, and the 
third of su/phur. And the heads of the horses— 
Is this an allegorical description of great ord- 
nanee: cannons, on the mouths of which horses’ 
heads were formed, or the mouth of the cannon cast 
in that form? Fre,...smoke, ... brimstone, 
is a good allegorical representation of gunpowder. 
The Ottomans made great use of heavy artillery in 
their wars with the Greeks of the lower empire. 

18. By these three was the third part of 
men killed—That is, by tliese was great carnage 
made. 

19. Their power is in their mouth—From 
these the destructive balls are projected; and in 
their tails, the breech where the charge of gun- 
powder is lodged. Their tails were like unto 
serpents, and had heads—If cannons are in- 
tended, the description, though allegorical, is plain 
enough; for brass ordnance especially are fre- 
quently thus ornamented, both at their muzzles and 
at their breech. 

20, Yet repented not—The commission which 
these horsemen had was against idolaters; and 
though multitudes of them were destroyed, yet the 
residue continued their senseless attachment to 
dumb idols, and therefore heavier judgments might 
be expected. These things are supposed to refer 
to the desolation brought upon the Greek Church 
by the Ottomans, who entirely ruined that Church 
and the Greek empire. The Church which was 
then remaining was the Latin or Western Church, 
which was not at all corrected by the judgments 
which fell upon the Eastern Church, but continued 


16. Two hundred thousand thousand—Aic | its senseless adoration of angels, saints, relics, etc., 


μυριάδες μυριάδων, two myriads of myriaas; that is,|and does so to the present day. It, 


therefore- 
399 


A. M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


REVELATION. 


A mighty angel with a little 
‘book in his hand. 


the works of their hands, that they should not 
worship "devils, °and idols of goid, and silver, 
and brass, and stone, and of wood; which 
neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 28 Nei- 
ther repented they of their murders, rnor of 
their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of 
their thefts. 
CHAPTER X. 
ND I saw another mighty angel come 
down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: 
‘and a rainbow was upon his head, and ’his 
face was as it were the sun, and chis feet as 
pillars of fire: 2 And he had in his hand a 
little book open: 4and he set his right foot 
upon the sea, and Ais left foot on the earth, 
8 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion 
roareth:: and when he had cried, ¢seven thun- 
ders uttered their voices. 4 And when the 
mLev. 17. 7; Deut. 32. Psa. 106. 37; 1 Cor. 10. 20. 


o Psa. 11d. 4; 135. 15: Dan. 5. 23. p Chap. 22. 15.—da Ezek. 
1, 28.—D Matt. 17. 2; chap. 1. 16.—c Chap. 1. 15. 


17: 
a. 


seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was 
about to write: and I heard a voice from 
heaven saying unto me, ‘Seal up those things 
which the seven thunders uttered, and write 
them not. & And the angel which I saw 
stand upon the sea and upon the earth ¢ lifted 
up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him 
that liveth for ever and ever, ® who created 
heaven, and the things that therein are, and 
the earth, and the things that therein are, 
and the sea, and the things which are therein, 
‘that there should be time no longer. 7 But 
kin the days of the voice of the seventh angel, 
when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of 
God should be finished, as he hath declared to 
his servants the prophets. ® And 'the voice 
which I heard from heaven spake unto me 
again, and said, Go and take the little book 


d Matt. 28. 18. ——e Chap. 8. 5. 7 Dan. 8, 26; 12. 4,9,— 
gq Exod, 6. 8; Dan. 12. 7.—-h Neh. 9. 6; chap. 4.11; 14. 7.—— 
ὁ Dan. 12. 7; chap. 16. 17.—— Chap. 11. 15.—Z Verse 4. 


God’s wrath be kindled against such, this Church 
has much to fear. 

21. Neither repented they of their mur- 
ders—Their cruelties toward the genuine follow- 
ers of God, the Albigenses, and Waldenses, [and 
Lollards,] and others, against whom they published 
crusades, and hunted them down, and butchered 
them in the most shocking manner. The innumer- 
able murders by the horrible inquisition need not 
be mentioned. Their sorceries—Those who apply 
this also to the Romish Church understand by it 
the various tricks, sleights of hand, or legerdemain, 
by which they impose on the common people in 
causing images of Chiist to bleed, and the various 
pretended miracles wrought at the tombs, ete., of 
pretended saints, holy wells, and such like. Forni- 
cation—Giving that honour to various creatures 
which is due only to the Creator. Their thefts— 
Their exactions and impositions on men for in- 
dulgences, pardons, ete. These things may be in- 
tended, but it is going too far to say that this is 
the true interpretation. [The character of these 
sins (named in verse 21) points out very plainly 
who are the sufferers by this sixth, or second woe- 
trumpet, and the survivors who do not repent. We 
are taught by St. Paul that the heathen are with- 
out excuse for degrading the majesty of God into 
an image made like unto corruptible things, and 
for degenerating into gross immoralities in spite 
of God’s testimony given through the natural con- 
science, Nor will these terrible inflictions 
themselves bring those to repentance who shall 
ultimately reject the Gospel which shall be preached 
among all nations... . We are not yet dealing 
with the apostasy and fornication within the Church 
herself.—A/ford.| [All the attempts that have 
been made to construct an historical interpretation 
of these visions (and their name is Lreron) in- 
variably break down when submitted to any 
properly rational tests. They are indeed, as to 
their purposes, attempts to be ‘ wise above what 
is written,” and’ as to their results, “ darkening 
counsel by words without knowledge.” ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER X. 

[Two episodes, that of the “ Little Book,” (chapter 
x, 2,) and that of “ Measuring the Temple,” (chapter 
xi, 1-13,) now separate the end of the sixth from 
the beginning of the seventh trumpet-vision, (chap- 

600 


ter ix, 21 ; xi, 15,) just as the two episodes of chap- 
ter vii, 4, 9. separate the sixth and seventh seals. 
The relation of this tenth chapter to the general 
drift of the Vision is more difficult to discern. 
—Speaker’s Com.] [The tenth chapter of Revela- 
tion presents a succession of highly sublime images, 
but its prophetic or symbolical import has effec- 
tually baffled all the attempts of learned commen- 
tators to find them out. } 

1. Another mighty angel—Hither Christ or his 
representative. Clothed with a cloud—A sym- 
bol of the divine majesty. A rainbow was upon 
his head—The token of God’s merciful covenant 
with mankind. His face was as it were the 
sun—So intensely glorious that it could not be 
looked on. His feet as pillars of fire—To de- 
note the rapidity and energy of his motions, and 
the stability of his counsels. 

2. A little book open—Meaning probably some 
design of God long concealed, but now about to be 
made manifest. But who knows what it means? 
His right foot upon the sea, and his left... 
on the earth—To show that he had the command 
of each, and that his power was universal, all things 
being under his feet. 

3. Seven thunders—Seven being a number of 
perfection, it may here mean many great, loud, and 
strong peals of thunder, accompanied with distinct 
voices; but what was said St. John was not per- 
mitted to reveal. (Verse 4.) 

5. Lifted up his hand to heaven—As one 
making an appeal to the Supreme Being. 

6. By him that liveth for ever and ever— 
The eternal, self-existent Jehovah. That there 
should be time no longer—That the great coun- 
sels relative to the events already predicted should 
be immediately fulfilled. This has no reference to 
the day of judgment. [No more delay. | 

7. The mystery of God should be finished— 
What this “mystery” refers to who knows? Nor 
have we more knowledge concerning the sounding 
of the seventh angel. On these points there is 
little agreement among learned men. Whether it 
mean the destruction of Jerusalem, or the destruc- 
tion of the papal power, or something else, we know 
not. Declared to his servants the prophets— 
It is most likely, therefore, that this trumpet belongs 
to the Jewish State. 


8. Take the little book which is open — 


The order to measure the temple, 
The two witnesses, 


which is open in the hand of the angel which 
_standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 
9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto 
lim, Give me the little book. And he said 
unto me, ™ Take ἐξ, and eat it up; and it shall 
make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy 
mouth sweet as honey. 49 And I took the 
little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it 
up; “and it was in my mouth sweet as honey : 
and as soon as I had eaten it, °mmy belly was 
bitter. 18. And he said unto me, Thou must 
prophesy again before many peoples, and na- 
tions, and tongues, and kings. 


CHAPTER XI. 
ND there was given me *a reed like unto 
a rod: and the angel stood, saying, ἡ Kise, 
und measure the temple of God, and the altar, 
and them that worship therein. 2 But ¢the 
court which is without the temple 4leave out, 


m Jer. 15. 16: Ezek. 2. 8; 3. 1, 2, 3.—n Ezek. 3, 3.—o Ezek. 
9, 10.—a Ezek. 40. 3, etc. : Zech. 2.1; chap. 21. 15. ᾧ Nun. 
23. 18. ὁ Ezek, 40. 17, 20.—d Gr. cast out,—e Vsa. 79. 13 
Luke 21. 24.—/Dan, 8 10.—g Chap. 13. 5.—A Or, J will 
give unto my two witnesses thut they may prophesy. 


CHAPTER X. 


A, M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, +49. 


and measure it not; ¢for it is given unto the 
Gentiles: and the holy city shall they ‘tread 
under foot ¢forty and two months. % And*I 
will give power unto my two | witnesses, * and 
they shall prophesy !a thousand two hundred 
and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 
4M These are the "two olive trees, and the two 
‘andlesticks standing before the God of the 
earth. & And if any man will hurt them, 
"fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and de- 
voureth their’enemies: °and if any man will 
hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 
6 These Phave power to shut heaven, that it 
rain not in the days of their prophecy: and 
ahave power over waters to turn them to 
blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, 
as often as they will. % And when they 
shall have finished their testimony, * the beast 
that ascendeth ‘ out of the bottomless pit ¥ shall 
inake war against them, and shall overcome 


4 Chap. 20. 4.—Zs Chap. 19. 10, —Z7 Chap, 12. 6.—7 Psa. 52. 
8: Jer. 11. 16: Zech. 4. 3, 11, 14.—v 2 Kings 1. 10,12; Jer. 1.105 
5. 14: Ezek. 43. 3: Hos. 6. 5.—e Num, 16. 29.—p 1 Kings, 17. 
1: James ἢ. 16, 17.—g Exod. 7. 19.—r Luke 13. 32. —a Chap. 
13. 1, 11; 17. 8.—?t Chap. 9. 2.—uw Dun. 7. 21; Zech. 14. 2, 


Learn from this angel what should be published to 
the world. 

9. Take it, and eat it up—Tully comprehend 
its meaning ; study it thoroughly. 

10. It was in my mouth sweet as honey— 
There was in it some pleasing, some unpleasing, in- 
telligence. Lread of the consolations and protection 
of the true worshippers of God, and did rejoice ; I 
read of the persecutions of the Church, and was 
distressed. ; 

11. Thou must prophesy again—Thou must 
write not only for the instruction of the Jews in 
Palestine, but of those in the different provinces, as 
well as the heathens and heathen emperors and 
potentates in general. 

The reader will find, on comparing this chapter 
with Dan. viii and xii, and Ezek. ii and iii, that 
there are several things similar in both; and the 
writer of the Apocalypse appears to keep these two 
prophets continually in view. I must once more 
say that I do not understand these prophecies, 
therefore I do not take upon me to explain them. 
The word χρόνος, (time,) in verse 6, seems to signify 
delay simply, and probably refers to the long-suffer- 
ing of God being ended in reference to Jerusalem ; 
for I all along take for probable that this book was 
written previously to the destruction of that city. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XI. 

[St. John, having taken rank after his new con- 
secration (chapter x, 11) among the prophets of 
the former covenant, now proceeds to perform a 
symbolical action such as we read of in their case. 
(See Isa. xx, 2; Jer. xix, 1.)—Speaker’s Com.] 

1. And there was given me a reed—See 
Ezek. xl, 3, etc. Measure the temple of God— 
This must refer to the temple of Jerusalem; and 
this is another presumptive evidence that it was yet 
standing. 

2. But the court...is given unto the Gen- 
tiles—The measuring of the temple perhaps refers 
to its approaching destruction, and the termination 
of the whole Levitical service; and this we find 
was to be done by the Gentiles, (Romans,) who 
were to tread it down forty-two months: that is, 


just three years and a haif, or twelve hundred and 
sixty days. This must be a symbolical period. 

3. My two witnesses—This is extremely ob- 
scure; the conjectures of interpreters are as un- 
satisfactory as they are endless on this point. 
Those who wish to be amused or bewildered [or 
who delight in solemn trifling] mav have recourse 
both to ancients and moderns on this subject. 

4. These are the two olive trees — This 
whole account seems taken from Zech. iv, 1-14. 
Whether the prophet and the apostle mean the 
same things by these emblems we know not. 

5. Fire proceedeth out of their mouth— 
That is, these “two witnesses” are commissioned 
to denounce the judgments of God against all who 
would attempt to prevent them from proceeding in 
their ministry. 

6. These have power to shut heaven—dAs 
Elijah did. (1 Kings xvii and xviii.) To turn 
them to blood—As Moses did. (Exod. vii.) They 
shall have power to afflict the land with plagues, 
similar to those which were inflicted on the Egyp- 
tians. 

4. The beast that ascendeth out of the bot- 
tomless pit—This may be what is called anti- 
christ; some power that is opposed to genuine 
Christianity. But what or whence, except from 
the bottomless pit, that is, under the influence and 
appointment of the devil, we cannot tell; nor do we 
know by what name this power or being should be 
called. The conjectures concerning the “two wit- 
nesses ” and “the beast ” have been sufficiently mul- 
tiplied. If the whole passage, as some think, refer 
to the persecution raised by the Jews against the 
Christians, then some Jewish power or person is 
the “beast” from the “bottomless pit.” If it 
refer to the early ages of Christianity, then “the 
beast”? may be one of the persecuting heathen 
emperors. If it refer to a later age of Christianity, 
then “the beast” may be the papal power, and the 
Albigenses and Waldenses the two witnesses, which 
were nearly extinguished by the horrible persecu- 
tions raised up against them by the Church of 
Rome. Whatever may be here intended, the earth 
has not yet covered their bl8od. 

601 


A. M. 4109, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


them, and kill them. $ And their dead bodies 
shill lie in the street of ‘the great city, which 
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, ἡ where 
also our Lord was crucified. 9 * And they οὗ 
the people and kindreds and tongues and na- 
tions shall see their dead bodies three d: ays and 
a half, yand shall not suffer their dead bodies 
to be put in graves. 0 2 And they that dwell 
upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and 
make merry, *and shall send gifts one to an- 
other ; "because these two prophets tormented 
them that dwelt on the earth. ΑΗ “ And after 
three days and a half 4the Spirit of life from 
God entered into them, and they stood upon 
their feet; and great fear fell upon them which 
saw them. £2 And they heard a great voice 


from heaven saying unto them, Come up 
hither. e¢And they ascended up to heaven 


fin a cloud; ¢and their enemies beheld them. 
1: And the same hour "was there a great 
earthquake, ‘and the tenth part of the city 
fell, and in the earthquake were slain * of men 


REVELATION. 


The seventh trumpet sounded. 
Rejoicings which follow. 


and the remnant were af- 
frighted, 'and gave glory to the God of heav- 
en. 144 ™The second woe is past; and, be- 
hold, the third woe cometh sens ἘΦ And 
"the seventh angel sounded; °and there were 
great voices in heaven, saying, P The kingdoms 
of this world are become the kingdoms of our 
Lord, and of his Christ; 4and he shall reign 
for ever and ever. &6 And ‘the four and 
twenty elders, which sat before God on their 
seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped 
God, 8% Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord 
God Almighty, 5 which art, and wast, and art 
to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy 
great power, tand hast reigned. ES «And the 
nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, 
vand the time of the dead, that they should be 


seven thousand: 


judged, and that thou shouldest give reward 


unto thy servants the prophets, and to the 
saints, and them that fear thy name, “small 
and great; * and shouldest destroy them which 
y destroy the earth. £9 And τίμα temple of 


@ Chap. 14. 8; 17.1, δ: 18. 10. 


ao Heb. 13. 12; ae 18, 24. 
a Chap. 17. 15. 


y Psa, 79, 2,3.—z2 Chap. 12. 12 Σὲ ΞΕ 
a Esth. 9. 19, 22. 4 Chap. 16. 10.—e Verse 9. == Baek. aie 
5,9, 10. 14. 6158. 14. 133 chap. 12. 5.—/Isa. 60. 8; Acts 1. 9. 
q 2 Kings 2. 1, 5, 7. ἢ Chap. 6. 12. 4Chap. 16. 19. 
k Gr. nunies of men, chap. ὃ. 4. 


7Josh. 7.19; chap. 14. 73 
n Chap. 10.7. aca ἢ ὃ: 
12. 10, q Dan. 2. 41: 


APS los 9. 1 2 1 19: he 
Bie 16.175; 19. 6. Sb Chi ip. 
14, 18, 27 —~+ Chap. 4. 4: 8; 19. 4. 


sChap. 1. 4,8: 4.8; "10. Ds t Chap. 19, pie oa Were 2, 9. 
Chap. 19. 5.—de Chap. 3. 
10; 18. 6.—vy Or, corrupt —z Chap. 17). δὲ Ὁ. 


8. The great city—Some say Rome, which 
may be spiritually called Sodom for its abomina- 
tions ; 
place where our Lord was crucified, because 
of its persecution of the members of Christ; but 
Jerusalem itself may be intended. All these things 
I must leave to others. 

9. Shall not suffer their dead bodies to be 
put in graves—Refusal of burial to the dead was 
allowed to be the sum of brutality and cruelty. In 


popish lands they will not suffer a Protestant to 
have Christian burial, or to have a grave in a 


churehyard. 

10. Shall send gifts—See Esther ix, 19, 22. 

11. They stood upon their feet-—Were re- 
stored to their primitive state. 

12. They ascended up to heaven—Enjoyed 
a state of great peace and happiness. 

13. A great earthquake—Violent commotions 
among the persecutors, and revolutions of states. 
Slain of men seven thousand—Many perished in 
these popular commotions. The remnant were 
affrighted—Seeing the hand of God’s judgments 
so remarkably stretched out. Gave glory—Re- 
ceived the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and glori- 
fied God for his Judgments and their conversion. 

14. The second woe is past—That which took 
place under the sixth trumpet, and has been already 
described. The third woe cometh—Is about to 
be described under the seventh trampet, which the 
angel is now prepared to sound. Of i three woes 
which were denounced, (chapter viii, 18,) the first is 
described in chapter ix, 1-12; the second, in chap- 
ter ix, 13-21. These woes are supposed by many 
learned men to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
The first woe—the seditions among the Jews them- 
selves. The second woe—the besieging of the city 
by the Romans. The third woe—the taking and 
sacking of the city, and burning the temple. This 
was the greatest of all the woes, as init the city and 
temple were destroyed, and nearly a million of men 
lost their lives. 

602 


Egypt for its tyrannous cruelty; and the | 


15. There were great voices in heaven—All 
the heavenly host—angels and redeemed human 
spirits—joined together to magnify God that he had 
utterly discomfited his enemies, and rendered his 
friends glorious. This will be truly the case when 
the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms 
of God and of his Christ. But when shall this be? 
Some say, what is meant by these words has al- 
ready taken place in the destruction of the Jewish 
State, and sending the Gospel throughout the Gen- 
tile world. Others say, that it refers to the millen- 
nium, and to the consummation of all things. [Re- 
specting both of these events there is a remarkable 
disproportion between what is really found in the 
Scriptures and what is commonly, but ignorantly, 
believed. ] 

16. The four and twenty elders—The repre- 
sentatives of the universal Church of Christ. (See 
on ae v, 8-10.) 

. O Lord God Almighty, which art—This 
are a proper view of God in his eternity; all ¢imes 
are here comprehended, the present, the past, and 
the future. This is the infinitude of God. Hast 
taken to thee—Thou hast exercised that power 
which thou ever hast; and thou hast broken the 
power of thy enemies and exalted thy Church. 

18. The nations were angry—Were enraged 
against thy Gospel, and determined to destroy it. 
Thy wrath is come—The time to avenge thy 
servants and to destroy all thy enemies. The time 
of the dead, that they should be judged—The 
word κρίνειν, to judge, is often used in the sense of 
to avenge. “The dead,” here, may mean those who 
were slain for the testimony of Jesus, and the judg- 
ing is the avenging of their blood. Give reward 
unto thy servants—Who have been faithful unto 
death. The prophets—The faithful teachers in 
the Church. The saints—The Christians. And 
them that fear thy name—All thy sincere fol- 
lowers. Destroy them which destroy the earth 
—The authors and encouragers of bloody wars. 

19. The temple of God was opened in 


The temple of God opened in heaven, 
Two great wonders appear. 


CHAPTER XI. 


A.M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


God was opened in heaven, and there was seen 
in his temple the ark of his testament: and 
Pthere were lightnings, and voices, and thun- 
derings, and an earthquake, 4and great hail. 


CHAPTER XII. 
ND there appeared a great *wonder in 


p Chap. 8.5; 16.18.—g Chap. 16. 21.—a Or, sign.——b Isa. 66. 


heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and 
the moon under her feet, and upon her head 
a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she be- 
ing with child eried, *travailing in birth, and 
pained to be delivered. % And there appeared 
another «wonder in heaven; and behold ¢a 
great red dragon, * having seven heads and ten 


7: Gal. 4. 19.——e Or, sign.——d Chap. 17. 3.—e Chap. 17. 9,10. 


heaven—The true worship of God was established 
and performed in the Christian Church ; this is the 
true temple, that at Jerusalem being doomed. 
And there were lightnings, and voices, and 
thunderings, and an earthquake, and great 
hail—These great commotions were intended to 
introduce the following vision; for the 12th 
chapter is properly a continuation of the 11th, 
and should be read in strict connexion with it. 

[We must call to mind that all here is symbol. 
The temple of God on earth was a pattern of the 
heavenly one, as conceived of by the Jews. (Heb. 
viii, 1-15.) In this temple the ark of the covenant 
was deposited in the most hoiy place, and none but 
the high priest, once in a year, on the great day of 
atonement, was permitted to see or approach it. 
When the Saviour expired, the veil that concealed 
the most holy place was rent, (Matt. xxvii, 51,) 
thus indicating the end of the ancient dispensation. 
Here is another symbol expressing still more signifi- 
cantly that Judaism is now at its close. No longer 
is the ritual of the temple to be kept up. Even 
the most holy place is thrown open to the eyes of 
all. God is now to be approached by every spirit- 
ual worshipper for himself in the name of the 
great High Priest, the minister of the sanctuary 
above. (Heb. viii, 2; ix, 8.)—Stwart.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 


I now come to a part of this book that is deemed 
of the greatest importance by the Protestant 
Church, but is peculiarly difficult and obscure. 1 
have often acknowledged my own incapacity to 
illustrate these prophecies. I might have availed 
myself Of the labours of others, but I know not 
who is right; or whether any of the writers on 
this book have hit the sense is more than I can 
assert, and more than I think. An illustration of 
the xiith, xiiith, and xviith chapters, drawn up and 
displayed with great industry and learning by 
another hand, I shall insert in this place, as by far 
the most probable I have yet seen; but I leave the 
learned author responsible for his own particular 
views of the subject. 

Before I introduce that comment, I think it 
necessury to state that the phraseology (and 
imagery) of the whole chapter is peculiarly rab- 
binical. 


Notes oN Cuapter XII, spy J. E. C. 


1. There appeared a great wonder in 
heaven; a woman clothed with the sun— 
That the woman here represents the true Chureh 
of Christ most commentators are agreed. In other 
parts of the Apocalypse, the pure Church of Christ 
is evidently portrayed by a woman. (See chapter 
xix, 7; xxi, 9.) That the Christian Church is meant 
will appear also from her being ‘clothed with the 
sun,” a striking emblem of Jesus Christ, the Sun 
of righteousness, the light and glory of the Church ; 
for the countenance of the Son of God is as the sun 
shineth in his strength. The woman has the moon 


under her feet—Bishop Newton understands this 
of the Jewish typical worship. The moon is the 
less light, ruling over the night, and deriving all its 
illumination from the sun; so the Jewish dispen- 
sation was the moonlight of the world, and pos- 
sessed a portion of the glorious light of the Gospel; 
and as at the rising of the sun the lunar light is no 
longer necessary, so has the whole Jewish system 
of types and shadows been superseded by the birth, 
life, crucifixion, death, resurrection, ascension, and 
intercession of Jesus Christ. A crown of twelve 
stars—A significant representation of the twelve 
apostles. (See chapter i, 20.) 

2. And she being with child cried, travail- 
ing in birth, etc.—This is a striking figure of the 
persecutions which the Church of Christ should 
suffer under the heathen Roman emperors, more 
especially that under Diocletian. The woman is 
represented as “being with child,” to show that the 
time would speedily arrive when God’s patient for- 
bearance with the heathen would be terminated, 
and that a deliverer should arise in the Christian 
world who would execute the divine vengeance 
upon paganism. 

3. There appeared another wonder ...a 
great red dragon—The dragon is a symbol of the 
HEATHEN Roman empire. This great pagan power 
must have, therefore, been thus represented from 
the religion which it supported. As the dragon is an 
entirely fabulous beast of antiquity, so the very 
foundation of the heathen religious system is built 
upon fable. In the eighth chapter of Daniel, God 
has fepresented the kingdom of the Greeks by a 
he goat, because that was the national military 
standard of the Grecian monarchy ; and for a like 
reason the pagan Roman empire is called a 
DRAGON, for the “dragon” was the principal 
standard of the Romans next to the eagle, in the 
second, third, fourth, and fifth centuries of the 
Christian era. Having seven heads—a<s thie 
“dragon” is an emblem of the heathen Roman 
power, its “heads” must denote heathen forms of 
government, (See on chapter xvii, 10.) These 
were exactly “seven,” as enumerated by Tacitus, 
namely: 1) The regal power; 2) The consulate; 
3) The dictatorship ; 4) The decemvirate ; 5) The 
consular power of the military tribunes; 6) The 
triumvirate; and, 7) The imperial government. 
And ten horns—As the “ten horns” of Daniel's 
fourth beast point out as many kingdoms, so the 
horns of the dragon have a similar meaning. And 
although the Roman empire was not divided into 
several independent kingdoms till a considerable 
time after it became Christian, yet it was the Roman 
monarchy, in is seventh Draconic form of govern- 
ment, which was dismembered by the barbarians. 
And when the heathen barbarous nations di- 
vided the Roman empire among themselves. they 
might very properly be denominated horns of the 
dragon, as it was by means of their incursions that 


the imperial power, founded by the heathen 
Cesars, was abolished. Machiavel and Bishop 


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A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


REVELATION. 


The dragon's altempt to destroy 
the newly-born ian child, 


horns, fand seven crowns upon his heads. 
4 And ¢his tail drew the third part "of the 
stars of heaven, ‘and did cast them to the 
earth: and the dr agon stood * before the wom- 
an which was ready to be delivered, !for to 


devour her child as soon as it was born. 
& And she brought forth a man child, ™ who 
was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and 
her child was caught up unto God, and ¢o his 
throne. @ And “the woman fled into the 


JF Chap. 13. 1.—g Chap. 9. τ ries Chap. 17. 18.—7 Dan. 


k Verse 2, —1 Ezek. 1. 16.—77 Psa. 2.9 
nm Verse 4. 


; chap, 2.274 19:)15.—— 


Llovd enumerate the horns of the dragon thus: 
1) The kingdom of the Huns; 2) The kingdom of 
the Ostrogoths ; 3) The kingdom of the Visigoths ; 
4) The kingdom of the Franks; 5) The kingdom 
of the Vandals; 6) The kingdom of the Sueves 
and Alans; 7) The kingdom of the Burgundians ; 
8) The kingdom of the Heruli, Rugii, Scyrri, and 
other tribes which composed the Italian kingdom 
of Odoacer; 9) The kingdom of the Saxons; and 
10) The kingdom of the Lombards. And seven 
crowns upon his heads—In the seven Roman 
forms of government already enumerated heathen- 
ism has been the crowned, or dominant, religion. 
4. And his tail drew the third part of the 
stars of heaven—It is not unusual in Scripture, as 
Dr. Mitchell observes, to call the hindmost of an 
enemy the “tail,” as in Josh. x, 19: Ye #hall cut 
off the hindmost of them, which is literally in 
Hebrew, “ Ye shall cut off their fail.” (See, also, 
Deut. xxv, 18.) The “ tail” of the dragon is there- 
fore the heathen Roman power in its seventh or 
last form of government, namely, the imperial 
power. The heathen imperial power is said to draw 
“the third part of the stars of heaven,” by which 
has generally, but incorrectly, been understood that 
the Roman empire subjected the third part of the 
princes and potentates of the earth. But the 
Roman empire was always considered and called, 
by ancient writers, the empire of the world. The 
whole mystery of this passage consists in the mis- 
apprehension of its symbolical language. In or- 
der, therefore, to understand it, the symbols here 
used must be examined. By “heaven,” is meant 
the most eminent, or ruling part, of any nation, 
This is evident from the very nature of the symbol, 
for “ heaven is God’s throne;” they, therefore, who 
are advanced to the supreme authority in any State 
are very properly said to be taken up into heaven, 
because they are raised to this eminence by the 
favour of the Lord, and are ministers of his to do 
his pleasure. The meaning of “heaven” being 
thus ascertained, it cannot be difficult to compre- 
hend the meaning of earth, this being evidently its 
opposite, that is, everything in subjection to the 
heaven or ruling part. “ Stars ” hav e already been 
shown to denote ministers of religion; for as the 
stars give light upon the earth, so are ministers the 
lights of the cause they advocate; and their posi- 
tion in “heaven,” the symbol of domination, very 
fitly betokens the spiritual authority of priests or 
ministers over their flocks. Hence, as the woman, 
or Christian Church, has upon her head a crown of 
twelve stars, which signifies the guidance of the 
twelve apostles, the lights of the Christian world, 
so has the dragon also his stars or ministers. The 
“stars,” therefore, which the dragon draws with 
his tail must represent the whole body of pagan 
priests, who were the s/ars or lights of the heathen 
world. The religious world in the time of St. 
John was divided into three grand branches, name- 
ly, the Christian, the Jewish, and the heathen and 
pagan world; and so it is said the tail of the 
dragon draweth after him the whole heathen world. 
604 


And did cast them to the earth—That is, re- 
duced all the pagan priests under the ‘Christian- 
Roman yoke. The heathen IMPERIAL government is 
doubly represented, first, by one of the seven dra- 
conié heads, to show that it was one of those seven 
heathen forms of government which have been suc- 
cessively at the Aead of the Roman State; and 
secondly, by the dragon’s “ tail,” because it was the 
last of those seven. For a justification of this 
method of interpretation, see on the angel’s double 
explanation of the heads of the beast in chap. xvil, 
9,10, 16. And the dragon stood before the 
woman, etc.—Constantius Chlorus, the father of 
Constantine, abandoned the absurdities of pagan- 
ism, and treated the Christians with great respect. 
This alarmed the pagan priests, whose interests 
were so closely connected with the continuance of 
the ancient superstitions, and who apprehended 
that, to their great detriment, the Christian religion 
would become daily more general and triumphant 
throughout the empire. Under-these anxious fears 
they moved Diocletian to persecute the Christians. 
Hence began what is termed the ¢enth and last gen- 
eral persecution, which was the most severe of all, 
and continued nearly ten years; and as it was the 
divine pleasure that at this time a great deliverer 
should be raised up in behalf of his suffering peo- 
ple, the woman, or Christian Church, is very appro- 
priately represented as overtaken with the pangs of 
labour, and ready to be delivered. Before the 
death of Constantius. the heathen party, aware that 
Constantine would follow the example of his father, 
who so much favoured the Christians, beheld him 
with a watchful and malignant eye. Many were 
the snares that were laid for him; but the dread of 
the armies of the west, which were mostly com- 
posed of Christians, was a sufficient check to all 
attempts of that kind. Thus the dragon, or heathen 
power, stood before the woman, or Christian 
Church, to devour her son, or deliverer, as soon as 
he was born. 

5. And she brought forth a man child—The 
Christian Church, when her full time came, obtained 
a deliverer, who, in the course of the divine provi- 
dence, was destined to rule all nations — the 
heathen Roman empire—with a rod of iron—a 
strong figure to denote the very great restraint that 
should be put upon paganism, so that it should not 
be able longer to persecute the Christian Church. 
The “man child” mentioned in this verse is the 
dynasty of Christian emperors, beginning with 
Constantine’s public acknowledgment of the divinity 
of the Christian religion, (A. D. 312,) after the defeat 
of the Emperor Maxentius. And her child was 
caught up unto God, and to his throne—A suc- 
cession of Christian emperors was raised up to the 
Church; for the Roman throne, as Bishop Newton 
observes, is here called the throne of God, because 
there is no power but of God; the powers that be 
are ordained of God. 

6. And the woman fled into the wilderness 
—The account of the woman’s flying into the 
wilderness immediately follows that of her child 


Michael fights against and prevails 
over the dragon and bis angels, 


wilderness, where she hath a place prepared 
of God, that they should feed her there °a 
thousand two hundred and threescore days. 
7 And there was war in heaven: Ρ Michael 
and his angels fought (against the dragon; 
and the dragon fought and his angels, § And 
prevailed not; neither was their place found 
any more in heaven. 9 And ‘the great drag- 
on was cast out, ‘that old serpent, called the 
Devil, and Satan, ‘which deceiveth the whole 
world: “he was cast out into the earth, and 
his angels were cast out with him. 10 And 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 549. 


I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, y Now 
is come salvation, and strength, and the king- 
dom of our God, and the power of his Christ: 
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down 
w which accused them before our God day and 
night. ΕἸ And *they overcame hin by the 
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their 
testimony ; ¥ and they loved not their lives unto 
the death. 12 Therefore “rejoice, ye heav- 
ens, and ye that dwell in them. * Woe to the 
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the 
devil is come down unto you, having great 


o Chap. = 3.—-p Dan. 10. 13, 21; 12. 1.——g Verse 3; chap. 
0. 2 : John 12.31, 8 Gen, 3. 1,4; chap. 20, 2. 
20, 3.—u ‘Chap. . 1. 


Ξ:-ὶ Chap. 


v Chap. J. 153.19. 1.—v7e Job 1. 9; 2.5; Zech. 3. 1. α' Rom. 
8. 33,34, 37; 16. 20.—vy Luke 14, 26.—z Psa. 96. 11; Isa. 49. 13; 
chap. 18. 20.—a Chap. & 13; 11. 10. 


being caught up to the throne of God, to denote the 
great and rapid increase of heresies in the Christian 
Church after the time that Christianity was made 
the religion of the empire. Where she hath a 
place prepared of God—See on verse 14. 

7. And there was war in heaven — As 
“heaven” means here the throne of the Roman 
empire, the war in heaven consequently alludes to 
the breaking out of civil commotions among the 
governors of this empire. Michael and his 
angels fought against the dragon—“ Michael ” 
was the man child which the woman brought forth, 
and signifies the dynasty of Christian Roman em- 
perors. The dynasty is represented by Michael, 
because he is “the great prince which standeth for 
the children of God’s people.” (Dan. xii, 1.) And 
the dragon fought and his angels—Or ministers. 

8. And prevailed not—Against the cause of 
Christianity. Neither was their place found 
any more in heaven—The advocates of the 
heathen idolatry were prevented from having any 
further share in the government of the empire. The 
wonderful success of Constantine over all his 
enemies, and his final triumph over Licinius, corre- 
spond exactly to the symbolical language in thfs 
verse. [Upon this passage (verses 7 and 8) was 
built up the legend of the revolt of the angels in 
heaven, under the lead of Satan himself, till then an 
archangel, and their expulsion and confinement in 
“Tartarus.”’ The clearly mythical character of 
which is, of course, entirely obvious. ] 

9. And the great dragon was cast out, ete.— 
The heathen power is called that old serpent... . 
which deceiveth the whole ‘world, from its 
subtlety against the Christians, and its causing the 
whole Roman world, as far as it was in its power, to 
embrace the abominations of paganism. It is called 
the devil, [the adversary, or slanderer,] from its 
continual false accusations and slanders against the 
true worshippers of God, for “the devil” is a liar 
From the beginning. (John viii, 44.) The dragon 
and his angels are said to be “cast out,” that is, 
he is entirely cast out from all offices of trust in 
the empire; his religion is first only tolerated, and 
then totally abolished, by the imperial power. This 
great event was not the work of a reign; it took 
up many years, for it had to contend with the deep- 
rooted prejudices of the he: then, who to the very 
last endeavoured to uphold their declining super- 
stition. Paganism received several mortal “strokes 
in the time of Constantine and his sons, Constans 
and Constantius. It was further reduced by the 
great zeal of Jovian, Valentinian, and Valens; and 
was finally suppressed by the edicts of Gratian, 
Theodosius I., and his successors. 


A. D. 388 that Rome itself, the residence of the 
emperor, was generally reformed from the absur- 
dities of paganism; but the total suppression of 
paganism soon followed the conversion of the met- 
ropolitan city, and about A. D. 395 the dragon may 
be considered, in an eminent sense, to have been cast 
into the earth, that is, into a state of utter sub- 
jection to the ruling dynasty of Christian emperors. 

10. And I heard a loud voice saying... 
Now is come salvation, etc.—This is a song of 
triumph of the Christian Church over the heathen 
idolatry, as expressive of the great joy of the 
Christians upon this most stupendous event. The 
loud voice of triumph is said to be in heaven, to 
show that the Christian religion was now exalted to 
the “heaven” or throne of the Roman empire. “It 
is very remarkable,’ as Bishop Newton observes, 
“that Constantine himself, and the Christians of 
his time, describe his conquests under the image of 
a dragon, as if they had understood that this 
prophecy had received its accomplishment in him. 
A picture of Constantine was set up over the palace 
gate, with the cross over his head, and under his 
feet the great enemy of mankind, who persecuted 
the Church by means of impious tyrants, im the 
form of a dragon, transfixed with a dart through 
the midst of his body, and falling headlong into the 
depth of the sea.” When, therefore, the apostle 
saw the woman “in heaven,” well might he call it, 
in the spirit of prophecy, a great wonder. 

11. And they overcame him by the blood 
of the Lamb—Here is given the reason why the 
followers of Christ prevailed at this time against 
all their adversaries. ‘They overcame him by the 
blood of the Lamb:” by proclaiming salvation to 
sinners through Christ crucified, and by their con- 
tinual intercession and labours for the conversion 
of the heathen world. And by the word of 
their testimony—By constantly testifying against 
the errors and follies of mankind. And they 
loved not their lives unto the death—They re- 
garded not their present temporal estate, but even 
gladly delivered up their lives to the fury of their 
persecutors, and thus sealed with their blood the 
truth of what they spake. 

12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye 
that dwell in them—Let the Christians, who are 
now partakers of the present temporal prosperity, 
and advanced to places of trust in the empire, 
praise and magnify the Lord who has thus so sig- 
nally interfered in their- behalf. But it is added, 
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of 
the sea! for the devil is come down unto you 
—Here is a woe denounced against the whole 


It was not till | Roman world, which will be excited by the devil, 


605 


A. M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, +49. 


REVELATION. 


The dragon persecutes the woman 
which brought forth the child. 


wrath, "because he knoweth that he hath but 
a short time. 18 And when the dragon saw 
that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted 
‘the woman which brought forth the man 
child. 44 4And to the woman were given 
two wings of a great eagle, ¢that she might 
fly ‘into the wilderness, into her place, where 


she is nourished ¢for a time, and times, and 
half a time, from the face of the serpent. 
15 And the serpent "cast out of his mouth 
water as a flood after the woman, that he 
might cause her to be carried away of the 
flood. 26 And the earth helped the woman; 
and the earth opened her mouth, and swal- 


ὦ Chap. 10, 6.—c Verse 5.—d Exod. 19, 4.—e Verse 6. 


JF Chap. 17. 3.—g Dan. 7, 25; 12. 7.—A Isa. 59. 19. 


the father of lies, the heathen party being thus 
denominated from the method they pursued in their 
endeavours to destroy the religion of Jesus. (See 
on verse 15.) Having great wrath, because he 
knoweth that he hath but a short time—The 
pagan party see with great regret, that the Christian 
religion is rapidly gaining ground everywhere; and, 
if not timely checked, must soon brave all opposi- 
tion. 

13. And when the dragon saw that he was 
cast unto the earth—When the heathen party 
that they were no longer supported by the 
civil ;ywer. He persecuted the woman which 
brougit forth the man child—The heathens per- 
secuted the Christian Church in the behalf of which 
divine providence had raised up a dynasty of 
Christian Roman emperors. 

14. And to the woman were given two wings 
of a great eagle—Tov ἀετοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου, of THE 
great eagle. The “great eagle” here mentioned is 
an emblem of the Roman empire in general, and 
therefore differs from the dragon, which is a sym- 
bol of the HEatHEN RoMAN empire in particular. 
The two wings of the great eagle refer to the two 
grand independent divisions of the Roman empire, 
which took place January 17, A. D. 395, and were 
given to the woman, Christianity being the estab- 
lished religion of both empires. That she might 
fly into the wilderness, into her place, etce.— 
The meaning of verses 6 and 14, when taken in 
connexion with their respective contexts, is, that 
the woman began to make a rapid flight toward the 
desert almost immediately after her elevation to 
the heaven or throne of the Roman empire, and in 
the course of her flight was furnished with the 
wings of the great eagle that she might riy into 
that place prepared of God, where she should be 
fed a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 
The Holy Spirit, when speaking of years symboli- 
cally, has invariably represented them by days ; 
the one thousand two hundred and threescore days, 
therefore, that the woman is fed “in the wilder- 
ness,” must be understood symbolically, and conse- 
quently denote as many natural years, 
“wilderness” into which the woman flies is the 
Greek and Latin worlds, for she is conveyed into 
her place by means of the two wings of the great 
eagle. “ We must not understand the phrase flying 
“into her place” of her removing from one part of 
the habitable world into another, but of her speedy 
declension from a state of great prosperity toa for- 
lorn and desolate condition. The woman is nour- 
ished for one thousand two hundred and threescore 
years from the face of theserpent. The empires 
in the east and west were destined, in the course of 
the divine providence, to support the Christian 
religion, at least nominally, while the rest of the 
world should remain in pagan idolatry or under the 
influence of the dragon, here called the “serpent,” 
because he deceiveth the whole world. The Christ- 
ian Church, supported by the eastern and western 
empires, éwo miyhty dominations, was at the same 

606 


The | 


” 


time in “the wilderness ;” strongly denoting that, 
though many professed Christianity, there were 
but very few who “kept the commandments of God, 
and had the testimony of Jesus Christ.” 

15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth 
water as a flood—The “water,” here, evidently 
means great multitudes of nations and peoples. 
(See chap. xvii, 15.) This “ water,” then, which the 
dragon “cast out of his mouth,” must be an inunda- 
tion of heathen barbarous nations upon the Roman 
empive; and the purpose which the dragon has in 
view by this inundation is, that he might cause 
the woman, or Christian Church, to be carried 
away of the flood—entirely swept away from 
the face of the earth. Dr. Mosheim, in the com- 
mencement of his second chapter upon the fifth 
century, observes “that the Goths, the Heruli, the 
Franks, the Huns, and the Vandals, with other 
fierce and warlike nations, for the most part 
strangers to Christianity, had invaded the Roman 
empire, and rent it asunder in the most deplorable 
manner. Amid these calamities the Christians were 
grievous—nay, we may venture to say the principal 
—sufferers. It is true these savage nations were 
much more intent upon the acquisition of wealth 
and dominion than upon the propagation or 
support of the pagan superstitions; nor did their 
cruelty and opposition to the Christians arise from 
any religious principle, or from an enthusiastic 
desire to ruin the cause of Christianity; it was 
merely by the InstiGATION of the pagans who re- 
mained yet in the empire, that they were excited to 
treat with such severity and violence the followers 
of Christ.” Thus the woe which was denounced 
(verse 12) against the inhabiters of the earth and 
of the sea came upon the whole Roman world; 
for, in consequence of the excitement and mali- 
cious representations of the pagans of the empire, 
‘a transmigration of a great swarm of nations ” 
came upon the Romans, and ceased not their 
ravages till they had desolated the eastern empire, 
even as faras the gates of Byzantium, and finally 
possessed themselves of the western empire. ‘‘ The 
contemporary authors who beheid that scene of 
desolation,” says Dr. Robertson, ‘‘are at a loss for 
expressions to describe the horror of it. Zhe 
scourge of God, the destroyer of nations, are the 
epithets by which they distinguish the most noted 
of the leaders; and they compare the ruin which 
they had brought on the world to the havoe 
occasioned by earthquakes, conflagrations, or del- 
uges, the most formidable and fatal calamities 
which the imagination of man can conceive.” But 
the subtle design which the serpent or dragon had 
in view, when he v@jmited out of his mouth a flood 
of waters, was most providentially frustrated ; 
for— 

16. The earth helped the woman—“ Noth- 
ing, indeed,’ as Bishop Newton excellently ob- 
serves, “‘ was more likely to produce the ruin and 
utter subversion of the Christian Church than the 
irruptions of so many barbarous nations into the 


The dragon makes war with the 
seed of the woman, 


CHAPTER XII. 


A. M. 4100, A. D. 96. 
Yeur of Rome, 549. 


lowed up the flood which the dragon cast out 
of his mouth. &£% And the dragon was wroth 
with the woman, ‘and went to make war with 
the remnant of her seed, * which keep the com- 
mandments of God, and have 'the testimony 
of Jesus Christ. 


zGen. 3. 15; chap. 11. 7; 13. 7.—Z4 Chap. 11. 12. 
1 John d. 10; chap. 1. 2, 9; 6. 9: 20. 4. 


21 Cor. 2.1: 


CHAPTER XIII. 
ND I stood upon the sand of the sea, and 
saw *a beast rise up out of the sea, 'hay- 
ing seven heads and ten horns, and upon his 
hornsten crowns, and upon his heads the name 


Roman empire. But the event proved contrary to 
human appearance and expectation. The earth 
... swallowed up the flood—The barbarians were 
rather swallowed up by the Romans than the Ro- 
mans by the barbarians; the heathen conquerors, 
instead of imposing their own, submitted to the 
religion of the conquered Christians; and they not 
only embraced the religion, but affected even the 
laws, manners, customs, language, and the very 
name, of Romans, so that the victors were in a 
manner absorbed and lost among the vanquished.” 

17. And the dragon was wroth with the 
woman—The heathen party, foiled in their subtle 
attempt to destroy Christianity, were greatly en- 
raged, and endeavoured to excite the hatred of the 
multitude against the religion of Jesus. . “ They 
alleged that before the coming of Christ the world 
was blessed with peace and prosperity; but that 
since the progress of his religion everywhere, the 
gods, filled with indignation to see their worship ne- 
elected and their altars abandoned, had visited the 
earth with those plagues and desolations which in- 
creased every day.” (See Mosheim’s eclesiastical 
History, Century v, part i, and other works on this 
subject.) Went to make war with the remnant 
of her seed—The dragon, ἀπῆλθε, departed—that 
is, into the wilderness, whither the woman had 
fled: and in another form commenced a new spe- 
cies of persecution, directed on/y against the rem- 
nant of her seed, who keep the commandments of 
God, and have the testimony of Jesus Clirist. (See 
on chapter xiii, 13.) 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII. 
By J. E. C. 

1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, 
and saw a beast rise up out of the sea—Before 
we proceed in the interpretation of this chapter, it 
will be highly necessary to ascertain the meaning 
of the prophetic symbol “beast.” In this investi- 
gation it is wisest to resort to the authority of 
Scripture, for the Holy Ghost is his own best in- 
terpreter. Daniel (chapter vii, 15-27) being very 
desirous to “know the truth of the fourth beast, 
which was diverse from all the others, exceeding 
dreadful,” the angel declares to him: ‘ The fourth 
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which 
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall de- 
vour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and 
break it in pieces.” The term “ beast” is there- 
fore the prophetic symbol for a kingdom. ΑΒ to 
the nature of the kingdom which is represented by 
the term “beast,” [it should be noticed that the 
Greek word here used is @spiov, a wild beast, in con- 
tradistinction to ζῶον, a living one, in chapter iv, 
6, ete., and, therefore,] an earthly beliigerent power 
is evidently designed. And as the carnivorous wild 
beast acquires its strength and magnitude by prey- 
ing upon the feebler animals, so most earthly 
monarchies are raised up by the sword, and derive 
their political consequence from the unsuccessful 
resistance of the contending nations. 


stone cut out of the mountain without hands;” 
and is never likened to a beast. This “ beast” is 
said to “rise up out of the sea,” in which particu- 
lar it corresponds with the four beasts of Daniel. 
The “sea” is the symbol of a great multitude of 
nations. The “sea,” here, is doubtless the same 
against the inhabiters of which a woe was de- 
nounced, (chapter xii, 12;) for St. John was stand- 
ing “upon the sand of the sea” when the vision 
changed from the woman and the dragon to that 
recorded in this chapter. It therefore follows that 
the kingdom or empire here represented by thie 
“beast is that which sprung up out of the ruins 
of the WESTERN Roman empire. Having seven 
heads and ten horns, ard upon his horns ten 
crowns—The beast here described is the Latin 
empire, which supported the Romish or Latin 
Church; for it has “upon his horns ten crowns,” 
that is, is an empire composed of ten distinct 
monarchies in the interest of the Latin [or self- 
styled Roman Catholic] Church. (See on chapter 
xvii, 10, 12, 16.) And upon his heads the name 
of blasphemy — - .Ονόματα βλασφημίας, a name of 
blasphemy. A “name of blasphemy” is the pros- 
titution of a sacred name to an unholy purpose. 
(See chapter ii, 9.) Wicked men, by calling them- 
selves Jews, blasphemed the name, that is, used it 
in an injurious sense. The term Jews, applied to 
the synagogue of Satan, is a “name of blasphemy,” 
that is, a sacred name blasphemed. <A “name of 
blasphemy,” or a blasphemous appellation, is said to 
be upon all the seven heads of the beast. See thie 
notes on chapter xvii, 9, 10, 11, where the heads are 
explained to have a double meaning, namely, that 
they signify the seven electorates of the German em- 
pire, and also seven forms of Latin government. 
Here, “the seven heads are seven mountains on 
which the woman sitteth;” and the name of blas- 
phemy will consequently be found upon the seven 
electorates of Germany. This, therefore, can be 
no other than that which was common, not only to 
the electorates, but also to the whole empire of 
Germany, which called itself “ The Sacrep (or Hoty) 
Roman Empire.” Here is a sacred appellation 
blasphemed by its application to the principal power 
of the beast. No kingdom can properly be called 
holy but that of Jesus; therefore it would be 
blasphemy to unite this epithet with any other 
power. But it must be horridly blasphemous to 
apply it to the [medieval] German empire, the 
grand supporter of antichrist from his very rise to 
temporal authority. 

2. And the beast which I saw was like un- 
to a leopard—This similitude of “the beast” to 
a “leopard” appears to be an allusion to the third 
beast of Daniel, which represented the empire of 
the Greeks. (Dan. vii, 12.) The Latin empire was, 
in the first place, like to its contemporary, because 
both adhered to an idolatrous system of worship, 
professedly Christian, but really anti-Christian. 


The king- | Both empires were ilso similar in their opposition to 


607 


A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 549. 


REVELATION. 


Description of the beast that 
rose out of the sea, 


was like unto a leopard, ®and his feet were as 
the feet of abear, ‘and his mouth as the mouth 
of a lion: and {πὸ dragon gave him his pow- 
er, "and his seat, 'and great authority. 3 And 
I saw one of his heads © as it were ! wounded 
to death; and his deadJy wound was healed: 
and “all the world wondered after the beast. 
4 And they worshipped the dragon which 


gave power unto the beast: and they wor- 
shipped the beast, saying, "Who és like unto 
the beast? who is able to make war with him ? 
® And there was given unto him °a mouth 
speaking great things and blasphemies; and 
power was given unto him ΡΟ continue 4 forty 
and two months. © And he opened his mouth 
in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his 


e Dan. 7. 5.—/7 Dan. 7. 4.—g Chap. 12. 9.—A Chap. 16. 10. 
——iChap. 12. 4.—s Verses 12, 14.— Gr. slain. 


m Chap. 17. 8.——n Chap. 18. 18.—o Dan. 7. 8, 11, 25; 11. 36. 
p Or, to make war.—--qg Chap. 11. 2; 12. 6 


the spread of pure Christianity ; and both empires 
were similar in respect to the civil authority being 
powerfully depressed by the ecclesiastical. But the 
beast of St. John, thongh in its general appear- 
ance it resembles a “leopard,” yet differs from it 
in having feet like those of a bear, very properiy 
likened to this animal because it was one of the most 
inhuman governments that ever existed, and a bear is 
the well known scripture emblem of erwelty, a strik- 
ing characteristic of the papal Latin empire. (See 
2 Sam. xvii, 8, and Hos. xiii, 8.) And the dragon 
gave him his power, and his seat, and great 
authority—lIt was said of the “dragon,” (chapter 
xii, 8,) that his place was found no more in heaven ; 
the “dragon” here cannot, therefore, be the heathen 
Roman empire, as this was abolished previously to 
the rising up of the beast. It must. then, allude to 
the restoration of one of the praconic heads of the 
beast, as will be seen in the explanation of the fol- 
lowing verse, and more fully in the notes on chap- 
ter xvil. 

3. And I saw one of his heads as it were 
wounded to death—The head that was wounded 
to death can be no other than the seventh draconic 
head, which was the sixth head of the beast, name- 
ly, the imperial power; for “this head,” as Bishop 
Newton observes, “was, as it were, wounded to 
death when the Roman empire was overturned by 
the northern nations, and an end was put to the 
very name of emperor in Momyllus Augustulus.” 
It was so wounded that it was wholly improbable 
that it could ever rise again to considerable power, 
for the western empire came into the possession of 
several barbarous nations of independent interests. 
And his deadly wound was healed—This was 
effected by Charlemagne, who, with his successors, 
assumed all the marks of the ancient emperors of 
the west, Majesty, First Prince of the Christian 
World, Temporal Chief of the Christian People, 
and Rector or Temporal Chief of the Faithful in 
Germany. (Modern Universal History, vol. xxxii, 
p. 79.) 
gave the beast his power, δύναμιν, his armies or 
military strength; that is, he employed all his im- 
perial power in defence of the Latin empire, which 
supported the Latin Church. He also gave his 
seat, ᾿θρόνον, literally his throne, to him: that is, 
his whole empire formed an integral part of the 
Latin empire, by its conversion to the Roman 
Catholic faith. He also gave him great authority. 
This is literally true of the Roman empire of Ger- 
many, which, by its great power and influence in 
the politics of Kurope extended the religion of the 
empire over the various states and monarchies of 
Europe, thus incorporating them, as it were, in one 
vast empire, by uniting them in one common faith. 
And all the world wondered after the beast 
—"OAn ἡ γῆ, all the earth. As the original word 
signifies earth, and not “world,” as in our transla- 
tion, the Latin world, which is the “earth” of the 

608 


But it is said in verse 2 that the dragon | 


‘‘beast,” is here intended; and the meaning of the 
passage consequently is, that the whole body of the 
Roman Catholics were affected with great astonish- 
ment at the mighty sway of the Latin empire, con- 
sidering it as a great and holy power. 

4. And they worshipped the dragon — ΠΤ 07- 
shipping the dragon here evidently means the 
voluntary religious subjection of the members of 
the Latin Church to the revived western empire, 
because of the eminent part it has taken in the 
support of their faith, And they worshipped 
the beast—Not only the dragon, or revived western 
empire was worshipped; the “beast,” the whole 
Latin empire, is a partaker in the adoration. The 
manner in which it is worshipped consists in the 
snbjects of it saying, Who is like unto the 
beast—Is it not the only holy power in the uni- 
verse? Is it possible for any person not a subject 
of it to be saved? Who is able to make war 
with him—Can any nation successfully fight with 
it? Is not the Roman empire, which is its princi- 
pal bulwark, ¢victissimum, most invincible ? 

5. And there was given unto him a mouth 
speaking great things—That is, there was given 
to the rulers of the Latin empire, who are the 
mouth of the beast, (and particularly the Roman 
emperors of Germany,) power to assume great and 
pompous titles, indicative of their mighty sway 
over many subjugated countries, (see the imperial 
instruments of the middle centuries in the corps 
diplomatique,) and also to utter against their op- 
ponents the most terrible edicts. And _ blas- 
phemies — The system of worship supported by 
the beast is a system of blasphemy, as there will 
be occasion to show presently. And power was 
given unto him to continue forty and two 
months—As these forty-two months are prophetie, 
they must mean so many years as there are days 
contained in them; namely, 1260, each month con- 
taining 80 days. The beast, therefore, will con- 
tinue in existence at least 1260 years; but when 
the termination of this period will take place is 
difficult to say, as the beginning cannof be at pres- 
ent indubitably ascertained. [It must have ended 
nearly a hundred years ago. } 

6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy 
against God, to blaspheme his name—The 
Latin empire is here represented as a blasphemous 
power in three respects. irst, he blasphemes the 
name of God. This has been most notoriously the 
case with the different popish princes, who continu- 
ally blaspheme the sacred names of God by using 
them in their idolatrous worship. The mouth of 
blasphemy against God cannot be more evident 
tnan in the impious words which form parts of the 
popish bulls. And his tabernacle — The beast’s 
blasphemy of the tabernacle of God is his impious 
doctrine of transubstantiation. This doctrine was 
first advanced among the Latins in the tenth cen- 
tury; and in 1215 was fully received as an article 


The beast makes war with the 
saints, and overcomes them, 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. M. 4100. A.D. 96. 
Yeur of Rome, 549. 


name, τ Πα his tabernacle, and them that dwell 
in heaven. Ὁ And it was given unto him ‘to 
make war with the saints, and to overcome 
them: tand power was given him over all 
kindreds, and tongues, and nations. ® And 
all that dwell upon the earth shall.worship 
him, "whose names are not written in the 


ea he Bas ae 


r John 1, 14; Col. 2. 9.——s Dan. 7. 21; chap. 1. ΤΑΝ B 
2 Η ll, 4, ὁ; 


tChuap. 11. 18; 17. 15.-ττ-τῖὸ Exod. 32. 32; Dan. 12. 


of the Roman Catholic faith. It is for the pages of 
ecclesiastical history to record the incredible num- 
bers which have been martyred by the papists for 
their non-reception of this most unscriptural and 
anti-Christian doctrine. And them that dwell 
in heaven — By “heaven” is here meant the 
throne of God, and not the throne of the beast, 
because it is against God the beast blasphemes. 
This must therefore allude to his impious adora- 
tion of the saints and angels, whose residence is 
in heaven. He blasphemes against God by paving 
that adoration to the celestial inhabitants which 
belongs to God alone. That this sort of worship 
has been and still is kept up among the Roman 
Catholics, their mass-book is a sufficient evidence. 

7. Andit was given unto him to make war 
with the saints, and to overcome them— 
“Who can make any computation,” says Bishop 
Newton, “or even frame any conception, of the 
numbers of pious Christians who have fallen a 
sacrifice to the bigotry and cruelty of Rome? 
Mede upon this place hath observed, from good au- 
thorities, that in the war with the Albigenses and 
Waldenses there perished of these poor creatures 
in France alone ὦ million. From the first institu- 
tion of the Jesuits to the year 1580, that is, in little 
more than thirty years, nine hundred thousand 
orthodox Christians were slain, and these all by the 
common executioner. In the space of scarce thirty 
years the inquisition destroyed, by various kinds of 
torture, a hundred and fifty thousand Christians. 
Sanders himself confesses that an innumerable 
multitude of Lollards and Sacramentarians were 
burnt throughout all Europe, who yet, he says, 
were not put to death by the pope and bishops, 
but by the civil magistrates.’ The dragon in a 
new shape, or Roman empire of Germany, acted a 
very conspicuous part in this nefarious warfare 
against the remnant of the woman’s seed who kept 
the commandments of God, and had the testimony 
of Jesus Christ. And power was given him 
over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations— 
As the book of the Revelation is a prophecy of all 
that should come upon the Christian world till the 
end of time, all kindreds, and tongues, and 
nations must imply the whole Christian world. 
That the Latin empire in the course of its reign has 
had the extensive power here spoken of is evident 
from history. It is well known that the profession 
of Christianity was chiefly confined within the 
limits of the Greek and Latin empires, till the 
petiod of the Reformation. By means of the cru- 
sades the Latins extended their empire over sev- 
eral provinces of the Greeks. In 1097 Baldwin 
extended his conquests over the hills of Armenia 
and the plain of Mesopotamia, and founded the 
first principality of the Franks or Latins, beyond 
the Euphrates, which subsisted fifty-four years. 
In 1204 the Greeks were expelled from Constanti- 
nople by the Latins, who set up an empire there 
which continued about fifty-seven years. The 

Vou. 11.--89 


book of life of the Lamb slain vy from the foun- 
dation of the world. 9 ἡ 1 any man have an 
ear, let him hear. 10 *He that leadeth into 
captivity shall go imto captivity: »he that 
killeth with the sword must be killed with the 
sword. Here is the patience and the faith of 
the saints. I And 1 beheld another beast 


chap. 3. 5: 20. 12, 15: 21. 27.—woChap. 17. 8. 
—-vz Isa. 33. 1.—y Gen. 9. 6; Matt. 26, 52. 


mw Chap. 2. 7. 
2 Chap. 14, 12. 


total overthrow of the Latin States in the East 
soon followed the recovery of Constantinople by 
the Greeks ; and in 1291 the Latin empire in the 
East was entirely dissolved. Thus the Latins have 
had power over the whole world professedly Chris- 
tian; but it is not said that the whole world was 
in utter subjection to the beast, for we read in the 
following verse— 

8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall 
worship him, whose names are not written in 
the book of life of the Lamb—All who are in- 
habitants of the Latin world shall submit to the 
religion of the empire, except “those faithful few 
whose names, as citizens of heaven, were enrolled 
in the registers of life.” Slain from the founda- 
tion of the world—Jesus Christ was in the divine 
purpose appointed from the foundation of the 
world to redeem man by his blood; he therefore is, 
in a very eminent sense, “ the Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world.” 

9. If any man have an ear, let him hear— 
These words are evidently introduced to impress 
the reader with the awfulness of what has just 
been spoken—“All shall worship him whose names 
are not written in the book of life’—as well as to 
fix his attention upon the following words :— 

10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go 
into captivity—The Latin empire here spoken of 
must “ go into captivity,” because it has led into 
captivity, by not only propagating among the 
various nations its abominable anti-Christian sys- 
tem, but also in compelling them to embrace it 
under the penalty of forfeiting the protection of 
the empire. He that killeth with the sword 
must be killed with the sword—The Latin em- 
pire must be also broken to pieces by the sword, 
because it has killed the saints of God. This 
prophecy will not receive its full accomplishment 
till the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms 
of our Lord and of his Christ. Here is the 
patience and the faith of the saints—By these 
words, as Dr. Mitchell observes, “God calls upon 
his saints to keep in view, under all their persecu- 
tions, his retributive justice ; there is no violence 
that has been exercised upon them but what shall 
be retaliated upon the cruel and persecuting gov- 
ernment and governors Of the Latin empire.” 

11. And I beheld another beast coming up 
out of the earth—As a “ beast ” has already been 
shown to be the symbol of a kingdom or empire, 
the rising up of this second beast must consequent- 
ly represent the rising up of another empire. This 
beast comes up “out of the earth ;” therefore it is 
totally different from the preceding, which rose up 
out of the sea. ‘Earth,’ here, means the Latin 
world, for this word has been shown to import this 
already in several instances; the rising up of the 
beast out of this “ earth” must. consequently, repre- 
sent the springing up of some power out of a state 
of subjection to the Latin empire; therefore the 
beast, here called “ another beast,” is another Latin 

609 


A. M. 4100. A. D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849, 


REVELATION. 


The two-horned beast deceive the 
world by false miracles, 


coming? up out of the earth; and he lad two 
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 
a2 And he exerciseth all the power of the 
first beast before him, and causeth the earth 


and them which dwell therein to worship the 
first beast, 'whose deadly wound was healed. 
#3 And che doeth great wonders, 4so that he 
inaketh fire come down from heaven on the 


a Chap. 11. 7.— Verse 3.—c Deut. 13.1, 2,3; Matt. 24. 24; 


2 Thess, 2 9; chap. 16. 14.—d | Kings 18. 38, 2 Kings 1.10, 12. 


empire. This beast is the spiritual Latin empire, 
or, in other words, the Romish hierarchy ; for with 
no other power can the prophetic description yet to 
be examined be shown to accord. In the time of 
Charlemagne the ecclesiastical power was in sub- 
jection to the civil, and it continued to be so for a 
long time after his death; therefore the beast, 
whose deadly wound was healed, ruled over the 
whole Latin world, both clergy and laity ; these, 
consequently, constituted but one beast or empire. 
But the Latin clergy kept continually gaining more 
and more influence in the civil affairs of the em- 
pire, and in the tenth century their authority was 
greatly increased. In the subsequent centuries the 
power of the Romish hierarchy ascended even above 
that of the emperors, and led into captivity the 
kings of the whole Latin world. Thus the Romish 
hierarchy was at length entirely exempted from the 
civil power, and constituted ‘another beast,” as it 
became entirely independent of the secular Latin 
empire. And this “beast” came up out of “the 
earth ;” that is, the Latin clergy, which composed 
a part of the “earth,” or Latin world, raised their 
authority against that of the secular powers, and 
in process of time wrested the superintendence of 
ecclesiastical affairs from the secular princes. And 
he had two horns—As the seven-headed beast is 
represented as having ¢em hors, which signify so 
many kingdoms leagued together to support the 
Latin Church, so the beast which rises ‘‘ out of the 
earth” has also “two horns,” which must conse- 
quently represent two kingdoms. As the second 
beast is the spiritual Latin empire, the two horns 
of this beast denote that the empire thus repre- 
sented is composed of two distinct spiritual powers, 
that is, the two grand independent branches of the 
Romish hierarchy, namely, the Latin clergy, REGU- 
LAR and SECULAR—tlie monastic orders and the 
parochial clergy. These two grand branches of the 
hierarchy originally constituted but one dominion, 
as the monks as well as the other clergy were in 
subjection to the bishops; but the subjection of 
the monks to their diocesans became by degrees 
_ less apparent; and in process of time, through the 
influence and authority of the Roman pontiffs, they 
were entirely exempted from all episcopal jurisdic- 
tion, and thus became a spiritual power entirely 
independent of that of the secular clergy. Likea 
lamb—As “lamb,” in other parts of the apoca- 
Ivpse, evidently means Christ, who is the Lamb of 
God, it must have a similar import in tais passage. 
The meaning here is evidently that the two horns 
of the beast, or the regular and secular clergy, pro- 
fess to be the ministers of Christ, to be like him in 
meekness and humility, and to teach nothing that 
is contrary to godliness. The two-horned beast, or 
spiritual Latin empire, has in reality the name, and 
in the eyes of the Latin world the appearance, of a 
CHRISTIAN power. But he is only so in appearance, 
and that alone among his deluded votaries; for 
when he spake, he spake as a dragon. The doc- 
trines of the Romish hierarchy are very similar to 
those contained in the old heathen worship; for 
he has introduced “a new species of idolatry, 
nominally different, but essentially the same, the 
610 


worship of angels and saints instead of the gods 
and demi-gods of antiquity.” 

12. And he exerciseth all the power of the 
first beast before him—In the preceding verse 
the two-horned beast was represented as _ rising 
“out of the earth,” that is, obtaining gradually 
more and more influence in the civil affairs of the 
Latin world. Here he is represented as having 
obtained the direction and management of all the 
power of the first beast, or secular Latin empire, 
“before him,” ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, in his presence. That 
the Roman hierarchy has had the extensive power 
here spoken of is evident from history ; and fora 
long time the civil power was in subjection to the 
ecclesiastical. ‘he Romish hierarchy has exercised 
‘‘all the power of the first beast ” im has sight, both 
temporal and spiritual; and therefore, with such 
astonishing influence as this over secular princes, 
it was no difficult matter for him to cause the 
earth and them which dwell therein to wor- 
ship the first beast, whose deadly wound was 
healed: that is, he causes the whole Latin world 
to submit to the authority of the Latin empire, 
with the revived western empire at its head, per- 
suading them that such submission is beneficial to 
their spiritual interests, and absolutely necessary for 
their salvation. Here it is observable that both 
beasts have dominion over the same “earth ;” for 
it is expressly said that the second beast ‘ causeth 
the earth, and them which dwell therein, to worship 
the first beast;” therefore it is ¢mperiiun in im- 
perio, ‘an empire within an empire.” We have, 
consequently, the fullest evidence that the two 
beasts consist in the division of the great Latin 
empire, by the usurpation of the Latin clergy, into 
two distinct empires, the one secular the other 
spiritual, and both united in one anti-Christian de- 
sign, namely, to diffuse their most abominable 
system of idolatry over the whole earth, and to 
extend the sphere of their domination. Here we 
have also an illustration of that remarkable passage, 
(chapter xvi, 10,) the kingdom of the beast, that is, 
the kingdom of the Latin kingdom; which is ap- 
parently a solecism, but in reality expressed with 
wonderful precision. The fifth vial is poured 
out upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom 
is darkened, that is, the Latin kingdom in sub- 
jection to the-secular Latin empire. 

18. And he doeth great wonders—That we 
may have the greatest assurance possible that the 
two-horned beast is the spiritual Latin empire, it 
is called in chapter xix, 20—a passage illustrative 
of the one now under consideration—the false 
prophet, “than which,” as Bishop Newton observes, 
“there cannot be a stronger or plainer argument to 
prove that false doctors or teachers were particu- 
larly designed;” for prophet, in the Scripture 
style, is not unfrequently used for a preacher or 
expounder of God’s word. (See 1 Cor. xiv.) It 
hence follows that the two-horned beast is an em- 
pire of false doctors or teachers. He persuades his 
followers that the clergy of the Church of Rome are 
the only true ministers of Christ; that they have 
such great influence in the court of heaven as to he 


{able not only to forgive sins, but to grant indul- 


The second beast canseth an image 
to be nade to the first beast, 


earth in the sight of men, 14 And ¢deceiveth 
them that dwell on the earth ‘by the means of 
those miracles which he had power to do in 
the sight of the beast; saying to them that 
dwell on the earth, that they should make an 
image to the beast, which had the wound by 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A. ΜΝ. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


a sword, €und did live. £5 And he had power 
to give life unto the image of the beast. that 
the image of the beast should both speak, ‘and 
‘ause that as many as would not worship the 
image of the beast should be killed. 86 And 
he causeth all, both small and great, rich and 


eChap. 12. 9; 19. 20.—/2 Thess. 2. 9, 10.—g ὃ Kings 20. 7. 


h Gr. breath.—i Chap. 16. ὃ: 19. 20; 20. 4. 


gences in sin, on receiving certain stipulated sums. 
He persuades them, too, that they can do works of 
supererogation. He pretends that an incredible 
number of miracles have been wrought and are 
still worked by the Almighty, as so many evidences 
of the great sanctity of the Latin Church; and the 
false prophet has such an astonishing influence over 
his flock as to cause them to believe all his fabulous 
legends and lying wonders. He pretends also (and 
is believed!) that his power is not confined to this 
world; that he is able by his prayers to deliver the 
souls of the deceased from what he calls purgatory, 
a place which he has fabled to exist for the purifi- 
cation of sinful souls after their departure from this 
world. Maketh fire come down from heaven 
...in the sight of men—“ Fire,” in Scripture, 
when it signifies wrath, represents that species of 
indignation which is attended with the destruction 
of whatever is the cause of it. (See Psa. xviii, 7, 8; 
Jer. iv, 4.) Therefore the “fire” which the false 
prophet bringeth down from “heaven” upon the 
earth, is the flery indignation which he causes to 
come down from the “heaven,” or throne, of the 
Latin empire, upon all those of the * earth,” or Lat- 
in world, who rebel against his authority. ΑἸ] this 
has been fulfilled in the Romish hierarchy; the 
Latin clergy have denominated all those that op- 
pose their authority heretics, they have instituted 
tribunals to try the cause of heresy, and all those 
that would not submit to their idolatry they have 
condemned to various kinds of tortures and deaths. 
It is said of the false prophet that he bringeth 
jive FROM HEAVEN upon the earth; that is to say, 
he will only try the cause of heresy, and pass the 
sentence of condemnation. Secular princes and 
magistrates must execute the sentence of death 
upon all that are capitally condemned by the spir- 
itual power. “Ἢ maketh fire come down from 
heaven:” he compels secular princes to assist him 
against heretics; and if any rebel against his 
authority he immediately puts them under the ban 
of the anathema, so that they are deprived of their 
offices, and exposed to the insults and persecution 
of their subjects. Under the appearance of great 
sanctity he persuades men to believe all his lying 
doctrines, and enforces his canons and decretals 
with the sword of the civil magistrate. 

14. Saying to them that dwell on the earth, 
that they should make an image to the beast, 
which had the wound by a sword, and did 
live—The “image to the beast ” must designate ἃ 
person who represents in himself the whole power 
of the Latin empire, therefore it cannot be the 
emperor; for though he was, according to his own 
account, supremum caput Christianitatis, supreme 
head of Christendom, yet he was only the chief of 
the Germanic confederation, and consequently was 
only sovereign of the principal power of the Latin 
empire. The “image to the beast” must be the 
supreme ruler of the Latin empire; and as it is 
through the influence of the false prophet that this 
image is made for the first beast, this great chief 
must be an ecclesiastic. Who, is plainly obvious. 


15. And he had power to give life unto the 
image of the beast, that the image of the 
beast should both speak, and cause that as 
many as would not worship the image of the 
beast should be killed—Bishop Newton observes: 
“The influence of the two-horned beast, or cor- 
rupted clergy, is further seen in persuading and in- 
ducing mankind fo make an image to the beast 
which had the wound by a sword, and did live. This 
image and representative of the beast is the pope. He 
is properly the édo/ of the [Roman Catholic] Church. 
He represents in himself the whole power of the 
beast, and is the head of all authority, temporal 
as well as spiritual. He is nothing more than a 
private person, without power and without author- 
ity till the two-horned beast, or corrupted clergy, 
by choosing him pope, give life unto him, and 
enable him to speak and utter his decrees, and to 
persecute even to death as many as refuse to sub- 
init to him and to worship him. As soon as he is 
chosen pope he is clothed with the pontifical robes, 
and crowned and placed upon the altar, and the 
cardinals come and kiss his feet, which ceremony 
is called adoration. They first elect and then they 
worship him, as in the medals of Martin V., where 
two are represented crowning the pope, and two 
kneeling before him, with this inscription, Quem 
ereant adorant, * \Vhom they create they adore.’ ” 
The false prophet samp “to them that dwell on 
the earth, that they should make an image to the 
beast which had the wound by a sword, and did 
live;” that is, the Romish priesthood preached up 
the pope’s supremacy over temporal princes ; and, 
through their astonishing influence on the minds of 
the people, the bishop of Rome at last became the 
supreme sovereign of the secular Latin empire, and 
thus was at the head of all authority, temporal and 
spiritual. The papists have in their various super- 
stitions professed to worship God. But they are 
said, in the unerring words of prophecy, to worship 
the dragon, beast, and image of the beast, and to 
blaspheme God; for they received as holy those 
commandments of men that stand in direct opposi- 
tion to the sacred Scriptures, and which have been 
imposed on them by the Romish bishops, aided by 
the secular powers. “God is a Spirit, and they 
that worship him must worship him in spirit and in 
truth.” 

16. And he causeth all, both small and 
great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive 
a mark—To ascertain the meaning of the “mark ” 
which the two-horned beast causes all orders and 
degrees of men in the Latin world to receive, we 
need only refer to chapter xiv, 11, where the 
“mark ” imposed by the two-horned beast is called 
the mark of his name. The name of the beast is the 
Latin empire; the mark of his name must there- 
fore be his Latin worship; for this very reason, 
that it is the two-horned beast, or false prophet, 
who causes all descriptions of persons to receive it. 
Now, it is well known that the continual employ- 
ment of the Latin clergy is to enforce the Latin idol- 
atry upon their flocks. The mass and offices of the 

611 


A. M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96, 
Yeur of Rome, 849. 


REVELATION. 


The Lamb and the redeemed 
on mount Sion. 


poor, free and bond, *'to receive a mark in 
their right hand, or in their foreheads: 
17 And "that no man might buy or sell, save 
he that had the mark, or "the name of the 
beast, "or the number of his name. 18 ° Here 
is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding 
count Pthe number of the beast: 4 for it is the 
number of a man; and his number és Six hun- 
dred threescore and six. 


CHAPTER XIV. 
ND 1 Jooked, and, lo, #a Lamb stood on 
the mount Sion, and with him a hundred 
forty and four thousand, «having his Father's 
name written in their foreheads. 2 And I 
heard a voice from heaven, ¢as the voice of 
many waters, and as the voice of a great thun- 
der: and I heard the voice of *harpers harp- 
ing with their ua 3 And ‘they sung as 


4, —/Gr. to give them. 


kK Chap. 14. 9: 
ἐπ o Chap. 17. 9.---- Chap. 


m Chap. 14. 11. 
15. 2. 


19. 20; 20. 
. 1d. 2. 


g Chap. 21. 17. Gene 5 
ἢ: oe 16.—d Chap. 1 


. 6. ——b Chap. 7. 4.—e¢Chap. 
. 15; 19. 6.—e Chap. δ, 8.— 7 Chap. 


Church, which are in Latin, and contain the sum 
and substance of their idolatrous worship, are of 
different kinds, and abound in impious prayers to 
the Virgin Mary and the saints andangels. [ἢ ἃ word, 
the LATIN worship i is the universal badge of distine- 
tion of the Latin Church from all other Churches 
on the face of the earth ; and is therefore the only 
infallible “mark” by which a genuine papist can 
be distinguished from the rest of mankind. But 
the two-horned beast causes all to receive this 
mark in their right hand, or in their fore- 
heads. “ Right hand,” in Scripture language, when 
used figuratively, represents the physical power of 
the person of whom it is spoken; and when ap- 
plied to God designates a signal manifestation of 
divine power against his enemies, and in behalf of 
his people. (See Psa. xvii, 7; xx, 6; xxi} 8; xlv, 
3,4, ete.) The reception of the mark “in the right 
hand” must therefore mean, that all so receiving it 
devote the whole powers of their mind and body to 
the propagation of the Latin worship, and to the 
eradication of all they denominate heresies out of 
their Church. But some receive the mark ‘in 
their foreheads.” By any thing being impressed 
upon the forehead, is meant the public profession of 
whatever is inscribed or marked upon it. (See 
chapter ix, 4; xiv, 1; xxii, 4, ete.) The mark of 
the beast being received on ‘the forehead, there- 
fore, means that all those so marked make a public 
profession of the Latin worship; whereby it is evi- 
dent to all that they form a part of the Latin Church. 

17. And that no man might buy or sell, 
save he that had the mark—“ If any,” observes 
Bishop Newton, “dissent from the stated and 
authorized forms, they are condemned and excom- 
municated as heretics; and in consequence of that 
they are no longer suffered to ‘ buy or sell;’ they 
are interdicted from traflie and commerce, and all 
the benefits of civil society.” The form of excom- 
munication in the Romish Church is to take lighted 
torches, throw them upon the ground with curses 
and anathemas, and trample them out under foot 
to the ringing of the bells. It is in this and sim- 
ilar ways that the false prophet has terrified the 
Latin world, and kept it in subjection to the seewlar 
and. spiritual powers. Those interdicted by the 
two-horned beast from all offices of civil life are 
also such as have not the name of the beast, or 
the number of his name—See on the following 
verse. 

18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath 
understanding count the number of the beast: 
for it is the number of a man; and his num- 
ber is Six hundred threescore and six—In 


this verse we have the very name of the beast 
given under the symbol of the number 666. 


Before the invention of figures by the Arabs, in 

the tenth century, letters of the alphabet were used 

for numbers. [A variety of values were’ given: to 
612 


the several letters of the Greek alphabet; and 
according to one of these the three words, ἡ 
Λατίνη βασιλεία, the Latin kingdom, are made ei 
answer to the number 666, thus: 7 = 8; A= 3( 


a=1; r=300;7=10; v=50; η--8: aS 
Geko — 200% iii Oe A 30 ae ieee ἢ: 
= 1—666. On this calculation, the writer 


of the foregoing reaches the conclusion that 
he has demonstrably determined “ the name of the 
beast,” a conclusion with which probably very few 
who are capable of forming an independent opinion 
will coincide. Divine revelations are not to be de- 
termined by such riddles. While declining to ac- 
cept this exposition of the text we are entirely un- 
able to give any other, and so we leave the mystery 
unsolved. The historical facts that are applied in 
the notes to the two preceding chapters, to show 
that certain well-known events which have since 
occurred are there predicted, seem to agree in very 
many points with the predictions; and yet even 
that ingeniously wrought scheme would hopelessly 
break down under a direct and searching cross- 
examination. ] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIV. 


[Chapter xiv seems to be a kind of interlude be- 
tween the dark prophecies of the two preceding 
chapters and the visions of wrath that follow in 
chapters xy, xvi. 1) The Lamb on Mount Zion. 
(Verses 1-5.) 2) The three angels of judgment. 
(Verses 6-11.) 8) Blessedness of the faithful after 
death. (Verses 12, 13.) 4) The harvest and the 
vintage. (Verses 14-19.)] 

1. A Lamb stood on the mount Sion—This 
represents Jesus Christ in his sacrificial oftice ; 
“mount Sion” was a type of the Christian Church. 
And with him a hundred forty and four thou- 
sand—Representing those who were converted to 
Christianity from among the Jews. (See chapter 
vii, 4.) His Father’s name written in their 
foreheads — They were professedly, openly, and 
practically the children of God, by faith in Christ 
Jesus. Different sects of idolaters bear the pecul- 
iar marks of their gods on their foreheads. This is 
practised in the East to the present day, and the 
mark is called the sectarial mark. Between eighty 
and ninety different figures are found on the fore- 
heads of different Hindoo deities and their follow- 
ers. [The corrected Greek text, following a great 
preponderance of authorities, has, after the word 
ἔχουσαι, having, and before τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς 
αὐτοῦ͵ the name of his Father, the words τὸ ὄνομα 
αὐτοῦ, his own name. | 

2. The voice of many waters—That is, of 
multitudes of various nations. The voice of 
harpers—Though the sounds were many and ap- 
parently confused, yet both harmony and melody 
were preserved. . 

3: They sung... anew song—See on chap- 


Message of the angel having the 
everlasting Gospel to preach. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


A. M. 4100. A.D. 96, 
Year of Kome, 849, 


it were a new song before the throne, and be- 
fore the four beasts, and the elders: and no 
man could learn that song *but the hundred 
and forty and four thousand, which were re- 
deemed from the earth. 4 These are they 
which were not defiled with women; for 
they are virgins. These are they ‘which fol- 
low the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These 
kl were redeemed from among men, ™ being 
the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 
® And "in their mouth was found no guile: 
for °they are without fault before the throne 
of God. © And I saw another angel P fly in 
the midst of heaven, 4having the everlasting 
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the 
earth, ‘and to every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people. 7 Saying with a loud 
voice, * Fear God, and give glory to him; for 


the hour of his judgment is come: tand wor- 
ship him that made heaven, and earth, and the 
sea, and the fountains of waters. ® And there 
followed another angel, saying, "Babylon is 
fallen, is fallen, ythat great city, because she 
made all nations drink of the wine of the 
wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third 
angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 
“If any man worship the beast and his image, 
and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his 
hand, 40 The same * shall drink of the wine 
of the wrath of God, which is ¥ poured out 
without mixture into *the cup of his indigna- 
tion; and *he shall be tormented with "tire 
and brimstone in the presence of the holy 
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 
ἢ And ‘the smoke of their torment ascend- 
eth up for ever and ever: and they have no 


g Verse 1.—/A.2 Cor. 11. 2.— iChap. ὃ. 4; 7. 15, 17; 17. 14. 
—kGr. were bougit.—l Chap. 5. 9.—m James 1. 13.— 
ἢ, Psa, 32. 2; Zeph. 3. 13. o Eph, 5. 27: Jude 24.—p Chap. 
8, 13. q Eph. 3. 9, 10, 11; Tit. 1. 2.—7 Chap. 13. 7.—< Chap. 
11. 18; 15. 4.—ZtNeh. 9. 6; Psa. 33. 6; 124. 8; 146. 5, 6; Acts 


4. 15; 17. 24.—wIsa. 21. 9; Jer. 51. 8; chap. 18. 2. —vx Jer. 
617; chap: 11.3: 16. 19; 17. 2.5218. 5. ΟΝ 15. Sr.) 19) 3. —— 
τὸ Chap. 13. 14, 15, 16.— Psa, 75. 8; Isa. 51. 17; Jer. 25. 15. 
y Chap. 18. 6.—2z Chap. 16. 19.—a Chap. 20. 10,— J Chap. 
19, 20.—c Isa. 34. 10; chap.19. 3. 


ter v, 9. No man could learn that song—As 
none but genuine Christians can worship God ae- 
ceptably, because they approach him through the 
only Mediator, so none can understand the deep 
things of God but such; ror can others know the 
cause why true believers exult so much in God 
through Christ, because they know not the com- 
munion which such hold with the Father and the 
Son through the Holy Ghost. 

4. These are they which were not defiled 
with women—They are pure from idolatry, and 
are presented as unspotted virgins to their Lord 
and Saviour Christ. (See 2 Cor. xi, 2.) There may 
be an allusion here to the Israelites committing 
idolatry through the means of their criminal con- 
nexion with the Midianitish women. (See Num. 
xxv, 1-4, and xxxi, 16.) Follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth—They go through good 
and through evil report, bear his reproach, and love 
not their lives even to the death. The first- 
fruits unto God—The reference appears to be to 
those Jews who were the first converts to Chris- 
tianity. 

5. In their mouth was found no guile— 
When brought before kings and rulers they did not 
dissemble, but boldly confessed the Lord Jesus. 

6. Another angel fly in the midst of heaven, 
having the everlasting gospel—[ Not to be iden- 
tified with any of those who appeared in the earlier 
scenes, as chapter i, 1, and x, 4.] .[Evayyé2u0r, gos- 
pel, has a fixed and technical meaning in all the 
apostolical writings, “the gospel.” The epithet 
αἰώνιον, everlasting, (here only applied to the Gos- 
pel,) indicates its perpetuity, the same essentially 
from age to age, though continually revealing itself 
in new forms and features. This “Gospel” is de- 
signed for and must be preached to the whole 
human race. See Alford.] 

7. Fear God, and give glory to him—This 
is the general language of the sacred writings. 
Worship the true God, the creator and governor of 
all things; and give him glory, for to him alone, 
not to idols or men, all glory and honour belong. 

8. Babylon is fallen, is fallen—This is gen- 
erally understood to be a prediction concerning 
Rome ; and it is certain that Rome, in the rabbini- 
cal writings, is termed “Babylon.” That great 
city—Among the same writers this “ city” is styled 


the great city, and the great Rome. But which 
Rome is meant? Pagan or papal Rome? Some 
parts of the description apply best to the former. 
The wine of the wrath of her fornication— 
There is an allusion here to a custom of impure 
women, who give philters or love potions to those 
whom they wish to seduce and bind to their will; 
and these potions are generally of an intoxicating 
nature, greatly inflaming the blood, and disturbing 
the intellect. Fornication and adultery ave fre- 
quently used in Scripture as emblems of idolatry 
and false worship. ‘The wine of the wrath” is 
another expression for the envenomed or poisoned 
cup given by such women. No nation of the earth 
spread their idolatries so far as the ancient Ro- 
mans; they were as extensive as their conquests. 
And papal Rome has been not less active in dis- 
seminating her superstitions. She has given her 
rituals, but not the everlasting Gospel, to most na- 
tions of the earth. [Rome, both pagan and papal, 
but principally papal, is intended. <A clear in- 
stance of the “double vision” of prophecy, where 
the two objects lie in the same line, one nearer, and 
one more remote. | 

9. And the third angel followed — Bishop 
Bale considers these three angels as three descrip- 
tions of preachers, who should bear their testimony 
against the corruptions of the papal Church. The 
beast and his image—Sce the notes on chapter 
xiii. Mark in his forehead—Such as the sec- 
tarial marks of the idolatrous Hindoos, as has been 
observed before. 

10. The wine of the wrath of God—As they 
have drunk the intoxicating wine of idolatry or 
spiritual fornication, they shall now drink the wine 
of God’s wrath, which is poured out into the cup of 
his indignation. Without mixture—[’Axpdrov, 
undiluted, in its full power to destroy.] Shall be 
tormented with fire and brimstone—An allu- 
sion to the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah 
for their unnatural crimes. (Isa. xxxiv, 10.) Pres- 
ence of the holy angels, and... of the Lamb 
—These being the instruments employed in their 
destruction ; the ‘* Lamb ”—the Lord Jesus Christ— 
acting as judge. [Their torments are visible to 
the angels and the Lamb.—Alford.] 

11. The smoke of their torment—Still an allu- 
sion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

613 


A. M. 4100, A, Ὁ. 96, 
Yeur of Rome, 849. 


REVELATION. 


Those who die in the Lord 
are declared blessed, 


rest day nor night, who worship the beast and lis Pripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud 


his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark 
of hisname. #2 4Here is the patience of the 
saints: ¢here are they that keep the command- 
ments of God, and the faith of Jesus. £3 And 
I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 
Write, § Blessed wre the dead & w hich die in the 

Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, 
that ithey may rest from their labours; and 
their works do follow them. 144 And I 
looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon 
the cloud one sat *like unto the Son of man, 
‘having on his head a golden crown, and in 
his hand a sharp sickle. #4 And another an- 
gel ™came out of the temple, crying with a 
loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, * Thrust 
in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come 
tor thee to reap; for the harvest °of the earth 


d Chap. 13. 10. ——e Chap. 12. 17, —/Eecles. 4. 1, 2; chap. 
20. 6. g1 Cor, 15, 18; 1 Thess, 4. 16. h Or, from hence- 
Forth saith the Spirit, Ye. 2 2 Thess, 1. 7: Heb. 4. 9, 10; 


chap. 6. 11.—k Ezek. L 26): Dan, 7. 13; chap: 1.13. 


eee in his sickle on the earth; and the earth 
ras reaped. &% And another angel came out 
of the temple which is in heaven, “he also hav- 
ing a sharp sickle. IS And another angel 
came out from the altar, 4 which had power 
over fire; and cried with aloud ery to him that 
had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in thy 
sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine 
of the earth; for her grapes are fuily ripe. 
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the 
earth, and ᾿ς gather ed the vine of the earth, and 
cast it into the great winepress of the wrath 
of God. 20 And tthe winepress was trodden 
“without the city, and blood caine out of the 
winepress, *even unto the horse bridles, by the 
space of a thousand and six hundred fur- 
longs. 


Matt. 13. 39, 


Z7Chap. 6. '2. m Chap, 16, 17. —n Joel 3 Bh gE 
-—o Jer, al. 33; chap. 15: 12. 
— rr Joel 3. 13. s Chap. 19. 15. pind: 63. 3; Lam. 1. 15.—— 


u Heb. 18. 12; chap. 11. 8. —~o Chap. 19. 14. 


12. Here is the patience of the saints—- Here 
the faith of the true Christians shall be proved; 
they will follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, 
they keep the commandments of God, and are 
steadfast in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Sometimes ἡ ὑπομονὴ, patience οὐ perseverance, is 
taken for the reward of these virtues; the text, 
therefore, may be thus understood: Here is the 
reward of the perseverance of the true Christians ; 
for although they die for the testimony of Jesus, 
yet they shall be unutterably blessed. See the 
next verse. 

13. [In order to comfort and support the Church 
still militant on earth, three angels have proclaimed 
the history of the Christian ages: the diffusion of 
the “eternal Gospel,” (6, 7,) the fall of the world 
power, (8,) the doom of the ungodly, (9-11.) And 
now, lest the faithful should be discouraged by the 
prospect opened out in verses 10, 11, the loving 
admonition already given in chapter xii, 10 is once 
more repeated. (See chapter xix, 9, 10.)—Speak- 
e's Com.| I heard a voice from heaven—As 
the information now to be given was of the utmost 
importance, it is solemply communicated by a voice 
from heaven ; and the apostle is commanded to 
write or record what is said. Blessed are the 
dead—Happy are they. They are happy in two 
respects: 1) They do not see the evil that shall 
come upon the pons, and are exempted from any 
further sufferings. 2) They actually and consciously 
enjoy happiness i ina a ste ite of blessedness. Which 
die in the Lord—These are the only glorious 
dead. They die, not in the field of battle, in either 
what are called lawful or unlawful wars against 
their fellowmen; but they die in the cause οὗ God, 
they die under the smile and approbation of God, 
and they die to live and reign with God for ever 
and ever. From henceforth—’A7’ ἄρτι, from this 
time; now; immediately. [At this time it is that 
the complete blessedness of the holy dead com- 
mences: when the garner is filled, and the chaff 
cast out.—A/ford.] Yea, saith the Spirit—The 
Holy Spirit confirms the declaration from heaven, 
and assigns the reasons of it. That they may 
rest from their labours—Have no more tribula- 
tion and distress. And their works do follow 
them—'Epya αὐτῶν ἀκολουθεῖ μετ᾽ αὐτῶν, and their 
works follow wiru them. They are in company. 

614 


Here is an elegant prosopopeeia or personification ; 
their good works, 8 sufferings, ete., are represented 
as 50. many companions escorting them on their 
way to the kingdom of God, 

14. A white cloud—It is supposed that from 
this verse to the end of the chapter the destruc- 
tion of Rome is represented under the symbols of 
harvest and vintage—images very frequent among 
the ancient prophets, by which they represented 
the destruction and excision : nations. (See Joel 
iii, 12-14; Isa. xvii, 5; Ixiii, 1; and Matt. xiii, $7.) 
A golden crown—In token of victory and regal 
power. Ν 

15. Thrust in thy sickle—Hxecute the judg- 
ments which God has decreed. For the harvest 
of the earth is ripe — [’E&ypav6y, is overripe.] 
The cup of the people’s iniquity is full. 

16. The earth was reaped — The judgments 
were executed. But where, or on whom, who can 
tell ? 

18. Power over fire — Probably meaning the 
same angel which is mentioned chapter viii, 3, 
ix, 18, who stood by the altar of burnt offering, 
having authority over its fire to offer that incense 
to God which represents the prayers of the saints. 

19. The great winepress of the wrath of 
God—tThe place or kingdom where God executes 
his judgments on the workers of iniquity, whether 
pagans or persecuting Christians; Rome pagan, 
or Rome papal. (See Isa. Ixiii, 3.) 

20. And the winepress was tré6dden with- 
out the city—“ Eternally without the city of the 
heavenly Jerusalem, and far from the presence of 
God; eternally crushed and trodden down by his 
justice; eternally tormented in body and soul, with- 
out any hope either of living or dying! This is 
the miserable lot and portion of those who shall 
have despised the law of God, and died in impeni- 
tence. My God, pierce my heart with a salutary 
dread of thy judgments !” — Quesnel. Whatever 
the passage may mean, this is a prudent and 
Christian use of it. Hywen unto the horse bri- 
dles—An hyperbolical expression to denote a great 
effusion of blood. The Jews said, ‘‘ When Hadrian 
besieged the city called Bitter, he slew so many that 
the horses waded in blood up to their mouths.” The 
same kind of hyperbole with that above. See Wet- 
stein on this verse. The space of a thousand 


Introduction of the seven angels 
with the last plagues 


CHAPTER XV. 
ND 11 saw another sign in heaven, great 
and marvellous, ‘seven angels having the 
seven last plagues; ©for in them is filled up the 
wrath of God. 2 And I saw as it were 4a sea 
_of glass ¢mingled with fire: and them that had 
gotten the victory over the beast, ‘and over 
his image, and over his mark, and over the 
number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, 
«having the harps of God. % And they sing 
‘’the song of Moses the servant of God, and 
the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and mar- 
vellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; 
k just and true are thy ways, thou King of 
lsaints. Δ ™ Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, 
and glorify thy name? for thew only art holy : 


aChap. 12. 1,3.—0) Chap. 16.1; 21. 9.—e Chap, 14, 10,— 
d Chap. 4. 6; 21. 18.——e Matt. 3. 11. —7'Chap. 15. 15, 16, 17.— 
a Chap. 5. 8: 14. 2.—A Exod, 15, 1; Deut. 31, 30; chap. 11. 3.— 
4 Deut, 32. 4: Psa. 111. 2; 139. 14.——x Psa, 145. 17; Hos. 14. 9; 
chap. 16. 7. —d Or, nutions, or, ages. 


and six hundred furlongs—It is said that the 
state of the Church, or St. Peter’s patrimony, ex- 
tends from Rome to the Po, two hundred Italian 
miles, which make exactly one thousand-six hundred 
furlongs! Tf this be really so, the coincidence is 
certainly surprising, and worthy of deep regard. 
[We may fairly say, either that the number is as- 
signed simply to signify completeness and magni- 
tude, or else this is one of the riddles of the apoc- 
alypse to which not even a proximate solution has 
ever yet been given —A//ord.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XV. 

[The sixth chief vision of the Revelation prop- 
erly opens here. The vision of the seven vials 
themselves is contained in chapter xvi; but pre- 
viously, in chapter xv, the seer beholds “ seven 
angels,” (verse 1,) as in chapter viii, 2; and before 
the angels execute their office the ‘‘ just made per- 
fect” sing the praise of God, (verses 2-4; ) as in 
chapter viii, there is a solemn offering of 
prayer and its results before the trumpet-angels 
“prepare themselves to sound.” ... As in the vis- 
ions of the seals and trumpets, the sixth vial is 
separated from the seventh by an episode announ- 
cing (in verses 13-16) the assembling of the kings 
for Armageddon. ... Here St. John again recapitu- 
lates. He reascends to an earlier point in the 
prophecy, and enlarges on the judicial chastisements 
to be inflicted on the empire of the beast.—Speak- 
er’s Commentary. | 

1. Seven angels having the seven last 
plagues—Under the emblems of harvest and vint- 
age God’s judgments on the enemies of his Church 
have already been pointed out; but these are fur- 
ther signified by the seven vials, which are called 
the ‘seven last plagues” of God. The “seven last 
plagues” appear to fall under the seventh and last 
trumpet. As the seventh seal, contained the seven 
trumpets, so the seventh trumpet contains the 
seven Vials. 
seven trumpets, so seven angels are appointed to 
pour out the seven vials, angels being always the 
ministers of Providence. This chapter contains the 
opening vision, which is preparatory to the pouring 
out of the vials. 

2. A sea of glass—A spacious lucid plain 
around the throne, from which fiery coruscations 


2-5 


al ᾽ 


were continually emitted; or, the reflection of the | 


light upon this lucid plain produced tke prismatic 


CHAPTER XV. 


And as seven angels sounded the | 


A. M. 4100. A. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


| for "all nations shall come and worship before 
thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. 
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, °the 
temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in 
heaven was opened: 6 P And the seven an- 
gels came out of the temple, having the seven 
plagues, ὁ clothed in pure and white linen, and 
having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 
7 «And one of the four beasts gave unto the 
seven angels seven golden vials full of the 
wrath of God, * who liveth for ever and ever. 
s And tthe temple was filled with smoke 
“from the glory of God, and from his power ; 
and no man was able to enter into the temple, 
till the seven plagues of the seven angels were 


fulfilled. 


m Exod. 15. 14, 15, 16: Jer. 10. 7. τ τ ἢ Isa. 66, 23. — oSee 
Num, 1. 5: chap. 11. 19.—~p Verse 1.—g Exod. 28, 6,8; Ezek. 
44.17, 18: chap. 1. 13.—vr Chap. 4, 6.—-« 1 Thess, 1. 9: chap. 
4.9; 10. 6. t Exod. 40, 34; 1 Kings ἃ, 10; 2 Chron. ὅ. 14; Isa. 
6. 4.—wu 2 Thess, 1. 9. 


colours of the rainbow. Over the beast, and 
over his image—[That is, over the temptation to 
worship his image and to receive the mark con- 
sisting of the number of his name.—A//ord.] (See 
on chapter xiii, 17, 18.) 

3. They sing the song of Moses—That which 
Moses sang (Exod. xv, 1) when he and the Israelites, 
by the miraculous power of God, had gotten safely 
through the Red Sea, and saw their enemies all 
destroyed. The song of the Lamb—The same 
song adapted to the state of the once suffering but, 
now delivered Christians. Great and marvellous 
are thy works—God’s works are descriptive of 
his infinite power and wisdom. Lord God Al- 
mighty—Nearly the same as Jehovah, God of hosts. 
Just and true are thy ways—Every step God 
takes in grace or providence is according to justice, 
and he carefully accomplishes all his threatenings 
and all his promises; to this he is bound by his 
truthfulness. 

4. Who shall not fear thee —That is, all 
should fear and worship this true God, because he 
is just and true and holy; and his saints should 
love and obey him, because he is their King; and 
they and all men should acknowledge his judg- 
ments because they are made manifest. 

5. The temple of the tabernacle of thg testi- 
mony—The “ temple ” which succeeded the “ tab- 
ernacle,” in which was “the testimony,” namely, 
the two tables, Aaron’s rod, pot of manna, holy 
anointing oil, etc.: all bearing “ testimony” to the 
truth of God and his miraculous interposition in 
the behalf of Israel. 

6. The seven angels came out of the temple 
—To show that they were sent from God himself. 
Clothed in pure and white linen—Habited as 
priests. (See Exod. xxviii, 6,8; and on chapter 
i, 13.) 

8. The temple was filled with smoke—So 
was the tabernacle when consecrated by Moses, 
(Exod. xl, 34, 35,) and the temple when dedicated by 
Solomon. (1 Kings viii, 10, 11. See also Isa. vi, 4.) 
When the high priest entered into the holy of 
holies, and the ordinary priest into the holy place, 
they always carried with them a great deal of 
smoking incense, which filled those places with 
smoke and darkness, which prevented them from 
considering too attentively the parts and orna- 
-ments of those holy places, and thus served to 
| produce an air of mystery in the temple, which 

615 


A.M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849, 


REVELATION. 


Six of the seven angels pour 
out their vials of wrath, 


CHAPTER XVI. 

ND 1 heard a great voice out of the tem- 

ple saying *to the seven angels, Go your 
ways, and pour out the vials 'of the wrath of 
God upon the earth. 2 And the first went, 
and poured out his vial ©upon the earth; and 
4there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon 
the menewhich had the mark of the beast, 
and upon them ‘which worshipped his image. 
3 And the second angel poured out his vial 
£upon the sea; and it became as the blood 
of a dead man: ‘and every living soul died in 
the sea. 4 And the third angel poured out 
his vial Καιροῦ the rivers and fountains of 
waters; 'and they became blood. 5 And I 
heard the angel of the waters say, ™Thou 
art righteous, O Lord, "which art, and wast, 
and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 
6 For °they have shed the blood Pof saints 
and prophets, ‘and thou hast given them blood 
to drink; for they are worthy. 7% And I 


heard another out of the altar say, Even so, 
‘Lord God Almighty, *true and righteous are 
thy judgments. & And .the fourth angel 
poured out his vial tupon the sun; "and power 
was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 
9 And men were ‘scorched with great heat, 
and ~blasphemed the name of God, which 
hath power over these plagues: * and they re- 
pented not ¥to give him glory. #0 And the 
fifth angel poured out his vial *upon the seat 
of the beast; *and his kingdom was full of 
darkness; *and they gnawed their tongues for 
pain, ΗΠ And ¢blasphemed the God of heav- 
en because of their pains and ‘their sores, 
eand repented not of their deeds. 4&2 And 
the sixth angel poured out his vial ‘upon the 
great river Euphrates; ¢ and the water thereof 
was dried up, "that the way of the kings of the 
east might be prepared. 233 And | saw three 
unclean ‘spirits like frogs come out of the 
mouth of απ dragon, and out of the mouth 


aChap. 15. 1.— bChap. 14. 10. 15.7. —¢ Chap. 8. 7. — 
d Exod. 9. 9,10, 11. 6 Chap. 13. 16, 17. J Chap. 13. 14 
g Chap. 8. 8. —j Exod. 7. 17, 20. —iChap. 8. 9. k Chap. 
8. 10, UExod. 7. 20. m Chap. 13. 8.—mn Chap. 1. 4, 83 4. 


8... 11: 17. o Matt. 23. 34, 35; chap. 18. 15. p Chap. 1]. 18; 
18. 20.—g Isa. 49, 26.—,) Chap. 15. 3.—sChap. 13. 10; 14 


10; 19. 2.—¢Chap. 8. 12.—zwzChap. 9. 17, 18; 14. 18.—v Or, 
burned.—ve Verses 11, 21. a Dan. 5. 22, 23; chap. 9. 20. 
y Chap! 11. 13) 1ἼΠῸ ΠΣ -gChap. 13. 2. @wChap. 9. 2;—— 
ὁ Chap. 11. 10.—ce Verses 9, 21.—d Verse 2. é Verse 9,—— 
J Chap. 9. 14. g See Jer. 50. 38; 51. 36. Isa, 41. 2, 35. ------- 
21 John 4, 1, 2, ὃ. x Chap. 12. 3, 9. 


none dared to approach without the deepest rever- 
ence. To this Calmet thinks the allusion may be in- 
tended. 

NOTES ON CHAPTER XVI. 

1. Go your ways, and pour out—These min- 
isters of the divine justice were ready to execute 
vengeance upon transgressors, having full power; 
but could do nothing in this way till they received 
especial commission. Nothing can be done without 
the permission of God; and for the manifestation 
of justice or mercy by other than divine agency, 
there must be positive command. 

2. A noisome and grievous sore—Similar to 
the sixth Egyptian plague, boils and blains. (Exod. 
ix, 8, etc.) 

3. As the blood of a dead man—Blood in a 
state of putrescence. 

4. Upon the rivers and fountains of waters 
—Like the first Egyptian plague: (Exod. vii, 20 :) 
and to those plagues in general there appears to 
be allusions throughout this chapter. 

5. The angel of the waters—We have al- 
ready seen the angel of the bottomless pit, (chapter 
ix, 11,) and the angel of the fire, (chapter xiv, 18.) 
The angel of the earth is spoken of in Yalewt Rubeni, 
fol. 13, 2, and is called Admael. The rabbins have 
also an angel that presides over the grass; another 
that presides over the cattle which feed upon the 
grass. It is plain from several places that the 
writer of the apocalypse keeps these notions dis- 
tinctly in view. 

6. Thou hast given them blood to drink— 
They thirsted after blood and massacred the saints 
of God; and now they have blood to drink. [A 
recognition of the great truth of divine retribu- 
tion. (Matt. vii, 1.)] 

8. Poured out his vial upon the sun—[The 
seven angels are regarded as retaining their station 
in the wpper region. ... The sun thus smitten sends 
out the fiercest and most scorching rays. . . . The 
sirocco, the stroke of the sun, and the mirage, all 
serve to aid us in conceiving of the nature of the 
plague thus inflicted.—Stwart. | 


eviefs or sufferings were, they did not bring them 
to such an attitude of mind as made them submis- 
sive, nor inspired them with filial awe. (See chap. 
ix, 20, 21.)— Stwart.| [Respecting the different 
results of chastisements on different classes of per- 
sons, see Heb. xii, 5-11.] 

10. The seat of the beast—’Emi τὸν θρόνον τοῦ 
θηρίου, upon the throne of the wild beast. [That is, 
on the spot where the power and presence of the 
“beast ” had its proper residence. And his king- 
dom—Those lands which owned his rule became 
darkened, (as in the ninth Kgyptian plague, Exod. 
x, 21;) the darkness is specially sent over the land, 
not occasioned by any failure of the light of heaven, 
ete.— Stuart. 

11. Blasphemed the God of heaven—Neither 
did they repent; therefore other judgments must 
follow. [To blaspheme God, as here, is the token 
of entire allegiance to the beast. (See chap. xiii, 6.) 
— Speakers Com. | 

12. Upon the great river Huphrates—Proha- 
bly meaning the people in the vicinity of this river ; 
though some think that the Tiber is intended. 
The water thereof was dried up—The people 
discomfited, and all impediments removed. The 
kings of the east—There seems to be an allusion 
here to the ruin of Babylon by Cyrfs, predicted 
by the prophet Jeremiah, chapters 1 and li. [In 
order to understand what we here read, we must 
carefully bear in mind the context. The time of 
the gathering of the kings of the whole earth to 
the great battle against God is now come, and by 
the drying up of the Euphrates the way of those 
kings who were to come to it from the East is made 
ready.— Alford. | 

13. Three unclean spirits— Perhaps false 
teachers, called afterward spirits of devils, which 
persuade the kings of the earth, by lying miracles, 
to come forth to the place of general slaughter. 
(Verses 14, 16.) [It is the uniform testimony of 
the prophetic Scriptures that the anti-Christian 
powers shall work signs and wonders as a means 
of deceiving mankind. (See Matt. xxiv, 24; 2 Thess. 


9. They repented not—| However great their | ii, 9.}—A/ford. | 


616 


The seventh angel pours his 
wrath-vial into the air. 


of the beast, and out of the mouth of &the 
false prophet. 4 "For they are the spirits 
of devils, ‘working miracles, which go forth 
unto the kings of the earth «and of the whole 
world, to gather them to 'the battle of that 
great day of God Almighty. ΚΦ" Behold, I 
come as a thief. Blessed és he that watcheth, 
and keepeth his garments, "lest he walk naked, 
and they see his shame. 16 °And he gath- 
ered them together into a place called in the 
Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 4&7 And the 
seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; 
and: there came a great voice out of the tem- 
ple of heaven, from the throne, saying, PIt 
is done. 2&8 And 4there were voices, and 
thunders, and lightnings; "and there was a 
great earthquake, ‘such as was not since men 
were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, 


19, 20: 20. 10. --- 1 Tim. 4. 1; James 8. 15. — 
a chap. 13. 13, 14; 19. 20. — & Luke 2. 1. 

7Chap. 17. 14; 19.19; 20. 8. —-2 Matt. 24, 43; 1 Thess. 5. 23 
ὁ Pet. 3. 10; chap. 3. 3.—n 2 Cor. 5. chap. 3. 4, 18. o Chap. 
19. 19.-—p Chap. 21. 6.—g Chap. 4. 4; 8.3; 11. 19.-——? Chap. 


g Chap. 
2 Thess. 2. 9: 


CHAPTER XVI. 


i  ——————— 


A. M. 4100. Α. ἘΔ, 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


and so great. 19 And ‘the great city was 
divided into three parts, and the cities of the 
nations fell: and great Babylon “came in re- 
membrance before God, to give unto her the 
cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 
20 And every island fled away, and the 
mountains were not found. 2 * And there 
fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every 
stone about the weight of a talent: and ¥ men 
blasphemed God because of *the plague of the 
hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding 
great. 
CHAPTER XVII. 
ND there came “one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials, and talked 
with me, saying unto me, Come hither; 'I will 
show unto thee the judgment of ©the great 
whore ‘that sitteth upon many waters; 


11. 13. eDan. 12. 1.—7 Chap. 14. 8: 17. 18.——2 Chap. 18. 5. 
—-~v Isa, 51. 17,92; Jer. 25. 15,16; chap. 14. 10.—ve Chap. 6. 14. 
—a Chap. 11. 19. y Verses 9, 11.——2 See Exod. 9, 2 
— a Chap. 21. 9. 2% Chap. 16. 19; 18. 16,17, 19. —e Nah. 3. 43 
chap. 19. 2. αἱ Jer. ὃ]. 13; verse 1d. 


15. Behold, I come as a thief—Here is a sud- 
den but timely warning to put every man on his 
guard, when this sudden and generally unexpected 
tribulation should take place. [Respecting what 
this predicted coming may mean, there is rather 
more than the average degree of uncertainty, and 
of want of agreement among the commentators. | 
Keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked— 
[He (Christ) wills that no one, because he has 
promised deliverance, should remit for a moment 
his entire vigilance. He who is guilty of such re- 
mission will be like the man who, not expecting 
the thief, lays his garments aside, and gives him- 
self to sleep. In the meantime the thief comes, 
and takes them away, and then he is obliged to go 
forth naked, and thus to be exposed in that state 
to the gaze of men. So will it be with the unfaith- 
ful and heedless disciple.—Stwart. | 

16. Armageddon—The original of this word 
has been variously formed, and variously translated. 
It is har-megiddon, “the mount of the assembly ;” 
or chormah gedehon, “ the destruction of their 
army;” or it is har-megiddo, “Mount Megiddo,” 
the valley of which was remarkable for two great 
slaughters, one of the Israelites, (2 Kings xxiii, 29,) 
the other of the Canaanites. (Judg. iv, 16; v, 19.) 
[Megiddo was a village in the hilly country near 
Mount Tabor. .. . Into a valley ominous of over- 
throw and slaughter, then, the unclean spirits, under 
the special guidance of a superintending Providence, 
(chapter xvii, 17,) conduct the assembled forces of 
the beast and his allies; and there in due time 
they come to a final end (chapter xix, 19) by the 
interposition of an Almighty conqueror.—<Stuart. | 

17. Poured out his vial into the air—[The 
“air” is the common life-sphere of men. The 
anger-vial in the air is therefore, in the first place, a 
deadly decomposition of the spiritual life-sphere of 
men, resulting in the falling asunder of great com- 
munities. And this is the immediate result de- 
picted in verse 19. But with the separation of the 
three powers, Babylon, the Beast, Gog and Magog, 
is also introduced the cosmical decomposition of the 
earthly life-sphere, the end of the world. (!!? )— 
Lange.| It is done—It is said (chapter x, 7) that 
in the days of the seventh trumpet the mystery of 
God should be finished; so here we find it com- 


pleted. Téyove, all’s over. [The passing of some 
great crisis, like Cesar’s at the Rubicon, or Christ’s 
upon the cross, though much is yet to follow it, 
has, in itself, the character of finality, because it 


renders certain that which comes after it.] [One 
who has fired a train would say, ‘ It isdone,” though 


the explosion had not yet taken place —Al/ord.] 

18. A great earthquake—Most terrible com- 
motions, both civil and religious. 

19. The great city — Some say Jerusalem, 
others Rome pagan, others Rome papal. The cup 
of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath— 
Alluding to the mode of putting certain criminals 
to death by making them drink a cup of poison. 

20. Every island fled away—Perhaps mean- 
ing the capture of seaport towns and fortified places. 

21. A great hail... about the weight of a 
talent—The words ὡς ta/avriaia, as a talent, are 
used to express something great, excessively op- 
pressive. [According to Ebrard, the hail of a hun- 
dred pounds weight symbolizes the tremendous 
blows of suffering and sorrow which the world 
sustains in this time of revolution. Glasgow finds 
the objective of this prophecy in the tremendous 
cannon-balls, some of six hundred pounds weight, 
employed in modern warfare. (!! )—See Lange.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XVII. 

This chapter is, on several accounts, very im- 
portant, and particularly as it appears to explain 
several of the most remarkable symbols in the 
book. The same author who has written so largely 
on the tweifth and thirteenth chapters, has also 
obliged me with his interpretation of this chapter. 
Not pretending to explain these things myself, 
I insert this as the most elaborate and learned ex- 
position I have yet seen, leaving my readers at 
perfect liberty to reject it, and adopt any other 
mode of interpretation which they please. God 
alone knows all the secrets of his own wisdom. 


Norss sy J. E. C. 

1. And there came one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials, and talked with 
me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will 
show unto thee the judgment of the great 
whore that sitteth upon many waters—lIvola- 

617 


A. M. 4100. A. D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


REVE LATION. 


The angel explains the mystery of 
the woman and of the beast 


2 > © With. whom the kings of the ear th have 
committed fornication, and fthe inhabitants of 
the earth have been made drunk with the 
wine of her fornication. % So he carried me 
away in the spirit ¢into the wilderness: and 1 
saw a woman sit »upon a scarlet coloured 
beast, full of ‘names of blasphemy, * having 
seven heads and 'ten horns. 4 And the wom- 
an “was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, 
“and edecked with gold and precious stones 
and pearls, Phaving a golden cup in her hand 
4 full of abominations and filthiness of her for- 
nication: & And upon her forehead was a 
name written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON : THE 
GREAT, ‘THE MOTHER OF «HARLOTS 
AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 


6 eal I saw vthe woman drunken Ὁ with the 
blood of the saints,and with the blood of * the 
martyrs of' Jesus: and when I saw her, I won- 
dered with great admiration. '% And the an- 
gel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel ὃ 
I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and 
of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the 
seven heads and ten horns. ®& The beast tha 

thou sawest was, and is not; and ¥ shall ascend 
out of the bottomless pit, and 7 go into perdi- 
tion: and they that dwell on the earth *shall 
wonder, ' whose names were not written in the 
book of life from the foundation of the world, 
when they behold the beast that was, and is” 
not, and vet is. 9 And chere is the mind 
which hath wisdom. ‘The seven heads are 


poh. "Ὁ. 18, “3, Pare 51. 73 chap. 14. 8; 18. 3. ——g Chap. 
12. 6, 14. - hChap. 1263) ἡ Chap. 13. 1. Mee) 
7 Verse 12. —m Chap. 18. 12, 16.-—2 Dan. 11. οὔτ. 
gilded, —p Jer. dl. 7; chap. 18. 6, ——q@ Chap. ah 8. 
r 2 Thess. 2. 7. 


ZChan. 18. 9: 19. 2. 


sChap. 11. 8; 14. 8; 16. 19; 18. 2, 10, 21. 
—w Or, Jo ications. et Chap. 1k. 24, ore 13) los 
le Le τ Chap. ΠΡ ve -- 


2 Chap. 13. 10; erse P ὃ. 
ὁ Chap. 13. 18.—d Chap. 13. 


Chap. 13. 8,— 


trous worship is frequently represented in Serip- 
ture under the figure of whoredom. (See 1 Chron. 
v, 25; Ezek. xvi, xxiii, etc.) The woman men- 
tioned here is called “a great whore,” to denote 
her excessive depravity and the awful nature of 
her idolatry. She is also represented as sitting 
“upon many waters,” to show the vast extent of 
her influence. (See on verse 13 ) 

2. With whom the kings of the earth have 
committed fornication, and the inhabitants 
of the earth have been made drunk with the 
wine of her fornication—Kinegs have committed 
spiritual fornication with her, and their subjects 
have drunk deep, dreadfully deep, into the doctrine 
of her abominable errors. 

3. So he carried me away in the spirit into 
the wilderness—[To obtain a sight of the self- 
styled Cuurcu in its deep spiritual abasement.] 1 
saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured 
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having 
seven heads and ten horns—The Latin Church, 
which, as it appeared from the commencement of 
the fourteenth century to the time of the Reforma- 
tion, corresponds with remarkable exactness to this 
prophetic description. The beast is ‘ full of names 
of blasphemy.” (See on chapter xiii, 5.) 

4. And the woman was arrayed in purple 
and scarlet colour, and decked with gold 
and precious stones and pearls, having a 
golden cup in her hand full of abominations 
and filthiness of her fornication—This striking- 


ly represents the most pompous and costly manner | 


in which the Latin Church has held forth to the 
nations the rites and ceremonies of its idolatrous 
and corrupt worship. 

5. And upon her forehead was a name writ- 
ten, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother 
of Harlots and Abominations of the Barth — 
This inscription is exactly the portraiture of the 
Latin Church, which is, as Bishop Newton well ex- 
presses it, A MYSTERY of iniquity. This woman is 
also called “ Babylon the Great ;” the antitype of 
the ancient Babylon in her idolatry and cruelty: 
but the ancient city called Babylon is only a draw- 
ing of her in miniature. This is indeed “ Babylon 
THE GREAT.” 

6. And I saw the woman drunken with the 
blood of the saints, and with the blood of the 
martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I 
wondered with great admiration—How ex- 

618 


actly the cruelties exercised by the Latin Chureh 
against all it has denominated heretics correspond 
with this description the reader need not be in- 
formed. Admiration—Rather, amazement. 

7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore 
didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mys- 
tery of the woman, and of the beast that car- 
rieth her, which hath the seven heads and 
ten horns—The angel undertakes to explain to 
St. John the vision which had excited in him so 
great astonishment. 

8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is 
not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless 
pit, and go into perdition—The beast is the 
Latin kingdom, (Ἢ Λατίνη βασιλεία ;) consequently 
the beast “88, that is, it had been in existence 
previously to the time of St. John, but ‘is not.” be- 
cause it had ceased long before to be an indepen- 
dent power; but ‘shall ascend out of the bottomless 
pit: ” that is, the Latin kingdom, the anti-Christian 
power, or that which ascendeth out of the abyss or 
bottomless pit, is yet in futurity. And they that 
dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose 
names were not written in the book of life 
from the foundation of the world, when they 
behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet 
is —In the preceding part of the verse the beast is 
considered in three states—as that which was, and is 
not, and shall ascend out of the bottomle ss pit » here 
a fourth is introduced, “and yet is.’ The mean- 
ing of the whole verse seems to be as follows: 
The corrupt part of mankind shall have in great 
admiration the Latin empire yet in futurity, 
which has already been, but is now extinct, the 
Romans having conquered it; and yet is still in 
being ; for, though the Latin nation has been sub- 
jugated, its conquerors are themselves Latins. 

9. Here is the mind which hath wisdom— 
It was said before, (chapter xiii, 18,) Here is wis- 
dom. Let him that hath a Mind, or understanding, 
(vodv,) count the number of the beast. ‘* Wisdom,” 
therefore, here means a correct view of what is 
intended by the number 666; consequently the 
parallel passage, ‘Here is THE MIND which hath 
wispom,” is a declaration that the number of the 
beast must first be understood before the angel’s 
interpretation of the vision concerning the whore 
and the beast can admit of a satisfactory explana- 
tion. The seven heads are seven mountains, 
on which the woman sitteth—It has been 


The angel explains the ayers of 
the woman and of the beast. 


seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 
RO And there are seven kings: five are fall- 


already shown that “ the woman” here mentioned 
is an emblem of the Latin Chureh in her highest 
state of anti-Christian prosperity. The “ moun- 
tains’ upon which the woman sitteth are seven great 
powers ; and as the mountains are heads of the 
beast, they must be the seven GREATEST eminences 
of the Latin world. As no other power was 
acknowledged at the head of the Latin empire but 
that of Germany, how can it be said that the beast 
has seven heads? The Germanic confederation 
was, speaking in the figurative language of Scrip- 
ture, a country abounding in “hills,” or containing 
an immense number of distinct principalities. 
Among these were a few which might, with the 
greatest propriety, be denominated mountains, or 
states possessing a very high degree of political im- 
portance. But as the seven mountains on which 
the woman sits must have their elevations above all 
the other eminences, they can be no other than 
the SEVEN ELECTORATES of the German empire. 
These were, indeed, mountains of vast eminence ; 
for in their sovereigns was vested the sole power 
of electing the head of the empire. They were 
sovereign and independent princes in their respec- 
tive dominions. And as the Roman empire of 
Germany had the precedence of all the other mon- 
archies of which the “ Latin kingdom” was com- 
posed, “ the seven mountains ” very fitly denote the 
seven PRINCIPAL powers of what has been named the 
holy Roman empire. The representation of the 
woman sitting upon the beast is a figure of the 
Latin Church in the period of her greatest authority, 
spiritual and temporal; this we know did not take 
place before the commencement of the fourteenth 
century, a period subsequent to the institution of 
the seven electorates. Therefore the woman sits 
upon the seven mountains to denote that she has 
the whole German empire under her direction and 
authority, and also that it is her chief support and 
strength. Supported by Germany, she is under no 
apprehension of being successfully opposed by any 
other power; she sits upon the seven mountains, 
therefore she is higher than the seven highest 
eminences of the Latin world; she must therefore 
have the secular Latin empire under her complete 
subjection. But this state of eminence did not 
continue above two or three centuriés; for there 
was a visible declension of the papal power in the 
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. And in the 
sixteenth century the woman no longer sat upon 
the seven mountains, the electorates not only hav- 
ing refused to be ruled by her, but some of them 
having also despised and abandoned her doctrines. 
The changes, therefore, which were made in the 
seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, 
in the number of the electorates, will not affect in 
the least the interpretation of the seven mountains 
already given. 

10, And there are seven kings—Before it was 
said, “‘ They are seven mountains ;”” here, ‘“‘ They are 
also seven kings,” which is a demonstration that 
kingdoms are not here meant by mountains; and 
this is a further argument that the seven electo- 
rates are represented by seven mountains, for 
though the sovereigns of these states ranked with 
kings they were not kings. But the seven heads 
of the beast are also seven kings, that is, the Latin 
empire has had seven supreme forms of govern- 


CHAPTER XVII. 


A. M. 419, Α. Ὁ. 96, 
Year of Rome, 849. 


en, and one is, and the other is not yet come; 
and when he cometh, he must continue a short 


ment; for Aing is used in the prophetical writings 
for any supreme governor of a state or people. 
(See Deut. xxxiii, 5.) Of these seven kings, or su- 
preme forms of Latin government, the angel informs 
St. John, five are fallen, and one is; five 
heads, or forms of government, had fallen before 
St. John’s time. And the angel expressly says, 
when speaking to St. John, that “one is,” that is, 
the sixth head, or Latin form of government, was 
then in existence; which could be no other than 
the imperial power, this being the only independent 
form of Latin government in the apostolic age. 
Before the subjugation of the Latins by the Romans 
four of the Roman or draconic forms of goyern- 
ment had fallen, the regal power, the dictatorship, 
the decemvirate, and the consular power of the mil- 
itary tribunes, the last of which was abolished 
about 866 years before the commencement of the 
Christian era; none of these, therefore, ruled over 
the wHoLe Latin nation. But as the Latins were 
finally subdued about 336 B. C., the consular gov- 
ernment of the Romans, which was then the supreme 
pcwer in the state, must be the fourth head of the 
beast. This form of government continued, with 
very little interruption, till the rising up of the δ)"}- 
umovirate, the fifth head of the beast, B. C.43. The 
sizth head of the beast, or that which existed in the 
time of St. John, was consequently the imperial 
power of the heathen Cesars, or the seventh dra- 
conic form of government. And the other is not 
yet come—That was the Carlovingian patriciate, 
the seventh head of the beast. A supreme, inde- 
pendent form of government, [at first represented 
in the person of Charlemagne.| Bishop Newton 
considers the Roman duchy, under the eastern em- 
peror’s lieutenant, the exarch of Ravenna, the 
seventh head of the beast. But this cannot be the 
form of government signified by the seventh head, 
for a head of the beast, as we have already shown, 
is a supreme, independent form of Latin govern- 
ment; consequently the Roman duchy cannot be 
the seventh head, as it was dependent upon the 
exarchate of Ravenna; and the exarchate cannot 
be the head, as it was itself in subjection to the 
Greek empire. In the twenty-six years that elapsed 
between the conquest of Lombardy and the impe- 
rial coronation, Rome, which had been delivered by 
the sword, was subject, as his own, to the sceptre 
of Charlemagne. The people swore allegiance to 
his person and family; in his name money was 
coined and justice was administered ; and the election 
of the popes was examined and confirmed by his 
authority. Except an original and self-inherent 
claim of sovereignty, there was not any prerogative 
remaining which the title of emperor could add to 
the patrician of Rome. The seven heads of the 
beast are therefore the following: The regal power, 
the dictatorship, the power of the pretors, the con- 
sulate, the triumvirate, the imperial power, and the 
patriciate. And when he cometh, he must 
continue a short space-—The seventh form of 
government was only to remain a short time, which 
was actually the case; for from its first rise to in- 
dependent power to its -utter extinction, there 
passed only about forty-five years; a short time in 
comparison to the duration of the regal and the 
imperial governments, which unitedly lasted more 
than nine hundred years, 
619 


A. M. 4100, A. D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


space. HE And the beast that was, and is 
not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, 
eand goeth into perdition. 22 And ‘the ten 
horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which 
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive 
power as kings one hour with the beast. 
13 These have one mind, and shall give their 
power and strength unto the beast. 14 ¢ These 
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb 
shall overcome them: "for he is Lord of lords, 
and King of kings: ‘and they that are with 


REVELATION. 


Christ is Lord of lords, and 
King of kings, 


him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 
15 And he saith unto me, * The waters which 
thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, 'are 
peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues. Ὁ And the ten horns which thou 
sawest upon the beast, ™these shall hate the 
whore, and shall make her desolate "and 
naked, and shall eat her flesh, and °burn her 
with fire. Ε΄ PFor God hath put in their 
hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give 
their kingdom unto the beast, 4 until the words 


e Verse 8.—f Dan. 7. 20; Zech. 1. 18, 19, 21; chap. 13. 1.—— 
g Chap. 16. 14; 19. 19. ——/ Deut. 10. 17; 1 Tim. 6. 13; chap. 
19, 16.—\# Jer. 50. 44, 45; chap. 14. 4. 


x Isa, 8. 7; verse 1. ὦ Chap. 13. 7.—m Jer. 50. 41, 42; chap. 
16. 12. m Ezek. 16, 37-44; chap. 18, 16. o Chap. 18, 8. 
p 2 Thess, 2. 11. ῳ Chap. 10. 7. 


11. And the beast that was, and is not, even 
he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and go- 
eth into perdition—That is to say, the Latin 
kingdom that has already been, but is now no longer 
nominally in existence, shall immediately follow the 
dissolution of the seventh form of Latin govern- 
ment; and this dominion is called ὄγδοος, an eighth, 
because it succeeds to the seventh. But this head 
of the beast is, ἐκ τῶν éxra, ONE of the scven—is the 
restoration of one of the preceding ones. The re- 
stored head can be therefore no other than the 
regal state of. the Latins, or in other words the 
Latin kingdom, (Ἢ Λατίνη βασιλεία.) which fol- 
lowed the patriciate, or seventh head of Latin gov- 
ernment. But the beast in his eighth state, ov 
under his first head restored, “‘goeth into perdi- 
tion.” No other form’ of Latin government shall 
succeed ; but the beast in his last or anti-Christian 
condition shall be taken together with the false 
prophet that wrought miracles in his sight, “and 
east alive into a lake of fire burning with brim- 
stone.” The beast upon which the woman sits is a 
representation of that secular power which supports 
the Latin Church, and the seven heads represent 
the seven electorates of the Germanic empire. 
(See on verse 18.) 

12. And the ten horns which thou sawest 
are ten kings, which have received no king- 
dom as yet; but receive power as kings one 
hour with the beast—The ten horns refer to ten 
Latin kingdoms yet in futurity, and consequently 
they have received no dominion as yer; for that 
part of the Latin domination now in power is the 
sixth head, or imperial government of the heathen 
Cesars. But the ten states of the Latins receive 
dominion as monarchies, μίαν ὥραν, one time, (as it 
may be properly translated,) that is, at the same 
time with the beast, which was in futurity in the 
apostolic age. 

13. These have one mind, and shall give 
their power and strength unto the beast—-The 
ten horns will constitute the principal strength of 
the Latin empire ; that is, this empire is to be com- 
posed of the dominions of ten monarchs indepen- 
dent of each other except in their obedience to the 
Latin Church. The ‘‘beast” in this and the pre- 
ceding verse is distinguished from its horns, as the 
WHOLE Latin empire is distinguished in history from 
its constituent powers. (See on verse 16.) 

14. These shall make war with the Lamb, 
and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he 
is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they 
that are with him are called, and chosen, and 
faithful—The ten powers of the beast must com- 
pose the secular kingdom of antichrist, for they 
make war “with the Lamb,” who is Christ Jesus, 

620 ΄ 


This is perfectly true of all popish states, for they 
have constantly opposed, as long as they have had 
any secular power, the progress of pure Christian- 
ity. They make war with the Lamb by persecut- 
ing his followers; “but the Lamb shall overcome 
them, for he is the Lord of lords, and King of 
kings ”—all lords have their authority from him, 
and no king can reign without him; therefore the 
ten Latin kings are God’s ministers to execute his 
vengeance upon the idolatrous nations. But when 
these anti-Christian monarchies have executed the 
divine purpose, those that are with the Lamb—the 
salled, the chosen, and the faithful, those who have 
kept THE TRUTH in the love of it—shall prevail 
against all their adversaries, because their battles 
are fought. by the Lamb, who is their God and De- 
liverer. (See chapter xix, 19, 20.) 

15. And he saith unto me, The waters 
which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, 
are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues—She glories in the title of the Catholic 
Church, and exults in the number of her votaries 
as a certain proof of the true religion. Cardinal 
Bellarmin’s first note of the true Church is, 716 
very name of the Catholic Church; and his fourth 
note is, Amplitude, or multitude, and variety of be- 
lievers; for the truly Catholic Church, says he, 
ought not only to comprehend all ages, but likewise 
all places, all nations, all kinds of men. 

16. And the ten horns which thou sawest 
upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, 
and shall make her desolate and naked, and 
shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire— 
Here is a clew to lead us to the right interpretation 
of “the horns” of the beast. Itis said the TEN horns 
shall hate the whore; by which is evidently meant, 
when connected with what follows, that the whole 
of the ten kingdoms in the interest of the Latin 
Church shall finally despise her doctrines, be re- 
formed from popery, assist in depriving her of all 
influence and in exposing her follies, and in the 
end consign her to utter destruction. The Roman 
Catholic powers which existed at the Reformation 
are to be numbered among the horns of the beast ; 
and of these there were exactly ten, namely, France, 
Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire, {which was 
one of the Latin monarchies,] Sweden, Denmark, 
Poland, Hungary, and Portugal. These ten king- 
doms constituted the power and strength of the 
beast. 

17. For God hath put in their hearts to ful- 
fil his will, and to agree, and give their king- 
dom unto the beast, until the words of God 
shall be fulfilled—Let no one imagine that these 
ten Latin kingdoms, because they support an idola- 
trous worship, have been raised up merely by the 


The woman who reigneth over 
the kings of the earth. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


A. M. 4100, A. Ὁ. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849. 


of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman 
which thou sawest ‘is that great city, * which 
reigneth over the kings of the earth. 
A CHAPTER XVIII. 

ND @after these things I saw another 


angel come down from heaven, having great 
power; "and the earth was lightened with his 
glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong 
voice, saying, ° Babylon the great is fallen, is 
fallen, and “is become the habitation of devils, 
and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage 


rChap. 16. 19.——sChap, 12. 4. —« Chap. 17. 1.—> Ezek. 
43. 2. —c Isa. 13. 19; 21. 9; Jer. #1. 8; chap. 11. 8. 


power of man or the chances of war. No kingdom 
or state can exist without the will of God. It is 
said of the kings in communion with the Church of 
Rome, that “ God hath put in their hearts to fulfil 
his will.’ This was accomplished in causing ten 
Latin kings to unite their dominions into one 
mighty empire for the defence of the Latin Church. 
Here is a dreadful dispensation of Jehovah; but it 
is such as the nations have most righteously de- 
served, because when they had the truth they lived 
not according to its most holy requisitions, but 
loved darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds were evil. But this deplorable state of the 
world is not perpetual, but continues only till every 
word of God is fulfilled upon his enemies ; and when 
that time arrives, then shall the Son of God slay 
that wicked “ with the spirit of his mouth, and shall 
consume him with the brightness of HIS COMING.” 
18. And the woman which thou sawest is 
that great city, which reigneth over the 
Irings of the earth—It has already been shown 
that the woman sitting upon the seven-headed 
beast is a representation of the Latin Church ; here 
she is called a “ city,” which is a much plainer em- 
blem of a Church, as the word is used unequivo- 
cally in this sense in so many parts of Scripture 
that we cannot well mistake its meaning. (See 
chapter iii, 12; xi, 2; xxi, 10; xxii, 19; and also 
Psa. xlvi, 4; Ixxxvii, 3; Heb. xii, 22, etc.) “The 
woman,” therefore, must be the Latin Church ; and 
as the apostle saw her siééing upon the beast, this 
must signify that ἡ ἔχουσα βασιλείαν, she hath a 
KinGpom over the kings of the earth, that is, over 
the kings of the Latin world. (See on chapter 
xiii, 18.) The woman is also called a “ great city,” 
to denote the very great extent of her jurisdiction ; 
for she has comprehended within her walls the 
subjects of the mighty dominations of France, 
Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire, Sweden, 
Denmark, Poland, Hungary, and Portugal. What 
an extensive city was this! Surely such as to 
justify the prophetic denomination, “that great 
city.” “The beast,” in the largest acceptation of 
this term, is a symbol of the Latin power in gen- 
eral, froin its commencement to the end of time; 
his seven heads denoting seven kings or supreme 
forms of Latin government, during this period. 
The beast of the bottomless pit, which followed 
the fall of all the heads of the sea-beast, or general 
Latin empire, is, according to the angel’s interpreta- 
tion, ὄγδοος, (βασιλεύς,) an EIGHTH king, that is, an 
eighth species of Latin power, or, in other words, a 
supreme form of Latin government, but differing 
from all the foregoing. The first beast of chapter 
xiii is a description of the eighth or last condition 
of the GENERAL Latin empire, and is said to arise 
ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης, out of the sea, because the heads 
are there taken in a double sense, sea being a gen- 
eral term to express the origin of every great em- 
pire which is raised up by the sword; but when (as 
in verse 11) one of the heads of the sea-beast 


(namely, that secular power which is still in being, | See Isa. xxi, 9. 


dIsa. 13. 21; 21. 8; 34. 14; Jer. 50. 39; 51. 37.—e Isa. 14. 23; 
34. 11; Mark ὅ. 2, 3. 


and has supported the Latin Church for more than 
a thousand years) is peculiarly styled The Beast, 
the Holy Ghost, speaking of this secular Latin em- 
pire exclusively, declares it to be ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσον, 
rrom the bottoniless pit. 

[At the end of this chapter (xvii) Stuart, who 
agrees substantially with the foregoing interpreta- 
tion of the vision, adds: “This is so graphie and 
specific that no room is left for doubt as to who is 
meant. he great city is spoken of by way of em- 
inence, βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη. Yet this is not all: the 
great city which hath dominion over the kings of the 
earth; that is, the ten confederate kings named in 
the preceding context. The number fen, like nearly 
all the numbers in this book, is to be regarded as 
symbolical. Whether there were more or less 
than this number of independent kings when the 
apocalypse was written, matters not to the pur- 
pose of the writer or speaker. The number 
evidently alludes to Dan. vii, 24, where ten kings 
are mentioned, who in various respects were to 
have dominion over and oppress the Jews. So in 
the present case, ten kings, with the beast, will 
unite in persecuting the Church and in efforts to 
destroy it. But they can proceed no further than 
the plan of an all-wise and overruling Providence 
permits.”’] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XVIII. 

[The approaching fall of Babylon is announced 
in this chapter. (See verse 21.) The actual over- 
throw is assumed to have taken place between 
chapter xviii, 24, and chapter xix, 1. In chapter 
xix, 1-10, that overthrow is celebrated. The ap- 
pearance of the three angels (chapter xiv, 6-13) 
exhibits the chief stages of the vision. 1) In verses 
1-3 the announcement of chapter xiv, 8 is _re- 
peated and developed; 2) The fall of Babylon, 
(see chapter xvi, 19,) an event still future, is de- 
seribed with minute details in verses 4-20; 3) The 
overthrow of the city is represented by a signifi- 
cant action. (Verses 21-24.) ... The narrative 
follows the division, which has marked the seals, 
trumpets, and vials into seven clauses, the sixth 
being divided from the seventh by an interposed 
section. Thus we have, 1) the fall of Babylon and 
her sin, (chapter xiv, 8; Xvil, 2,) in verses 1-3; 
2) The invitation to God’s people to depart from 
out of her, (Isa. lii, 11,) for her iniquities have come 
“in remembrance before God,” in verses 4, 5; 
3) The angel’s address to those who are to inflict 
the judgments, in verses 6-8 ; 4) The lament of the 
“kings,” of tne “merchants,” of the mariners, is 
given severally in verses 9, 10; 11-17; and 17-19. 
On this is interposed a brief utterance of triumph 
in verse 20; and then comes the symbolical action 
which declares her overthrow.—Speaker’s Com.] 

1. Another angel—[ Different from those named 
in chapter xvii, 1, and x, 1. His errand was to an- 
nounce the impending destruction of Babylon. | 

2. Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen— 
Is become . . . the hold of 

621 


A. Μ. 4100. A. D. 96, 
Year of Rome, +49. 


REVELATION. 


The kings and merchants of the 
earth lament for Babylon, 


of every unclean and hateful bird. 8% For all 
nations ‘have drunk of the wine of the wrath 
of her fornication, and the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication with her, ¢ and the 
merchants of the earth are waxed rich through 
the ‘abundance of her delicacies. 4 And 1 
heard another voice from heaven, saying, 'Come 
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers 
of her sins, and that ye receive not of her 
plagues. & «For her sins have reached unto 
heaven, Pee 'God hath remembered her iniq- 


uities. 6 ™Reward her even as she rewarded 
you, and double unto her double according 


to her works: "in the cup which she hath 
filled, ° fill to her double. % re How much she 
hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so 
much torment and sorrow give her: for she 
saith in her heart, 1 sit a 4@queen, and am no 
widow, and shall see no sorrow. & Therefore 
shall her plagues come 'in one day, death, and 
mourning, and famine; and ‘she shall be ut- 
terly burned with fire: ‘for strong és the 
Lord God who judgeth her. 9 And "the 
kings of the earth, who have committed for- 
nication and lived deliciously with her, ἡ shall 
bewail her, and lament for her, * when they 
shall see the smoke of her burning, 10 Stand- 


x Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that 
mighty city! »for in one hour is thy judg- 
ment come. HH And “the merchants of the 
earth shall weep and mourn over her; for 
no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 
22 «The merchandise of gold, and silver, and 
precious stones, and of pearls, and fine lin- 
en, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all 
"thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, 
and all manner vessels of nost precious wood, 
and of brass, and iron, and marble, £8 And 
cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and 
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, 
and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, 
and chariots, and ‘slaves, and 4souls of men 
H4 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after 
are departed from thee, and all things which 
were dainty and goodly are departed from 
thee, and thou shalt find them ‘no more at all. 
ΕΖ ¢The merchants of these things, which 
were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for 
the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 
ἘΦ And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, 
‘that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and 
scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious 
stones, and pearls! ἈΠ &For in one hour so 
great riches is come to naught. And “every 


ing auf: w off for the fear of her torment, saying, | shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and 
JF Chap. 14. 8; 17. 2,——9 ee 11, 15; Isa. 47. 15 ——A Or, s Chap. 17. 16 t Jer. 50. 34: chap. 11. 1 γι Ezek, 26. 16, 
powe,-—i Isa. 42, ΠΝ 5 02. 113; Jer. δι), 8: dl. 6, 45; 2 Cor. 6. 17. | 17: chap. 17. 2; verse 3.—w» Jer. 5(). 46. ἢ Verse 18; chap. 
ke Gen. 18. 20, 21: Jer. 51. 9; Jonah 1. 2. “7Chap. 18. 19. | 19, 3.—a'Isa, 21. 9; chap. 14. 8—y Verses 17, 19. 2 Ezek. 
m Psa. 137, 8: Jer. 50, 15, 29; 51. 24, 49: 2 Vim. 4. 14; chap. | 97. 27-36; verse 3. ἵ Cha 17. 4. a= lb Or, sweet. ‘ Or, 

13. 10 ne hap 14. 10.—o G hap. 16. 19. Bas Ezek, 28, 2, etc. | rodiex. —d Ezek. 27 


iS 47. 7,8; Zeph. 2. 15.—~, Isa, 47.93; verse 10. 


——g Verse 10.—-h Isa. 33, 14; Ezek. 37. 29, 


every foul spirit—The figures here point out the 
most complete destr uction. A city utterly sacked 
and ruined, never to be rebuilt. 

3. The wine of the wrath—The punishment 
due to her transgressions, because they have par- 
taken with her in “her sins. (See on chapter xiv, 8.) 

4. Come out of her, my people—See Isa. 
xlviii, 20;. Jer. i, 8; li, 6, 45. 

5. Her sins have reached unto heaven— 
They are become so great and enormous that the 
longsuffering of God must give place to his justice. 

6. Reward her even as she rewarded you 
—(The “voice” speaking in the name of God, 
(verse 8.) now turns to address those who are to 
inflict the judgments.—Speaker’s Com.] 

7. How much she hath glorified herself— 


By every act of transgression and sinful pampering 


of the body she has been preparing for herself a| 


suitable and proportionate punishment. 

8. Therefore shall her plagues come— Death, 
by the sword of her adversaries ; mourning, on ac- 
count of the slaughter; and famine, the fruits of 
the field being destroyed by the hostile bands. 
Utterly burned with fire—| Utterly overthrown 
and destroyed.] Rome pagan has never been thus 
treated. 

9. The kings of the earth—Those who copied 
her superstitions and adopted her idolatries. 

10. Standing afar off—Beholding her desola- 
tions with wonder and astonishment, utterly un- 
able to afford her any assistance. [The general 
sentiment here is, that in the final ruin of papal 
Rome the kings and governments that had sus- 
tained her, and had been sustained by her, would 
sce the source of their power taken away, but that 
they would not, or could not, attempt her Tescue.— 

622 


Barnes.] [Recent events in the world’s history 
seem to answer to this prophecy. 

11. The merchants of the earth—These are 
represented as mourning over her, because their 
traffic with her was at an end. 

12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, 
ete. —[Reuss remarks on this passage: ‘ All the 
objects of luxury which formed the basis of c¢om- 
merce and of the riches of the whole world are 
enumerated here with an evident sentiment of dis- 
dain and repulsion. Commerce itself, so often 
signalized by the ancient prophets as an agent of 
corruption, as a destroying element of national 
purity, is also execrated by their disciple, (the 
Apocalyptist,) who taixes pleasure in making an in- 
ventory of its disaster.”] [Each article specified 
here is an instance of extreme luxury.—Speaker’s 
Commentary. ] 

14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after 
—Kal ἡ ὀπώρα cov τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς. AS 
ὀπώρα signifies autumn, any and all kinds of au- 
tumnal fruits may be signified by the word in the 
above clause. Dainty and goodly—Ta λιπαρὰ, 
delicacies for the table. Ta λαμπρὰ, what is splendid 
png cosliy in apparel. 

5. Stand afar off—See verse 10. 

i Clothed in fine linen, and purple, ete.— 
The verb περιβάλλεσθαι, which we here translate 
“clothed,” signifies often to abound, be enriched, 
laden with. These articles are not to be considered 
here as personal ornaments, but as articles of trade 
or merchandise, in which this city trafficked. 

7. Every shipmaster—Captains of vessels ; 
some think pilots are meant, and this is most likely 
to be the meaning of the original word κυϑερνήτης. 


(See Ezek. xxvii, 26-28.) And all the company 


Lamentations and rejoicings over 
the fall of Babylon. 


sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood 
afar off, #8 'And cried when they saw the 
smoke of her burning, site k What city és 
like unto this great city! £9 And 'they cast 
dust on their “heads, and cried, weeping and 
wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, 
wherein were made rich all that had ships in 
the sea by reason of her costliness! “for in 
one hour is she made desolate. 20 ° Rejoice 
over her, thow heaven, and ye holy apostles 
and prophets ; for oGod hath avenged you on 
her. QI And a mighty angel took up a stone 
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, 
saying, PThus with violence shall that great 
city Babylon be thrown down, and 4 shall be 
found no more at all. 22 *And the voice of 
harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and 
trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in 


CHAPTER 


A. M. 4100, A.D. 96. 
Year of Rome, S49. 


AVAIL 


thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft 
he be, shall be found any more in thee; and 
the sound of a millstone shall be heard no 
more at all in thee; 2% * And the light of a 
candle shall shine no more at all in thee; tand 
the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride 
shall be heard no more at all in thee: for "thy 
merchants were the great men of the earth; 
‘for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 
24 And “in her was found the blood of 
prophets, and of saints, and of all that * were 
slain upon the earth. 


CHAPTER XIX. 
ND after these things *I heard a great 
voice of much people in heaven, saying, 
Alleluia; "Salvation, and glory, and honour, 
and power, unto the Lord our God: 2 For 


ἃ Ezek. 27. 30, 31; verse 9. — Chap. 13. 4. —JZ Josh. 7. 6; 
1 Sam. 4, io: Job 2, 12: Ezek. 27. 30. — 2m Verse 8 n Isa. 
44. 55: 49, 13; Jer. 51. 48. Ἐπ. ὁ hte 1. 49, 50; chap. 19. 2. 


p Jer. “al. 64. —dgq Chap. 12, 8; 16, 20.— 7 Isa. 24. 8; Jer. 7. ὃ 


15 ἢ σεν 25. 10.----ἢ Jen 7 . 4; 16. 93 
3. 11.—u Isa. 93. 2 Kings 9. 22: Nah. 3.4: cue: 
17. —a Chap 17. 6. Be ττ d1. 49. —u Chap. 11. 15.—— 
ὑ Chap. 4,11: 7. 10, 123 18. 10. 


; Ezek. 26. 


in ships—Instead of καὶ πᾶς ἐπὶ τῶν πλοῖων ὁ ὅμι- 
doc, the crowd or passengers aboard, the best 
MSS. and Versions have καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων, 
those who sail from place to place, or such as slop 
at particular places on the coast, without perform- 
ing the whole voyage: the traffic on the coast of 
the Mediterranean Sea. [The words here import 
all sailors from place to place.—A/ford. | 

18. What city is like unto this great city— 
Namely, in magnitude, power, and luxury. 

19. They cast dust on their heads — They 
showed every sign of the sincerest grief. The 
picture of the lamentation over this great ruined 
city, from verses 9 to 19, is exceedingly strong and 
well drawn. Jere is no dissembled sorrow ; all is 
real to the mourners and affecting to the spec- 
tators. 

20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven —This is 
grand and sublime; the fall of this bad city was 
cause of grief to bad men: but as this city was a 
persecutor of the godly, and an enemy to the works 
of God, angels, apostles, and prophets are called to 
rejoice over her fall. [The angel concludes with 
calling on the heavens and God’s holy ones to re- 
joice at her fall.—A/ford.] 

21. Thus with violence shall that great city 
Babylon be thrown down—[A symbolical proe- 
lamation by an angel (the same as in verse 1, or 
another) of Babylon’s complete overthrow and 
ruin.} Shall be found no more at all—[A stone 
cast into the deep sea can no more be found. ... 
Babylon will fall to rise no more.—Stuart. } 

22. The voice of harpers, etc.—[If this be un- 
derstood to apply to papal Rome, then the utter 
overthrow of that system of superstition and false 
faith, whose history is one of crime and corruption, 
is surely predicted. | 

23. By thy sorceries — Political arts, state 
tricks, counterfeit miracles, and deceptive mancen- 
vres of every kind. [The angel now ceases to ad- 
dress the fallen city; and, adopting the narrative 

- style, speaks out this last great cause of her over- 
throw as a fact respecting her. — Speaker's Com- 
mentary. | 


‘by our Reformers ; 


counsels and influence in exciting other nations and 
people to persecute and destroy the real followers 
of God. Bishop Bale, who applies this to the 
Romish Church, has, on verse 22, given some in- 
formation to the curious antiquary. “ But be cer- 
taine,” says he, ‘and sure, thou myserable Church, 
that thou shalt no longer enjoy the commodious 
pleasures of a free cittye. The merry noyse of 
them that play upon harpes, lutes, and jfidels; the 
sweet voice of musicians that sing with wv/rginals, 
vials, and chimes; the armonye of them that pipe in 
recorders, flutes, and εἰπῆ, and the shirle showt 
of trumpets, waits, and shawmes shall no more be 
heard in thee to the delight of men, Neyther 
shall the sweet organs containing the melodious 
noyse of all maner of instrwments and byrdes be 
plaied upon, nor the great belles be rong after that, 
nor yet the fresh discant, prick-song, counter-point, 
and faburden be called for in thee, which art the 
very sinagog of Sathan. Thy lascivious armonye, 
and delectable musique, much provoking the weake 
hartes of men to meddle in thy abhominable whor- 
dom, by the wantonnes of idolatry in that kinde, 
shall perish with thee for ever.” This is very 
plain language, and thus on all hands a monstrous 
system of superstition and idolatry was attacked 
and with these unfurbished 
weapons, directed by the Spirit of the living God, 
popery was driven from the throne, from the bench, 
from the universities, and from the Churches of 
this favoured kingdom. [But the end is not yet.] 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIX. 

1. ITheard a great voice of much people in 
heaven—The idolatrous city being destroyed, and 
the blood of the martyred saints being avenged, 
there is a universal joy among the redeemed of the 
Lord, which they commence with Praise ye Jah, 
or Jehovah; which the Septuagint, (and St. John 
from it,) puts into Greek letters thus: ᾿Αλληλούϊα, 
Allelou-ia. Salvation—He is the sole author of 
deliverance from sin; the glory of this belongs to 
him, the honour should be ascribed to him, and 
his power is that alone. by which it is effected. 


24. In her was found the blood of prophets, | [Deliverance from enemies, (and specifically from 


ete.—She was the~persecutor and murderer of 
prophets and of righteous men. 


And of all that | 
were slain upon the earth—This refers to her | 


the “ beast,”) and majesty and might, are to be as- 
cribed to God, and he is to be praised on account 
of them.—Stuart. | 

623 


A.M. 4100, A.D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 549, 


REVELATION. 


The august title and character 
of Jesus Christ. 


etrue and righteous are his judgments; for he 
hath judged the great whore, which did cor- 
rupt the earth with her fornication, and ¢hath 
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And eher 
smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4 And ‘the 
four and tweaty elders and the four beasts fell 


down and worshipped God that sat on the 
throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5 And a 


voice came out of the throne, saying, » Praise 
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear 
him, ‘both small and great. 6 * And I heard as 
it were the voice of a great multitude, and as 
the voice of many w: ters, and as the voice of 
mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for! the 
Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be 
glad and rejoice, and give “honour to him: for 
"the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his 


wife hath made herself ready. §& And "to 
her was granted that she should be arrayed in 
fine linen, clean and ° white: Pfor the fine 
linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And 
he saith unto me, Write, 4Blessed ave tley 
which are called untu the marriage supper of 
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, τ These are 
the true sayings of God. 40 And “1 feil at 
his feet to worship him. And he said unto 
me, ‘See thou do it not: 1 am thy fellow ser- 
vant, and of thy brethren “that have the tes- 
timony of Jesus: worship God: for the tes- 
timony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 
if + And I saw heaven opened, and behold “a 
white horse; and he that sat upon him was 
called * Faithful and True, and yin righteous- 
ness he doth judge and make war. #2 7Ilis 
eyes were as a flame of fire, *and on his 


e Chap. 15. 3: 16. ea 32, 43: chap. 6. 10; 18. 20,— 


6138 34. 10: chap. 14. 11: 18. 9, 18 F Chap. 4.4, 6. 1025. 14. 
—¢1 Chron. 16. 36: Neh. 5. 13 A chap. 5. 14. h Psa: 
13h Ws 155: 1.——2_ Chap: 11. 18; 20: = Ezek. 1, 94. 43: 


chap. 14. 2 -_—! Chap. 11. 1d, "ΤῸ 12, me m Matt, 22) 


2: 25. 10; Ὁ Cor. 11,23 ph: a. 32% chap; oe oF “9, 


m Psa. 45. 13, 14; Ezek. 16. 10; chap. 3. 18——o Or, bright. 

Ω Matt, 22. 2,3; Luke 14. 15, 16.—7 Chap. 
21155 2226: «Chap. 22. 8—— ¢Acts 10, 26; 14. 14, 15; chap. 
99, 9. wi John ὅ. 105 chap. 12. 17. ——» Chap. 5 
we hap. 6. 2.—a: Chap. ὃ. 14. —y Isa. 11. 4.—z< Chap. 1: 14: 
2, iS —<a Chap. 6. 2. 


2. For true and righteous — His judgments 
displayed in supporting his followers, and punish- 
ing his enemies, are “‘ true ””—according to his pre- 
dictions; and “righteous,” being all according to 
infinite justice and equity. 

3. Her smoke rose up—There was, and shall 
be, a continual evidence of God’s judgments exe- 
cuted on this great whore or idolatrous city; nor 
shall it ever be restored. 

4. The four and twenty elders—The true 
Church of the Lord Jesus converted from among 
the Jews. (See chapter iv, 10; v, 14.) [A kind 
of antistrophe to the strophe, (verses 1, 2)—a 
responsive song of triumph between earth and 
heaven. ] 

5. Praise our God, ete.—Let all, whether re- 
deemed from among Jews or Gentiles, give glory 
to God. 

6. The voice of a great multitude—This is 
the catholic or universal Church of God gathered 
from among Jews and Gentiles. The Lord God 
omnipotent reigneth—EPaciAevoe Kipioc ὁ Θεὺς 
ὁ παντοκράτωρ. An ascription of rightful dominion 
to God, in respect to his almightiness. 

7. The marriage of the Lamb is come—The 
meaning of these figurative expressions appears to 
be this: After this overthrow of idolatry and super- 
stition, and the discomfiture of antichrist, there 
will be a more glorious state of Christianity than 
ever was before. [These words introduce to us, 
transitionally, a new series of visions respecting 
the final consummation of the union between Christ 
and his Church, which brings about the end, (chap- 
ter xxi, 1,) the solemn opening of which now im- 
mediately follows. (Verse 11.) The series, properly 
speaking, includes in itself the overthrow of the 
kings of the earth, the binding of Satan, the thou- 

sand years’ reign, the loosing of Satan, the final 
overthrow of the enemy, and the general judgment. 
But it is not consummated except in the entire 
union of Christ and nis, with which the book con- 
cludes.— Alford. | 

. Arrayed in fine linen—A prediction that 
the Church should become pure in her doctrines, 
pious in her experience, and righteous in her con- 
duct. The ‘fine linen” here spoken of is not the 
righteousness of Christ imputed to believers, for it 

094 


is here called the righteousness of saints — 
that which the grace and Spirit of Christ has 
wrought in them. 

9. Blessed are they which are called unto 
the marriage supper—This is an evident allusion 
to the marriage of the king’s son, as given in Matt. 
xxii, 2, ete., where the incarnation of our Lord, 
and the calling of Jews and Gentiles, are particu- 
larly pointed out. See the notes there. Blessed 
are all they who hear the Gospel, and are thus 
enabled to lay hold on everlasting life. 

10. I fell at his feet to worship him—His 
prostration was merely an act of that sort of rey- 
erence which any Asiatic would pay to a superior, 
His mistake was the considering that he was under 
obligation to the angel for the information which 
he had now received, but which was from God 
alone. No higher in 
dignity than thyself; employed by the same God, 
on the same errand, and with the same testimony. 
Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy 
—The “spirit of prophecy” is a genet ral testimony 
concerning Jesus, for he is the scope and design of 
the whole | Seripture ; to him gave all the prophets 
witness. [John and his coadjutor (the angel) are 
both sent on the same errand, are engaged in the 
same business, and are partakers of the same 
prophetic spirit—Stwart. | 

11. [I saw heaven opened—In chapter iv, 1, @ 
door is opened in heaven in order that the Seer 
may ascend thither, in spirit, and gaze within and 
learn the secret things of God. Here the “heav- 

ἢ 7) itself is opened, in order that the Lord may 
issue forth with his hosts. These Ewald would 
identify with the 144,000 of chapter xiv, 1—5, as they 
were there seen prepared for their victory.—Speak- 
ers Commentary.| A white horse—This is an 
exhibition of the triumph of Christ after the de- 
struction of his enemies. The “ white horse” is 
the emblem of this, and ‘rarraruL” and “TRUE” 
are characters of Christ. (See chapter iii, 14.) 
[There seems to be here a reference to chap. vi, 2, 
which see. Under the former seal the Rider went 
forth to his work of conquest; here he comes forth 
to execute the last acts of judgment. | 

12. His eyes were as a flame of fire—To de- 
note the piercing and all-penetrating nature of 


The strictness of Christ’s rule 
over the nations, 


head were many crowns; 
written, that no man knew, but he himself. 
18 © And he was clothed with a vesture dipped 
in blood: and his name is called ¢The Word 


of God. 14 eAnd the armies which were in 
heaven followed him upon white horses, 
felothed in fine linen, white and clean. 


15 And font of his mouth goeth a sharp 
sword, that with it he should smite the nations ; 
and the shall rule them with a rod of iron: 
and ‘he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness 
and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And «he 
hath on Ais vesture and on his thigh a name 
written, | KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF 
LORDS. 47 And I saw an angel standing in 
the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, say- 
ing ™to all the fowls that fly in the midst of 
heaven, "Come and gather yourselves together 
unto the supper of the great God; 18 °That 


CHAPTER XIX. 


A.M. 4100. A. D. 96. 
‘Year of Rome, 849. 


band he had a name| ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh 


of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and 
the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on 
them, and the flesh of all men, both free and 
bond, both small and great. 19 P And I saw 
the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their 
armies, gathered together to make war against 
him that sat on the horse, and against his 
army. 20 And the beast was taken, and 
with him the false prophet that wrought mir- 
acles before him, with which he deceived them 
that had received the mark of the beast, and 
"them that worshipped his image. * These 
both were cast alive into a lake of fire ‘ burn- 
ing with brimstone. 28 And the remnant 
“were slain with the sword of him that sat 
upon the horse, which szord proceeded out of 
his mouth: vand all the fowls » were filled 
with their flesh. 


BChap. 2 . 17; verse 16.—r Isaiah 68. 2, 3.——d John 1. 1; 
1 John 5. 7. πτ é Chap. 14, Matt. 28. 8: chap. 4. 4: 
7. 9.—q Isaiah 11. 4: 2 Thess. 3.8: chap. 1. 16: verse 21.— 
h Psalm 2.9; chap. ὃ. 7; 12. ee Isaiah 63.3; chap. 14. 19, 20. 
k Verse 12. 


his wisdom. On his head were many crowns 
—To denote the multitude of his conquests, and 
the extent of his dominion. A name written, 
that no man knew—The name we call Jehovah 
the Jews never attempt to pronounce: when they 
meet with it in the Bible they read Adonai for it, 
and they all declare that no man can pronounce it ; 
and that the true pronunciation has been lost, at 
least since, the Babylonish captivity; and that God 
alone knows its true interpretation and pronuncia- 
tion. This, therefore, is the name “that no man 
knew,” but he himself. 

13. He was clothed with a vesture dipped 
in blood—To show that he was just come from 
recent slaughter, [having stained his garments with 
the blood of his*enemies, and not with his own 
blood, shed as a propitiation.] (Isa. ]xiii, 3.) The 
Word of God—The Word of Jehovah, by which 
the Jewish writers always mean a person, and not 
a word spoken. (See on John i, 1, ete.) 

14. The armies which were in heaven— 
Angels and saints over whom Jesus Christ is Cap- 
tain. [These now have a share in his conflict, and 
will at length have a part in his triumph.] Clothed 
in fine linen—All holy, pure, and righteous. 

15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword 
—(See on chapter i, 16.) This appears to mean 
the word of the Gospel, by which his enemies are 
confounded, and his friends supported and com- 
forted. With a rod of iron—He shall execute 
the severest judgment on the opposers of his truth. 
He treadeth the winepress—<As the grapes are 
trodden to express the juice, so his enemies shall 
be bruised and beaten, so that their life’s blood 
shall be presstd out. 

16. On his vesture and on his thigh a name 
written—Dr. Dodd has well observed on this pas- 
sage, that “it appears to have been an ancient 
custom among several nations to adorn the images 
of their deities, princes, victors at public games, and 
other eminent persons, with inscriptions expressing 
either the character of the persons, their names, 
or some other circumstance which might contribute 
to their honour; and to that custom the description 
here given of Christ may possibly have some allu- 
sion. 

Vor, II.—40 


ZDaniel 2. 47; 1 Tim. 6. 15: chap. 17. 14.——2 Verse 21.— 


nm Ezek. 39. 17.——o Ezek. 39. 18, 20. p Chap. 16. 101 17. 13, 14. 
—q Chap. 16. 13, 14. rChap. 18. 13, 15. Chap. 26. 10; 
see Daniel 7. 11.— Chap. 14. 10; 21. 8. —— w Verse 15, — 


Ὁ Verses 17, 18.—~0 Chap. 17. 16. 


17. An angel standing in the sun—Exceed- 
ingly luminous; every part of him emitting rays of 
light. All the fowls that fly—The carcasses of 
God’s enemies shall be food for all the fowls of 
heaven. It is well known that both beasts and 
birds of prey are accustomed to frequent fields of 
battle, and live upon the slain. [Complete and 
final victory is now expected with so much certainty 
that the whole army of the enemy are seen in 
anticipation as lying dead upon the field of battle, 
and the ravenous birds are summoned to devour 
their carcasses. (Verses 17, 18.)—Stuart. | 

18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings— 

There shall be a universal destruction ; the kings, 
generals, captains, and all their host, shall be 
slain. 
19. I saw the beast—See the notes on chapters 
xii, xiii, and xvii. [The army encircling the victo- 
rious Leader is here presented to our view. But 
they act, after all, only a secondary part. The 
great Captain of salvation is competent alone to 
achieve the victory.—Stwart. } 

20. And the beast was taken, and... the 
false prophet—See the notes on chap. xvii, 8, ete. 
[The “beast” and the ‘false prophet” had been 
united in deceiving the nations and in persecuting 
the Church. Their doom is therefore the same. Both 
are cast alive into the lake of fire, that is, gehenna: 
a touch of the pencil with a design to make the 
colouring intense.— Stuart.] That worshipped 
his image—The “beast” has been represented as 
the Latin empire; the “image” of the beast, as 
the popes of Rome ; and the “ false prophet,” as the 
papal clergy. [Others would find the antitype of 
the false prophet in Islamism.] Were cast alive 
into a lake of fire—Were not only discomfited, 
but were taken “alive’—while in the zenith of 
their power—and destroyed with an utter destrue- 
tion. 

21. With the sword of him that sat upon 
the horse—He who sat on the white horse is 
Christ; and his “sword” is his word—the unadul- 
terated Gospel. [The instrument by which Christ 
will subdue the world and establish his kingdom is 
the Gospel, as a body of divinely revealed truth, 
preached to the nations. } 

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Year of Rome, 849. 


REVELATION 


Blessedness of those who live 
and reign with Christ. 


CHAPTER -XX. 

ND I saw an angel come down from heav- 

, ‘having the key of the bottomless pit 

and a great chainin his hand. 2 And he laid 
hold on 'the dragon, that old serpent, which 
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thou- 
sand years, ® And cast him into the bottom- 
less pit, and shut him up, and “set a seal upon 
him, “that he should deceive the nations no 
more, till the thousand years should be ful- 
filled: and after that he must be loosed a little 
season. 4 And I saw ethrones, and they sat 
upon them, and fjudgment was given unto 
them: and 7 saw *the souls of them that were 


beheaded, for the witness of Jesus, and for the 
word of God, and " which had not worshipped 
the beast, ‘neither his image, neither had re- 
ceived his mark upon their foreheads, or in 
their hands; and they lived and «reigned with 
Christ a thousand years. & But the rest of 
the dead lived not again until the thousand 
years were finished. This 7s the first resurrec- 
tion. © Blessed and holy és he that hath part 
in the first resurrection: on such 'the second 
death hath no power, but they shall be ™ priests 
of God and of Christ, "and shall reign with 
him a thousand years. 4 And when the thou- 
sand years are expired, °Satan shall be loosed 


: Jude 6, 
7. 9 


Chap. 


aChap. 1. 18; 9. 1.—W Chap. 12. 9: see 2 Pet. 2. 
—c Dan. 6. 17.—d Chap. 16. 14, 16: 
22,27; Matt. 19. 28; Luke 22. ¢ 


PSs ret tf 


6. 9.—AChap. 18. 12.—iChap. 13. 15, 16.—A: Rom. 8. 17: 
2 Tim. 2. 12; chap. 5. 10.—Z Chap. 2. 11; 21.8 m Isa. 61. 63 
1 Pet. 2. 9: chap. 1. 6; 5. 10.—v7 Verse 4.—o0 Verse 2. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XX. 

1. An angel come down from heaven—One 
of the executors of the divine justice, who arrests 
criminals, and keeps them in prison, and delivers 
them up only to be tried and executed. The key 
of the prison and the chain show who he is; 
and as the chain was great, it shows that the cul- 
prit was impeached of no ordinary crimes. 

2. The dragon—See the notes on chapter xii, 9. 
That old serpent, which is the Devil, and 
Satan—He who is called the “old serpent” is the 
Devit, the calumniator ; and Satan, the opposer. 
[Ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, the old serpent, probably a mere 
paraphrase of δράκοντα, who is (not is called) the 
devil, and Satan, so identifying as the same person 
him to which these several epithets are applied. ] 
A thousand years — This (and verses 3-5) no 
doubt refers to a time in which the influence of 
Satan will be greatly restrained, and the true Church 
of God enjoy great prosperity, which shall endure 
for along time. But it is not likely that the num- 
ber, a thousand years, is to be taken literally here, 
and year symbolically and figuratively in all the 
book beside. The doctrine of the méllenniwm, or 
of the saints reigning on earth a thousand years 
with Christ for their head, has been illustrated and 
defended by many Christian writers, both among 
the ancients and moderns. It has long been the 
idle expectation of many persons that the m//en- 
nium, in their sense, was at hand; and its com- 
mencement has been expected in every century since 
the Christian era. It has been fixed for several 
different years during the short period of my own 
life! [Scarcely a generation has lived since the 
ascension that has not heard it proclaimed that the 
day is at hand, “even at the door.’ And though 
more than fifty generations have seen the failure of 
these expectations, men still continue to prophesy 
and to expect.|. I believe all those predictions to 
be vain. Yet there is no doubt that the earth is in 
a state of prugressive moral improvement ; and that 
the light of true religion is shining more copiously 
everywhere, and will shine more and more to the 
perfect day. But when the religion of Christ will 
be at its meridian of light and heat we know not. 
In each believer this may speedily take place; but 
probably no such time shall ever appear in which 
evil shall be wholly banished from the earth, till the 
consummation of all things. The phraseology of 
the apostle here seems partly taken from the an- 
cient prophets, and partly rabbinical; and it is 
from the Jewish use of those terms that we are to 
look for their interpretation, 

626 


3. He should deceive the nations no more 
—Be unable to blind men with superstition and 
idolatry as he had formerly done. 

4.1 54 Ὁ thrones— Christianity established in 
the earth, the kings and governors being all Christ- 
ians, [Christian principles prevailing.] And judg- 
ment was given unto them—[This points to the 
moral “‘ judgment ” of humanity spoken of by Christ, 
(John v, 22,) the execution of which is here dele- 
gated to him and to his saints, as promised in 
chapter iii, 21.—Speaker’s Com.| Reigned with 
Christ a thousand years—lI am satisfied that this 
period should not be taken literally. It may signify 
that there shall be a long and undisturbed state of 
Christianity; and so universally shall the gospel 
spirit prevail, that it will appear as if Christ reigned 
upon earth; which will, in effect, be the case, be- 
cause his Spirit shall rule in the hearts of men; 
and in this time the martyrs are represented as liv- 
ing again; their testimony being revived, and the 
truth ‘for Ww hich they died, ‘and which was confirmed 
by their blood, being now everywhere prevalent. 
As to the term “thousand years,” it is well known 
that it is a mystic number among the Jews. 

5. The rest of the dead lived not again—It 
is by some supposed from these passages that all 
who have been martyred for the truth of God shall 
be raised a thousand years before the other dead, 
and reign on earth with Christ during that time, 
after which the dead in general shall be raised ; 
but this also is very doubtful. [The spiritual 
sense of death, as well as of life, implying a moral 
resurrection, is to be retained here. . All man- 
kind from the beginning who have not shared on 
earth in that life which Christ came to confer, 
and which he alone could bestow, (John i, 4, v, 40,) 

. the ungodly of all ages and nations.—Speaker’s 
Com. ] 

6. Blessed—Maxkdpioc, happy. And holy— 
He was holy, and therefore he suffered for the tes- 
timony of Jesus in the time when nothing but 
holiness was called to such a trial. The “first 
resurrection—Supposed to be that of the mar- 
tyrs, mentioned above. The second death— 
Punishment in the eternal world; such is the ac- 
ceptation of the phrase among the ancient Jews. 
Hath no power— Οὐκ ἔχει. ἐξουσίαν, hath no 
authority ... no dominion over him. This is also 
a rabbinical mode of speech. ‘Rab. Elieser says: 
The fire of hell hath no power over the disciples of 
the wise men.” 

7. Satan shall be loosed—How can this bear 
any kind of literal interpretation? Satan is bound 


Overthr w of Gog and Magog, 
and of death and hell. 


out of his prison, ' And shall go out P to de- 
ceive the nations which are in the four quar- 
ters of the earth, 4 Gog and Magog, ‘to gather 
them together to battle: the number of whom 
τ ds as the sand of the sea. 9 * And they went 
up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed 
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved 
city: and fire came down from God out of 
heaven, and devoured them. 10 ‘And the 
devil that deeeived them was cast into the lake 
of fire and brimstone, “where the beast and 
the false prophet are, and * shall be tormented 
day and night for ever and ever. I And I 
saw a great white throne, and him that sat on 
it, from whose face * the earth and the heaven 


7 Verses 3, 10.—dgq Ezek. 38, 2: 39. 1.—?r Chap, 16. 14.— 
&lsa. 8. 8; Ezek. 38. 9, 16. Paes 8.—7 Chap. 19. 20.— 
Ὁ Chap. 14. 10, 11. “—w?2 Pet. 3. 7, 10, ἘΠ: chap. 21. 1.—a Dan. 
2. 33.— vy Chap. 19. d. z Dan. 7. sa. 69, 28; Dan. 


CHAPTER XX. 


A. M. 4190, A. D. 96, 
Year of Kome, 849. 


fled away; *and there was found no place 
for them. 12 And I saw the dead, ¥small 
and great, stand before God; #and the books 
were opened ; and another *book was opened, 
which is the book of life: and the dead were 
judged out of those things which were wnt- 
ten in the books, ‘according to their works. 
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were 
in it; cand death and “hell delivered up the 
dead which were in them; eand they were 
judged every man according to their works. 
14 And fdeath and hell were cast into the 
lake of fire. €This is the second death. 
15 And whosoever was not found written in 
the book of life δ was cast into the lake of fire. 


12.13 Phil. 4.3: chap. 3.5: 13, 8: 21. 27.——/) Jer. 17. 10: 32. 19; 
Matt. 16. 27: Rom, 2°62 chap. 2. 93:29. δ: verse 13 “ Chap. 
6.8. d Or, the grane.—e Verse 12, —f1 Cor. 15. 26, δέ, δῦ, 


—g Verse #; chap. 2). 8.——/ Chap. 19. 20. 


a thousand years, and the earth is in peace; right- 
eousness flourishes, and Jesus Christ alone reigns. 
This state of things may continue forever if “the 
imprisonment of Satan be continued. Satan, how- 
ever, is loosed at the end of a thousand years, and 
goes out and deceives the nations, and peace is 
banished from the face of the earth, and a most 
dreadful war takes place, ete. These can be only 
symbolical representations, utterly incapable of the 
sense sometimes put upon them. 

8. Gog and Magog—This seems to be almost 
literally taken from the Jerusalem Targum and that 
of Jonathan ben Uzziel, on Num. xi, 26. In the 
very end of time Gog and Magog and their army 
shall come up against Jerusalem, and they shall 
fall by the hand of the King Messiah; and for 
seven whole years shall the children of Israel light 
their fires with the wood of their warlike engines, 
and they shall not go to the wood nor cut down any 
tree. This account seems most evidently to have 
been copied by St. John, but how he intended it to 
be applied is a question too difficult to be solved by 
the skill of man; vet both the account in the rab- 
bins and in St. John is founded on Ezekiel, chap- 
ters xxxviii and xxxix. The rabbinical writings are 
full of accounts concerning “Gog” and “ Magog.” 
Under these names the enemies of God’s truth are 
generally intended. 

9. The beloved city—Primarily, Jerusalem ; 
typically, the Christian Church. 

10. And the devil. . . was cast into the 
lake—Before, Satan was bound ; that is, his power 
was curtailed. and restrained: now, he is cast into 
the lake of fire, his power being totally taken away. 

11. A great white throne—Refulgent with 
glorious majesty. Him that sat on it—The inde- 
scribable Jehovah. From whose face the earth 
and the heaven fled away — Even the bright- 
ness of his countenance dissolved the universe, and 
annihilated the laws by which it was governed. 
This is a very majestic figure, and finely expressed. 
There was found no place for them—The 
glorious majesty of God filling all things, and being 
all in all. 

12. The dead, small and great—aAll ranks, 
degrees, and conditions of men. This description 
seems to refer to Dan. vii, 9, 10. And the books 
were opened—See Dan. xii, 1. “ Rabbi Jehuda 
said: All the actions of men, whether good or bad, 
are written in a book, and of all they shall give ac- 
count.” And in another place: “‘How careful 


should men be to shun vice, and to act uprightly 
before the holy blessed God, seeing there are so 
many which go throughout the earth, see the 
works of men, testify of them, and write them in a 
book!” And again: “ In the first day of the new 
year the holy blessed God sits that he may judge 
the world; and all men, without exception, give an 
account of themselves; and the books of the living 
and the dead are opened.’ The books mentioned 
here were the books of the living and the dead, or 
the book of life and the book of death; that is, the 
account of the good and evil actions of men; the 
former leading to life, the latter to death. St. John 
evidently alludes here to Dan. vii, 10, on which the 
rabbinical account of the books appears to he 
founded. The expressions are figurative in both. 
According to their works—<And according to 
their faith also, for their “ works” would be the 
proof whether their faith was true or false; but 
faith exclusively could be no rule in such a pro- 
cedure. 

13. The sea gave up the dead—Those who 
had been drowned in it; and those millions slain 
in naval contests, who had no other grave. And 
death—All who died by any kind of disease. 
Death is here personified, and represented as a 
keeper of defunct human beings ; probably no more 
than earth or the grave is meant, as properly be- 
longing to the empire of death. And hell— Adve, 
hades, the place of separate spirits. The “sea” 
and “ death ” have the bodies of all human beings ; 
hades has their spirits. That they may be judged, 
and punished or rewarded according to their works, 
their bodies and souls must be reunited ; hades, 
therefore, gives up the spirits ; and the “ sea’ and 
the “earth” give up the bodies. 

14. And death and hell were cast into the 
lake—Death himself is now abolished, and the 
place for separate spirits is no longer needful. 
This is the second death—The first “death” 
consisted in the separation of the soul from the 
body for a season; the second “death” in the 
separation of body and soul from God forever. 
The first death is that from which there may be a 
resurrection; the second death is that from which 
there can be no recovery. By the first the body is 
destroyed during time; by. the second, body and 
soul are destroyed through eternity. 

15. Written’ in the book of life—Only those 
who had continued faithful unto death were taken 
toheaven. All whose names were not found in the 

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Year of Rome, 349. 


REVELATION. 


He that overcometh shall 
inberit all things, 


CHAPTER XXI. 

ND «I saw a new heaven and a new earth: 
TA *for the first heaven and the first earth 
were passed away: and there was no more 
2 And I John saw ‘the holy city, new 
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of 
heaven, prepared 4as a bride adorned for her 
husband. 8 And I heard a great voice out of 
heaven saying, Behold, ¢the tabernacle of God 
as with men, and he will dwell with them, and 
they shall be his people, and God himself shall 
be with them, and be their God. 4 ‘And 
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; 
and éthere shall be no more death, " neither 


sea. 


sorrow, hor erying, neither shall there be any 
more pain: for the former things are passed 
away. & And ‘he that sat upon the throne 
said, * Behold, I make all things new. And he 
said unto me, Write: for 'these words are 
true and faithful. ὁ And he said unto me, 
π Τὺ is done. "I am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and the end. 591 will give unto him 
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of 
life freely. @% He that overcometh shall in- 
herit Pall things; and 41 will be his God, and 
he shall be my son. 8& * But the fearful, and 
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murder- 
ers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and 


alsa. 65. 17: 66. 22; 2 Pet. 3. 13.—05Chap. 2. 11.—cIsa. 
52. 13; Gal. 4. 26; Heb. 11. 10; 12, 22; 13. 14: chap.3. 12; verse 10. 
——d Isa. 54. 5; 61. 10; 2 Cor. 11. 2.—e Lev. 26. 11, 12; Ezek. 
43. 7; 2 Cor. 6. 16; chap. 7. 15.—/7Isa. 25. 8; chap. 7. 17.— 
@1 Cor. 15. 26, 54; chap. 20. 14.—~/ Isa. 35. 10; 61. 3; 65. 19. 


ὁ Chap. 4. 2,9; 5. 1; 20. 11.-φΙξ 158. 43. 19: 2 Cor. 5. 17.— 
7Chap. 19. 9.—m Chap. 16. 17.—v7 Chap. 1. 8; 22, 15.—o Isa. 
12. 3; ὅδ. 1; John 4. 10, 14: 7. 37; chap. 22. 17.-—~p Or, these 
things. q Zech. 8. 8; Heb, 8. 10.—7'1 Cor. 6. 9,10; Gal. δ. 
19, 20, 21; Eph. 5. 5; 1 Tim. 1.9; Heb. 12. 14; chap. 22. 15. 


public registers, who either were not citizens, or 
whose names had been erased from those registers 
because of crimes against the State, could claim 
none of those emoluments or privileges which be- 
long to the citizens; so those who either did not 
belong to the new and spiritual Jerusalem, or who 
had forfeited their rights and privileges by sin, 
and had died in that state, were cast into the 
lake of fire. [If the things named in the earlier 
part of this chapter are to be understood as figura- 
tive, then why not also the resurrections and the 
judgments of the later part ?] 

This is the way in which God, at the day of judg- 
ment, will proceed with sinners and apostates. 
Reader, see that thy name be written in the sacred 
register; and, if written in, see that it never be 
blotted out. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XXI. 


1. A new heaven and a new earth—The 
ancient Jews believed that God would renew the 
heavens and the earth at the end of seven thou- 
sand years. This general supposition they founded 
on Isa. Ixv, 17. There was no more sea—-The 
“sea”? no more appeared than did the first heaven 
and earth. All was made new; and probably the 
new sea occupied a different position and was dif- 
ferently distributed from that of the old sea. 
However, with respect to these subjects as they 
stand in this most figurative book, I must express 
myself in the words of Calmet: “ΤῸ pretend to say 
what is meant by this new heaven and new earth, 
and what are their ornaments and qualities, is in 
my opinion the greatest of all presumptions In 
general these figures of speech point out great alter- 
nations in the universe.” 

2. And I John—The writer of this book. 
[See preface.] New Jerusalem—(Sce the notes 
on Gal. iv, 24-27.) This doubtless means the 
Christian Church ina state of great prosperity and 
purity; but some think eternal blessedness is in- 
tended. Coming down from God—It is a max- 
im of the ancient Jews that both the tabernacle 
and the temple, and Jerusalem itself, came down 
from heaven. Rabbi Jeremias said: ‘The holy 
blessed God shall renew the world, and build 
Jerusalem, and shall cause it to descend from 
heaven.’ Their opinion is, that there is a spiritual 
temple, a spiritual tabernacle, and a spiritual 
Jerusalem ; and that none of these can be destroyed, 
because they subsist in their spiritual representa- 
tives. 

628 


3. The tabernacle of God is with men—God, 
in the most especial manner, dwells among his fol- 
lowers, diffusing his light and life everywhere. [See 
John i, 14.] 

4. There shall be no more death—This is the 
inference which St. Paul draws from his doctrine of 
a general resurrection, (1 Cor. xv, 26,) where he 
says, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is 
death.” But death cannot be destroyed by there 
being simply no further death; death can only be 
destroyed and annihilated by a general resurrection. 
If there be no general resurrection, it is most evi- 
dent that death will still retain hisempire. There- 
fore, the fact that “‘there shall be no more death ” 
assures the fact that there shall_be a general 
resurrection; and this also is a proof that, after 
the resurrection, ‘‘there shall be no more death.” 

5. Behold, I make all things new—As the 
creation of the world at the beginning was the 
work of God alone, so shall be also this new crea- 
tion. These words are true and faithful— 
Truth vefers to the promise of these changes; 
faithfulness, to the fulfilment of these promises. 

6. It is done—All is determined, and shall be 
fulfilled in due time. The great drama is finished, 
and what was intended is now completed; referring 
to the period alluded to by the angel. Iam Alpha 
and Omega—(See on chapter i, 8.) The foun- 
tain of the water of life—(See on John iv, 10, 
14; vii, 37, etc.) The rabbins consider the foun- 
tain of the world to come as one of the particular 
blessings of a future state. R. Nathan said, “ He 
will show them the excellency of the fountain of the 
future world, that they may accurately see and 
consider, and say, Woe to us! what good have we 
lost ! and our race is cut off from the face of the 
earth.” 

7. Inherit all things—Here he had no inheri- 
tance; there he shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, 
and be with God and Christ, and have every possi- 
ble degree of blessedness. 

8. But the fearful—AzAoic ; those who, through 
fear of losing life or property, either refused to re- 
ceive the Christian religion, though convinced of 
its truth and importance, or, having received it, in 
times of persecution fell away, not being willing 
to risk their lives. And unbelieving—Those who 
resist against full evidence. The abominable— 
᾿Εβδελυγμένοις ; those who are polluted with un- 
natural lust. And murderers — φονεῦσι ; those 
who maliciously take away the life of man, and 
those who hate a brother in their heart. And 


The gates and measurement of 
the holy city. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


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idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in 
‘the lake which burneth with fire and brim- 
stone: which is the second death. 9 And 
there came unto me one of tthe seven angels 
which had the seven vials full of the seven 
last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come 
hither, I will show thee "the bride, the Lamhb’s 
wife. 19 And he carried me away ‘in the 
spirit to a great and high mountain, and 
showed me “that great city, the holy Jeru- 
salem, descending out of heaven from God. 
11 «Having the glory of God: and her light 
was like unto a stone most precious, even like 
a jasper stone, clear as crystal; £2 And had 
a wall great and high, avd had ¥ twelve gates, 
and at the gates twelve angels, and names 
written thereon, which are the names of the 


eChap. 20. 14. 15. —¢Chap. 15. 1, 6, 7. — Chap. 19. 7; 
verse 2.—v Chap. 1 10; 17. 3.—vw Ezekiel 48; verse 2. 
w Verse 23; chap. 22. 5. 


whoremongers—Ilépvore ; adulterers, fornicators, 
whores, prostitutes, and rakes of every description, 
Sorcerers —®apyakoic; persons who, by drugs, 
philtres, fumigations, ete., pretend to produce 
supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency. 
Idolaters — Εἰδωλολάτραις ; those who offer any 
kind of worship or religious reverence to any thing 
but God. All image worshippers are idolaters in 
every sense of the word. And all liars—Kai 
πᾶσι τοῖς ψευδέσι. Every one who speaks contrary 
to the truth when he knows the truth, and even he 
who speaks the truth with the intention to deceive ; 
that is, to persuade a person that a thing is differ-* 
ent from what it really is, by telling only a part of 
the truth, or suppressing some circumstance which 
would have led the hearer to a different and to the 
true conclusion. All these shall have their part, τὸ 
μέρος, their share, what belongs to them, their 
right, in the lake which burneth with fire and 
brimstone. This is the second death, from 
which there is no recovery. 

9. The bride, the Lamb’s wife—The pure and 
holy Christian Church. 

10. To a great and high mountain—That, 
being above this city, he might see every street and 
lane of it. The holy Jerusalem—(See on verse 2.) 

11. Having the glory of God—Instead of the 
sun and moon, it has the splendour of God to en- 
lighten it. Unto a stone most precious, even 
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal—Among 
precious stones there are some even of the same 
species more valuable than others ; for their value 
is in proportion to their being free from flaws, and 
of a good water, that is, a uniform and brilliant 
transparency. A “crystal” is perfectly clear ; the 
oriental “ jasper” isa beautiful sea-green. The stone 
that is here described is represented as a perfectly 
transparent “jasper,” being as unclouded as the 
brightest crystal, and consequently the mos¢t precious 
of its species. Nothing can be finer than this de- 
scription ; the light of this city is ever intense, 
equal, and splendid; but it is tinged with this green 
hue, in order to make it agreeable to the sight. 
Nothing is so friendly to the eye as blue or green; 
all other colours fatigue, and if very intense, injure 
the eye. These are the colours of the earth and 
sky, on which the eye of man is to be frequently 
fixed. To these colours the structure of the eye is 
adapted; and the general appearance of the earth 
and sky is adapted to this structure. 


twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 7On 
the east three gates; on the north three gates; 
on the south three gates; and on the west 
three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had 
twelve foundations, and *in them the names 
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And 
he that talked with ine "had a golden reed to 
measure the city, and the gates thereof, and 
the wall thereof. 4&6 And the city lieth four- 
square, and the length is as large as the 
breadth: and he measured the city with the 
reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length 
and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 
17 And he measured the wall thereof, a liun- 
dred and forty and four cubits, according to 
the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 
ἢ And the building of the wall of it was 


y Ezekiel 48, 31-34.—e Ezekiel 48, 31-34.—a Matthew 16. 
18; Galatians 2. 9; Ephesians 2. 20.—é Ezekiel 40. 3; Zecha- 
rial 2. 1; chap. 11. 1. 


12. Had a wall great and high—An almighty 
defence. Twelve gates—A gate for every tribe 
of Israel, in the vicinity of which gate that tribe 
dwelt ; so that in coming in and going out they did 
not mix, with each other. This description of the 
city is partly taken from Ezek. xlviii, 80-35. 

13. On the east three gates—The city is here 
represented as standing to the four cardinal points 
of heaven, and presenting one side to each of these 
points. 

14. The wall... had twelve foundations 
—Probably twelve stones, one of which served for 
a foundation or threshold to each gate; and on 
these were inscribed the names of the twelve apos- 
tles, to intimate that it was by the doctrine of the 
apostles that souls enter into the Church, and thence 
into the new Jerusalem. 

15. Had a golden reed—This account of meas- 
uring the city seems to be copied, with variations, 
from Ezek. xl, 3, ete. 

16. The city lieth foursquare—Each side was 
equal, consequently the length and breadth were 
equal; and its height is here said to be equal to 
its length. It is hard to say how this should be 
understood. It cannot mean the height of the 
buildings, nor of the walls, for neither houses nor 
walls could be twelve thousand furlongs in height. 
Some think this means the distance from the plain 
country to the place where the city stood. But 
what need is there of attempting to determine such 
measures in such a visionary representation ? The 
quadrangular form intimates its perfection and 
stability, for the square figure was a figure of per- 
fection among the Greeks. 

17. The wall . . . a hundred and forty and 
four cubits—This is fwelve, the number of the 
apostles, multiplied by itself. The measure of a 
man, that is, of the angel—The ewdit, so called 
from cubitus, the elbow, is the measure from the tip 
of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, and is 
generally reckoned at one foot and a half, or 
eighteen inches; though it appears, from some 
measurements at the pyramids of Egypt, that the 
cubit was, at least in some cases, twenty-one 
inches. By the cubit of a man we may here un- 
derstand the ordinary cubit, and that this was 
the angel’s cubit who appeared in the form of a 
man. 

18. The building of the wall of it was of 
jasper—tThe oriental jasper is exceedingly hard, 

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REVELATION. 


The foundations and gates of 
the holy city. 


of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like un- 
to clear glass. 19 © And the foundations of 
the wall of the city were garnished with all 
manner of precious stones. The first foun- 
dation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the 
third, a chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald : 


c Isaiah 


20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; 
the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; 
the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; 
the eleventh, a jacinth : the twelfth, an ame- 
thyst. 2 And the twelve gates were twelve 
pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: 


54. 11. 


and almost indestructible. Pillars made of this 
stone have lasted some thousands of years, and ap- 
pear to have suffered scarcely any thing from the 
tooth of time. Pure gold, like unto clear glass 
—Does not this imply that the walls were made of 
some beautifully bright yellow stone, very highly 
polished ? This description has been most injudi- 
ciously applied to heaven ; and in some public dis- 
courses, for the comfort and edification of the 
pious, we hear of heaven with its golden walls, 
golden pavements, gates of pearl, etc., etc., not 
considering that nothing of this description was 
ever intended to be literally understood ; and that 
gold and jewels can have no place in the spiritual 
and’ eternal world. The ancient Jews teach that 
“when Jerusalem and the temple shall be built, 
they will be all of precious stones, and pearls, and 
sapphire, and with every species of jewels.” They 
also divide paradise into seven parts or houses ; 
the third they describe thus: ‘The third house is 
built of gold and pure silver, and all kinds of 
jewels and pearls. It is very spacious, and in it all 
kinds of the good things, either in heaven or earth, 
are to be found. All kinds of precious things, 
perfumes, and spiritual virtues, are there planted. 
In the midst of it is the tree of life, the height of 
which is five hundred years ; (that is, it is equal in 
height to the jouwney which a man might perform 
in five hundred years;) and under it dwell Abra- 
ham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, and all 
that came out of Egvpt and died in the wilderness. 
Over these Moses and Aaron preside, and teach 
them the law,” ete.— Yalewt Rubeni, fol. 18,4. In 
the same tract, fol. 182, 1, we find these words: 
“Know that we have a tradition, that when the 
Messiah, with the collected captivity, shall come to 
the land of Israel, in that day the dead in Israel 
shall rise again; and in that day the fiery walls of 
the city of Jerusalem shall descend from heaven, 
and in that day the temple shall be builded of 
jewels and pearls.” 

19. The foundations of the wall—Does not 
this mean “the foundations” or thresholds of the 
gates? The gates represented the twelve tribes, 
(verse 12,) and these foundations or thresholds, 
the twelve apostles, (verse 14.) There was no en- 
trance into the city but through these gates, and 
none through the gates but over these thresh- 
olds. The whole of the Mosaic dispensation was 
the preparation for the Gospel; without it, the 
Gospel would have no original; without the Gos- 
pel, it would have no reference nor proper object. 
Every part of the Gospel necessarily supposes the 
law and the prophets. They are the gates, it is 
the threshold ; without the Gospel no person could 
enter through those gates. The doctrine of Christ 
crucified, preached by the apostles, gives a solid 
foundation to stand on; and we have an entrance 
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. (Heb. x, 
19, ete.) And in reference to this we are said to 
be built on the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
stone. (Eph. ii, 20.) The first foundation was 

630 


jasper—A stone very hard, some species of which 
are of a sea-green colour; but it is generally a bright 
reddish brown. The second, sapphire—This is 
a stone of a fine blue colour, next in hardness to 
the diamond. The third, a chalcedony—A 
genus of the semipellucid gems, of which there are 
four species: 1) A bluish “white ; this is the most 
common sort. 2) The dull milky veined; this is 
of little worth. 9) The brownish black; the least 
beautiful of all. 4) The yellow and red; the most 
beautiful, as it is the most valuable, of all. Hith- 
erto this has been found only in the East Indies. 
The fourth, an emerald—This is of a bright 
green colour without any mixture, and is one of 
the most beautiful of all the gems. The true orient- 
al emerald is very scarce, and said to be found only 
in the kingdom of Cambay. 

20. The fifth, sardonyx—The onyx is an ac- 
cidental variety of the agate kind; it is of a dark 
horny colour, in which is a plate of a bluish white, 
and sometimes of red. When on one or both sides 
of the white there happens to lie also a plate of 
a reddish colour, the jewellers call the stone a sard- 
onyx. The sixth, sardius—The sardius, sardel, 
or sardine stone, is a precious stone of a blood-red 


colour. The seventh, chrysolite— The gold 
stone. It is of a dusky green with a cast of yellow. 


It is a species of the topaz. The eighth, beryl 
—This is a pellucid gem of a bluish green colour. 
The ninth, a topaz—aA pale dead green, with a 
mixture of yellow. It is considered by the miner- 
alogists as a variety of the sapphire. The tenth, 
a chrysoprasus—A variety of the chrysolite, 
called by some the yellowish green and cloudy 
topaz. It differs from the chrysolite only in hay- 
ing a bluish hue. The eleventh, a jacinth—A 
precious stone of a dead red colour, with a mixture 
of yellow. It is the same as the hyacenet, or cin- 
namon stone. The twelfth, an amethyst—A 
gem generally of a purple or violet colour, com- 
posed of a strong blue and deep red. These 
stones are nearly the same with those on the breast- 
plate of the high priest, (Exod. xxviii, 17, ete.,) 
and probably were intended to express the mean- 
ing of the Hebrew words there used. 

21. The twelve gates were twelve pearls— 
This must be merely figurative, for it is out of all 
the order of nature to produce a pearl large enough 
to make a gate to such an immense city. But St. 
John may refer to some relations of this nature 
among his countrymen, who talk much of most 
prodigious pearls. ‘““ When Rabbi Jochanan (John) 
once taught that God would provide jewels and 
pearls thirty cubits every way, ten of which should 
exceed in height twenty cubits, and would place 
them in the gates of Jerusalem, according to what 
is said Isaiah liv, 12, 7 will make thy windows of 
agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, his disciples 
ridiculed him, saying, Where can such be found, 
since at present there is none so large as a pigeon’s 
egg? Afterward, being at sea in a ship, he saw 
the ministering angels cutting gems and pearls; 
and he asked them for what purpose they were 


No temple in heaven ; God and the 
Lamb manifestly present, 


and4 the street of the city was pure gold, as 


it were transparent glass. 22 ¢ And I saw no 
temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty 
and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 ‘And 
the city had no need of the sun, neither of the 
moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did 
lighten it, and the Lamb 7s the light thereof. 
24 © And the nations of them which are saved 
shall walk in the light of it: and the kings 
of the earth do bring their glory and honour 
into it. 25 "And the gates of it shall not be 
shut at all by day: for'there shall be no night 
there. 26 «And they shall bring the glory 


CHAPTER XXI. 


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Year of Rome, #49. 


'there shall in no wise enter into it any thing 
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abom- 
ination, or maketh a lie: but they which are 
written in the Lamb’s " book of life. 


CHAPTER XXII. 
ND he showed me “ἃ pure river of water 
of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of 
the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 "In 
the midst of the street of it, and on either side 
of the river, was there ©the tree of life, which 
bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her 
fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree 


and honour of the nations into it. 2% And | were ‘for the healing of the nations. 8 And 

αἱ Chap. £2, 2. eJohn 4. 23. ——fIsa. 24. 93: 60. 19, 20; | 35. 8; 52 1: 60. 21; Joel 3.17: chap. 22. 14, 15.——m Phil. 4.3: 

verse 11; chap. 22. 5. Wr doo 60, ὅν oes 66. 1, --- ἢ Isa. 60, 11, | chap. 3. 5; 13. 8: 2), 12. « Ezek. 47. 1; Zech. 14. 8. ἢ Ezek. 
iIsa. 60. 20; Zech. 14. 7; chap, 22. 5.—& Verse 2h. ὦ 158. | 47. 125 chap. 21. ὯΙ. c Gen. 3.9: : chap. 2, 7.—d Chap. 21 


preparing those. They answered, To place them in 
the gates of Jerusalem.” 

22. I saw no temple—There was no need of a 
“temple” where God and the Lamb were mani- 
festly present. 

23. No need of the sun—This is also one of 
the traditions of the ancient Jews, that “in the 
world to come the Israelites shall have no need of 
the sun by day, nor the moon by night.” God’s 
light shines in this city, and in the Lamb that 
light is concentrated, and from him everywhere 
diffused. 

24. The nations of them which are saved — 
This is an allusion to the promise that the Gentiles 
should bring their riches, glory, and excellence to 
the temple at Jerusalem after it should be rebuilt. 
(See verse 26.) 

25. The gates of it shall not be shut at all— 
The Christian Church shall ever stand open to re- 
ceive sinners of all sorts, degrees, and nations. 
There shall be no night there—No more idola- 
try, no intellectual darkness; the Scriptures shall 
be everywhere read, the pure word everywhere 
preached, and the Spirit of God shall shine and 
work in every heart. 

26. The glory and honour of the nations 
into it—Atill alluding to the declarations of the 
prophets, (see verse 24, ete.,) that the Gentiles 
would be led to contribute to the riches and glory 
of the temple by their gifts, ete. 

27. There shall in no wise enter πρὶ it any 
thing that defileth—(See Isaiah xxxv, 8; lii, 1.) 
No impure person—one who turns the gr ace of God 
into lasciviousness. Neither... maketh a lie 
—He that holds and propagates false doctrines. 
But they which are written—The acknowl- 
edged persevering members of the true Church of 
οἷν ist shall enter into heaven, and only those who 

saved from their sins’shall have a place in the 
Church militant. 


Aut Christians are bound by their baptism to 
renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps 
and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sin- 
ful lusts of the flesh ; to keep God’s holy word and 
commandments; and to walk in the same all the 
days of their life. This is the generation of them 
that seek thy face, O God of Jacob! Reader, art 
thou of this number? Or art thou expecting an 
eternal glory while living in sin? If so, thou wilt 
be fear ‘fully disappointed. Presuming on the 
mercy of God is as ruinous as despairing of his 
grace. Where God gives power both to will and to 


do, the individual should work out his salvation 
with fear and trembling. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XXII. 

1. Pure river of water of life—[See chapter 
xxi, 10.] | This is evidently a reference to the gar- 
den of paradise, and the river by which it was 
watered. As this was a great and spacious city, 
one fountain was not sufficient to provide water for 
it, therefore a river is mentioned; a great river, 
by which it was sufficiently watered. (See Ezek. 
xlvii, 7-12.) ‘‘ Water of life,” as we have seen be- 
fore, generally signifies spring or running water; 
here it may signify incessant communications of 
grace proceeding from God. 

2. In the midst of the street of it—That is, 
of the city which was described in the preceding 
chapter. [Streams, not of physical water, but of 
spiritual life. (Psalm xlvi, 4; John iv, 10, 14; vii, 
38.)—Speaker’s Com.| The tree of life—An al- 
lusion to Gen. ii, 9. As this “tree of life” 
stated to be in the street of the city, and on 
either side of the river, “tree” must here be an 
enallage of the singular for the plural number, 
trees of life, or trees which yielded fruit by which 
life was preserved. The account in Ezekiel is this: 
“And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this 
side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, 
whose leaf shall not fade... it shall bring forth new 
fruit according to his months ... and the fruit there- 
of shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medi- 
eine.” (Chapter xlvii, 12.) Twelve manner of 
fruits—Kaprovc δώδεκα. twelve fruits, ( fruitings,) 
that is, fruit twelve times in the year, as is imme- 
diately explained, yielded her fruit every month. 
[‘‘ Indicating,” says Hengstenberg, “that the en- 
joyment of life shall be without interruption.” ] 
And the leaves of the tree were for the 
healing of the nations—[If the scene of this 
prophecy is heaven, and its persons saved souls, 
how are they in need of healing ? Hengstenberg 
insists that the “healing” is limited to the present 
life, since there can be no disease in heaven. (Isa, 
xxxiii, 24; chapter vii, 16.) De Wette and others 
understood by “ the nations ἢ" “those who dwell 
outside of the heavenly city ;” and Bengel, “ those 
to which the Gospel was not preached in this life ;” 
while Ebrard makes the work of healing “ not the 
healing from sin, but from the state of undeveloped 
faith in Christ,” (which is rather a growth.) If the 
field of the vision may be understood to be the 
Church, in its later prosperity and universal in. 
crease, then all is plain.] 

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there shall be no more curse: ‘but the throne 
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his 
servants shall serve him: 4 And &they shall 
see his face; and *his name shall be in their 
foreheads. ὦ ‘And there shall be no night 
there; and they need no candle, neither light 
of the sun; for ‘the Lord God giveth them 
light: 'and they shall reign for ever and ever. 
6 And he said unto me, "These sayings are 
faithful and true: and the Lord God of the 
holy prophets "sent his angel to show unto his 
servants the things which must shortly be 
done. % °Behold, I come quickly: Ρ blessed 
as he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy 
of this book. ® And I John saw these things, 
and heard them. And when I had heard and 
seen, 11 fell down to worship before the feet 
of the angel which showed me these things. 
9 Then saith he unto me, "See thou do it not: 
for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy breth- 


REVELATION. 


Cliist declares himself the 
First and the Last. 


sayings of this book: worship God. 89 * And 
he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the 
prophecy of this book: ‘for the time is at 
hand. #8 "He that is unjust, let him be un- 
just still: and he which is filthy, let him be 
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him 
be righteous still: and he that is holy, Jet him 
be holy still, #2 ἡ And, behold, I come quick- 
ly; and wmy reward is with me, *to give 
every man according as his work shall be. 
13 ylam Alphaand Omega, the beginning and 
the end, the first and the last. 4.8 2 Blessed 
are they that do his commandments, that they 
may have right *to the tree of life, band may 
enter in through the gates into the city. 
15 Fore without are ‘dogs, and sorcerers, and 
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolater 8, 
and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 
16 “1 Jesus have sent mine angel to testify 
unto you these things in the churches. 1 am 
the root and the offspring of David, avd the 


ren the prophets, and of them which keep the 

é Zech. 14. 11.-—.f Bzek. 48. 35.-—g Matt. 5 8; 1 Cor. 1. ΠΟ: 
1 John 3. 2.—h Chap. 3. ade 14 1. --- Chap. aI. 235 25. -- 
& Psa. 36. ὁ; 84. 11. ἡ Dan. 7. Rom) 5. 17; 9 Tim. 2. 19: 
chap. 3. 21. - Chap. 19.9; 21. ger Chap. 1. 1. a) Chap: 
3. 11; verses 10, 12, 20, p Chap. 1. 3.—dgq Chan. 19. 10.— 
7 Chap. 19. 1).—s Dan. 8. 26; 12. 4,9; chap. 10. 4. 


102) Ὁ πὶ. 9: le 
526% IEG chip, 
tes ule PA 
verse 2. b Chap. 
Col. 3.6; chap. 9 


Chap. 1. 3.—vz Ezek. 3. 27: Dan. 12. 
v Verse 7. Isa. 40, 10; 
20, 12.—vy Isa. 41. 4: 44, 6; 48. 12; chap. 
5 Dan. 12.12; 1 John 3. 24. a Chap. 2. 73 
PANE ΟἹ Cor, 6. 9, 10: Gal. 5. 19, -0, 213 
20, 91.91.8: —— oe Philos ee e Chap. 1. 


le 


3. No more curse—Karadteua, cursed person. 
As there shall be no more sinning against God, so 
there shall be no more curse of God upon the 
people; for they shall be all his servants, and 
serve him. Our first parents came under the 
curse by sinning against their Maker in paradise ; 
these shall never apostatize, therefore neither they 
nor the earth shall be cursed. 

4. See his face — Enjoy what is ealled the 
beatific vision; and they shall exhibit the fullest 
evidence that they belong entirely to him, for his 
name shall be written on their foreheads. 

5. There shall be no night there—See on 
chapter xxi, 23 and 25. And they shall reign, 
etc.—| Not for a senile period, (however long,) 
as in chapter xx, 4, 6, but wnto the ages of the ages, 
εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας TOV αἱώνων. 

6. These sayings are faithful and true—Scee 
the preceding chapter, verse 5. From this verse to 
the end of the chapter is reckoned the epilogue of 
this book. 1) The angel affirms the truth of all 
that had been spoken. (Verses 6-11.) 2) Jesus 
Christ confirms what has been affirmed, and pledges 
himself for the fulfilment of all the prophecies con- 
tained init. (Verses 12-17.) 3) John cautions his 
readers against adding or diminishing, and con- 
cludes with the apostolical blessing. (Verses 18-21.) 
The things which must shortly be done— 
There are many sayings in this book which, if taken 
literally, would intimate that the prophecies de- 
livered in the whole of the apocalypse were to be 
fulfilled in a short time after their delivery to 
John; and this is a strong support for the scheme 
of Wetstein, and those who maintain that the 
prophecies of this book all referred to those times 
in which the apostle lived, and to the disturbances 
which then took place, not only among the Jews, 
but in the Roman empire. [Ἔν τάχει, shor tly. 
These words, or their equivalents, occur quite fre- 
quently in this book. If taken literally they seem 
to confine this prophecy to the times that came 
“shortly” after their utterance; or else, by giving 
another meaning to the phrase, the whole chronology 

632 


of the prophecy is changed—the “shortly” he- 


comes surely, which is perhaps the more probable 
sense. | 

8. I fell down to worship—lI prostrated my- 
self before him as before a superior being, to ex- 
press my gratitude, and give him thanks for the 
communications be had made. (See on chapter 
xix, 10.) 

10. Seal not the sayings—Do not lay them up 
for future generations; they concern the present 
times; they must shortly come to pass. For the 
time is at hand—See verse 6. What concerned 
the Jews was certainly “at hand.” 

11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still 
—The time of fulfilment will come so suddenly that 
there will be but little space for repentance and 
amendment. What is done must be done instantly; 
and let him that is holy persevere, and hold fast 
what he has received. 

13. Tam Alpha and Omega—See on chapter 
ily toh) 18: 

14. Blessed are they that do his command- 
ments—They are happy who are obedient. That 
they may have right to the tree of life— 
[Ἐξοισία, a title.| Without grace no obedience ; 
without obedience no title to the tree’ of life; God's 


grace through Christ produces the good, and then 


rewards it as if all had been our own. 

15. Without are dogs—All those who are un- 
circumcised in heart. The Jews call all the uncir- 
cumcised “dogs.” And sorcerers—See the note 
on chapter xxi, 8. 

16. Jesus—[See chapter i, 1. The apocalypse 
resumes here, as at the beginning, the form of an 
epistle-—Speaker’s Com.| Have sent mine angel 
—An especial messenger from heaven. I am the 
root and the offspring of David—|See chapter 
v, 5. “Root,” not the stem from which David 
sprang, but a shoot from the wider root. (See Isa. 

1.)} Christ is the “offspring” of David as to 
his human nature; for. that he took of the stock of 
David, becoming thereby heir to the Jewish throne, 
and the only heir which then existed; and it is re- 


Warning against adding to or 
taking from this book, 


CHAPTER XXII. 


A.M. 4100. A.D. 96. 
Year of Rome, 849, 


€ bright and morning star. 2% And the Spirit 
and "the bride say, Come. And let him that 
heareth say, Come. ‘And let him that is 
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him 
take the water of life freely. 18 for I testify 
unto every man_that heareth the words of the 
prophecy of this book, «If any man shall add 
unto these things, God shall add unto him the 
plagues that are written in this book: 19 And 


if any man shall take away from the words of 
the book of this prophecy, !God shall take 
away his part ™out of the book of life, and 
out of "the holy city, and from the things 
which are written in this book. 20 He which 
testifieth these things saith, »Surely I come 
quickly: pAmen. 4Even so, come, Lord Je- 


2 Pet. 1.19: chap. ΡῈ 28. Chap. 
91: Chap. : 21. 6.—Z& Deut. 4. 2 
Psa, 69. 28; chap. 3. 5; 


g Num 24.17: Zech. 6. 12; 
21. 2.9. —Z Isa. ὅδ. 1; John 7. 
13. 32; Prov. 30. 6.—-1 Exod. 32. 335 


sus. 28 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
be with you all. Amen. 
13. 8. ——2 Or, Srom the tree of life. —n Chap. 91, 2. — 


o Verse 12,—p John 


21. 25.—gq 2 Tim. 4. 8—, Rom. 16. 20, 
24; 2 Thess. 3. 18, 


markable that the whole regal family terminated in 
Christ; and as HE liveth forever, he is the alone true 
David and everlasting King. The bright and 
morning star—I am splendour and glory to my 
kingdom ; as the “morning star” ushers in the day 
so shall I usher in the unclouded and eternal 
glories of the everlasting kingdom. 

17. The Spirit and the bride—aAll the proph- 
ets and all the apostles; the Church of God under 
the Old Testament, and the Church of Christ under 
the New. [The Holy Spirit, as a universal Presence 
in the world, (John xvi, 7-14,) perpetually invites 
men to Christ, and his invitations are perpetually 
and earnestly seconded by the witnessing Church. ] 
Say, Come—Invite men to Jesus, that by him they 
may be saved and prepared for this kingdom. Let 
him that heareth—Let all who are privileged with 
reading and-.hearing the word of God join in the 
general invitation to sinners. Him that is athirst 
—He who feels his need of salvation, andis longing 
to drink of the living fountain. And whosoever 
will—No soul is excluded; Jesus died for every 
man; every man may be saved; therefore let him 
who wills, who wishes for salvation, come and take 
the water of life freely — without money or 
price. 

18. If any man shall add—Shall give any 
other meaning to these prophecies, or any other ap- 
plication of them, than God intends, he, though not 
originally intended, shall have the plagues threat- 
ened in this book for his portion. 

19. If any man shall take away—lIf any man 
shall lessen this meaning, curtail the sense, explain 
away the spirit and design, of these prophecies, God 
shall take away his part out of the book of life, 
ete. Thus Jesus Christ warns all those who con- 
sider this book to beware of indulging their own 
conjectures concerning it. I confess that this 
warning has its own powerful influence upon my 
mind, and has prevented me from indulging my 
own conjectures concerning its meaning, or of 
adopting the conjectures of others. [And, on the 
other hand, it is quite possible “to take away ” the 
substance of a prophecy by failing to recognise its 
mystical and prophetical import.| This is termed 
a revelation, but it is a revelation of symbols; an 
exhibition of enigmas, to which no particular 
solution is given, and to which God alone can give 
the solution. 

20. Surely I come quickly —This may be 
truly said to every person in every age-; Jesus the 
Judge is at the door. Even so, come, Lord 


Jesus—The wish and desire of the suffering 
Church, and of all the followers of God, who are 
longing for the coming of his kingdom. [To re- 
duce Christ's promised coming quickly toa simple 
recognition of the brevity of life, is to present what 
appears in its form as a special warning to simply 
a commonplace recognition of a universally con. 
fessed truth. ] 

21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ— 
Instead of πάντων ὑμῶν, you all, the most excel- 
lent MSS. and Versions have τῶν ἁγίων, the saints, 
which reading is now received as indisputably gen- 
uine. Amen—So be it ! and so shall it be for ever 
and ever. ‘The opinion of Dr. Priestley concerning 
the authenticity of this book, and the manner in 
which it is written, should not be withheld from 
either the learned or pious reader. “TI think it im- 
possible for any intelligent and candid person to 
peruse this book without being struck in the most 
forcible manner with the peculiar dignity and sub- 
limity of its composition, superior to that of any 
other writing whatever; so as to be convinced 
that, considering the age in which it appeared, none 
but a person divinely inspired could have written 
it. These prophecies are also written in such a 
manner as to satisfy us that the events announced 
to us were really foreseen, being described in 
such a manner as no person writing without that 
knowledge could have done. This requires such a 
mixture of clearness and obscurity as has never yet 
been imitated by any forgers of prophecy w hatev er 
Forgeries, written of course after the events,have 
always been too plain. It is only in the Scrip- 
tures, and especially in the book of Daniel and this 
of the Revelation, that we find this happy mixture 
of clearness and obscurity in the accounts of future 
events.” —WNotes on Revelation. 


Havine now brought my short notes on this very 
obscure book to a conclusion, it may be expected 
that although I do not adopt any of the theories 
which have been delivered concerning it, yet I 
should give the most plausible scheme of the an- 
cients or moderns which has come to my knowl- 
edge. This I would gladly do if I had any scheme 
to which I could give a decided preference, but I 


have not. Though I give the date of the book in 
A. D. 95 or 96, I do so not following my own 
opinion, but on the authority of others. I think 


from internal evidence it was written before the 


destruction of Jerusalem. ] 
633 


TRUTHS WHICH, ON CAREFULLY STUDYING THE SACRED WRIT- 
INGS, I THINK I FIND REVEALED THERE. 


1. That there is one uncreated, unoriginated, infi- 
nite, and eternal Being ; the Creator, Preserver, and 
Governor of all things. 

2. That there is in this Infinite Essence a plurality 
of what are commonly called persons, not separately 
subsisting, but essentially belonging to the God- 
head; which persons are commonly termed Faruer, 
Son, and Hoty Guost; or Gop, the Locos, and 
the Hoxy Sprrir: and these are generally named 
the Trinity, which term, though not found in the 
New Testament, seems sufficiently proper. 

8. That the sacred Scriptures, or holy books 
which form the Old and New Testaments, contain 
a full revelation of the will of God in reference to 
man ; and are alone sufficient for every thing rela- 
tive to the faith and practice of a Christian; and 
that they were given by the inspiration of God. 

4. That man was created in righteousness and 
true holiness, without any moral imperfection or 
any kind of propensity to sin; but free to stand 
or fall. 

5. That he fell from this state, beeame morally 
corrupt in his nature, and has transmitted his moral 
defilement to‘all his posterity. 

6. That to counteract the evil principle, and 
bring man into a salvable state, God, from his in- 
finite love, formed the purpose of redeeming man 
from his lost estate by Christ Jesus; and that in the 
interim he has sent his Holy Spirit to enlighten, 
strive with, and convince men of sin, righteousness, 
and judgment. 

7. That in due time the divine Logos, called 
afterward Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, the 
Saviour, ete., became incarnate, and sojourned 
among men, teaching the purest truths, and work- 
ing the most stupendous and beneficent miracles. 

8. That this divine person, foretold by the 
prophets and described by evangelists and apos- 
tles, is really and properly Gop; and has assigned 
to him by the inspired writers every attribute es- 
sential to the Deity; being one with Him who is 
called God, Jehovah, ete. 

9. That he is also perfect man in consequence of 
his incarnation; and that in that man or manhood 
dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; so 
that his nature is twofold—divine and human, or 
God manifested in the flesh. 

10, That as he took upon him man’s nature, so 
he died for the whole human race, without respect 
of persons; equally for all, and for every man. 

11. That on the third day after his crucifixion 
and burial he rose from the dead; and after show- 
ing himself many days to his disciples and others, 
he ascended to heaven, where, as God manifest in 
the flesh, he continues and shall continue to be the 
Mediator of the human race, till the consummation 
of all things. 

12. That there is no salvation but through him; 
and that throughout the Scriptures his passion and 
death are considered as sacrificial—pardon and 

634 


a 


salvation being obtained by the shedding of his 
blood. 

13. That no human being since the fall either 
has or can have merit or worthiness of or by him- 
self, and therefore has nothing to c/aim from God 
but in the way of his merey through Christ; there- 
fore pardon, and every other blessing promised in 
the Gospel, were purchased by his sacrificial death, 
and are given to men, not on account of any thing 
they have done or suffered, or can do or suffer, 
but for his sake, that is through his merit alone. 

14. That these blessings are received by faith, 
and not of works or of sufferings. 

15. That the power to believe, or the grace of faith, 
is the free gift of God, without which none can be- 
lieve; but that the act of faith, or actual believ- 
ing, is the act of the soul under the influence of 
that power. But this power to believe, like all 
other gifts of God, may be slighted, not used, or 
misused ; in consequence of which is that declara- 
tion, ‘He that believeth shall be saved; but he ~ 
that believeth not shall be damned.” 

16. That justification, or the pardon of sin, is an 
instantaneous act of God’s infinite mercy in behalf 
of a penitent soul trusting only in the merits of 
Jesus Christ; that this act is absolute in respect 
of all past sin, all being forgiven where any-is for- 
given. 

17. That the souls of all believers may be puri- 
fied from all sin in this life; and that a man may 
live under the continual influence of the grace of 
Christ, without sinning against God, all evil tem- 
pers and sinful propensities being destroyed, and 
his heart filled with pure love both to God and man. 

18. That unless a believer live and walk in the 
spirit of obedience he will fall from the grace of 
God, and forfeit all his Christian privileges and 
rights ; in which state of backsliding he may per- 
severe, and, if so, perish everlastingly. 

19. That the whole period of human life is a 
state of probation, in every part of which a sinner 
may repent and turn to God, and in every part of 
it a believer may give way to sif and fall from 
grace; and that this possibility of rising, and lia- 
bility to falling, are essential to a state of trial or 
probation. 

20. That all the promises and threatenings of 
the word of God are conditional, as they regard 
man in reference to his being here and hereafter ; 
and that only on this ground can the sacred writ- 
ings be consistently interpreted or rightly under- 
stood. 

21. That man is a free agent, never being im- 
pelled by any necessitating influence either to do 
evil or good, but has it continually in his power to 
choose the life or death that is set before him; 
therefore he is an accountable being, and right- 
eously answerable for kis own actions. 

22. That his free will is a necessary constituent 
of his rational soul, without which man would be a 


Truths Derived from the Sacred Writings. 


mere machine, either the sport of blind chance, or 
the passive subject of an irresistible necessity ; and, 
therefore, not, justly accountable for his conduct. 

93. That every human being has his freedom of 
will, with a sufficiency of light and power to direct 
its operations ; and that this powerful light is not 
inherent in any man’s nature, but is eraciously be- 
stowed by Him who is the true Light that lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world. 

24. That as Christ has made, by his once offer- 
ing himself upon the cross, a sufficient sacrifice, 
oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole 
world; and that as his gracious Spirit strives with 
and enlightens all meu, thus putting them in a 
salvable state; therefore every human soul will be 
saved, except through his own fault. 

95. That Jesus Christ has instituted, and com- 
manded to be perpetuated in his Church, two sac- 
raments: baptism (sprinkling, washing with, or 
immersion in water) in the name of the holy and 
ever blessed Trinity, as a sign of the cleansing and 
regenerating influences of the Holy Ghost in token 
of death unto sin, and a new birth unto right- 
eousness:; and the eucharist, or Lord’s supper, as 
commemorating the sacrificial death of Christ. 
That by the first, once administered, every person 
may be initiated into the visible Church, and by 
the second, frequently administered, all believers 
may be kept in mind of the foundation on which 
their salvation is built, and receive grace to enable 
them to adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in 
all things. 

26. That the soul is immaterial and immortal, 
and can subsist independently of the body. 

27. That there will be a general resurrection of 
the dead, both of the just and unjust; that the 
souls of both shall be reunited to their respective 
bodies; and that both will be immortal and live 
eternally. 

28. That there will be a day of judgment, after 
which all shall be punished or rewarded according 


to the deeds done in the body; the wicked being 


sent to hell, and the righteous taken into heaven. 

29, That these states of reward and punishment 
shall have no end, forasmuch as the time of proba- 
tion or trial is forever terminated, and the succeed- 
ing state must necessarily be fixed and unalter- 
able. 

30. That the origin of human salvation is found 
in the infinite love of God to mankind ; and that on 
this principle the unconditional reprobation of any 
soul is absolutely impossible. 

Though no man is required to believe a doc- 
trine that contradicts reason, he may safely credit 
(in any thing that concerns the nature of God) 
what is above his reason, and even this may be a 
reason why he should believe it. I cannot com- 
prehend the divine nature, therefore I adore it: if 
I could comprehend I could not adore, forasmuch as 
the nature or being which can be comprehended by 
my mind must be less than that by which it is com- 
prehended, and therefore unworthy of its homage. 
The more knowledge increases, the more we shall 
see that reason and learning, sanctified by piety 
toward God, are the best interpreters of the sacred 
oracles. 

© Thou, who dwellest between the cherubim, 
shine forth, and in thy light we shall see light! 

I have but éwo words more to add at the conclu- 
sion of this long and severe work ; one concerning 


| myself : 


Like travellers, when they see their native soil, 
Writers rejoice to terminate their toil. 


And one to my readers: 


My latest labour’s end at length is gained, 
My longest journey’s welcome goal attained, 
By Gon’s assistance has the work been wrought, 
By his direction to your dwellings brought. 
ApaM CLARKE. 
Mittsrook, July 26, 1817. 
635 


CHRONOLOGY OF SOME REMARKABLE EVENTS 


A.M.|B. C.| 
3999 6 
4000 5 
4001 4 


4002 3) 


4008 2 
|A.. Ds} 
4007 8, 


4008) 4 


4010 6 
4011 4 
4012 8 
4015} 11 
4010] 12 
4017| 18 
4018. 14 
4019] 15 
4021) 17 


EXTENDING FROM A, M. 3999 TO A. D. 100, 


‘Tiberius (afterward emperor) is invested by Augustus with the tribunitian power for five 
years; and soon after he retired to Rhodes. 

‘Miraculous conception of John Baptist. 

Miraculous conception of Jesus Curisr. 

Birth of John Buplist. 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, at Bethlehem in Judea. 


Wise men from the East come and worship the new-born King of the Jews. 


‘Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders all the male children of Bethlehem and its vicinity, 


under two years of age, to be put to death, in order to destroy Jesus Christ, who was 
providentially carried into Egypt before this cruel edict was put into execution. 

Death of Herod the Great, in the thirty-seventh year of his reign. He is succeeded by his 
son, Archelaus. 


Augustus Cesar is called Dominus, Lord, by the people; with which title he is displeased, and 
publicly forbade it by an edict. 

Augustus Cesar, who had, ten years before, been appointed to the government of the Roman 
empire, has the same conferred upon him for ten years more. 

Tiberius returns from Rhodes to Rome, and is adopted by Augustus. 

Tiberius receives again the tribunitian power. 

The temple of Janus, after it had been closed ever since B.C. 8, is opened again on account 
of fresh disturbances in Germany. 

Tiberius subdues the Caninetali, the Attuarii, the Bructeri, and the Cherusci, Germans, who 
had revolted from the Romans. 

Augustus, that he might raise a tax in Italy, accepts of the proconsular power, 

The Jews and Samaritans complain to Augustus of the tyranny of Archelaus. 

Archelaus, king of Judea, deposed; and his dominions reduced to the form of a Roman 

province, and annexed to Syria. 

About this time Judas of Galilee arose, and drew away much people after him; but he, and 

as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. Acts v, 87. 

Jesus Christ, twelve years of age, disputes with the doctors in the temple, who are astonished 

at his understanding and answers. 

Tiberius, in consequence of his very important services, is made by Augustus his colleague in 
the empire, both in the civil and military government, August 28. 

Imperial edict against diviners and astrologers. 

Augustus Cesar is again appointed emperor for ten years longer, the last prorogation expiring 
the end of this year. 

Death of Augustus Cesar, (in the consulship of Sextus Pompeius and Sextus Apuleius,) at 
Nola, August 19, being seventy-six years of age all but thirty-five days. ¢ 

Tiberius Nero Cesar succeeds Augustus in the empire, August 19, 

Achaia and Macedonia become provinces to Cesar, having been governed before by procon- 
suls. 

Terrible earthquake in Asia, which overthrew twelve celebrated cities: among these was 
Sardis, which suffered the most. 


Death of Titus Livy, the historian, at Padua; and of Ovid in his exile in Scythia. 


4022) 18 The kingdoms of Cappadocia and Commagena reduced into the form of Roman provinces. 


4023] 19 


Q. Varanius is made governor of the former, and Ὁ. Servaeus of the latter. 
Death of Germanicus. He is buried at Antioch. 


4020) 22:Death of Junia, niece of Cato, sister of Brutus, and wife of Cassius, She had survived the 


4030) 26 


battle of Philippi sixty-three years, 

John Baptist began to baptize in Judea about this time. 

Pontius Pilate made governor of Judea, which office he held for ten years. 

In the fifteenth year of the principality of Tiberius Cesar, which was the twelfth of his mon- 
archy, Jesus Christ, thirty years of age, is baptized by John in Jordan, and enters upon his 
public ministry. 


4031 27\Great fire in Rome, which consumed all the quarter of Mount Ccelius, 


4092) 28 
636 


John Baptist beheaded about this time, by order of Herod Antipas, 


CHRONOLOGY OF REMARKABLE EVENTS, 


A.M.'A.D. 


4053 


4034 
4035 


4036, 
4037 


4038) 
4040 


4041 


4068 


Ὁ τὴς Jews, by the permission of Pontius Pilate, crucify Jesus Christ; who, on the third day 
after his crucifixion, rises from the dead; and forty days after his resurrection ascends up 
into heaven. 

Miserable death of Judas the traitor. 
Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, by means of which three thousand persons are con- 
verted to Christianity. 

30) Ananias and his wife Sapphira suddenly struck dead for their hypocrisy. 

31 Death of Nero, eldest son of Germanicus. 

Stephen stoned to death by the Jews. 
A great persecution of the followers of Christ at Jerusalem takes place after the martyrdom 
of Stephen. 

32/An angel sends Philip to baptize the ithiopian eunuch. 

33/Conversion of Saut of Tarsus, afterward called Pavt. 

The number of the followers of Christ greatly increases. 

84 Αὐ Lydda, Peter cures Eneas of the palsy ; and at Joppa, restores Tabitha to life. 

36 Fire at Rome, which destroyed part of the circus, and the quarter of Mount Aventine. 

Tiberius declares himself friendly to the Christians, and wishes to enrol Christ among the 
gods; but is opposed by the senate. 

37, Death of Tiberius Nero Cesar, on the 16th or 26th of March, in the seventy-eighth year of 
his age, after having reigned twenty-two years, six months, and twenty-six days, if we 
reckon from the death of Augustus; and twenty-five years, six months, and fifteen days 
from the time when he was first associated in the empire with Augustus. He is succeeded 
by Caius Caligula. 

Disgrace and death of Pilate, governor of Judea. 

40 ΤΊ conversion of Cornelius, the centurion, happened about this time. 

41 ΤΊνο Emperor Caligula slain on the fourth day of the Palatine games. He is succeeded by 

his uncle, Claudius Cesar. 

42'The followers of Jesus first called Caristrans at Antioch. 

48 Claudius vanquishes the Britons in several battles, and at his return to Rome is honoured 

with a triumph. 

44. James, the brother of John, put to death by Herod. 

45 An eclipse of the sun on the birthday of the Emperor Claudius. To prevent the supersti- 
tious drawing thence any inauspicious omens concerning him, he caused notice to be posted 
up some time before it happened, giving a physical explanation of the phenomenon. 

The dreadful famine foretold by Agabus rages in Judea, Acts xi, 27, 28. 

47\Secular games celebrated at Rome, in honour of the 800th year of Rome. 

48 Claudius by a census.is said to find 6,900,000 citizens in Rome. 

The Gauls admitted into the senate, and to the dignities of the empire. 

49|Herod Agrippa, king of the Jews, eaten up of worms: Acts xii, 23. 

Seneca recalled from banishment, and made preceptor to Agrippa’s son. 

52)The Jews expelled Rome by Claudius. 

Caractacus, the British king, is defeated, made prisoner, and carried to Rome. 

53 Nero’s marriage with Octavia. 

Claudius Felix made governor of Judea in the room of Ventidius Cumanus. 

54\Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Cesar, the Roman emperor, poisoned by the Empress Agrip- 
pina, after a reign of thirteen years, eight months, and twenty-one days; and is succeeded 
in the empire by Nero Cesar, his wife’s son. 

Paul preaches at Athens, 

57|Apollos, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, preaches at Corinth, Acts xviii, 24. 

59| Laodicea, one of the most famous cities in Asia, destroyed by an earthquake. 

61 King Agrippa confers the high priesthood on Jsrae/, the son of Phabius. 

62\Death of Mark the evangelist. He is said to have been buried at Alexandria. 

St. Paul sent in bonds to Rome. He is shipwrecked at Malta. 

Nero puts his empress, Octavia, to death. 

63,On the fifth of February, a violent earthquake happened in Campania, which destroyed a great 
part of the city of Pompeii, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and did considerable damage 
to Herculaneum. 

James, the brother of our Lord, is, according to Eusebius, thrown down from a pinnacle of 
the temple, and stoned; and a fuller, striking him on the head with a club, kills him. 
64|Great fire in Rome, by which upward of two thirds of this great city was consumed. 
\Nero, charging the late conflagration of the city upon the Christians, persecutes them with 
all manner of cruelties and torments. 
The Jews revolt from the Romans, and pelt their governor, /'Jorus, with stones, which begins 
the first Jewish war. 

66 Vespasian sent by Nero to make war against the Jews. 

Disturbances in Cesarea between the Jews and the idolaters who inhabited that city. 

Sedition in Jerusalem, occasioned by Florus. This may.be considered the proper commence- 
ment of the Jewish war. It took place, according to Josephus, on the sixteenth day of the 
month Artemisius, which, according to Scaliger’s calculation, corresponds to our Jay. 

The Jews of Cesarea slain, to the number of twenty thousand. 

All Syria filled with slaughter by the battles between the Jews and the Syrians. 

Jerusalem besieged by Cvestius Gallus, 


637 


CHRONOLOGY OF REMARKABLE EVENTS, 


ne 


4074 


4083 


4084 


.|A.D 


66 Lhe Christians leave Jerusalem, and fly to Pella in Coelosyria. — 

67| Vespasian invades Judea with an army of 60,000 men, and carries fire and sword wherever he 
goes ; immense numbers of Jews are slain in the various sieges. 

St. Peter and St. Paul put to death about this time. 

68 The Emperor Nero, on account of his great cruelty and injustice, is obliged to fly from Rome 

to the house of Phaon, one of his freedmen, about four miles from Rome, where he kills 

himself; upon which the senate declares Galba emperor. 

69 Vespasian acknowledged emperor by a great part of Italy, and all the western provinces. 

The capitol besieged and taken by Vitellius’s soldiers. 

The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus destroyed by fire. 

Vitellius is killed, after a reign of eight months and a few days, and Vespasian succeeds him 
in the empire. 

70 Vespasian orders the capitol to be rebuilt, the first stone of which was laid on the 21st of June. 

Titus, son of Vespasian, sent by the emperor to besiege Jerusalem. 

The Jewish temple burnt, notwithstanding the endeavours of Titus to preserve it. 

Jerusalem taken, Sept. 7, and destroyed by Titus, which ends the Jewish war. Josephus 
reckons that not less than eleven hundred thousand persons perished in this siege, by fire, 
sword, misery, and famine. If to this number be added all that were killed in the several 
battles fought out of Jerusalem, and in the taking of the several towns which the Romans 
stormed, it will be found that the Jews lost, in the whole course of the war, one million 
three hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred and sixty men. The number of pris- 
oners during the war, according to the same historian, amounted to ninety-seven thousand 4 
See on Matt. xxiv, 31. 

71|Magnificent triumph of Vespasian for his victories over the Jews. 

Peace being re-established in the world, the temple of Janus is shut. This is the sixth time 
of its being shut, according to Orosius. 

74 Vespasian, who had made his son Titus his colleague in the censorship, celebrates with him 

the ceremony of closing the lustrum ; and of numbering the Roman citizens. 

75 Dedication of the temple of Peace. Vespasian places in it the golden vessels belonzing to 

the temple of Jerusalem, and a great number of the finest performances of the best painters 

and sculptors. 

Nero’s colossus, erected by his order at the entrance of the golden palace, is dedicated to 

Apollo, or the sun, by Vespasian. 

79| Vespasian dies, after a reign of nine years, eleven months, and twenty-four days; and is suc- 
ceeded in the Roman empire by his son T%tus. 

Dreadful eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which devastated a considerable part of Campania. 

Death of the elder Pliny, who was suffocated by the smoke and ashes from the mountain, 
while employed in examining this dreadful phenomenon. 

80 Terrible fire at Rome, which raged with great violence for three days and three nights. 
Many of the public buildings were destroyed, among which were the Pantheon, the Oc- 
tavian library, and the Capitol, which had not been long rebuilt. 

Dedication of the amphitheater begun by Vespasian and finished by Titus. 

Titus dies on Sept. 13, after a reign of two years, two months, and twenty days; and is suc- 
ceeded in the Roman empire by his brother Domitian. 

84\The fleet of Agricola sailed round Great Britain; before this cireumnavigation was made the 

Romans were not sure that Britain was an island. 

85|Domitian orders the nativity of all the great men in Rome to be cast; and such as were 
said to be born for empire, he destroyed. 

Philosophers banished from Rome by Domitian. 

86|Institution of the Capitoline games. 

89 Domitian banished the astrologers from Rome. 

91)/Domitian changes the names of the months of September and October, and calls them Ger- 
manicus and Domitianus; which continued only during his life. 

About this time the temple of Janus is again shut. 

Cornelia, chief of the vestals, accused by the emperor of incontinence, is buried alive. 

93) Death of Agricola, the governor of Britain, on the 23d of August, in the year when Collega 

and Priscus were consuls. 

95 Commencement of the second persecution against the Christians. 

About this time St. John was thrown into a ealdron of boiling oil, near the Latin gate at 
Rome; but, being miraculously preserved, is afterward banished to Patmos, where he is 
supposed to have written his Revelation some time in the course of this or the following year. 

96 Domitian killed in his palace by some of his freedmen, after a tyrannical reign of fifteen 

years and five ‘days. He was the last of the twelve Cesars, and is succeeded in the empire 

by Nerva. 

97/Trajan, who commanded the army in Lower Germany, adopted by Nerva. 

8\Nerva dies, Jan. 21, after having reigned one year, four months, and eight days, and is suc- 
| ceeded in the empire by Trajan, a Spaniard. 

99 Trajan, who was in Germany when he was proclaimed emperor, enters Rome without the 

least parade. 

100/Adrian, afterward emperor, married to Sabina, daughter of Trajan’s nephew. 

The death of St. John, the apostle and evangelist, is generally supposed to have happened 

| about this time. 


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